Page 9 of Starlit Bargains

The humming guided him, growing stronger as he neared its source. It led him not to the tavern where he'd last seen Kai heading, but to the old well behind the tanner's shop—one of the oldest structures in Mistwood, predating even the village itself.

Chapter 3

Starlit Encounter

Kai dropped his travel pack onto the stone floor of Thornhaven's kitchen with a satisfying thud, wincing slightly at the clink of glass vials inside. He'd made it back just before sunset, the journey from Mistwood taking longer than expected—mostly because he'd spent half the return trip arguing with Briar about whether or not they should go back after nightfall.

“Is that you making a racket, Everwood?” Silas's voice echoed from the corridor before he appeared in the doorway, elegant as always despite the smudge of ink on his cheek. His dark hair was cut short, and he wore the simple linen shirt and trousers he favored when working in his study rather than the more formal attire his royal status typically demanded.

“No, it's a very loud ghost,” Kai replied, already digging through the pack. “Or possibly one of your many adoring subjects come to pledge undying fealty.”

Silas rolled his eyes, but the fondness in his expression betrayed him. “Did you get everything?”

“Most of it.” Kai began arranging the parcels on the large wooden table. “The silver sage was highway robbery, by the way.Twenty-two silver pieces for a handful of leaves that probably grew on the side of the road.”

“It's harvested under a blue moon,” Silas said with the patient tone of someone who'd explained this concept multiple times.

“So the herb woman claimed. Convenient excuse for extortion, if you ask me.”

“Which is why nobody asked you,” came a deeper voice as Thorne entered the kitchen, ducking slightly to avoid the low doorframe. The forest guardian's imposing height and broad shoulders made most human dwellings seem cramped by comparison, but he moved with surprising grace for someone so large.

A smile played at the corners of his grey eyes as he approached Silas, placing a gentle hand at the small of his back—a casual intimacy that spoke volumes about their relationship. Kai had been present for its tentative beginnings, had watched with equal parts amusement and envy as the taciturn guardian and the exiled prince circled each other for months before finally admitting what was obvious to everyone else.

“How was the village?” Thorne asked, turning his attention to Kai. “Any trouble?”

“Define 'trouble,'” Kai hedged, suddenly very interested in the proper arrangement of herb bundles.

Silas groaned. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Kai protested, then amended, “Well, almost nothing. There might have been a small... fire-related incident at the herb shop.”

“Kai.” Silas pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It was an accident! You know how it gets sometimes.” Kai flexed his fingers, remembering the unexpected surge of magic. “Besides, no serious damage done. Just a bundle of lavender and possibly my reputation among the local merchants.”

Thorne's expression turned thoughtful. “Your magic flared without intent?”

“Yeah. Like a sneeze, but with more flames.”

“Has that been happening more frequently?” There was something in Thorne's tone that made Kai look up sharply.

“Not really. Well, maybe. I don't know.” He shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. His unpredictable magic had always been a sore subject—a reminder that despite years of practice, he still lacked the control that came naturally to others.

Silas exchanged a meaningful glance with Thorne. “Maybe we should adjust your training. Focus more on containment rather than?—”

“It's fine,” Kai interrupted, forcing a grin. “Really. Just a one-off thing. Probably because the place was weird.”

“Weird how?” Thorne asked, his interest visibly piqued.

Kai hesitated. Here was his opening to mention Eliar—the strange, beautiful man with eyes like starlight and warnings of things stirring. The mysterious note. The sense of dormant power beneath the village streets.

But something held him back. A strange, possessive feeling he didn't quite understand. As if sharing Eliar with Silas and Thorne would somehow dilute the encounter, make it less... whatever it was.

“Just weird,” he said instead. “You know how these isolated villages get. All suspicious of outsiders and full of local superstitions.”

“You're hiding something,” Silas said, knowing him too well.

“I'm an open book,” Kai protested, placing a hand over his heart. “A devastatingly handsome and straightforward open book.”

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