Page 103 of Blood of the Stars

Orra sucked in a breath, leaning forward to grasp her mare’s mane for support.

“Stop,” she murmured. “Please.”

Orra pulled back on the reins, and the horse came to a standstill just as she slid off. She let herself fall to the muddy earth, then plunged her hands into the dirt, ignoring the way it splattered and clung to her dress.

Riveran let out a snort. “You took that double or nothing bet, didn’t you?”

“No way,” Gaeren hissed, pulling Skunk back around toward Orra’s mare. “Orra? Are you all right?”

Her eyes opened, her gaze almost on his face. She blinked and shook her head.

“She’s either in the city or just beyond. There’s just…” She trailed off.

Skunk pranced with impatience as Orra’s face remained passive, her darting gaze the only evidence that she still followed her connection to Daisy.

“Will you still be able to trace her in Islara?” Gaeren asked.

“I’m not sure. There’s something…” Orra broke off again, eyes unfocused. Every time she lost her words, Gaeren suspected it was a symptom of a greater sense of loss, maybe in time or place. The woman still kept her secrets, so he would never really know.

She stood, brushing the mud off her hands, which only served to spread it further. She wiped her hands on her equally sullied dress before mounting her mare. “Something blocks me even now. Probably just the weight of Islara. All those people and the things they’ve made. They interfere.”

Gaeren and Riveran exchanged a glance, and Riveran’s lips pursed as he tried holding back his grin.

“We’re so close.” Gaeren ran his thumb over the daisy on his dagger. “Once we find Daisy and the starbridge, we can get out of this rain. Maybe get rooms at an inn. But we need to catch them before they leave.” His grip tightened on his reins as he urged Skunk past Maw. The two horses nipped at each other, taking their cues from Gaeren and Riveran.

Gaeren set a faster pace, his frustration and exhaustion finally tempered by the promise of reaching his goal. His recovery had been slow, and his pace and stamina in the days following had been even slower, but soon his tenacity would pay off. Gullet had returned too, Enla’s irate response tied to his leg. She demanded that he come give their mother the red bush tea himself, insisting that she would never forgive him or let him set foot on Starspeed again, which only made him certain he’d made the right choice. His chest tightened. What if that really had been his last voyage on Starspeed?

Now the hawk kept to the trees, waiting out the rain. They probably wouldn’t see him until they left Islara because of it. They headed for the closest entrance to Islara’s valley at the west gate. As they reached the edge of the rim that would lead down to it, Gaeren pulled his cloak tighter around him and let the hood fall down over his face, just in case there were some radical Recreants who recognized him and felt burdened to do something about the royal family.

But when Islara came into view, he no longer worried about hiding his identity.

Every structure was blackened; every crop destroyed. Not a single living thing remained, whether plant or person. Pockets of fire and glowing embers flickered, but the rain had taken care of the worst of what had to have been an inferno. It was eerily similar to the sight that had greeted them on Bamboo Island. Except this had once been a thriving city.

Gaeren gave the skies a quick scan, but the clouds made it difficult to see any possible threats.

Riveran sucked in a breath, reining in Maw as they all took in the damage.

“You think Daisy is in there?” Gaeren asked Orra.

Orra’s mouth hung open for a moment, and Gaeren’s panic surged higher the longer she took to respond.

“I didn’t—it’s everywhere. No wonder I couldn’t sense…” She brought her hand to her forehead, rubbing her temple with her thumb. “It wasn’t just interference. It was fading.”

Gaeren’s fear spiked. He patted Skunk’s neck, leaning forward and tapping the horse with his heels. “Let’s go, boy.”

“Gaeren, wait,” Orra called.

Another set of hooves followed, but Gaeren didn’t look to see who it was. As Skunk picked his way down the slippery hill, Gaeren kept his eyes on the sky. At one point, he swore he saw the outline of outstretched wings in the clouds, but the sky darkened as a heavier storm brewed, and soon the figure disappeared, taking on the full grey of a storm cloud ready to let loose. He didn’t have much time before the scattered showers would turn to a torrential downfall.

By the time he reached the city’s edge, the rain had picked up. The shops nearest had been gutted, revealing their remaining contents. At one point they’d held clothing and kitchen supplies, salted meats and hard tack for those heading out of town. There were also vases and pottery in impressive swirling shades of blue and green, at least the pieces that hadn’t been smashed or melted—souvenirs for arriving travelers. Farther down the street, Gaeren entered an area with better-preserved buildings.

Buildings that might hold survivors. Answers.

Skunk fought Gaeren’s lead, attempting to back out of the city and all its wrongness. Eventually Gaeren dismounted, then patted Skunk on his rump. “Go on. You won’t find any food here. Go find Walnut.”

The gelding took off on the hunt for Orra’s mare, leaving Gaeren alone on the cobblestones. Only he wasn’t alone.

Riveran stood beside him, daggers unsheathed, while Maw and Skunk wound their way back up the path to where Orra waited.

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