Page 54 of Flame and Starlight

I walked past the apple core Emric had left sitting on the stand and rolled my eyes as I picked it up to throw away. As I did, a small piece of paper fluttered from the stand to the floor. I picked it up and unfolded it.

2am. Training room.

I crumpled the note up and threw it in the fire. It had to have been left by Emric. Did he leave me a note because he was too worried someone would overhear him? Was he going to help me leave? Maybe he wasn’t so keen on my being here as he let on. My heart sank a bit at the revelation, but it just confirmed everything I had been thinking: I had worn out my welcome.

I sat on my bed, fully dressed, after Mavka left me for the night, staring into the fire. The nerves were restless in my body. I had tried to find Asher before I went to my room for the night, but I couldn’t track him down. That made the pit in my stomach even larger and darker. I was sure he would be able to feel how desperate I was to see him through the stupid GPS tracker, but maybe he was just too angry to care.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall again. I looked around my bedroom, taking in all the now familiar things about it. I would miss the comforts afforded to me here. Gods knew what I would be met with at the Autumn Court. I didn’t know if I would be thrown in a cell or given a room. Based on everything Asher had told me about this man that was supposedly my father, I would not be greeted with kindness. My expectations were low.

I checked the clock on the wall. It was almost five minutes to two. I stood, took one more look around my room, and, ignoring the dread seeping through my veins, left. I wondered if Asher would feel something was different, wrong. I wondered if he would be able to tell I was leaving. And I wondered when the last wispy shadows would finally leave me and run back to him. Would he notice? Or I guess the real question was when would he notice? And what would he do when he did?

In my fighting leathers and boots, dagger strapped to my thigh, I made my way down the halls as quietly as I could. This time of night, everyone would be asleep, but I didn’t want to take the chance of waking anyone. The long walk to the training room was dark and drafty. Muscle memory got me to the training room on time.

I opened the door slowly and peered in. Even with my Fae sight, it was difficult to see through the shadows.

“Em?” I whispered into the darkness. I walked in and closed the door, walking to the center of the room. I could sense someone lurking against the walls. “Hello?”

Before I could even think to move, a curved dagger wrapped itself around my throat. “Hi there, princess,” a woman’s voice murmured low into my ear. Her emotions flooded into me. So much hate in one person had my head swimming.

“Who are you?”

“She’s with me.” Aoife stepped out of the darkness, her hair a glowing halo of fire tied in knots atop her head. Her emerald eyes glowed in the darkness. She lifted her hand in front of her, and flames glowed at her fingertips, lighting the small space between the three of us.

“Interesting that you talk of peace and yet bring someone to hold me at knifepoint, sister.” I spat the last word at her feet. “Where’s Emric?”

“I didn’t trust your power to not throw me across the room again, so forgive me the precaution of bringing Theia. Emric set up this little get-together, but he prefers to not get his hands dirty.”

“Someone’s hands are going to get dirty?” I asked. “I thought you were coming to retrieve your sister, not a hostage.”

She closed the distance between us with a few long strides. Gods, I could’ve cried with how much I realized I missed her sweet face. Her eyes softened.

“I am still your sister. And I still want you with me. But I won’t apologize for how I have to go about getting you.” The hand that wasn’t on fire reached up and cradled my face. The sheer amount of love in her touch nearly knocked me flat on the ground. Too much bare skin was on my own. My mind couldn’t handle the assault. “I’ve missed you.”

I bit my lip until I tasted blood against the raw pain in my throat. I turned my face out of her grasp.

“I hate to ruin this little reunion,” Theia said. “But we should probably get this mark off of her and go.”

“Mark?” I asked thickly.

“That mark on your shoulder is going to lead him right to us. And even though he will have his suspicions about where you went, I would really rather you both not have a direct link to each other.” Aoife dropped her hand from my face.

“And how do you intend to get it off of me?”

Theia grabbed both of my arms with her free arm and pulled them tight behind me. My shoulders screamed against the stretch. I tried to pull them back, but she was a vise grip. I really wished newer Fae ended up being physically stronger than older ones so that I could Bella Swan her ass.

“I’m going to burn it off, Alys,” she said, a vertical line of worry forming between her eyebrows. “It’s going to hurt. Badly.”

My stomach fell through my butt and hit the floor. “You don’t have to do this, Aoife.” Theia pushed the curve of the dagger closer to my throat. I felt a pinch and a slow trickle of blood roll down my neck.

“Oh, but she does, little one. Your mate is vengeful and hateful, and he will come for you.”

I swallowed and shuffled my feet, trying to get further away from the flame getting closer. But it was no use—Theia was like backing up into a brick wall.

Damn, this woman is built like a brick shit house.

“I’m so sorry, Alys.” Her flame-free hand covered my mouth, and the other lay flat against Asher’s dust on my shoulder. I screamed against her hand at the lightning-like pain and smell of charred skin. My magic flared to life under her touch, begging to release and get the fire away. Tears streamed down my face. Her fire burned against my shoulder and then up my neck.

My stomach rolled, and sweat broke out across my whole body. I felt my eyes light up, and if it scared Aoife, she didn’t let it show. My fingertips burned, and I knew…I just knew her touch had awakened the Autumn magick I had buried deep.

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