Page 74 of Stars May Fall

Ididn’t stop to think about what I was doing. Annabelle needed me to see that justice was upheld. And I had always said I would give my life to justice. This was my chance to make amends for years of turning a blind eye.

And despite my absolute terror at what I was about to do, I had hope that I’d never had before. Annabelle dared to believe in a future without corruption in the justice system. She clearly believed in that passionately. Over the years I’d been told too many times that such a feat was impossible. But now maybe…I could dare to dream again.

It would be a good cause to die for even if this all ended in disaster for me.

I didn’t think about James. I couldn’t, or I would hesitate. I’d known him for years and worked closely with him on many cases. But if he was taking the city for Lyrason and aiding in the murder of the royal family, well, his sentence was clear, his execution just.

The journey took longer than normal since the city guard was setting up blockades in the main streets and we had to avoid patrols. Confused citizens milled around, knowing something was going on, but so far, no news had come from the palace.

Shireena led me to a street where I was startled to be greeted by an excitable, rowdy mob behind a few rows of professional soldiers. There must have been some previous signal for them to assemble. This was not what I had pictured in my vision of fighting for justice. This was a thin veneer of order barely restraining chaos.

Shireena went to an officer I didn’t recognize and gave him a report out of earshot. Before I could announce myself, an arm clamped down on my shoulder.

“Venerick! Nice to have you here! You probably have no idea who I am, but I am always after new friends.”

I turned to be greeted by a large grin, a mop of curls and a ridiculous scarlet tricorn hat with an ostrich plume in it. “Callum Tavolyn.” I gave him a polite incline of my head.

Callum’s grin widened. “Ah, so you do know. My reputation precedes me. Are you here to stab Duke James in the back?”

My chest tightened, and I raised a finger. “That isn’t quite how I would put…”

He released his grip and clapped his hands together. “Excellent, excellent. He’s in his mansion. Can you get us in?”

I opened my mouth, and then decided there was little point prolonging this conversation. I nodded. I’d already had the last thirty minutes to think this through.

Callum put his arm back around my shoulders. “Ah, we are indeed going to be the best of friends.” He shoved a large leather bag into my arms.

I took it on instinct. “What’s this?”

He grinned. “Enough explosives to blow up half of Adenburg. Don’t drop them. They’re to blow up Duke James’s house, not you.”

My palms became sweaty. What had I gotten myself in to?

“You’ll also need a sword. That dagger is pathetic. Let’s not be too insulting to dear old James. Here, take this one.” Hewaved for a soldier who was distributing weapons and selected a rapier for me. I took it feeling numb.

Two officers came and bowed sharply to me, introducing themselves as Sir Philip, head of Kasten’s household guard, and Sir Luke, commander of the Kasomere troops in Adenburg. The first was middle-aged and appeared confident. The second man was blond and appeared much younger than I was expecting.

I tried to appear more confident than I was feeling. “I can get a group of ten unmarked men through the back gate. They’ll need to be good fighters. If they can deal with any guards once inside, we can let the”—I paused to look at the mob and find the right words—“less inconspicuous people through by taking down the wall.”

Sir Luke turned and started issuing orders, getting ten Kasomere soldiers out of uniform.

Callum gestured to the street ahead. “It sounds like we have no time to waste.”

“Right, right.” I straightened my own jacket, fastened the heavy leather bag across my chest and hoped this plan would work.

Callum bounced along beside me, a constant distraction I couldn’t quite believe was real. He seemed to be enjoying himself far too much, his approach jarring with the nausea-inducing nerves in my stomach. He barely stopped talking as he looked around the streets we passed. “I have many lifetime ambitions I wish to fulfill. Dreams full of glory, heroism, and inventions of pure genius. But being able to lead a mob to destroy Duke James is topping them all.” He clapped his hands together. “Now this is what it truly feels like to be alive.”

Sir Luke was leading his group of unmarked soldiers to one side. They were completely silent, each of them light on their feet and focused. Kasten’s troops were famous for being the best after all. Thank the kingdoms he was siding with Annabelle. Hehad every reason to disown his family for how they’d treated him, but that man had honor I’d never anticipated. It appeared that Annabelle was a good judge of character.

Sir Philip walked a step behind us, his serious face set in determination, and the men behind him remained smart in Kasomere uniform. He frowned at Callum. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay back from the fighting…Mister Tavolyn?” I didn’t miss the hesitation over Callum’s title. I’d seen it before at parties, the constant awkwardness that surrounded somebody with royal blood being untitled.

Callum shook his head. “No, no, no. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. If I die, it will still be worth it for the entertainment. Oh look, comes our next band of rogues.” He grinned as more citizens brandishing weapons filtered out of a house that had to be some sort of rallying point. I recognized some of the people who had gathered outside Lyrason’s house when Kasten had decided to storm it by himself. I never forgot a face, and I had taken in as many of their features as possible in case the king asked me to round them up with the city guard afterward. Yet here I was, joining them. The world was a strange place. They were filled with a frenzied excitement. Callum opened his arms as they approached. “Welcome, welcome, my friends.”

That man was completely mad.

We had to be about two hundred strong, and only forty were Kasten’s household guard. I looked toward Sir Luke. “Discipline is going to be difficult once the fighting starts.”

Callum shrugged. “They can pillage and loot as much of Duke James’s house as they wish, for all I care.”

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