Page 225 of Blood of the Stars

“Durriken took her,” Aeliana said. “We think she’s dead.”

Her mother frowned, her gaze resting on Marnok, her eyes widening as she reached up to touch his face. “It’s not possible.”

Marnok shushed her, bringing her hand back to her side. “You sustained several injuries last night. I’m doing my best to heal them, but it’s like they keep coming back. We’ll figure it out though. Don’t worry.”

“Thank the Sun,” she murmured.

“Yes,” Marnok agreed. “The Sun has seen fit to let you live another day.”

She shook her head. “No. Thank the Sun you’re alive.”

Marnok’s hands stilled, his eyes widening. “You know me?”

Her mother laughed. “Of course I know you.” Then she paused, taking in his pained expression. “Do you not remember me?”

“Aeliana?” Sylmar called through the doorway, competing with Marnok’s response. “We need you downstairs.”

She hesitated, watching her mother draw Marnok in closer, placing her palms on his face.

“I can show you who you are.” Her mother and Marnok went so still that it was like magic held them in place. Was this what it had looked like when Gaeren had given her memories?

“Aeliana?” Sylmar’s voice came louder.

“Coming!” She rushed through the doorway, throwing one last glance back at her mother and Marnok, who were still locked in their strange embrace.

Passing through the stairway was like walking through an open graveyard in a jungle, with Orra’s vines still clinging to the dead bodies and nearly blocking Aeliana’s path to the battlement below. But when she got there, her heart leaped in her chest, the horrific journey worth it.

Felk stood tall with Lilik at his side.

Before she could process anything more, she was lifted off the ground and into Felk’s arms, his sinewy limbs squeezing her tight.

“You’re alive,” he said.

“As I told you,” Sylmar grumbled as Felk set her down.

No other winex were around, which left her relieved, even though she knew she could trust Felk to protect her.

“How do the winex fare?” she asked.

Velden snorted. “They were fine when we checked on them in the middle of the night. Ravenous, but fine.”

Felk’s face drooped. “I’m afraid there’s division in their ranks. There are too many of them to get organized and not enough who stand by the promise I made. I don’t think you should go near any of them this cycle.”

“But we found our eggs,” Lilik said, her teeth bared as she beamed. “We can build a nest, start our own clan.”

Aeliana glanced back at the stairs toward all the goodbyes she was preparing to say. “Where will you go?”

Felk hesitated. “We were hoping to stay here. We thought maybe if we nested near you, maybe you could give us memories. Maybe we could build on our cycles instead of forgetting them.”

“We want more for our offspring,” Lilik added.

“That sounds like a terr—” Sylmar started, but Aeliana cut him off.

“Of course. You’ll always be welcome here.”

This time it was Lilik who picked Aeliana up off the ground, the female winex’s hold just as tight.

“Thank you,” Lilik whispered as she set Aeliana down. “We’ll go get our eggs. There’s a courtyard I saw on the east end of the fortress that I think would be perfect.”

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