Page 74 of Blood of the Stars

He shook his head. “No. You’ll know if you’ve been branded. A mark will sear your skin, and you’ll sense her.”

“If brands are so terrible, why hasn’t anyone else tried stopping her? Why hasn’t the royal family labeled her a threat?”

He frowned and sat back on his heels, setting aside the bowl of paste and wiping his hands on a towel. “Those are good questions. Hopefully the royal family’s silence means they don’t know she uses them. If they’re aware, it would say a lot about what they truly value. Although brands started out as innocent as bonds—a method to protect children. But removing them was painful, even traumatic, because it severed the connection between parent and child too deeply.”

“It was cut out?” Aeliana asked. “How does that work?”

“Just like it sounds. It will leave a permanent mark, even when healed by magic, showing the person was at one time branded. But once removed, there’s no more compulsion or attachment.”

A spark of hope flared inside her. “How hard is it to cut out a brand? Velden made it sound…difficult. Maybe one of you should hang on to my starlock so there’s not risk of me using it against you.”

Jasperus shook his head. “You could lose moons of training if you avoid your starlock now—training that could save your life later. Cutting out a brand is difficult, but still possible. The problem is that your desires will match hers, so you’ll either hide it from us or leave. I think it’s far more likely for us to wake up and find you absent one morning than it is for us to fear you using your magic against us. Mayvus will want you by her side.”

A shudder ran through Aeliana. “I suppose the night watch is meant to watch me as much as it’s meant to watch for outsiders.”

He grimaced but didn’t disagree. The light rainfall that had started with the others’ departure grew heavier. Kendalyhn and Lukai tied a tarp in the trees and pulled the bedrolls closer to the cookware.

“What about bonds? Can they be cut out the same way?”

Jasperus’ smile was fatherly. “People don’t usually want to remove bonds. Give it more time.”

“That’s not—I was just wondering.” Her face heated, making her even more thankful for Velden’s paste.

“They can be cut out. It’s a painful process—not as much as a brand, but it still hurts both physically and emotionally.” He glanced at Sylmar. “There’s only one person I know of who’s cut his bond mark out, and he won’t ever talk about it. Supposedly it’s like carving out a part of your heart. Even if you fall in love again, you can’t quite gain that part back.”

“Sylmar?” Aeliana had more trouble imagining the old man bonded than she did imagining him cutting out a bond.

Jasperus laughed. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask him, but I don’t recommend it. Most of the time, which is still rare, bonds are broken by infidelity. Bond marks have a way of encouraging faithfulness because even a kiss can sear the bond mark off.”

“That seems—oddly powerful.”

Jasperus laughed. “Yes, well, the bonds between couples are oddly powerful. That sort of thing can’t be replicated with bonds between children and parents or siblings. I think it’s possible?—”

His words were cut off by shouts from around the main fire, then a high-pitched howl that made Aeliana cover her ears. Jasperus stood, drawing his sword out in one fluid motion. His face hardened with determination as he stepped in front of Aeliana.

“What was?—?”

Jasperus’ hush drowned out her words. She peered over his shoulder, taking in the sight of silvery figures darting between the others at camp. They hunched like wolves, crawling on all fours, but their smooth skin shone like glass and stretched taut over sinewy limbs. They resembled unfinished humans with child-like faces, their large eyes and delicate noses interrupting the smooth silver of hairless heads. When one paused long enough to growl and hiss at Cyrus, its mouth spread wide, revealing hundreds of tiny razor-sharp teeth.

Before it could attack, Sylmar’s sword sliced through its chest, silver blood spilling out around the blade. Another took its place, and Aeliana counted at least eight more swarming Cyrus, Sylmar, Lukai, and Kendalyhn.

Instead of joining the fray, Jasperus pulled Aeliana toward the edge of the clearing and shoved her down under low-hanging branches, sending rainwater down her back. They crouched down, hiding while he remained guard over her. Gratitude warred with humiliation inside Aeliana. If she’d been training like Sylmar wanted, would she be able to defend herself? Would she be willing? Or if she’d spent more time learning archery with Cyrus, would she be armed and taking out the creatures along with her friends?

The mark on her palm twinged, and her gut flared.

Lukai.

She peered over Jasperus’ shoulder, catching sight of Lukai and Kendalyhn, back to back as they fought off the animals. Kendalyhn nearly flew at one of the creatures with her dagger, all signs of weakness absent in the heat of battle. Lukai’s sword flashed in the moonlight, spilling silver blood with frightening precision. They were still outnumbered.

“We have to help them.” Aeliana tugged at Jasperus’ sleeve, but he hushed her. In desperation, she scanned the ground, digging through wet leaves and ferns until her hand found a large rock in the mud. She scooted back away from Jasperus, then came around the other side of the tree until she could stand and aim at the nearest one’s head. She held her breath, recalling the way she’d aimed the arrow at the tree, the way everything else could disappear as her vision narrowed. Only this time her target was moving, and maintaining that strength of focus made her dizzy. She let the rock fly, and it miraculously struck the center of the silver head.

Instead of doing any harm, the creature turned around, hissing. Its gaze darted around the clearing until it found Aeliana and locked eyes with her.

Jasperus swore under his breath, then bolted in front of Aeliana as the creature bounded toward them. Instead of swinging his sword, Jasperus tightened his grip on Aeliana’s wrist. Just before the creature lunged, it skidded to a stop, a wrinkle forming above its eyes. After a long moment, it snarled.

“Magic,” the creature hissed.

Aeliana sucked in a breath. “It can talk?”

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