Page 88 of Blood of the Stars

A hand rested on her back, and Iris’ soothing voice murmured in her ear. “It sounds like you had two terrible choices, love. We’ll never know if the other choice would have been worse. No sense dwelling on it.”

Aeliana turned to Cyrus. “But you could have died because of me.”

He shook his head. “I slipped into the water and hit my head because of my own clumsiness. You saved my life. The Stars watched out for us both. There’s nothing to forgive.”

She opened her mouth to protest more, but Iris interrupted. “What’s done is done.” She clasped Aeliana’s hand between both of hers and gave a squeeze.

Kendalyhn snorted from her spot at the fire, drawing Aeliana’s eyes up. Several others avoided her gaze, replacing the reassurance Iris offered with doubt.

“What did the sprites say?” Cyrus asked.

“They said I would have to sacrifice you if I wanted to be rid of my magic.” When Cyrus’ face paled, she quickly added, “Which is why I assumed that if I was willing to use my magic, I would be able to save you.”

“You used your magic?” Sylmar stood, leaning against his staff. Still, a newfound strength emanated from him. Hope.

Aeliana squared her shoulders, shocked at the ripple of pride running through her. “I did.”

She’d had to use blood magic, something that still left her feeling sick, but after tapping into the power in her blood—sensing where it resided and how she could access it—it was like a thread had been left behind, keeping her connected to it. She sensed that if she tried again, it would be easier to access, without the blood magic.

Sylmar’s lips spread out, the motion probably a smile, but his scars twisted his face into more of a grimace. “Then we can start training again. You were motivated to heal, to save. That’s as good a test as any for now. Even if that skill fades as you’re weaned off blood magic, it’s something we can start with for your training.” He glanced at Lukai. “Your bondmate can help.”

Lukai gave Aeliana an almost shy smile.

Aeliana turned to Cyrus. “After you…were revived, a man came. Who was he?”

“I don’t know. He showed up out of nowhere, but it was like he knew you’d be there. I don’t know how to explain it. It was like he breathed in your energy and then pushed it out toward the dark spirits. Sent them away.”

“You told us he had no starlock,” Sylmar said.

“I didn’t see one. But Velden keeps his hidden. Maybe he did too.”

“How was he able to send away the dark spirits?” Every muscle in Aeliana’s body tensed. Her guardians had welcomed the dark spirits. She’d thought that if they came that close, it was impossible to resist inviting them in. Even Sylmar had sounded hopeless when he’d said they’d deal with them.

“It wasn’t his blood that called them,” Sylmar said. “If you’d been alert, welcoming them in, it would have been far more difficult. Still, it’s an impressive thing he did.”

She shuddered, knowing she’d almost welcomed the dark spirits. If they’d reached her before she found the sprites, would she have been unable to resist? Or if she hadn’t used up all her magic to save Cyrus, would she have let them fuse with her like Arvid and Vera had?

“At first I didn’t see you breathing,” Cyrus went on, “but the stranger—it’s like he was healing you. One moment he was gripping your arms so hard I thought he’d break them, the next he was barely touching your starlock, your wrist, your throat. When your breath came back, he nearly collapsed, but the others shouted from the opposite bank, and he took off.”

“What did he look like?” Aeliana asked.

“My height, brown hair.” He gestured toward Sylmar and Velden. “Somewhere between them in age.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down much,” Velden said with a smirk. “Somewhere between youthful wisdom and declining senility.”

Sylmar glared at Velden.

“Tattoos on his hands?” Aeliana asked.

Cyrus nodded, eyebrows raised. “You remember him?”

Aeliana hesitated, not quite sure if she was remembering him from that night or if she remembered him from one of her Awakening visions.

“We’ll camp here a second night,” Sylmar said. “Rest and recover.”

There were mixed reactions around the fire, maybe because they were still so close to Lovers’ Falls, or maybe because they’d already broken camp. But people dispersed, dragging out the equipment they’d previously packed away.

Sylmar turned to Aeliana, a question in his eyes. “Do we train tonight while it’s fresh in your mind? Or rest and train tomorrow after the pressure has built?”

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