Page 90 of Lightlark
“What about staying away from me?”
His lips were right above hers now, his words practically pressed against the corner of her mouth. “I gave it an honest effort,” he said. “But it turns out ... I’m not that honest.”
Isla stumbled away from him, afraid of what she might do if she stayed so close, close enough to feel the power that leaked from him,close enough for it to brush against her as harshly as the wind—it was magnificent.
But she was a fool. He had been hot and cold for a reason. He had his own plan.
If anything, he’ll useyou.Us.
Grim took a step back. Another. The shadows at his sides flinched, hissing over the rain. “You’re afraid,” he said.
She didn’t know what else to do, so she nodded. Because she was terrified. Terrified of the way her heart was beating wildly, of how her head was as fogged and clouded as the sky above.
Her people deserved better than her, an unproven leader who was at that very moment gambling away their salvation.
What was she doing?
What washedoing?
He must have felt all her emotions, fear weaving with confusion and desire and shame. Because he said, “Let’s get back to the castle.” And all the darkness and shadows fell to his feet before being washed away by the rain.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SPECTER
On the forty-third night of the Centennial, the king finally knocked on her door again.
She opened it. Looked him up and down. “It’s been eight days,” she said.
He was expressionless. “It took five to find her. Two to coax her out of hiding. One to make a deal.”
Isla stared at him, wondering if she could trust him. Wondering if she even had a choice. She had spent the last few days trying to find another way to get into the Sun Isle library. Unsuccessfully.
Part of her considered simply walking straight inside herself, without an invitation, without a disguise, and allowing the king to make his own conclusions. She had proposed the plan to Celeste, who had gotten back to her a day later, with bad news.
Sun Isle library is heavily guarded and monitored,she had said after asking around.It is also always full. It would be impossible to search for the bondbreaker unnoticed.
She needed the king to allow her an unmonitored invitation. Which meant earning his trust.
So she accepted his explanation. And followed him to their next location.
Star Isle was silver. The ground glimmered with cosmic dust. Trees stood thin and crooked, turning into themselves in spirals, tiny glittering leaves growing from even the trunks. The castle was a monstrosity with endless arches, bright jewels tucked into the stone itself, like starshad been stolen and used to fortify the palace, trapped in stone before they could fly home. Celeste once told her that to Starlings, the stars looked brighter than they did to everyone else, like millions of moons, or shining fruits ripe for the picking. Only they could see how brightly they truly glowed.
Starlings manipulated energy from the stars, concentrated power so bright and shining that it could once make buildings topple over, throw bodies soaring without a touch, and shatter all a palace’s windows. Now, with their curse, Starling masters no longer existed.
The isle was glittering, beautiful. But in ruins. Unlike Sky Isle, run by its people and their representatives, or Moon Isle, run by the strict Cleo and her harsh nobles, these lands were unkempt. Overgrown. It was a wonder the castle still stood. All other structures looked either unstable or were already partially fallen apart.
That was what happened when an entire realm died before twenty-five, she supposed. Their government was almost nonexistent, run by nobles who were practically still children when they died.
A pity, Isla thought, as she walked through Star Isle. Something about the realm dazzled her, every living thing coated in a shining gloss, like someone had dipped their hand inside a star and smeared its silvery glow across the land.
A bird that looked crafted out of shining metal sat in a tree nearby, beneath a cluster of silver acorns. A metallic snake crept along a branch, its scales like chain mail. They walked through the strangely hued forest for just minutes before coming upon a stream, water silvery in the moonlight.
Isla’s skin prickled, not just because of the cold, but because of nerves. They were about to meet one of the ancient creatures. The ones Oro had warned her about.
“Do as I say,” he had said. “They are tricksters. Some more violent than others. Some will eat you for dinner and pick their teeth with your bones. Others are more scheming than murderous. They are as old as the island itself.”
The king had promised the one tonight would not try to kill her. He had made sure of it during his final meeting with her the night before. But Isla was still on edge. There had to be a reason this hadn’t been Oro’s first plan.
