“You mourned a good king. Not a man who had taken something precious from you.Thatis the mark of a good person, Aurelia.You are not a monster. You have a power you can’t control, and it just happens to be dangerous. But you didn’t know that. You did not go into that witch encampment with the intent to take lives. It was a tragedy, yes. And those witches who died should be honored. But it wasnot your fault.”
“I was careless! I was foolish, and I should have listened to Samiria.”
“You didn’t know what you were capable of! Whoever placed that rune mark on you should have warned you, should have been honest about the power brimming inside you. It is onthem, not you, that lives were lost because of it.”
I inhaled shakily and nodded, though I didn’t fully believe his words. How could I? My recklessness had cost Shay her life. I would never forgive myself for that.
But Fenn was right. I did not seek bloodshed and conquest like the Dream Mage did. I did not use my powers with the intent to do harm.
That much I could acknowledge.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered. “You heard the hunter. The Dream Mage can’t be stopped.”
“Do you remember why Tyrone came to your chambers?”
I couldn’t stop an incredulous laugh from bursting free. “Do you always ask non sequitur questions like that?”
He grinned but continued, “Tyrone came to you because he said you were the most powerful fae in the palace. And I’m inclined to agree with him.”
“But I can’t control it.”
He leaned closer, his breath tickling my face as he said, “Yet.” He stepped back, clasping my hands in his. “Our Nightfire fete has many benefits, one of which is bringing our people together from all classes. Including the witches. My mother might not like it, but to turn away one group of people is to turn away them all. She knows this. So, the witches always attend our revels.”
My eyes grew wide as I remembered Samiria’s words. “Only the witches in the Summer Court were sworn to secrecy.”
“Exactly. I think that, with the help ofmywitches, we can not only unlock your powers, but we can explain who locked them in the first place.”
I knew the instant we crossed the border to the Star Court. The air darkened around me, the mist cleared, and thousands of stars gleamed from above. I had expected darkness, yes, but not the beauty of the heavens winking down at me. As we sloped down the last of the Mistwood Hills, a wide grassy plain stretched before us. No trees marred my view of the starry expanse above us. I craned my neck to take it all in, my mouth falling open in awe.
“Do you know we have a name for each one?” Fenn asked.
“How?” I breathed. “There are too many to even count!”
“For our astronomers, it’s theirjobto count them, to study them, to track their growth and movement.”
I stared at him in wonder. “The stars move?”
He laughed. “Of course they do. The sun moves, doesn’t it?”
I swallowed, unable to keep my gaze off the sky for too long. “Yes, well, we don’t see the stars very often. And we don’t study them as your court does.”
“A shame, because some of the constellations have incredible stories behind them.”
“Constellations?” I repeated with a frown.
Fenn grinned, lacing his fingers through mine as he guided us forward. It surprised me how natural and comforting it felt, to have him take my hand like that. Just an unconscious movement. I wasn’t even sure he was aware he did it.
He clicked his tongue, tugging on the horse’s reins with his other hand to urge him forward. The stallion obeyed, tearing himself from a feast of tall grass.
“See that cluster of stars to the north?” Fenn nodded with his head toward the mountain peaks in the distance, above which rested a triangle of stars.
I squinted, trying to make them out. “Yes.”
“That’s known as Luna’s Hourglass.”
“I don’t see an hourglass.”
“Look harder. Right underneath that triangle is another one that’s upside down.”