Page 70 of Stars May Burn

“You told me to get out.”

I lowered my head toward her. “If I say that again, it means you’re in danger. Please leave the room and stay safe. But wait for me on the other side if you’re hurt by my words. Don’t run.”

She nodded and turned to go. “Thank you,” she said, just before reaching the door, “for stopping those men.”

She disappeared, leaving me tense. Now I needed to work out how exactly I was going to tell her what she was caught up in.

Sophie

I finished getting dressed for my dinner with Kasten, but instead of feeling excited about it, as I had yesterday, the thought made my stomach twist with nerves. He’d said he would tell me about the woman, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I wanted to know everything, but I doubted his promise would stretch that far.

I swept down the staircase in an emerald gown that sparkled with crystals. It was better suited for a ball than a simple dinner with my husband, but I supposed since there were no balls in Kasomere and we rarely received any guests, there weren’t any other occasions to save it for. Beatrice had made it, and she had done an exquisite job. Lucy had piled my hair up and nestled crystal stars among the curls.

I felt overdressed, but beautiful. I hoped Kasten liked it.

My husband was waiting in the dining room, standing by the fire. He wore a smarter jacket than earlier and had shaved, but he was nowhere near as finely dressed as I. He stared at me as I entered, and I hoped he didn’t think me foolish.

He gestured to the long table without speaking and a servant held out my chair while Kasten sat at the other end, the yawning space between us quickly filled by platters of food.

Silence stretched as we selected food, and I pushed the omelet around my plate with my fork. Kasten was looking down at his own meal and chewing methodically before drinking large sips of wine.

Before last night, I’d been so excited to have Kasten’s attention for a whole meal. Now, I wasn’t sure what to think or what to say. I’d seen him restraining a screaming woman on a bed in the middle of the night, and I was supposed to open the conversation with talk about the weather or the news or his business. I just wanted him to tell me what was going on like he had promised without preamble.

The sound of porcelain and silver clinking was deafening.

I tried to think of something, anything that would get the conversation going. “Thank you for my new garden. The swamp. It really was a wonderful surprise while you were away. I’m hoping to harvest some more plants soon. And I’m growing some for Physician Harris.”

Kasten’s shoulders lowered a little. Had he been nervous about what I’d been about to say? Kasten feeling nervous about anything seemed ridiculous.

“You’re welcome. It was Tom who designed it and worked out what plants to get.” His words were careful and polite.

“He’s been very kind and is knowledgeable.”

He grunted. I took a bite of cooked tomato. And another.

Kasten frowned as if concentrating and reached for his wine. “I think what you are doing is very important, especially if we can use the plants to help our men in the campaign. Let me know if I can help in any way.”

My cheeks heated. I looked down at my food before he could notice. “Thank you.”

Again, the silence stretched.

“The woman died.”

My head shot up.

Kasten was looking into his cup. “That’s the question you really wanted to ask, isn’t it? I’m sorry I shouted for them to take you out. We tried to save her, but we failed.”

A lump built in my throat. Those screams…

I wet my lips and tried to keep my voice even. “What was wrong with her?”

“Illegal kryalcomy in Adenburg. The sort that is illegal for a good reason. Even Callum doesn’t understand what exactly has been done to these people. It’s relatively new, and it changes people into something like the soulless from Kollenstar. But they’re also different. My scouts refer to them as halfsouls.”

I frowned, looking down at my plate to try and keep my questions from seeming too intense. But my heart pounded so loudly in my ears, I worried I wouldn’t be able to hear his response. “And how did she end up here?”

“We found her in Adenburg. I have people in the city who watch out for people like her—people who have been badly damaged by kryalcomy and have turned dangerous.”

A shiver ran up my spine. “W…who is doing this?”

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