Page 32 of Stars May Fall

I was left standing alone in the bare white corridor. I scowled in irritation. She had helped me before, but that didn’t mean she was on my side or would help me again. It made sense that she would also be loyal to her father.

But I still wanted to talk to her. She had access to information I didn’t have. And I wondered if she was using the listening device I’d given her.

I stared after her, wondering which parts of her were an act and which parts were genuine. I hoped Sophie would be able to find out.

SOPHIE

Iwoke to grainy eyes and aching joints. I rolled over to find Kasten awake. He was sitting up and staring into space, his expression grim and determined. The clock showed it was just before seven.

I sat up beside him. My hair had loosened in the night, and pooled down, tangling around my shoulders. “Kasten? Are you all right?”

Kasten, Callum, and I had retired to bed late last night. There had been a social dinner at the palace but, after the shock of Kasten’s announcement that Lord Lyrason was still at large, none of us had felt like going. Instead, we’d discussed the news. Kasten had needed some time away from that man so he could keep his head cool. My husband’s long-suffering patience had frayed to threads.

We could only think of two reasons the king would pardon Lord Lyrason. Either the king was part of the plan with the halfsouls and needed it to continue for his own gain. Or Lord Lyrason had the king in his pocket, forced to defend him, either through blackmail or bribery.

Either way, the king was allowing something evil.

None of us believed Lord Lyrason had stopped his experiments, which meant we would still have to stop him making new halfsouls. And to do that we would likely have to dethrone the king too.

It would be amazing if any of us had gotten much sleep.

He blinked and looked down at me. “Good morning. Did I wake you?”

I shook my head. “Kasten, did you ever fall asleep?”

He gave me a half smile and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. “I’ve been planning. Sometimes my brain won’t stop thinking, and it’s only in the absolute silence that I can hear it clearly.” He looked at the clock. “We should get breakfast and talk to Callum before I have to head to the palace.”

He didn’t say any more but slipped out of bed with a preoccupied look back on his face. I watched him for a moment, feeling a little uneasy about my role in this situation. How could I help? How could I support him? I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and started to dress, choosing a simple gown so I wouldn’t have to ring the bell for Beatrice.

Kasten didn’t speak as we settled down in the breakfast room and eggs, fresh bread, fruit, and soft cheeses were brought out. Thankfully, Sir Luke had moved most of the soldiers to another accommodation, and Sir Philip and his guards were the only ones remaining in the house itself. It was hard to concentrate when every room was full of rolled up bed mats.

Callum already sat at the table with his shirt half unlaced. He wasn’t eating, but he drank cup after cup of strong tea. I almost felt like I was intruding as their quiet, intense moods seemed to match each other perfectly.

Feeling a strange disconnect from Kasten, I placed my hand on his knee under the table. He immediately covered it with the warmth of his own, and reassurance flooded me. I belonged.

He leaned toward me. “Don’t worry, Sophie. We’ll bring Lord Lyrason down. He won’t get away with this. Neither will the king.”

I nodded and forced a smile.

Callum pretended not to have noticed our exchange then chopped the top off his egg with more force than necessary, sending fragments of eggshell flying. “We need to plan this exactly, Kasten. Every detail. Otherwise, we’ll end up with a bloodbath across the whole of Adenburg, if not Fenland.”

Kasten nodded. “I know. When I was young, the king himself always used to tell me not to make the first move unless you have no choice. The aggressor often has the hardest time. The longer we stall, the longer we have to get everyone into position and the more time we get to gain information and allies. But we should move our pieces quickly so we can be ready when they make their move.”

Callum raised his eyebrows. “Wasn’t storming Lord Lyrason’s manor quite an aggressive first move?”

Kasten scoffed as if he were being ridiculous. “That was merely about Sophie, and Lyrason knows that. The king knows that. What we’re doing now is so much bigger.”

Nerves hollowed out my stomach, and I barely managed to swallow a mouthful of bread and butter. I took a sip of water to help me speak. “Kasten, you always said your greatest fear of removing your father from the throne was the power vacuum it would create and so the potential for civil war. So don’t we need somebody competent ready to take the throne immediately? Somebody everyone will accept?”

Kasten grimaced. “Honestly, we don’t have much choice.”

Callum spoke around a mouthful of egg. “Annabelle seemed promising.”

Kasten nodded but pinched his forehead showing he wasn’t convinced. “She is. But she’s also young. Younger than any ofus here. She’s untested, arrogant, and impulsive. Still, she’s the only one who has helped us and is willing to listen. I just fear her loyalty to the king is too strong for her to ever think about challenging his rule. She also refused to speak to me yesterday.”

Callum took a sip of his drink. “Young, arrogant, and impulsive…hmm, seems familiar. But then you two are related after all.”

I interjected before Callum could provoke Kasten any more. “Prince Stirling is next in line. That’s who everyone will expect.”

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