Page 51 of Stars May Fall

I was so tired, I swayed as I stepped out of the carriage onto the street right next to our garden gate, gravel spilling out from the path to our house. The moon was clear and bright, the air cool enough for me to clutch my cloak tight across my chest. It had been such a long day, and now that things were quieter, my mind kept circling back to being trapped with those creatures in the half-dark, Gregane’s delighted laugh at my terror, and the similarities between that room and the pitch black cellar of broken glass where I’d sat in dread, straining to hear Father’s approaching footsteps.

Normally after such incidents, my mind was caught in a downward spiral of despair. But strangely, despite my bone-weary fatigue, underneath it all, I still felt strong. I had gone into Lord Lyrason’s house and taken what we needed. I’d been terrified, but I had still won. Then I’d spoken with the king, turning the incident against Lord Lyrason instead of me. And now, Annabelle was on our side as well.

All in one day.

I had achieved things I’d never thought possible. I was…proud of myself. Just a year ago, I wouldn’t have managed any of that. The thought made me almost heady with pleasure.

I had taken large risks, and only then had I seen what I was capable of.

I stumbled on the gravel. Strong arms caught me from behind. I looked over my shoulder and smiled gratefully to Meena. “Thank you.”

Meena looked concerned. “I worry you’ve pushed yourself too hard today, Lady Sophie. Physician Harris wouldn’t be pleased. Maybe you should spend tomorrow at home. You mustbe exhausted. You’re part of a team that can share the load. Remember that.”

I sighed, the concern in her voice bringing me down from euphoria with the reminder of how much more we had to achieve and what was at stake. “We have too little time, Meena. I worry that we’ve realized the situation very late.”

She tightened her lips in sympathy. “If there is one thing I have learned about the general, it is that no situation is too late for him to turn around. Have faith in us, Lady Sophie.”

I smiled at her warm, earnest eyes. “Of course. I have faith in all of you. But I hope you have faith in me too. It shouldn’t just be up to Kasten to turn this situation around.”

The grip of her hand softened. “I didn’t mean to imply that I have any less faith in you than I do the general. All of us have important roles to play.”

I nodded in agreement, too tired to continue the conversation.

I trudged up the last of the narrow garden path to the steps and looked forward to collapsing onto the sofa with a hot drink. I’d only made it up the first one when the doors flung open and Kasten came out, jumping down the steps three at a time. Before I had the chance to exclaim, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me inside. I barely managed to contain my squeal. What would the servants think? What wouldanyonethink?

I locked my arms around his neck as he carried me to the small sitting room that was meant just for us now the soldiers were housed elsewhere. “Kasten, I can walk.”

The tendons on his neck were standing out. His face was serious. “You must be exhausted. I’ve been worried about you. What were you doing to be back so late? Callum told me everything you discovered today at Lord Lyrason’s manor. I can’t believe what that twisted excuse of a man did to you.”

Instead of putting me down, he sat with me still in his arms so I ended up curled beneath his chin on his lap. His arms didn’t relax, but stayed around me, locking me in place. He rested his forehead in my hair. “I’ve missed you. I’ve been so worried.”

If any of my limbs hadn’t been completely weak from exhaustion, they were weak now that I was with my husband. I didn’t try to pull away but nestled into the firmness of his chest and the strength of his arms. That endless strength. At last, I could relax and be vulnerable. Nothing depended on this moment. I could simply be.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know,” he murmured into my hair.

I tilted my head back to look up at his face, all sharp lines from shadows and firelight with the exception of his lips that always seemed too soft for the rest of him. “Nor do you. And I didn’t. I had Meena and Callum with me. Callum is the one doing the really hard work discovering the cure. I don’t know how he thinks he can work it out from the little information he has, especially when it involves haemalcomy.”

Kasten was studying each feature of my face in an intense way that made my toes curl. He freed one of his arms so he could brush some hair behind my ear. My hairstyle had to look a mess. I had barely had the chance to look in a mirror today, and my dress was ill fitting. It was all we had managed to find when Lord Lyrason had told a servant to grab a spare dress—so he didn’t have to put up with the smell of my soiled clothes—before dragging us to the palace. Kasten didn’t seem to notice any of that.

He pushed back another strand of hair that I was pretty sure was already behind my ear, but he seemed to like stroking my face, and my skin tingled under his calluses. “If anyone can do it, Callum can,” he said softly. “He said the Originals had collars around their necks, similar to one they fitted around you whenthey were healing you. He thinks they block the link between the two kryalcomy poles. It’s what stops more of the Original’s vitality from being sucked away so they remain alive yet weak enough to still be infectious.”

I frowned. Callum was right, they had all worn collars. I’d assumed they were to attach them to the walls by their chains. But now I thought about it, their collars had been thick and made of a paler metal than the chain. How had Callum been so observant in that situation?

Kasten’s eyes were combing my face in concern. “We don’t have to talk about that place now if you don’t want to.”

I sighed and shook my head. The event still wasn’t haunting me like I’d expected. I was glad I’d done it. Everything today had been worth it. “No, it’s all right. We need to talk about it. I just wish we could free them and save them.”

“Of course.” Kasten half laughed then smiled his unusual tender smile that he only gave me. “Of course, that is what you would be thinking about.” He gave a small shrug. “Perhaps we can, once Callum makes the cure.” He looked up from my face and stared into emptiness. He curled a finger on his chin. “Maybe the right thing to do would be for me to go and raze that place to the ground and for us to cure every halfsoul we can find.”

I smiled, sleepily. I liked the sound of that. I wanted that dark prison to simply cease to exist.

Kasten watched me for a moment longer. “I’ll carry you to bed.”

“No!” I sat up on his lap, trying to look more awake. “I have more things to tell you.”

I reported what Annabelle had told me, including her revelation that the king was behind the halfsouls and we suspected they had been once used to save Prince Stirling’s life.Kasten confirmed he had heard a faint drone on his detector from the prince.

I picked at a nail. “Annabelle doesn’t think we have very long.”

---