Page 28 of Stars May Fall

I shook myself. I should write to Kasten and warn him. No. I needed to process this. Father had done this to save Stirling and help Mother. Something more was going on. I knew Father always tried to do his best by us. And Kasten was hardly my friend—we barely knew each other. I still didn’t know if I could trust him, and though I tried to hide the fact, he sometimes scared me.

What if destroying Lyrason’s work with halfsouls led to the death of my older brother and Mother?

I blew out a breath. Father always spoke against rash action. I needed to watch the events play out and gather more information before deciding what to do next.

What Father had said earlier was right. One action behind his back might have the potential to bring down the kingdom.

KASTEN

Ileaned back in my padded office chair looking over the architect’s plans for a grand greenhouse. If Sophie and I were going to be away in Adenburg for a few weeks, maybe longer, it would be a good time to prepare a surprise for when she got back. She still thanked me repeatedly for the swamp. I wanted this to be even better. Something even grander than the king had.

Thinking about her reaction helped me remember there would still be an ‘after’ to this. It made me imagine the future Sophie wished for. Rather than being trapped in Kasomere with enemies on all sides, she could see a world where we could be proud of our country and proud of our rulers. Where we would be safe.

Her dreams were far bigger than mine.

After her comments about having children the other day, my anger at her father for tricking her with those tonics had resurfaced. I wanted to give her a gesture to show her how much I loved her, how much I thought she was worth. And I hoped she’d be able to do even more amazing things with the new plants so she could see for herself what she was capable of.

I turned over the page of the plans. Lucy, who I had summoned for advice, peering over my shoulder. “No, no, no, this isn’t right.” I snapped. “It’s not what I envisioned at all. We’ll need to start again with our plans. Bigger, more open. It should be like nothing ever built before. I want the walls to be barely visible behind vines and flowers. I want fountains, high glass ceilings with metal scrollwork. The temperature needs to be kryalcomy controlled. Can we use kryalcomy to control the humidity too?” Tom had told me that plants needed the right humidity, which is why they sprayed fake rain over Sophie’s bog and misted some of the others by hand. Kasomere wasn’t too far from the desert lands in the west, and despite the walls and tree shelter, the wrong wind could wreak havoc with the delicate plants she liked to grow.

Instead of flinching at my frustration, Lucy actually looked excited as she stood beside my chair, clapping her hands. “She likes fish, my lord. Maybe we could have indoor ponds? We could get her some colorful koi. And a waterfall. And water lilies.”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, excellent ideas. See. You’re already better than the architect. He’s useless compared to you.” I turned to my personal servant, Finley, who lingered silently at the door. “Get rid of him and find me another one. Quickly. Promise whatever money he or she requires to come at once.” The boy bowed and ran off. I turned back to the plans.

The maid’s eyes were glowing. “Maybe we could have some areas with thicker plants to make them more private. And we could breed butterflies inside.” I smiled at her, her enthusiasm fueling my own. Duke James had butterflies in his greenhouse, but Sophie’s could have even more species. Lucy stepped back in surprise at my expression, her mouth falling open. I supposed I didn’t smile very often.

“Lucy, I’m putting you in charge of this project. Work closely with the architect while we’re in Kasomere and make sure it is all perfect. If they’re useless, just hire another one. Spend as much money as you want.”

She lurched forward in surprise. “But what will I tell Lady Sophie? She will be surprised I’m not accompanying her.”

I shrugged. “I’ll tell her I gave you a job to do in her absence. I’m sure Beatrice will be able to cope on her own for two weeks.”

When we came home and Sophie saw it, she would have that smile. The one filled with so much joy she became the most beautiful creature in the world. My fingers itched to be holding her once more, even though we’d only been apart for an hour.

I put away the plans and dismissed Lucy before doing one last sweep of my office for anything I’d forgotten to pack. It was time we left for Adenburg.

I found Sophie in the gardens giving a long list of written instructions to Tom who was concentrating and nodding as she spoke. I had recently employed two more gardeners; they hovered behind him, listening in. My wife wore layers of cream and pale blue chiffon that wafted around her in the breeze, and a wide sun hat, despite the autumn sun being frequently hidden by clouds. She was so beautiful, I found myself watching her for a moment while she was distracted.

Before the gardeners could become awkward, I cleared my throat to announce my presence. Sophie turned and a smile bloomed across her lips when she saw me. Her eyes brightened with delight, and I wondered what I had done to deserve her. She thanked Tom before hurrying to my side and taking my hands. I wanted to kiss that wide smile but didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the gardeners.

“I’m sorry, Kasten. I was just making sure everything would be in order while I was gone. I hope you haven’t been waiting for me.”

I shook my head. “The carriages and horses should be packed and ready by now. I’ve given Lucy a job to do in our absence. I hope you don’t mind if she remains in Kasomere. I assumed Beatrice would be enough during our time in Highfair. The house is much smaller, and I’ve been prioritizing space for guards.” I lowered my voice and moved my face closer to hers. “Are you sure you want to come with me?”

She nodded. “I want to be where you are. I might be able to help.”

“You are always able to help, wherever you are.” I brushed her cheek and tried to smile, but she must have seen the worry on my face.

Her forehead wrinkled in concern. “Don’t you want me to come, Kasten?”

I cursed inwardly and willed my expression to be neutral. It was getting harder for me to hide my feelings around her. I squeezed her hands. “Of course I do, Sophie. I hate being separated from you. I just…worry about you being caught up in the unpleasantness.” I sighed and attempted a smile. “Though last time I left you in Kasomere, you still ended up in trouble in Adenburg.”

Her expression became dismayed as my joke fell flat. She looked down. “It was all my fault, wasn’t it? If I hadn’t responded to Irabel by going to Adenburg, I wouldn't have gotten captured by Father, you wouldn’t have been caught by Lord Lyrason’s trap, and I would have never been bitten. Then the starstone would still be hanging in that glass cabinet. You would’ve presented the evidence to court about Lord Lyrason, and we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

I cursed silently again for saying the wrong thing. “It wasn’t your fault, Sophie. It was right that you cared about your sister. I’m glad that you got to see her before she died. It must have meant a lot to her that you came despite the danger. Your fatherand Lord Lyrason were to blame.” I straightened. “It will be strange to go to court and find him absent. I assume he’ll be executed. Maybe Duke James too. He was clearly involved. One can always hope.”

My wife gave me a reproving look. “You shouldn’t look so happy about executions, Kasten.”

I raised an eyebrow and put my thumb and forefinger close together. “Not even a little bit happy?”

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