Page 100 of Starchaser
Our gazes meet as if he knows exactly where I am, and in one moment, one look, I feel everything his eyes convey—sorrow, despair, defeat.
I force myself to look away.A political alliance, I tell myself. That’s all this marriage is—a means of winning the battle to endthe war before it can truly begin. It doesn’t mean he loves her. It doesn’t mean she loves him.
But the look in his eyes… I can’t help but feel like this represents something different for Titus.
When he takes his place next to the officiant atop the dais, he turns on his heel and our eyes meet once more.
My lips part, my own emotions warring within me—emotions I can’t define. Especially not now, on the day he’s to be wed.
This time, he looks away, down the aisle, and Will lightly taps my arm, signaling for me to stand along with the rest of the crowd.
Making her way toward Titus, Leo glides down the aisle like a star given flesh. The gossamer fabric of her long, billowing skirt glitters with thousands of tiny crystals in a mesmerizing display that leaves the entire room gasping in awe. Diamonds adorn her dark hair, her face dusted with shimmering powder that conceals the dark circles under her eyes and gives her an ethereal glow not of this realm.
I see the moment their gazes meet, see the small, hesitant smile on her lips. But he doesn’t react—doesn’t even pretend to play the part of an adoring fiancé. Not as he did last night in the Crystal Atrium.
No—today, he looks as if he’d rather drive a blade through Leo’s heart.
I cut a glance at the king and queen to find Calantha watching Titus carefully, a hint of a smirk tugging at her bloodred lips. Calix watches Leo, however, his false smile like that of a proud father-in-law—a triumphant king. Almost as if he senses me watching, Calix turns his stare on me, and for a split second, I think I see something like fear in his eyes, as if someone other than the bloodthirsty king of the Eerie were looking at me, an unmistakable plea for help woven into the very fiber of his skin.
Calantha places a hand on his arm as Leo nears the dais, drawing his attention away from me, and I feel as if I imagined the shift in him—the terror in his eyes. The desperation.
Titus’s expression is unreadable as he takes Leo’s hands in his, his voice quiet as the officiant guides them through their vows.
“I do,” Titus says, a muscle in his jaw twitching.
My heart beats faster. I glance to my right, searching for Mother, but she and Sybil are nowhere to be found, as if they vanished.
“I do,” Leo echoes, her voice soft, her gaze fixed on their clasped hands.
I fidget in my seat, and Will’s hand brushes mine. I fight the urge to pull away from him. After today, it won’t matter, so I allow him to twine our fingers together even as I feel the heat of the stares from nearby nobility.
Despite everything, my heart flutters with the possibility of being with Will—of sharing a life with him—that we don’t have to keep secret. Maybe my confusion about my feelings for Will has been because of the threat of treason hanging over our heads. Maybe without the secrets we’re forced to keep, we could be truly happy together.…
“It is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant concludes. “You may now kiss the—”
BOOM.
The first explosion rocks the castle with such force it throws me from my seat onto the marble floor. I brace my head between my hands as a second explosion rattles my skull, my ears ringing. Something heavy buries me beneath its crushing weight, and I open my eyes to see both Henry and Will have covered my body with theirs, shielding me.
“Now!” Will shouts, grabbing my arm and hauling me to my feet as Henry gathers himself, hands outstretched as if ready to defend us at a moment’s notice. “Aster, come! We have to hurry!”
Somewhat dazed, I search the throne room once more for Mother, though I know it’s futile—if she’s still here, it will be impossible to find her in the chaos. The wedding guests scream, attempting to flee the throne room, but something blocks their path. Over the ringing in my ears, I barely make out the sound of the Gore’s laughter—hardly register the blood that spills onto the marble floor as the Bloodknights form a circle around the king and queen. A League soldier is tossed into the air above the crowd, his legs ripped from his body, and I catch a glimpse of the Gore blocking the double doors.
It all happens so fast I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing.
To my left, a single vessel launches an assault on Castle Grim, emerging from the cloud of smoke and mist, its cannons blazing with orange light as another explosion causes the chandeliers to tremble overhead.
Not thousands. Not a fleet. Only one ship.
TheStarchaser.
My vision comes into focus, throwing Titus into sharp relief against the backdrop of the sea, lying unconscious on the ground beside Leo. But at the very moment I move toward them, away from Will and Henry, red smoke fills the throne room.
I stumble, alone in the haze. Nearby, Will and Henry both shout, calling for me, but the smoke disorients me. No matter what, I can’t seem to reach them.
“Aster Oberon,” comes a feminine voice, a soft purr that somehow rises over the din of chaos. “You didn’t really think we would let you get away again?”
I whirl, attempting to locate the voice, but it sounds as if it comes from all around. Slowly, I slip my hands in my pockets, grab the hilts of my daggers, and take a deep breath.
