Page 17 of The Stars are Dying

“Done. Don’t bring anything that might slow you down. I’ll take care of it.”

I couldn’t believe that in just a few days I could be venturing free, bursting from the cage I’d known, and I was exhilarated above my fear to discover what lay beyond.

“We’re really doing this,” I said.

Cassia beamed brightly. “Yes, you are.”

I’d never spoken much about Hektor, but somehow I didn’t need to. What I treasured about Cassia was her ability to know what a person needed without prying. She was fierce and brave, and I envied her for it often.

“Your mother would be so proud,” I said quietly, unable to stop the slipped thought.

Cassia smiled, sad but grateful. “She should still be alive. Yet that soul-sucking vampire tested the one law of protection we have. She died aged only thirty-one, before I could even walk. I don’t want to have children if that’s the life they could face, losing a mother far too soon—or worse, losing their own years.”

I nodded in understanding, but as always, Cassia seemed to read my expression before I could change the topic.

“You’ll find out where you came from,” she said softly.

It was something I had no leads on, but Cassia had always been hopeful in sparking fresh ideas for where to start looking for my parents—if they were even still alive.

“Perhaps we’ll have more luck in the Central.”

“Or it could take me further from the answer,” I muttered, kicking at the grass.

I didn’t hold much hope that anything could be found in the Central. With all borders locked, I had to have come from Alisus. The price of leaving with Cassia might be to accept that my past would be forever lost. As I thought about it in that moment, I knew my choice wouldn’t change.

Maybe it was time for me to stop hunting for the past, or I would never be prepared for a hopeful future.

“Don’t be so negative. Regardless, I’m so glad you changed your mind to come.”

I smiled, still wary, knowing the chains that held me to Hektor’s manor could be shortened with my attempt to flee. “What will Calix say?”

Cassia waved her hand. “Let me worry about him.”

I simply watched in admiration as she continued to fire arrows with such precision and focus as if she were one with the weapon.

“Do they tell you anything about the Libertatem—what you could face?” I asked to fill the silence.

Cassia blew frosted breaths in her exertion. “No. Only that it will be a long time before we come back. Victor or not.”

The three existing Selected to have won the Libertatem had been sworn in as the king’s Golden Guard. Not only had they won a century of safety for the kingdom, banishing any vampire from the land, but the human victors had been gifted immortality.

While I shuddered at the thought of the sacrifice for such a prize, I couldn’t deny Cassia would dominate with a position in the guard. And she wanted it more than anything.

“When you live forever, don’t forget about me,” I mused. It was intended to be a lighthearted comment, but it weighed the air heavy.

“Maybe I can pledge for both of us.” She nudged me as she passed.

I thought of having years beyond my mortality. Who I was now wouldn’t wish for that. No bird in a cage would want to live that way forever. But as I pictured the possibility of a door through which to fly free, suddenly the world felt too vast to be seen only in human years. Only then might I envy those who had centuries of youth to explore.

Calix returned, along with a servant girl who beamed brightly at Cassia. I accepted a steaming cup of tea, biting back my moan when I removed my gloves to feel the warmth shooting up my arms from my palms.

“How did you get here?” Calix asked, relaxing his stiff posture now he was off duty to lean against the wall.

“It’s not far,” I said.

“Are you going to tell me what’s up with you now?” Cassia shot me a pointed look.

My muscles remained tender while my body couldn’t decide the temperature it wanted to keep me at. I imagined my impromptu venture had ruffled my appearance more, and I subconsciously ran my fingers through the lengths of my hair.

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