Page 2 of Stars May Fall

The guard bowed his head again, then he started walking cautiously toward the house, looking around as if hoping somebody else would take over. Maybe I should have found help before going to Lyrason’s house. But who could I trust with this? Who would keep the secret of my night time outings? A few servants helped me sneak in and out of the castle, but they didn’t have the clout to help in this situation. And Venerick was a huge unknown who was associated with Lyrason’s close friends, so he could potentially be involved with the halfsouls. Besides, I had been trained in negotiations. It would simply have to be me.

The white pebble drive was long with one sharp corner rounding a large pond, and bordered by lime trees, their leaves lightened to a bright acidic yellow by autumn. The trunks seemed almost black in contrast, and as we passed bright tree after tree, my anxiety grew. The servant’s pace infuriated me, and I could only tolerate it for so long. I took off running, glad I was still wearing trousers beneath my long coat, and didn’t look back to see if he tried to catch up.

I leapt up the pale steps and crashed through the front door, ignoring the footmen. I skidded to a stop on the marble floor of the main hallway. It was surrounded by a square staircase that crossed the walls and ascended four stories. High above, a skylight showed dawn becoming brighter.

We were running out of time.

Servants assembled in the hall at what the commotion, while others craned their heads over the banisters above. A few widened their eyes when they recognized me.

“I am here to see Lord Lyrason and request his presence immediately.” I spoke to nobody in particular. Several people hurried off.

A maid tried to guide me to a chair and offer me tea, but I was too agitated, adrenaline making my heart pound, and my limbs refused to stay still. I could see why the guards and servants doubted I was the princess. I was also glad I’d had the foresight to hide my crossbow before coming here where there were so many eyes. I didn’t want my father finding out that I had been sneaking from the palace at night to kill monsters and track the man he had explicitly told me to stay away from. But it might be too late for that.

I started to pace. Lyrason was probably asleep. He would have to be woken, get washed and dressed, and by then it would be…

“Princess.” The voice was calm, soft, and masculine.

My attention snapped back to the staircase, and I was relieved to see Lyrason walking down the stairs, straightening the cuffs of his black jacket. His grey hair was neat and oiled, and his cheeks appeared freshly shaven. It looked like he had already been awake for hours.

My shoulders sagged a little. “Lyrason. You’re here.”

Uncertainty lurched in my stomach for a moment as he analyzed me through his rectangular glasses with a calm gaze.Was I sure I knew what I was doing? My governess had said many times my overconfidence would be my downfall.

Lyrason and I had talked often over the last few years and had been on first name terms since I became an adolescent. He had wanted to marry me before Father had declared my engagement to Lord Venerick, and nobody seemed to understand the reason for Father’s change of heart, including Lyrason himself. Even if Lyrason was behind the haemalcomy, he wouldn’t harm me, would he? He had never been anything but respectful toward me.

I pulled in a deep breath. No matter the risk, I still had to do something. I couldn’t sit around and watch this disaster unfold.

I moved with purposeful steps to the bottom of the stairs and straightened my back. “Do you know how to heal somebody bitten by a soulless? One in Adenburg not Kollenstar.” I hesitated, searching for the word Kasten’s scouts had called them. “A halfsoul?”

Lyrason tilted his head in a puzzled expression, his thin lips tilting up in amusement. “What on earth are you referring to, my dear?”

I clenched my fists in frustration. I hated when nobles insisted on playing games when the matter was urgent. “Listen, if you don’t have a cure quickly available, you are going to be killed, and I fear there will be civil war.”

Lyrason’s smile dropped though he remained infuriatingly calm. He stepped closer and studied me for a moment, readjusting his glasses. “Come into my office, princess, and tell me this story from the beginning.”

I shook my head and spread my hands. “We don’t have time. Lady Sophie Batton has been bitten by one of those halfsoul monsters. Anyone they bite becomes like them: ferocious, animalistic, and sickly. There is no known cure, and most die within a night or two. General Kasten thinks you’re their creator.He’s…out of control. He’s said he is coming here to force you to heal her. If you can’t, well, I fear for what he will do, but he is beyond angry already.”

I remembered the agony twisting his face as he had cradled Sophie, the utter devastation in his expression. It had winded me just to see the horror of it. Then a terrifying, purposeful calm had descended over him. He had risen to his feet, his eyes filled with cold rage, barking orders at Meena and completely ignoring me. He’d said he was coming for Lyrason, and there had been promised violence in his every step, but I had no idea where he had gone first or why. I shivered.

Lyrason cocked his head. “I have nothing to do with any soulless, nor have I heard the term halfsoul before.” Emotion flickered behind his calm façade, and the tendons in his neck tensed. “How do you know all this, Annabelle?”

I lowered my voice, daring him to divert the conversation. “I witnessed it. But that’s not important. Whether you are behind those monsters or not is irrelevant right now as the general is convinced you are. Do you have a cure for Lady Batton or not?”

Lyrason looked to one side and pressed a finger to his lips, considering. “Where is he now?”

“He rode out of the city on horseback, but he was moving fast. I fear he will come for you any moment with whatever he was going to collect.”

The lord raised his eyes back to mine. “His army? It will take two days to collect his regiment from Kasomere.”

I shook my head in exasperation. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s closer? Maybe he has allies? He technically commands our entire army. But he also mentioned some sort of weapon to one of his guards. All I know is if he returns with soldiers and weapons here and you don’t have what he wants, I suspect he will burn this place to the ground. And then I don’t think hewill stop. Not if he loses his wife. He could destroy the whole of Adenburg.”

Lyrason considered for a moment, and I noticed a tremble in his lips as if he were only just understanding the true danger of his predicament. However, his calm was quick to return. “Don’t concern yourself with this. If he turns up here with his regiment without permission, the king will send the other regiments to stop him. I have enough soldiers to keep him out of my house until his rebellion is quashed. He will be arrested and executed for treason.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself that he had no flaws in his existing plan.

I stepped so close to him that it was hard for him to look anywhere but my face. “It would be civil war first. Adenburg would be torn apart. Can’t we stop this if you just give him the cure and save his wife?”

He held my eyes for a moment, his face hardening at my forcefulness. “Go back to the palace where it’s safe, Annabelle. Thank you for your warning. I’ll deal with this. Tell the king to prepare his men. I’ll contact Duke James so he can position the city guard in the area.”

I shook my head, taking a step back, but letting the full force of my determination seep into my voice. “I’m staying to negotiate between you and General Kasten. If I can stop this from becoming violent, I will.”

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