Page 61 of Stars May Fall

Kasten took them, passed one pouch to me, and pocketed the other. He stood and patted Callum on the back. I opened the draw string and stroked the pale golden chain before securing it to my belt next to the bag of medical supplies I carried around for emergencies.

I took in the shadows under Callum’s eyes and the paleness of his skin as he devoured his food. I passed him the teapot. “We can’t do this without your amazing brain, Callum. Rest and look after it.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’d rather we don’t need what I’m making and that you two find a way to resolve this peacefully without us being overrun with halfsouls.”

I patted his hand as Kasten grunted. “I think we all hope for that.”

After breakfast, I walked to the door with Kasten to bid him farewell, since I wasn’t due to see Annabelle again until tomorrow. He cupped my cheek and kissed my lips, caressing my chin with his thumb. Despite all my fears and frustrations, his kisses still made my stomach dip.

He leaned in and spoke quietly. “Are you doing all right, Sophie?”

I nodded with a smile. “I’m sorry I’ve been quiet, Kasten. I’ve had a lot on my mind, and after so much time in the palace talking with Annabelle, sometimes I run out of words.”

The corners of his lips tilted up in that half smile I knew so well. “I can relate to that. Everyone in the palace seems like they can talk from dawn to dusk. But…” I could tell he didn’t believe me. He didn’t believe I was coping well. “If anything is bothering you, you can tell me. Especially if it has to do with your safety in the palace. I worry about you in there, even with Annabelle.”

I nodded, hiding that frustration that he still saw me as weak and vulnerable. Yet he wouldn’t let me take risks that proved I was not. “I’m safe enough, Kasten. I have Meena and now all these extra guards.”

He didn’t seem very reassured. “I’ll see you this evening. Try to talk to Prince Stirling without annoying him.”

He grimaced. “I’m no saint, but I’ll try.” He kissed me again, this time on the forehead as his hand cupped the back of my head. His fingers intertwined with my hair, and for a moment his hand lingered as if he was struggling to let go. Then he turned and strode to the stables without a backward glance.

ANNABELLE

Had I been mistaken to give Venerick the name of Regan Jones? I guessed I was about to find out.

What if Venerick’s investigations had revealed that he was part of my information network and that I was spying on Lyrason? But surely, even if he found out, he wouldn’t see that as so bad. I suspected many nobles had private sources of information, and half the court had to be interested in what Lyrason was up to.

But what would he think of me if it turned out that I’d gotten the boy killed? For the first time, I realized I cared what Venerick thought about me. I hadn’t given his thoughts and feelings much consideration before. But his opinions were thought through and sensitive. I wanted him to approve of me, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.

His friendship with Duke James troubled me. But if Venerick could be persuaded to join the fight against Lyrason’s plans, that same friendship might be the key to stopping Lyrason from using the city guard to take Adenburg. It could be the difference between us winning and losing if Lyrason initiated a coup.

But how could I know I could trust him? If he was on Lord Lyrason and Duke James’s side, I couldn’t give him anything he could use against us.

I smoothed down my lacey sapphire skirts and walked into the orangery with a smooth expression. Venerick was waiting for me, sitting on one of the wrought iron chairs and staring off through the open glass doors to the palace gardens. He was always punctual. He had never once kept me waiting.

He was dressed smartly as always, his hairstyle slightly odd and bouncy and his demeanor distant when he wasn’t engaged in conversation. I struggled to believe such an earnest man could have known about the halfsouls and done nothing about them. But how could he miss Duke James’s deliberate gaps in the city guard when they worked together so closely?

He caught sight of me at once and hurried to stand, bowing far deeper than necessary. At least, he was polite. And sweet.

His eyes took me in as he spread his arms. “My dear, you look simply beautiful.”

His words touched me a little deeper today, whereas before they had merely sounded like the expected pleasantries. He truly did seem to find me attractive, and I was glad. “Thank you, Venerick. I thought I would wear the earrings you gave me, and this dress was the perfect color to show them off.”

He pulled out a chair for me, and I settled into it. Venerick cleared his throat and looked around to make sure we were alone. Hetty was standing far back against the wall, as was my regular guard.

He licked his lips. “I did some investigation into Regan Jones and…it is all very odd. I have to ask, Annabelle, and forgive me for doing so, but what is your connection to him? I don’t want you to be ignorant of potential danger.”

I swallowed, goosebumps prickling on my skin. I sat at a crossroads. How much of the truth did I tell Venerick, and howmuch did I risk? If I hadn’t been so desperate, so scared for my family, I would have never even given him the name in the first place.

Venerick seemed to see something in my face because he reached over and rested his hand over mine. The simple kindness of his gesture made me strangely emotional. I hated feeling emotional. One slip of my expression, and it could cause irreversible damage.

“I have no direct connection with him. We have a mutual acquaintance who he sometimes gives information to in exchange for a few coins like many people who spend time on the streets. My acquaintance said he disappeared and nobody knows what has happened to him. I asked a few questions, but I’m wary of making things worse.”

Venerick gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid it is more common than many realize. People disappear every day in Adenburg.”

I knew this only too well. All those people downtown who were killed by halfsouls only for it to be met by silence. A twinge of anger at the injustice made me frown and look him in the eyes. “But they shouldn’t.”

Venerick’s face appeared very serious as he nodded in agreement. “No. They shouldn’t.”

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