Page 31 of Bound By Stardust
Asira’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? What happens now?”
“Ideally, the stardust will cause the air in the palace to become toxic, and the Masters will sicken and die. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Are you sure it was all of it?”
“No, but I was angry. I thought they had you.”
Asira let go of me, her expression softening, eyes lost as she stared at the ground. “I don’t understand. I’m just the Stardust Collector.”
“To me, you’re so much more.”
23
Asira
Back in the home in the hillside, Drazhan unloaded his bag, taking out a warm gown for me, along with a fur-lined cloak. “These were in Iscariot’s chambers and will keep you warm against the chill. I’ll be just outside, finding wood for a fire.”
I took the clothes, surprised at this thoughtfulness. “Won’t lighting a fire be dangerous? What if the Masters aren’t dying from stardust, and they come to find us?”
“It is a risk, but we need to eat to keep up our strength. Besides, there are hidden routes we can use to disappear. Dress and use more of the stardust on your wound. I’ll return shortly.”
Drazhan slipped out the door, and it was not lost on me how our roles were reversed. Now, I was the one wounded, healing in his home while he worked and made food for me. How quickly things changed.I was so relieved to see him again, albeit slightly disappointed that he hadn’t tried to kiss me yet.
When he’d embraced me, part of me longed to stay in his arms, but the friction against my broken skin hurt. I’d pushed him away, but part of me also didn’t want to admit that I felt something else, a budding heat, a flicker of flame, that same weightless sensation I felt whenever he kissed me.
When the door opened, I stared at him with fresh eyes, all judgment cast aside.
Drazhan wasn’t one of the Masters. He was someone else, a protector from another realm, tall and handsome with a flirtatious wink in his golden eyes.
He’d told me a tale of a place that defied knowledge, as though he were used to living in cities in the sky. Once, he’d brought down an entire city, and he aimed to do it again. When he was done here, what would happen next?
“You’re staring at me,” Drazhan said. “Should I be concerned?”
I watched the power in his arms as he swung a load off his back, set a pot on the fire, and started chopping vegetables for soup.
“No, I was just thinking.”
“Thinking of?”
I settled on the pallet and leaned against the earthy wall, watching Drazhan light the fire with just a few words. Magic.
“I don’t want to go back,” I said softly, the confession hanging like a dagger between us.
Those golden eyes held mine just a moment before he returned to his work. “Back where? And why?”
“Back home, to my cottage in the woods. I don’t want to be the Stardust Collector anymore. In truth, when I asked you to ensure I was chosen, it wasn’t because I wished to be up here. I did, of course, but I wanted a change, something different. For as long as I can remember, my family line has dwelled in Terrin with the unique task of being the healers of the land, the Stardust Collectors. It’s a long and lonely task and…boring. Every year, I do the same thing, help the same people, collect the stardust and herbs, make tinctures, and go to town, but mostly, I wait for something, anything, to happen in my humble life. The only change I could conceive of was being chosen, invited to dwell here, and now that I’m here, now that I’ve learned the truth, I feel…powerful.”
Drazhan stilled, his expression unreadable. “Powerful. That’s not the word I expected to hear from your lips. Maybe frightened or angry, but not…powerful.”
I rubbed the soft material of the cloak, unable to look at him. “It sounds terrible. As a healer, I help the people of Terrin, and I’m aware that their lives are a little less burdensome because of the knowledge I carry. It’s all written down, though. It doesn’thaveto be me. Being up here is terrifying, and I do feel anger and fear, but mainly, I feel rage. The Masters pretended to protect Terrin. I can help stop the madness, and that knowledge makes me feel more alive than I have in years.”
“There is no greater power than life and death, and as a healer, you hold that power. Still, you want more, to liberate those from evil.”
“Yes.”
“But the people of Terrin don’t know who the Masters truly are.”
I shook my head. “No, but there is an aura of fear in Terrin, of doubt and mistrust. Something is wrong. Everyone feels it, and everyone looks to the skies with hope. Everyone wants to be chosen because it means escape and a better life. What if the fall of the Masters is enough for them to realize that we can have a better life without living up here? What if the floating islands were open to all, to come and go as they please?”
