Page 17 of Blood of the Stars

“For what?” His eyes dropped to her hand, to the flash of gold. His brow furrowed, then understanding dawned. “Are you stealing from the Stargazer?”

The accusation stung even though her true purpose wasn’t any more noble.

She waited for its power to work, for the arrow to remove her from this place—from Cyrus’ disappointment, which was far worse than anger. When nothing happened, she ran, pushing past Cyrus and out to the Stargazer’s atrium.

By now, the other priests and priestesses had risen, gathering in the Stargazer for a group prayer before dinner. She skidded to a stop, unable to control her gasping breath or darting eyes. The only door out was blocked by Della. The Stars were just beginning to be visible through the open roof, witnesses to her downfall. Whether the servants of the Stars meant to help or stop her, they all took a step closer, hedging her in.

The buildup of energy in her blood left her taut, like a bowstring pulled to its maximum tension. The only way to let the arrow fly would be to release her blood—to release uncontrolled magic. Even though it would draw in the dark spirits, the temptation was strong. But without knowing how to use it, she’d be more likely to kill them all than to escape with the arrow.

“Please,” she murmured, grasping the arrow tighter in both hands, her palms growing numb from its vibration.

“Wait.” Della’s voice rang out through the room, drawing everyone’s eyes to where she stood, hand raised.

Aeliana’s gaze flicked toward the door behind her.

Della took a few steps forward, squinting closer at Aeliana, completely ignoring the humming arrow in her hands.

“Aeliana?” she whispered.

Aeliana went still. “How do you know my name?”

“Rildan, your father... He asked me to guard the arrow for him, to hold it until he—or you—came back for it.”

Aeliana straightened. “I have no father.” Still, her pulse raced a little faster at the mention of family—the impossible thing she’d never let herself want.

Della hesitated. “Something got lost over the years, didn’t it? Either your father or your memory… maybe you.” She scanned Aeliana’s face, her eyes troubled, but Aeliana shook away the hope rising in her chest.

“Then you’ll let me leave?” Aeliana asked.

Tears welled up in Della’s eyes. “It would be an honor to watch you use the starbridge.”

Gasps spread through the room, followed by murmurs.

“Celeste?”

She turned to see Cyrus’ face pink and blotchy, his eyes darting between her and Della.

She opened her mouth, unsure which lie to tell. Would he hate her less if he discovered she wasn’t stealing? Or would he despise her more for keeping her secrets?

The arrow’s hum deepened until it was audible, the glitter of its edges shifting to a glow that slowly grew to fill the room. It seemed to sense her power, absorbing it for its own use. Aeliana froze, her mind screaming that she should drop it, but her body was unwilling to obey the command.

The priests and priestesses around them gasped. Several ran from the room, tripping over each other in their panic. The light became blinding, and Aeliana threw an arm over her eyes to block it out, too disoriented to even use the distraction to run for the door.

When the light receded, the atrium still shone as if the Sun’s light filled the room. The handful of servants of the Stars remaining all bowed before a figure now standing with Aeliana. The woman’s short dark hair swung across her face, framing her round cheeks. One moment she looked as old as Arvid and Vera, another as young as Aeliana, but her dark eyes held an ageless quality, like they’d seen a thousand lifetimes. The transparency of her slim form made it difficult to determine the shade of her skin, and the details of her appendages grew fainter the farther out they were from her core, making her clothing and figure unidentifiable.

She tilted her head, taking in Aeliana for a mere moment before eyeing the golden arrow. Her eyes slid shut, her lips moving with words Aeliana couldn’t make out.

“Who are you?” Aeliana’s fingers trembled as she shielded herself, as if the woman might lash out.

The woman ignored her question, inching forward, hand stretched out toward the arrow. “Do you know what you hold?”

Instinctively, Aeliana pulled it closer to her chest. “I thought—I thought it was a starbridge.” She glanced down at the arrow, which still hummed in her hand. “Instead, it brought you?”

The woman hummed noncommittally. “Perhaps it’s a starbridge. Or perhaps it’s so much more.”

“That light,” Aeliana murmured, noticing the way it blotted out her view of the Stars. “My guardians will see it. You all need to run!” Her voice rose to hysteria, inducing panic that sent the last of the servants of the Stars from the room, save Della and Cyrus. She reached out a hand for Della’s robes, clenching the fabric in her fist to pull the priestess toward the door. Now that the moment had come, she couldn’t leave them. Not like this. “They’ll destroy everything in their path to reach the arrow.”

Della’s face paled, but her voice remained calm. “Then you must use it. Now.”

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