Page 169 of Blood of the Stars

She bolted up, reaching for her dagger while scanning the camp. Her heart sank at the sight of the sinewy forms of several young winex. A few of the creatures brandished crude weapons, but most used their fists. Silver blood spewed from the wounds her comrades had inflicted, but the creatures fought on. Kendalyhn sported a bloody nose, and Lukai remained locked in a tight hold with a winex while another fought him from behind. She sought out Felk’s familiar form, but before she could find him among the strangers, a beast skidded to a stop at her bedroll.

“Your turn.” His face screwed up as he hissed, and he spun a bloody blade in his hand. Aeliana’s stomach dropped when she recognized it as Velden’s dagger. The creature lunged at her, and she tripped over her pack in her effort to sidestep him. The blade grazed her arm, and she sucked in a breath as blood seeped from the wound.

The magic of her past called to her, rising up from within. It demanded to be used, to protect her from the enemy standing before her. But the blood seemed to call to the winex too. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose, running the blade beneath it.

He grabbed her arm, his hands like ice, then licked Aeliana’s wound, making her recoil. A soft, melodious chime fell off his lips, and Aeliana relaxed under his grip. His tone was deeper than Felk’s but still so comforting. The winex released her arm and held the dagger over his head. Aeliana knew she should move, but the peace that had settled over her made her a heartbeat too slow.

The dagger came down, but instead of piercing her chest, it went through the silver flesh of another winex, who had thrown himself across her body. He screamed, and the force of the stab brought them both to the ground. Despite the sand, her head hit the ground hard, and through the pain, her focus cleared.

Her attacker swore, bending over her rescuer. She rolled out from under the injured winex and caught sight of Felk’s tear-shaped scar as his face contorted in pain.

“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no.” Her hands brushed his cheek, and his eyes opened. A small smile tugged at his lips, but his breath came out ragged, and the dagger remained wedged in his arm as silver blood pooled beneath him.

Aeliana turned to face the other winex, tightening her grip on her own dagger. A malicious grin crossed his face even though he held no weapon. The starlock warmed at her chest, its gentle reminder filling her with premature relief.

The creature leaped at her, curving his body to avoid her dagger while grabbing at her hair. He wrenched hard, twisting her head and nearly lifting her off her feet. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she slashed out with her dagger, forcing him to drop his hold.

Before she could even consider what magic to use, he was on her again, but she gave the creature a swift kick to his knee. A sickening crack filled the air, and the winex came down with a shriek that halted the battle around them.

The newly injured winex writhed in pain. He tried to rise but crumpled on his twisted knee, scooting away from Aeliana, his youth finally showing in the wake of his rabid assault. For the first time, Aeliana turned her back on a suffering creature, even wondered if he deserved it.

“I’m so sorry, Felk.” She bent over him, tucking her dagger back in its sheath. “I’ll fix this. I promise.”

He moved as if to reply, but she yanked the other dagger from his arm and a scream came out instead. She placed a hand over his wound, letting the heat of the starlock fill her before it surged out to flood Felk’s veins, twisting through his injury to find the broken vessels and torn flesh.

Panic and fear drove her power, making her magic as forceful as when she’d first started, but this time with more focus. She sang the lullaby that had once calmed him, partly to calm herself. It had been several days since he was small enough to be sung to sleep, but now he used the hand on his good arm to wipe her tears as he hummed along.

Marnok’s instructions for mending guided her more than Lukai’s and Sylmar’s explanations ever had, and within moments the heaviest flow of blood had stopped, the severed artery healed. A strange relief flooded through her. This was what she should have done for Lukai. This was how her power was intended to work without the temptation of blood magic.

Her power rose, desperate for more nooks and crannies to fill, giving her the same bloated sensation she’d had before weaning. As the lullaby came to an end, the silence around her should have been alarming, but she shut it out by closing her eyes, letting the flow of her magic guide her as she used her blood’s power to repair Felk’s arm.

She sensed the muscles rebinding and the skin reconnecting beneath her hand, but the wound was deep, and her power drained too quickly. The blood leaking from her arm called to her, reminding her she had another source available, that she could do this faster, with less of a drain on her reserves.

This time she balled her free hand into a fist, half of her focus shifting to resisting the blood magic’s pull. Her hands trembled as she held her breath, but at last she sensed that the skin was closed and his pain was a dull ache, a memory of the agony he’d held.

Felk’s hand patted her cheek. “It’s all right, Mama. Thank you.”

She opened her eyes, taking in his solemn gaze. His hand dropped to hers, his grip steady.

For a moment she studied the fresh grey skin covering his injury. Marnok would be proud, and for some reason that mattered to her. She glanced up, wondering how the rest had fared.

Dozens of bulbous eyes stared at her, the winex’s silver mouths hanging open. Aeliana’s companions could have taken every one of them out in that moment, but instead they held defensive stances, warily glancing between Aeliana and the surprised winex.

One winex still glared at her from his place near her on the ground, his knee bent at an odd angle. He’d dragged himself closer, but his face was contorted with pain, his energy spent. Aeliana sat back on her heels, debating if she had enough energy to heal him—if he was worth it if she did.

She stood on shaky legs, but before she could approach him, he squinted, the hatred in his eyes almost palpable. In one fluid motion, he pulled himself up and lunged at her, teeth bared. The others shouted, no one near enough or prepared to help. Aeliana’s starlock warmed with one last bit of strength, surging through her with a desperate force. She reached for her dagger, twisting it forward as if to block the winex’s attack, but then let it loose, knowing that with her magic, its aim would be true and its force would be lethal.

It buried to the hilt in the winex’s chest as the creature’s momentum kept him flying toward her, knocking her down, but his bared mouth went slack.

Aeliana pushed the winex off her, then used a knee against his chest to remove her dagger, his body falling to the sand with a sick thud. Her shoulders slumped, and her hands fell at her sides, the tip of her dagger dripping blood on her skirt. Her companions remained in their defensive stances, but none of the winex moved to attack.

A soft silver hand found its way into her own, and she raised her head to see Felk nod his understanding. The winex that remained went impossibly still.

“You healed him,” one winex said, gesturing at Felk.

Aeliana suspected the winex was female, her frame slightly smaller and her voice higher than Felk’s.

“He’s our friend.” Aeliana’s grip tightened around Felk’s hand. The winex cocked her head in confusion, her large eyes darting between Felk and Aeliana.

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