Page 55 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

“Do you truly believe it?” She paused at the flaking door to the tavern and looked up at him.

“I cling to that hope, yes.” Raif brushed a strand of hair away from Zylah’s face, his fingers lingering for a moment before he pulled away. “Maybe that makes me a fool.” His hands slid into his pockets as he looked at her. “Will you be alright tonight?”

There were still so many questions on the tip of her tongue, but they could wait. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“Goodnight, Liss. I meant what I said, you did well tonight.”

“Goodnight,” Zylah said softly. He began to walk away, but she called out to him. “Raif?” He spun back to face her. “You’re not a fool.”

He gave her a small smile in reply and turned back in the direction of the safe house.

The heaviness from earlier seemed to pin Zylah down as she made her way up the stairs to her room. What had she been thinking? She’d wanted to prove herself to them, that she was one of them. That she could help. And Mala had died because of it. Her stomach twisted over itself as she shut her door behind her.

Everything ached. The Aster hadn’t broken any bones, but she would be sore in the morning. She knew better than to soak it off in the bath whilst she was alone though. She let Kopi in at the window and shrugged off her bloodied cloak. The twist in her stomach became a tug, and she pressed her palms to her eyes as she sat on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply.

Her eyes shot open to a heavy thud.

Holt.

“You’re bleeding,” she said, rushing to the floor beside him.

Holt said nothing as his eyes flickered shut and he groaned. His pointed ears were gone, his face a little plainer than the last time she’d seen it. All his deceits were back in place, yet he still looked like a god.

She pressed her hands over the wound at his ribs. “Why haven’t you healed yourself?”

“It’s nothing. It will heal.” He was covered in dirt and blood, his shirt soaked in crimson and sweat.

She knew it was stupid to feel guilty for leaving him back in that alley. But what if they’d caught him like Mala? What if they’d… Zylah swallowed. “Do you haveanyregard for your own life?” she asked, hoping the uneasiness in her voice wouldn’t show.

He eased himself to his elbows and held her gaze. “No.”

“Hold still.” Zylah closed her eyes and focused. Put herself back in the safe house, healing superficial wounds on recruits that Saphi brought to her. Pictured Holt’s wound healing beneath her fingertips.

The lump in her back felt as if someone were clamping it between a vice, and she bit down on her lip against the pain; the ache was always worse when she used her magic.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” he said softly when she opened her eyes. He pulled his shirt aside and ran his fingers across the bloodied skin; the wound was closed. Why couldn’t she save Mala?

She cleared her throat. Looked up at Kopi, comfortably nestled on his dresser, anything to avoid the intensity of Holt’s gaze. “Do you want me to get you something? Help you onto the bed?”

She made to move away, but Holt grabbed her hand. “Just stay. Just sit with me for a while.” He released her hand, pushing himself to a seated position and leaned his head back against the table leg.

“What happened?” Zylah asked, looking up at him. Even sitting, he towered over her.

Holt blew out a breath and dragged a hand through his tousled hair. “Asters. Too many of them.”

One was enough. Maybe one of the Asters Raif turned to ash had been the one to hack off Mala’s wings and shred them. But it wouldn’t have been an Aster that tied her up. No, their clawed hands didn’t seem dexterous enough to fasten a rope. That would have been Arnir’s elite unit.

“You saw them too?” Holt asked softly.

Zylah nodded. Her throat burned, and she shoved aside the memory of Mala’s lifeless body in Asha’s arms.

His gaze slid to her bloodied cloak on the floor and back to her. “And Mala?” he asked, his brow furrowing.

Zylah willed her voice not to waver. “Dead.” She wrung her hands over each other in her lap. “She…”She died beneath me, and I didn’t even notice. “I took her body back to the safe house for Asha.”

She didn’t need to look up to know Holt was still looking at her. But she couldn’t meet his eyes. Couldn’t tell him the truth. That she’d failed Mala.

“You asked me what the furthest I’ve ever evanesced was,” Holt said, resting an arm on his knee. He closed his eyes again, sadness settling over him so heavily it was palpable. “Most of the continent. For my sister.”

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