Page 36 of Starchaser
Owen’s warning rings in my ears.This prince of yours is using you, just as your little lord used you. Neither are who you think them to be.
The king lets out a hearty, boisterous laugh, and only then does the crowd follow suit, the sound of their laughter even more monstrous than a Gore’s. Only the princess—onlyLeo—shows no visible reaction, her expression neutral, but in the split second our eyes meet, I think I see something else in her gaze—the slightest hint of sympathy, too brief to properly detect.
“My son, ever eager to enact his own personal brand of justice!” the king says. “No matter, there’s plenty where that came from, and it seems I owe Lady Aster a head. But alas, beyond the palace doors, the festivities have already begun. Join me inside,” he says, turning to face the assembled court. “Tonight, we feast in honor of my heir and his betrothed!”
The nobility follow the king and queen through the towering steel doors that lead into the palace. I try to catch Titus’s eye one final time, but he turns his back to me, joining the assembly inside. I want to follow, but I can’t move. The boy’s blood pools at my feet, crying out to me in a thousand furious whispers, urging me to kneel, to reach out, to taste.…
“Aster.” Will’s voice reaches me from somewhere far away, stirring me from a daze.
Thankfully, I’m still standing upright, having controlled my impulse enough to resist the vision that still plays over and over in my head—kneeling, drinking.…
“Shall we?” Will asks, extending his arm to me.
Flynn clears his throat, and I latch onto Will’s arm as the two Bloodknights collect the rebel’s corpse. I allow Will to guide me through the double doors, into the cool, crisp air of the castle’s great hall, where the nobility have dispersed, following their guards to the residential wing. The king and queen have gone as well, along with Princess Leo and Titus.
Titus—the thought of him causes my heart to twist.
I’ve barely had a moment to take in the dark, enchanted interior of the castle when two familiar faces greet me.
“What are you—” I start, thankful for Will’s arm remaining locked in mine, or else I might have thrown myself at the two of them. “How—”
“How do you think?” Charlie grins, tapping the pommel of the sword sheathed at his hip. “The prince had it arranged for us to be your private guards.”
“Fancy, huh?” Lewis dusts the breast pocket of his jacket—the black-and-scarlet uniform of a palace guard. “Our quarters, however, are much less so.”
Charlie rolls his eyes. “At least we’re all together.”
Hope flares to life in my chest. I remember Gabriel’s warning, and I look around, ensuring that we’re alone before I whisper, “You’re all okay, then?”
“We’retogether, Az.” Lewis places a hand on my shoulder. “Areyouokay?”
I try to respond, but the words get tangled up in my throat,forming knots I can’t seem to untie no matter how many times I blink or nod or—
“Perhaps it would be best if you show us to Aster’s room,” Will says.
Charlie gives him a once-over. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
Will doesn’t even acknowledge Charlie’s question, simply motioning with his hand for them to lead the way.
Lewis straightens dramatically, lowering his voice when he says, “Right this way, your lordship.”
How, in the short amount of time they were here, my two brothers managed to memorize such a confusing layout of stairwells and hallways, I’ll never know. I could spend the rest of my life in this castle and still not understand where I am or where I’m going. When we finally reach my room—somewhere on the twelfth floor, maybe—I realize I’m in way over my head. How am I to accomplish anything when I have no idea how to navigate my surroundings? There are no stars to follow, no compass to tell me which turns to take or steps to climb.
My compass. I’m tempted to reach for it as Charlie unlocks my room and holds open the door for me to enter, but as my fingers skim the cool metal, a little brown mouse darts between my feet, followed by a blur of scraggly black fur.
I recognize the six stubby legs and eight insectoid eyes of the Myth—an atroxis—as it chases the mouse around the corner and out of sight. The day we first arrived at Bludgrave Manor, Lady Isabelle told us the queen kept an atroxis as a pet, as they were one of the few Myths protected by the king’s law. Of all creatures, I can’t imagine why anyone would choose such a hideous, beastlything, but Annie adored her atroxis, Dearest—until Owen compelled her to gut the poor thing.
The hair on the back of my neck prickles as the strange sensation of being watched crawls up my spine. I look over my shoulder, but the four of us are alone in the hall. Still, I can’t help but wonder… what keeps Owen from finding me here? He made it past the wards at Bludgrave Manor. Surely, he’s clever enough to persuade someone to let him into the castle.…
“Az?” Lewis prompts. “Hello?”
I cough, attempting to hide the slight tremble of my voice. “Did you say something?”
Please don’t ask me if I’m okay, I think. For some reason, I feel that in this moment, if he were to ask, I might find it difficult to lie—to myself and to him.
And I can’t fall apart. Not now.
Thankfully, Will must sense something is amiss. “Why don’t we get you settled? I’ll take it from here, gentlemen,” he says, guiding me past my brothers and shutting the door behind us before either one of them can argue.
