Page 45 of The Stars are Dying

The man with the whip cast his eyes up, and we ducked lower on instinct.

“To the Central,” Cassia said. “I guess it’s true. They used to say the king enlisted all fae to join his army after the Faelestial War and they were to reside in the Central. They have earthbound abilities. From the Mother Deity. They weren’t weakened by the quake centuries ago—that only affected the solar magick the celestials depend on.”

“They’re being forced,” I said, though it was an obvious observation.

“Not all of them. But the fae were great allies with the celestials. There were those who believed in the King of the Gods and joined him. Others resisted, and they were said to be hunted, given one last chance atmercy,and if they didn’t bend to him they were killed.”

“Stop, please!” a woman wailed.

My pulse spiked as we lifted ourselves enough to look over the edge again. I wanted to tell her to stop as I watched her run straight toward the vampire holding the whip, but it wasn’t he who halted her. A hand went over my mouth before I could gasp, and Cassia held me. Wings swooped down, near blending into the night, but the moon revealed a leathery texture as they landed.

Nightcrawlers.

“I’ll be okay!” a younger female fae cried, sobbing as she was pushed into the carriage. Her hair was the tone of honey, a beautiful mix of brown and blonde in a high braided ponytail against a fair complexion.

I strained against Cassia.Stars,I wouldn’t be much help, and it was a fool’s impulse, but watching them felt so damn helpless it was tearing me up inside.

Cassia removed the hand from my mouth.

“Please,” the woman tried again. She was human, and I wondered if that was her daughter as something felt so heart-wrenchingly maternal about her plea.

“This is all the more reason to win the Libertatem,” Cassia said with a low, lethal edge. “Not just win but destroy it. They would be safe from this barbaric round-up too if there weren’t vampires here to carry it out.”

Cassia had never seen her position as a burden. The bravery in her desire to become the people’s savior would never fail to strike me with powerful pride.

“She will serve the true king, or she will die,” the soulless leader sang cruelly.

“No—!”

I lurched back in horror at witnessing the nightcrawler lunge for her, head angled for her neck, but it wasn’t her scream that pierced the night. It was the younger fae’s. My blood turned to ice with it and my heart cracked. The fae tried to exit the wagon, but the iron bars slammed closed sharply.

“We have to do something,” I breathed.

Helpless.I was so useless and helpless to them.

Cassia knew it. “We’d only get ourselves killed and lose our only real chance if we don’t make it to the Central.”

The fae girl clung to the bars as she cried, and I wanted to hold her, comfort her, and tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight she was locked onto. The soulless cracked the whip against the iron, making me wince, and the carriage jolted forward.

As the nightcrawler let go with a guttural moan, my stomach heaved.

We slumped out of view against the slanted part of the roof, and my breaths blew clouds against the bitter temperature as I tried to calm myself. This was real, this world of monsters I’d ventured out into as someone vulnerable and out of her depth. Cassia took my hand, and I squeezed back. She was all that was keeping me safe and grounded when I didn’t know how the hell I’d ever survive the lurking terrors on my own.

She swiped the bottle of whiskey and took a long drink until she panted, extending it out to me. I took it eagerly, needing to erase the cries that echoed in my ears even after the rolling wheels of the carriage were long gone.

Standing, I flipped my final knife then threw it.

Cassia eased a smile. “At least I’ve made my mark on you,” she commented, watching the blade soar to hit the center of the box.

“I’m glad you pestered me into it.”

“It wasn’t like you took much coaxing. You’re practically a natural with the blades and a bow. You picked up the same skill level in three years as I did my whole life.”

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t say thesamelevel.”

Cassia’s final dagger hit a little off to the left. She huffed. “You’re right. Sometimes better.”

I waved her off. “You’ve had more to drink.”

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