Page 28 of All the Chaos of Constellations
Asher turned back to face his sister. The look on her face was nothing short of despair, and so reminiscent of their mother, it pained him. “I’ll be back in time to escort you. I swear it.”
She nodded, but he wasn’t quite certain she believed him.
It made no difference. He wouldn’t let her down. No matter what, he would return from the palace to take her to Terensel in the hopes of finding a mate. Unfortunately, he was faced with another priority. More than anything, he had to request an audience with Queen Elowyn and ask her to break the bond tying him to Novalise. He should’ve done it months ago. For some reason, he thought Novalise would have taken care of it herself, seeing as how furious she’d been when he’d rejected her on the Winter Solstice. But bond-breaking was no easy feat. It required consent from both parties, as it was a torturous and harrowing experience.
He’d heard stories. How it felt like one’s soul was being ripped in half, how it seemed like the heart fractured into a thousand pieces before being haphazardly thrown back together once the bond was severed. The pain was insufferable. Recovery could take days, sometimes even months, and it was not something even the most gifted of healers could repair. He supposed that was why most fae either accepted the bond, or if they chose to deny it, lived the remainder of their days knowing they would never truly be whole again.
Asher threw on his coat, stalking down the hall to the outer courtyard where his carriage was waiting.
Breaking the bond would free Novalise of him. Yes, it would be painful. Yes, she would probably hate him for all eternity, but eventually, she would persevere. Of that he had no doubt. And with her wedding now less than a fortnight away, he could easily plead his case to Queen Elowyn.
Asher told himself he was making the right decision, that their reactions to one another were purely physical, fueled by lust, and fused by magic. There was no intimacy. No shared emotions. And there would never be any love.
Perhaps he would’ve been more inclined to believe such a lie before he so stupidly kissed her. Before he realized he would never be worthy of the one fated to him.
CHAPTERELEVEN
The observatory was always quiet in the afternoon. Glowing light spilled onto the dais from the glass dome overhead, dousing the bronzed architecture in a wash of gold. But the rest of the space remained untouched, bathed in shadows and the flickering of starlight along the alcoves.
Other than on the highest balcony at night, the observatory was Novalise’s favorite place. Here, she didn’t need to be exemplary. There wasn’t a voice in the back of her mind ridiculing her over every misstep, and there was no one watching to ensure she didn’t place a single toe out of line. She didn’t need to placate those around her with a well-practiced smile and a kindhearted demeanor. She didn’t have to be the obedient eldest daughter of House Celestine, ready to play hostess and offer honeyed words at a moment’s notice.
No, here it was just her and the stars.
Even in the blinding light of daytime, she knew they were there. Watching. Waiting.
Her footfalls sounded softly against the glittering, dark blue stone. Tucking her hands behind her back, she slowly paced the room, tracing the constellations with her mind. Memorizing every angle, every shape. Each one told a story, a marvelous tale of interwoven fates and grand designs. Eight of the most prominent constellations in the sky were engraved into the gilded Wheel of Stars overhead, and each of the Starstorm siblings had been born under a different one—even the twins.
The Great Stag for Ariesian, and Cervo the Lone Wolf for Solarius. Novalise, of course, had been born under Estrela’s Crown. Azuralis, the sea goddess, was for Sarelle. Tovian had been born under the sign of Caelifera of the Mountains, while Nyxian came a little more than a year later under Aedes, the Fae Warrior. Lastly, the twins, who had been born minutes apart but on different days. Vespira the Druid had been the main constellation when Caelian was born, but the constellations shifted at the midnight hour, and Creslyn had been born beneath the Tree of Life.
As far as Novalise knew, her brothers and sisters were the only siblings in generations to not share a star sign with one another. Perhaps it was fate, or maybe it was simply because there were so many of them.
On the ground in the center of the room was the Faerie Star. Made of selenite, it shone as bright as moonlight against the deep navy granite. The Faerie Star was the focal of the Starstorm crest, the very same one that was flanked on both sides by a crescent moon.
Carefully, Novalise stood in the center of the star. This was where she drew upon her power. This was where she came alive, where she felt at one with the universe. So long as the thrum of starfire within her blood stayed quiet.
Starfire was a thread of ancient magic bound to the fierce starstorm, from which her namesake was derived. It was magnificent, an explosion of dazzling celestial force that made it look as though one held the entirety of the universe in the palms of their hands. Starfire magic could be traced through Novalise’s father’s lineage, though it had seemingly vanished from the bloodline over one hundred years ago. Rumors surrounded the mysterious disappearance of the starfire—stories claimed the power was hidden away as a means of protection after the Starstorm fae were dethroned during the Battle of Falling Stars. Others seemed to think the starfire and its coinciding starstorm were more of a curse, and Queen Elowyn was somehow to blame for its dormancy.
Protection or curse, it made no difference to Novalise.
All she knew was starfire now slumbered within her, and every so often, it awoke with a vengeance.
“Show me,” she murmured to the skies. “Show me what remains unseen.”
She was enough. She was worthy of the blessing bestowed upon her. Wishes upon stars were Caelian’s magic, but maybe if Novalise was fortunate, she could tweak the reading a little. Adjust the outcome in her favor.
Novalise listened.
The stars whispered.
Spreading her arms wide, magic exploded around her. Beams of moonlight shimmered, enclosing her in a globe of celestial power. Trails of iridescent shooting stars swirled around her like a vortex, scattering stardust like confetti. Constellations took shape, aligning as the night sky engulfed her within the observatory, amplifying her magic. Aedes the Fae Warrior appeared, his notched bow and arrow stretching out over her head. Emerging from Novalise’s left was the Great Stag, his mighty antlers twinkling against the darkened sphere of her creation. The last constellation to appear was Vespira the Druid, her staff of vines shining bright, dulling everything else around it.
Novalise studied the constellations as her mind fired with a dozen thoughts, trying to piece them together. Aedes. The Great Stag. Vespira. Individually, she knew what each of them meant, understood what they represented. But she’d never seen these three particular constellations gathered together before. Placing her palm over each one, Novalise drew from their power, allowing their force to fill her, their energy to enlighten her. The bow and arrow, antlers, and the staff. She recalled all the books she’d read about deciphering the stars, and while there were many passages on decoding them, her mother told her books were the most basic form of understanding the heavens. The innate ability to hear them, to master them, came from inside her.
She closed her eyes.
At once, the stars came alive.
Aedes launched blazing arrow after blazing arrow across a war-torn land. Fires ravaged this place and the scent of death hung heavy in the air. Gray skies roiled and the dense plumes of smoke cleared to reveal the Great Stag, with his gleaming white coat thundering across the horizon. A crowned figure sat gallantly atop his back, a cloak unfurling behind them as a feminine battle cry pierced the silence. From the earth, Vespira rose, her emerald staff in hand. Swathed in furs and flowers, she grasped her staff in both hands, hoisting it high in the air. Vines unraveled around her, reaching out like the hands of the Mother Goddess herself. Vespira slammed the staff into the ground and the world trembled. The landscape shifted and blurred, and the shimmering Veil protecting Aeramere shattered.
