Page 78 of Starchaser
“Like that!” Leo says as I steer the skipper, weaving between Eerie naval ships and foreign schooners, flying toward the mouth of the cave, out of the harbor, and across the moonlit waves. “There you go!”
She laughs as we take off, gliding across the surface of the water, and I find my own laughter coming more easily than I ever would have thought.
I know your secret.It should terrify me that Leo knows about my affinity—itdidterrify me at first. But now, those words have somehow eased the heaviness in my chest.
Still, I find it replaced by something else—something I’ve worked my entire life to push aside. The only other person who ever made me hope for a better life—a different life—was Owen. The stories he told me of the Red Island and the freedom that awaited us there filled me with such longing that some nights I grieved for a life I never knew. For a world that didn’t exist. For a version of myself I knew I’d never get to meet. And every time I began to hope for more, I had to bury those dreams somewhere deep; otherwise I might not have been able to survive the pain of knowing it could never be true. But tonight, sailing across the sea on a stolen skipper with someone who, in another life, might have been my very best friend, I find that all those feelings have rushed to the surface—a dream demanding to be dreamed once more.
There is still time to chase another star.
I have to believe, if everything goes wrong and I don’t leave Castle Grim alive, that the things I’ve done—the things I’m doing—will give my family more time to dream the dreams they once thought were impossible.
“We’re nearly there,” Leo calls to me. “Up ahead, see? Under the docks.”
The skipper seems to understand where my thoughts have gone, and the water carries us to our destination, gently depositing us on the shore beneath the first wooden pier.
I step off the skiff onto the rocks, lightheaded, my heart racing, but feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a long time, and I gesture for Leo to lead the way. “Your turn.”
Wooden stalls line the streets of Jade for miles, the small booths emanating warm golden light as the bustling crowd browses their goods, filling the city with the scent of baked treats and mulled wine. We emerged from beneath the docks of the North Harbor and into the bustling market, our cloaks still soaking wet. Leo coached me through drying our clothes, and I think with a small tug of annoyance that in less than an hour, Leo taught me more about using my own magic than Titus.
“Here,” Leo says, her hood casting shadows on her face as she cocks her head in the direction of a nearby alleyway. “This should lead us to the East Harbor.”
I hesitate before following Leo down the dark, narrow passage, the cobblestone streets reminding me of the night I watched Captain Shade’s blood spill onto the street. The look in Will’s eyes as he drove the blade through his chest—wild with fury. Even though it turned out to be one of theStarchaser’s crew pretending to be Shade—even though he survived—so many members of his crew lost their lives that night. All because of me.
“Leo,” I say quietly. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” She glances at me sidelong, her expression innocently blithe. “Risking a death sentence to free a couple of humans?”
“Yes, that.”
Her brows knit, her eyes blazing with familiar determination even as she casually lifts a shoulder. “I don’t care what the laws say. It’s not right—Nightweavers ruling over humans. Humans being drained of their blood just so we can maintain power.” She looks at me, and I’m struck by the sincerity in her gaze. “If I can do something—anything—to change even a small part of the world my ancestors have built, I’m going to do it. No matter the cost.”
My pace slows as I process the weight of Leo’s declaration. If there were ever a moment to persuade the princess to join our cause—to fight alongside the Order—it’s now.
“Leo—” I start, but she holds up a hand, silencing me as we approach the end of the alleyway.
She peeks around the corner before motioning for me to follow, her finger pressed to her lips, urging me to be quiet as we step out onto the empty street. The symphony of music and laughter carries over the rooftops, but here, we’re alone.
“There,” Leo whispers, pointing at the docks up ahead, the cream-colored sails of a galleon reflecting the amber glow of the gas lamps lining the streets. “That’s the ship.”
The silhouettes of a group of soldiers moving about the ship, down the gangplank and onto the pier, are all I can make out, but aside from their presence, all appears relatively calm. Near the end of the dock, two Bloodknights wait beside a carriage that is rigged to pull a wooden compartment.
A cage, I realize, my fists tightening around the hilts of my daggers.
Even worse, when the Bloodknights turn to speak to each other, I recognize one’s helmet—recognize the weapons he carries.
Gabriel.
“What’s the plan?” I ask, my palms slick. We haven’t been noticed—yet. We’re about two blocks away, but all it will take is for Gabriel or his companion to look over their shoulders and spot two cloaked figures and we’ll be caught. When Leo doesn’t answer, I glance at her, staring straight ahead at the two Bloodknights. “Youdohave a plan, right?”
She cocks her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Gabriel and the other Bloodknight.
Thump.The Bloodknights’ bodies hit the ground in unison, the sound inconspicuous enough that the soldiers don’t look their way.
I think of the way Owen stole the breath from Flynn’s and Gabriel’s lungs that night on the train, and a chill runs down my spine. “Did you just—”
Leo shakes her head. “They’re alive,” she says simply, her gaze focused now on the soldiers. Including those that crewed the ship, there’s too many to count.
“And the rest?”
