Page 12 of Starchaser
It is only the presence of Gabriel and Flynn behind me that keeps me from turning around. I’m grateful to them, in some strange way, because despite the helmets that hide their faces from sight, I can sense the looks they give the patrons of the dining compartment as we pass. Looks that beg to be trifled with. Looks I don’t understand.
Gabriel and Flynn are Nightweavers; they should hate me, too.
We enter the private dining compartment, this one even more luxurious than the first, the single table bedecked in finery fit for a queen.
“There you are.” Will’s deep, smooth voice is like a salve to my frayed nerves. He stands from the table, where he sits across from two people I’ve never met, candlelight flickering in his green eyes, catching flecks of gold and casting them in a dazzling glow that reminds me ofManan, mesmerizing me, drawing me in.…
“Miss Oberon, I’d like you to meet Lady Eliza Cooper.” Will gestures to the dark-haired girl seated across from him, a small, bat-shaped amulet resting between her collarbones. “And her traveling companion, Ms. Winona Congreve.” The meek, auburn-haired girl—human girl, I think, judging by the state of her plain black servant’s uniform—seated next to Lady Eliza dips her head in greeting but avoids looking me in the eye, and before I look away I note the way her hands tremble in her lap. It seems my reputation as a pirate will follow me into this new life as well.
Lady Eliza smiles warmly, her whole face alight, drawing my attention away from the timid maid. “Billie just finished telling us about your daring escape from that dreadful pirate,” she says, her eyes twinkling. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
I mean to say,Likewise, but, “Billie?” is all that comes out.
This earns a giggle from Winona. Eliza’s smile widens, her eyes crinkling at the edges, making her appear lovely and joyful and more beautiful than any Nightweaver I’ve ever met.
“He’s hated that name since we were children,” Eliza says with a wink. “So of course it’s all I’ve ever called him.”
I glance at Will, almost afraidnotto catch his eye—terrified to find he’s watching Lady Eliza with the kind of adoration I’m sure she’s no stranger to receiving. When I turn to him, Will’s mouth is parted, only slightly, as if he wasn’t aware it fell open. But he isn’t looking at Eliza.
His gaze roves from the hem of my skirt to the high neck of my gown, my exposed shoulders, and finally, to my lips, before repeating his slow, careful inspection of my attire. Margaret chose the silky scarlet gown from the wardrobe in my sleeping compartment. She told me she wasn’t sure who left the gowns—all perfectlytailored to me—in the wardrobe, only that Will mentioned they would be there. I’m assuming he arranged this, which means it’s Will whom I need to…thankfor providing me a pair of the most uncomfortable flats to wear in lieu of my boots.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Eliza says, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips, “I’d think you were searching the poor girl for weapons.”
Will’s eyes flit to mine, as if coming out of a daze, his cheeks flushing bright pink. I can’t believe what I’m seeing—Lord William Castor, the feared and the beloved, the most powerful bonewielder of his age,blushing.
“Rest assured, we checked her,” comes Flynn’s voice from close behind.“Thoroughly.”
Will’s jaw clenches. He flexes his hands, his eyes sliding past me to my guards, his entire posture shifting. His expression changes in an instant from someone boyish into someone menacing. A past image of blood on his delicate lips sends a shiver down my spine.
“That will be all,” Will says darkly, dismissing my guards.
“As you wish,” Flynn says, adding, “We’ll be close by, m’lady,” before retreating with Gabriel to the back of the compartment.
Will watches them go, his eyes narrowed.
Eliza clears her throat. “Please, sit,” she says, motioning for me to join them. “Give Billie a chance to remember his manners. And forgive my brothers, who seem to have never learned any manners at all.”
I follow Eliza’s gaze to where the Bloodknights stand guard near the door. She pins the two of them with a warning glare, and Flynn responds with a tiny wave. Eliza rolls her eyes, but the corner of her lip kicks up in a grin.My brothers—if Flynn and Gabrielare Eliza’s brothers, then Will must know the Bloodknights better than he’s letting on.
“Small kingdom,” Will whispers in my ear, almost as if he read my mind.
“Apparently so,” I whisper back.
I take the seat across from Winona, who offers me a timid smile.
My heart skips a beat.
I didn’t recognize her before, in the dim light of the dining compartment, but—
Ms. Winona Congreve is the young maid who saw Titus and me alone in the sleeping compartment.
Her eyes widen, her skin paling.
I open my mouth, unsure what I even intend to say, but Winona gives a small shake of her head, her expression almost pleading.
“So, Aster,” Eliza starts, and my attention snaps to her. She props her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her fists. “Billie tells me you’ve lived a rather exciting life. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a pirate.”
“I—” I’ve never felt so unsure of myself. What am I supposed to say?
