Page 50 of Stars May Burn

My resolve started to crumble. She had come all this way to see me. She had been the one constant presence in my life since I was a little girl. My words were causing her pain, and guilt twisted my stomach. But I didn’t want her here. I couldn’t go back to my old way of life, especially after I had just found the strength to send George away.

I softened my expression and took Miss Claris’s bony hands in mine. “I thank you for your concern, Miss Claris. I know you have always looked out for me, but now I have others to do that. I am quite content here. Please don’t worry about my wellbeing any longer. It’s not your job anymore.”

Miss Claris pulled her hands free. “Your father…”

I held up my hand abruptly. “Good bye, Miss Claris. Pass on my well wishes to my sisters.”

I brushed past her into my bedroom and closed the door behind me, leaving Meena to ensure she left.

I pressed my back against the cool wood and breathed in and out. In and out. It felt surprisingly good to say goodbye.

Kasten

I clutched my bleeding side, my fingers becoming warm and sticky, and was grateful for the adrenaline keeping my pain at bay. Thankfully, I’d been caught by a normal soldier’s blade and not one of the cursed black blades welded by the soulless. Callum thought their swords used a forbidden type of kryalcomy that directed pain out of their bodies and into their blades, causing unimaginable pain. It would explain why the soulless never seemed to react to injuries.

I could only imagine how twisted their methods had to be to result in kryalcomy that channeled pain.

I breathed through gritted teeth as I circled the remaining two soldiers, careful not to trip on the fallen bodies. Three had escaped the room, I assumed to raise the alarm and get help, but I would worry about them later. When they returned with reinforcements, that would likely be the end for me. But first, I wanted to kill the remaining two men: the commander and his guard companion. That might be just enough to give my soldiers the edge they’d need to survive. It would take time for the enemy to restructure, and they would be more prone to mistakes.

Both Kollenstar soldiers had lowered their visors, the metal sweeping out to the sides of their helmets in multiple sharp points that gave them a reptilian look. Only their pale blue eyes remained visible.

The commander lunged, but it was a feint designed to leave me open for his companion. I knocked the commander’s sword into the other’s path, but his companion sidestepped. The two of them were perfectly coordinated, clearly practiced in fighting as a pair. The ache on my side grew from the blow, and I felt the warmth of blood trickling all the way down my thigh. Stupid fool I was for letting myself get injured too soon.

The two attacked together, the only warning was the footwork of the commander being a fraction ahead of the other. I focused on him and forced him back, drawing on the strength of my reserve device to keep me fast and strong. I prayed there would be enough stored strength in there to last the night.

I caught a vicious blow aimed for my head and was forced to stop the attacker’s blade with my yadum knife, still drawn from killing the soulless. The weaker metal shattered instantly, and his blade continued, forcing me to deflect it with my gauntlet. The thick leather was sliced through like cheese and dangled from my wrist; a new pain bloomed in my forearm. I needed to end this quickly before I weakened from too many injuries, and they were too good at swordsmanship to face them together.

I unhooked my grappling hook from its harness on my inner arm, careful to hide the movement while I squashed down my emotions leaving no room for fear. With a yell, I ran at the companion, catching him off guard and trapping our blades between our bodies. I didn’t slow, but used my enhanced strength from the reserve device to push us into the giant window behind him. Glass shattered around us, time slowing in thousands of spinning, sparkling shards. My stomach lurched as the floor ran out beneath our feet. I pushed the man’s chest, propelling myself back toward the wall and flinging the grappling hook so it caught the stone window frame. The metal rope coiled inside the device on my arm made a whizzing sound as I fell, and I pushed the button to force it to lock but failed to brace myself adequately. My shoulder was yanked from its socket as the rope halted my fall. Pain exploded. I screamed.

I forced myself to look down. The Kollenstar soldier was plummeting into the darkness below me, his hands grasping out at nothing.

Flashing blackness surrounded my vision. A second wave of pain racked my shoulder, and for a moment, I almost lost consciousness. Every second I dangled from my dislocated shoulder made the agony worse. I fought for a single coherent thought.

I gradually controlled my breathing and transferred some of the weight to my good hand. I hung suspended for a moment, focusing on taking one breath. Then another. Then I flicked the switch on the grappling hook device, causing it to retract and pull me back up to the room.

A pace above me, the Kollenstar commander’s head appeared through the smashed window. Surprise registered on his features a second before my sword swiped at his ankles, the force of the blow sending new lances of agony from my dislocated shoulder which was still taking the majority of my weight. The commander stumbled and fell, tipping toward me. I tried to sway to one side, but failed to get out of his way. He grabbed my waist, and I screamed as our combined weights tore the ligaments in my shoulder. For a moment, all I could see or think was red. Then stars flashed to life across my vision, and blood made a salty tang on my tongue. I only had the chance for one brief breath before we slammed into the wall of the tower. A bellow of pain tore free of my throat. Then we were swinging out again into dark nothingness. I flailed and kicked at the commander, each movement bringing endless waves of agony—I needed him to let go, needed this pressure on my torn ligaments to end. I barely registered when we slammed back into the wall. I kicked once more. This time, my knee crashed into the commander’s face. He reeled back and fell, my second yadum dagger in his hand where it had torn free from my belt. It was only then I noticed his dagger in my thigh. The agony from my shoulder was so immense, I hadn’t even felt him stab me.

This had to be it. Surely.

I cursed and let the grappling hook pull me back into the room. Fortunately, the mechanism needed very little effort from me. I crawled over the broken glass and collapsed onto the marble floor, panting to catch my breath and isolate the pain into the back of my mind. I looked up and saw the ceiling catching fire. The wind from the broken window must have fanned the embers in the floorboards left from my fansifold knife. Now flames licked around the hole I’d made, the ripple of glowing embers mesmerizing.

I lay there, every part of my body protesting, and watched the flames spread above me. Smoke tickled the back of my throat. The pain was unbearable. I’d done what I needed to and disrupted their leadership. I’d killed more than my fair share. Now, my destroyed arm and multiple stab wounds made me next to useless for the battle ahead.

It would be so easy to lie here and let the darkness that already edged my vision take me until the flames claimed me forever, to allow the thickening smoke to lull me into a restful sleep.

But what of my soldiers—about to be part of a gruesome battle? What of Kasomere—only a few day’s march away? What of Sophie?

And what if I was still needed to tip the balance?

I closed my eyes and pictured my wife’s face, smiling in the garden, the one place she seemed truly happy. So, so beautiful. She was the faint glimmer of joy in my pitiful life. If there was any chance I might see her again, I had to fight for it. And if I had the choice, I wanted to protect her and guard that fragile happiness. So many dangers remained that could swallow her whole.

‘Promise me you will fight death.’

I gritted my teeth and pulled myself into a sitting position. Then, counting to three, I forced my arm back into its socket. I felt the clunk and tried to rotate it, but the ligaments were too damaged. I bit back a scream and focused on not blacking out.

The temperature was rising as the fire spread across the ceiling, quickly becoming a raging inferno. Embers drifted down in the smoke like rain, scorching my uniform and lancing my skin.

I needed to get out of here. Fast.

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