Page 186 of Blood of the Stars

Even though she knew she’d have to eventually give Sylmar her blood, she avoided both him and Lukai until that evening, when Cyrus accompanied her to the hastily constructed war tent once more. She stood outside, gearing up the courage to seal Jasperus’ fate when it ironically felt like the far more courageous thing would be to refuse.

Shouts carried across the grass from camp, and they turned, Cyrus’ hand going to his hilt. Aeliana scanned the camp, first for intruders but then to see if there was an open path to her bedroll that held her bow and quiver. Crowds blocked her view, but so far she only saw their own people. She stepped away from the tent, weaving through crowd in the hopes of finding the source of everyone’s concern, but when people saw her coming, they made way, several whispering her name.

“There you are, love,” Iris called, her hand waving over the heads of several shoulders. “General Nels is looking for you. Says he needs you.” Her head and shoulders popped out between two beefy arms in the crowd, and she gestured for Aeliana to come closer.

“Me? Why me?”

“There’s a winex who’s come.” Iris beamed. “He’s asking for you by name.”

CHAPTER 75

Gaeren grinned at the full-grown winex snarling at General Nels, enjoying the soldier’s discomfort. “He won’t hurt you if you put your weapons away.”

Felk turned a wary eye on Gaeren, a reminder that Felk hadn’t met Gaeren yet this cycle.

“He may have been your pet once, but he’s wild now.” The general left his blade out, pointed at Felk’s chest. The winex stood tall and proud like the men, but his fingers flexed, ready to fight if it came to it.

“He was never my pet,” Gaeren said.

A tinkling sound met his ears as Felk threw his head back in laughter. Gaeren paused, slightly stunned, but he recovered far faster than the general, whose arm lowered a good six inches, giving Felk room to step past.

The creature’s eyes lit up in the moonlight, reminiscent of how he’d looked in his younger state, and the winex’s arms rose to envelop the woman running straight for him. “Mama!”

A murmur started in the crowd behind Daisy.

She ignored them all, laughing as Felk spun her around. That same jealous twinge rose in Gaeren, making him squirm. Now he was jealous of a winex?

She squeezed Felk tight, then pulled back, looking him over. “You’ve gotten so big again.” She held her hand up to his, which was now twice as large as hers. His smile grew, revealing multiple rows of sharp teeth.

The last time Gaeren had seen him, half of those teeth had been missing because of declining health.

Daisy reached out a hand to touch the black tear that stood out on the shine of Felk’s silver cheek.

“Are you all right?” Daisy asked. “Have they been treating you well?”

He nodded and ducked his head. “They’ve accepted me. Even see me as a leader. At first it was because they thought I’d know ways to defeat your kind, but when they finally understood you and I aren’t enemies, they wanted me to teach them everything you’d taught me.”

Daisy smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “That’s wonderful.”

“Just so they can forget it with the new moon?” General Nels muttered. “What a waste.” He lifted his sword higher.

Daisy turned, leveling the general with a glare even though he towered over her. “You might be gone before the new moon, and Sylmar’s still willing to work with you.”

A tinkling laughter filled the night air once more, and the general’s face went slack.

Gaeren was more prepared this time, and he gave Felk a shove. “You’re going to make real enemies if you keep that up.”

Felk gave another snarl, throwing out a hand to protect Daisy.

“It’s all right,” she said, tugging his arm down. “Gaeren is a friend. You knew him in another cycle.”

Gaeren held out a hand. “I can show you if you’d like.”

Felk cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, but then he gripped Gaeren’s hand, his eyes fully closing as Gaeren pushed memory after memory toward the winex. Daisy feeding and training him, wrestling with Gaeren and Riveran, all of them laughing by the campfire. Even their farewell, which had been embarrassingly emotional for Gaeren. Before meeting Felk, he hadn’t thought this kind of magic could cross to a winex, hadn’t even considered hoping for it. Daisy’s ability to have different perspectives and see other options—to see the possible good in everything—had rubbed off on him.

Felk pulled away, his chest heaving as he blinked and regained his bearings. “I don’t—I don’t remember any of that.”

Gaeren nodded. “And yet it all happened.”

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