Page 29 of Stars May Fall

She struggled to suppress a smile, pressing two slender fingers to her lips. There was a smudge of dirt on her wrist which she clearly hadn’t noticed.

I pointed to the side of her head behind her right ear. “Now you have a detector fitted, you remember how to send an alarm signal, right? Keep emitting that signal, and I and the guards will be able to find you depending on who is in range.”

She nodded, pushing her fingers through her hair to feel the dial fitted to her skull. At least, she wouldn’t have to listen out for halfsouls too.

“And remember, if anyone asks about the starstone, act completely ignorant. Say you’ve never seen me display any usual powers.”

She lifted her chin. “That’s the truth. Of course, I will say that.”

I couldn’t help kissing her forehead no matter who was watching before taking her arm and heading to the carriages. She suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped in her tracks. “If Lucy is staying here, I need to ask her to look after something for me. One moment please.”

She hurried back to the doorway where the staff was waiting to see us away. I allowed myself a small smile at the way Lucy leaned in and nodded her head eagerly as Sophie spoke. She and Beatrice had been good choices as maids.

Sophie hurried back to my side, one hand holding her sunhat, the ribbon already loose. We looped arms and headed to the carriage. As I helped her up the step, I looked behind me one last time at the wide space in the gardens that would soon be a greenhouse fit for a queen.

We’d brought far moreguards than usual to Highfair, half of them disguised as servants. During the journey here, it hadn’t been so obvious since they’d spread their horses down the road. Only Meena, Tara, and Sir Philip, the new head of our household guard, had flanked the carriage. We had trickled through the gates after nightfall, arriving at Highfair in groups. Now soldiers crammed the house, many spending their first night sleeping on the floor of the reception rooms.

Sir Philip had taken over as head of the household guard after Sir Cley’s death and was competent, proactive, and eager to impress. Still, I missed Sir Cley. He’d been a reassuring constant in my life since I’d been given Kasomere by the king. He had known what I was going to ask or command just from my posture.

I had put Sir Luke in charge of overall management of all our troops in Adenburg, making sure each was clothed, fed, and sheltered, and leaving Sir Philip to concentrate on guarding me and Sophie. I trusted Sir Luke would soon work out a good place to house them where they wouldn’t be noticed, hopefully somewhere with space to spare. I intended to eventually move most of the first battalion here: one hundred of my best soldiers. Their commander, Sir Chase, was already with us. He was quiet, but my best fighter and level headed in a tight spot. I just hoped it would be enough if things turned sour.

After our late arrival and a restless night, Sophie and I ate breakfast upstairs in our bedroom to avoid the chaos downstairs as Sir Luke organized the soldiers, and Sir Philip set up the guard watches. I kissed Sophie, a quick press of the lips, before pulling on my coat. Her eyes seemed even wider than usual.

“I’m sorry to leave you behind this morning, my love. But the meeting today will be pure military planning. That is, if they’re not planning to arrest us. I’ll try to get a sense of the king’s plans now that I’ve revealed the power of the starstone. I can also see how the court is responding to the removal of Lord Lyrason and potentially Duke James. I’ll collect you for the social dinner where you can attempt to befriend Annabelle and see where she is going to stand on matters. Hopefully her own curiosity and the listening device I gave her will have spurred her to investigate for herself.”

She nodded, swallowing, and I could see her nerves. I caught her hands. “You’ll be fantastic tonight. I’ll be with you.”

She shook her head. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you going into that place alone this morning, not knowing what they’re planning.”

I grinned at her. “You’re worried about me? Worry about thepalace.” I checked her over once more. “You’re wearing your detector? And you have your reserve?”

She nodded.

“Stay with Meena and Callum.”

She smiled and nodded. “Come back quickly.”

I kissed her again and then a third time before stepping out of the house and mounting my horse. I deliberately didn’t take a guard. I liked to highlight that I had no need of one. Also, if this was a trap, there was no need for anyone to get killed. Not when I had the starstone’s power.

And I felt far better having all those guards staying with Sophie.

My thoughts remained on Sophie throughout the bustling streets and as I rode my horse up the long circular drive to the palace, the manicured lawn stretching in all directions around me. We’d barely been apart in the last two weeks, and I had grown used to having her right next to me as if she were an extension of my body. I needed to focus. I needed to get used to missing her so the sensation of being adrift without her faded into my subconscious.

As I handed my reins to a stable boy lingering by the steps, I felt the familiar cool wariness settle over me as my senses sharpened. My body was preparing for battle. I had no idea what was waiting for me inside, but I was confident I could handle it. I wondered how the king would try to take the starstone’s power from me without starting a civil war. It might be amusing to witness. If Annabelle discovered her father’s plans and trusted me enough to tell me, it would make my life so much easier. But the main thing I hoped she would concentrate on was whether the king was involved with the halfsouls.

I was no longer the king’s puppet, and if he thought he could continue to put me and my soldiers in vulnerable positions, he was in for a shock. But I was still the general, and this was my job. I would do it well.

Footmen directed me to the green gallery, one of the large, long rooms with paintings hung down one side and the other facing the gardens. This particular room was often chosen by the king for war meetings due to the large amount of natural light it received from its massive windows. That light poured over the continuous line of polished tables that we covered with maps.

As I entered, the room fell silent as the men inside turned to face me. A servant standing by the door even took a step away as if in fear. I smirked at him, and he bowed and muttered an apology. If I had been shunned before, now I was truly the villain.

Lord Lyrason had been powerful and well liked, and I had taken him down in a few unplanned hours.

The king was absent from the room, but Prince Stirling was standing in one corner. He wore spotless white and gold like some sort of saint. He narrowed his eyes as he inspected me before striding over with a formal expression. “General. Thank you for coming.”

I was not here to pander to him and watch him play king as if one day he would be a competent ruler. If Sophie and I had to stand against his father, I somehow doubted it would be Stirling we replaced him with. “Is the king not joining us?”

Stirling’s expression remained neutral. “Soon. Would you like a drink? I know you’re fond of whiskey.” He waved to a servant who hurried to pour one and bring it over.

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