Page 127 of Blood of the Stars

“How did you—what did you do?” Aeliana leaned over, watching as Felk’s eyes drifted shut.

“Back home, my son would cry when he was teething. I spent dozens of hours walking him back and forth during the night, letting him gnaw on my finger.”

“He’s teething?”

Riveran shrugged. “The first day of a winex’s life is the most painful. The amount of growth they have is hard on their bodies. Considering how many teeth they have, I figured it was a safe assumption.” He passed Felk back, and the winex whimpered until Aeliana got him settled with her own finger between his gums.

“What about when his teeth come in? Won’t it hurt to let him bite?”

“Guess you’ll find out.” His smile showed through his facial hair. “No, don’t worry. I’ll whittle some wood for him to chew on instead.”

“Thank you,” Aeliana said.

“Yes. We all thank you,” Cyrus said. “Except maybe Sylmar. I think he was hoping for an excuse to—” Cyrus cut off when he took in Aeliana’s glare.

As the day wore on, Aeliana finally found a routine with Felk, and in the evening she requested a night off from training, insisting she’d have time the next night when Felk was older. Kendalyhn refused to include him in the meal she made, but Riveran and Aeliana ate smaller portions, sharing their food with Felk, who toddled around the campfire.

When he tripped and fell, tears pooled in his eyes, his wail drawing everyone’s attention.

“Mama,” he cried, reaching out for Aeliana.

The others exchanged horrified looks as she scooped him up, driving her to her bedroll even though it was far too early for her to go to sleep. Felk rubbed his eyes, so she nestled him against her while he sucked his thumb and drifted to sleep. A glint of moonlight danced on his silver skin, and his mouth fell open to reveal the new teeth he’d sprouted.

A shadow fell over them, and Aeliana looked up to find Orra kneeling next to her, smiling.

“I thought I’d seen everything possible under the Sun, but you’ve proved me wrong.”

The next three nights, Riveran offered to play with Felk while Aeliana trained. The evening air filled with tinkling chimes of winex laughter as Aeliana and Cyrus practiced archery at the edge of camp. With each laugh, they paused, as if the sound were a toxin leaving them stunned.

“Maybe this is good for us,” Cyrus said. “Think we’ll become immune if we listen to him laugh enough?”

“I still don’t think that would convince Sylmar to let him stay,” Aeliana said.

During the day, Felk rode with Aeliana. She winced as his elbow dug into her stomach, but she refused to complain. Sylmar would be sure to offer a solution with his blade, and Kendalyhn would make some remark about her being more princess than priestess.

“Mama,” Felk hissed. “There’s not enough room.” He elbowed her again as he readjusted on the saddle. He wasn’t wrong. Five days into the moon’s cycle, he was almost as tall as Aeliana, mostly because he stood straighter than any winex she’d seen, tall, like a man.

She glanced at the others, wary that they might have heard. She’d told him to call her Aeliana, but he couldn’t make it stick.

“Let me run alongside you. I can keep up.” His pleas grew louder, making the others glance back in irritation.

She hesitated over Felk’s request, then nodded, more for the sake of their poor horse. At first Felk ran beside them, upright, but as the day wore on, his gait changed to a lope, where he used his hands almost as much as his feet. More than once, Aeliana caught her companions brandishing weapons, either because they saw him as a threat or because they wanted him to see them as a threat.

He ran on, oblivious, bringing pinecones or rocks he found in the woods to Aeliana, eager for her praise. Despite everyone’s complaints, no one had a problem with his keen sense of smell, which enabled him to gather dozens of strawberries that afternoon.

“He looks more like the first Felk we met,” Cyrus said as they picked up their bows and arrows to practice once more.

Felk danced near the fire, his tinkling laugh making more than one person turn his way, dazed by the sound.

Aeliana knew what Cyrus meant, but she couldn’t agree. She remembered the hatred burning in Felk’s eyes, but now they were lit with excitement and hope. He looked nothing like she remembered from the attacks.

Gaeren sauntered over, leaning against a tree just out of hearing range. He watched long enough that she took aim for a spot over his head, but he didn’t even flinch when she let it loose. He moved to a stump when it came time for her to spar with Lukai, his lips twisting in his constant smirk, but when Lukai had her practice healing and growth, Gaeren’s smirk disappeared, his brow pinched as he watched their every move.

“Should I injure Gaeren and have you heal him?” Lukai asked, his tone strangely cautious. “You’re spending all your time watching him anyway.”

Aeliana tried to laugh it off. “You might get tried for treason.”

“It might be worth it.”

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