Page 140 of Blood of the Stars

Several pairs of eyes turned in Gaeren’s directions, and his cheeks went hot. Had he called her that out loud in front of the stranger?

“Aeliana,” Lukai corrected, scooting closer to her.

The older man took in the exchange with amusement, which gave him a point in Gaeren’s favor.

“I watched for Aeliana to surface. When I saw her drag the young man to the shoreline, I slowed, thinking I’d overreacted. But the compulsion only became stronger, urging me to help her.”

“You healed Cyrus, didn’t you,” Aeliana said.

“No, no.” The man held up his hands, shaking them as if to wave off her conclusion. “By the time I got there, you had already done that. Nearly killed yourself in the process.”

“But then you saved her life,” Cyrus prompted. “With magic.”

The man hesitated. “I suppose so. It felt instinctual, but I don’t really know what I did. I can’t recall having done it before.” He stared at the soil, digging the toe of his boot at the root of a small fern.

“Why did you leave?” Sylmar asked.

“I panicked. I didn’t know who I was. I felt too vulnerable, and instinct made me run.”

“Where’s your starlock?” Gaeren asked.

The man frowned. “Those are the charms that enhance magic, right?”

Gaeren held back an eyeroll. The story was beginning to smell worse than the fish Velden had caught.

“Do I have one of those?” The man patted down the fresh cloak Lukai had given him, coming up empty.

Iris stood with a huff, joining Jasperus and Holm at the bedrolls. Even Daisy’s face held wariness at the false sense of innocence.

“Memory loss is a convenient story.” Sylmar crossed his arms over his chest. “It allows you to keep your past loyalties secret while digging for information from us.”

The stranger winced. “Are we at war?”

Velden shrugged. “Of sorts. Or we’re about to be in one.”

“I don’t know where my loyalties lie,” the stranger admitted. “I would like to think the compulsion to save the young woman means my loyalties lie with her, but I can’t blame you for not trusting me. Not if there’s a war.”

“I’ve never even met you. How could your loyalties lie with me?” Daisy asked.

“None of you recognize me?” They all shook their heads, and he slumped.

“That doesn’t automatically make you an enemy,” Gaeren said, surprised at his own words. “I don’t recognize you either, and they consider me an enemy.”

The stranger glanced around the circle, and Gaeren tried not to be bothered by the fact that no one argued with his statement. He sought out Orra, who quietly took in the whole scene from just outside the circle. Outside of her story the night before, she’d reverted back to her preferred status of “not interfering,” which Gaeren found inconvenient most days.

“Have you been following us ever since that night? Even with Durriken’s attack?” Daisy asked.

The man nodded, his gaze going back to the dirt.

“If all that’s true, why did you attack Aeliana just now?” Gaeren asked.

The stranger winced again, glancing at her. “I didn’t attack you. I saw the other woman aiming for us. You said you didn’t come with guards, so I assumed her sights were on you.”

It was hard to tell in the firelight, but Gaeren swore Kendalyhn’s cheeks turned pink. Had the other woman been aiming for Daisy? Or the stranger?

“Well,” Aeliana said, “you either have terrible eyesight, or Kendalyhn has terrible aim. Except I’ve seen her with a bow. She wouldn’t have hit you unless you were her target.”

The man grunted his assent, but Gaeren still didn’t relax.

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