Page 12 of Stolen Star

After hoursof tense travel through the otherworldly fog of the Twilight Mists, the sky parts, revealing a star-studded sky that stretches above the tree line.

Now, the atmosphere grows almost festive as the entire caravan gathers around the fire for dinner. Riven sits beside me on a log, our shoulders touching in an easy, familiar way. Nebula settles at my feet, while Ghost prowls the edge of our circle, his vigilance reminding me of Riven’s.

“To surviving the Mists,” a guard—Kyler—toasts, raising a goblet.

“To new alliances,” Calder adds, looking at me. “The Winter Court has weathered many changes through the centuries. Shifts in power, unexpected threats, and treaties formed in moments of necessity. Change isuncomfortable, but it’s what keeps us strong. It’s what allows us to endure when the world tries to break us.”

He’s staring at me so intensely that I glance down at my food—a selection of berries and cheeses—and move it around with my fork. It looks good, but I’m far more excited for the meat that’s roasting above the fire?—

“Sapphire!” Riven’s scream interrupts my train of thought, and then a shield of ice is in front of me, a blade buried in it, its tip inches from my eyes.

The camp erupts into chaos.

I leap to my feet, reaching for the Star Disc in my weapons belt as I scan the clearing.

Calder stands across the fire. His hand is still extended from the throw, his expression stone-cold.

This isnotthe same kind, caring man who spoke to us earlier in the carriage. But at the same time, that exchange was real. At least, I thought it was. Riven thought it was.

And I can’t bring myself to kill someone who was so important to the man I love.

So instead of throwing the Star Disc at him, I channel my water magic into a shield and block his next attack.

“Behind you!” Riven yells, and I pivot as another guard lunges from the shadows.

His blade slices through the air where my neck hadbeen a second before, his eyes gleaming with deadly intent.

A surge of energy races up my arm from the Star Disc.

Use me,it seems to be saying.Defend yourself. End them.

“For the true Winter Court!” another attacker shouts, and I don’t hesitate again.

The Disc leaves my hand, trailing stardust in its wake, and slices clean through the guard’s sword. The blade’s remains clatter to the ground as the Disc continues its arc, slicing through his chest and sending him crumpling to the ground before returning to my outstretched hand.

From there, the attacks continue in a blur.

I barely track the Star Disc’s movement as it cuts through one guard’s armor, then keeps its curve at the perfect pace to intercept another dagger.

Riven’s occupied with Calder, keeping other guards at bay with his air magic while his sword clashes with his mentor’s, the two of them exchanging words as they fight.

Before I can process what’s happening, Lira—Calder’s daughter—appears beside me, her frost-edged blade slicing through an attacker’s throat.

I ready the Disc to throw at her.

“The carriage!” she shouts a split-second before Ithrow, stopping a group of frost daggers from hitting me. “Now!”

Three more guards converge.

Lira turns to face them, frost crackling around her hands. “Go!” she screams at me over her shoulder. “I’ll hold them off.”

“No,” I snap at her, throwing the Star Disc at another guard who’s lunging to attack. “Not without Riven.”

I turn to find him in the chaos—and that’s when I feel it. The shift in the air behind me.

I spin and dodge out of the way just as Lira’s blade thrusts toward my back.

Her eyes have changed—cold, calculating, and merciless—and I use my air magic to force her blade out of her hand.

---