Page 27 of Starlit Bargains

Kai wasn't the only one seeking truth now. The entire village was awakening to mysteries long buried, stories long forgotten. The Keepers were preparing rituals they barely understood, based on traditions passed down from a time when his nature was still known. And somewhere, beyond the thinning barrier, entities that had long sought entry to this realm would be sensing the weakness, gathering their strength for attempts to cross.

Danger was coming, from multiple directions at once.

As he slipped out of the small temple and back into the night, Eliar made a decision. He could no longer remain passive,merely watching events unfold. Whether he wished it or not, his long exile was entering a new phase—one that required action rather than observation, involvement rather than detachment.

For the first time in centuries, he would need allies. Knowledge preserved in Thornhaven's libraries that had been lost here in Mistwood. Understanding that only someone like Kai—untrained but instinctively powerful—might provide.

Three days, Kai had said. Three days until he returned.

Eliar looked up at the night sky, at the stars that had once been his home. “Let that be time enough,” he murmured to the distant lights. “Time enough to prepare.”

He melted back into the shadows, leaving the increasingly restless village behind. There was much to do, and precious little time in which to do it. The balance was shifting, just as Greta had warned—but not in the way the Keepers feared.

What they didn't understand, what they couldn't know, was that the balance had been broken long ago, when he fell. What was happening now wasn't destruction.

It was, perhaps, restoration.

And that possibility, after centuries of resignation to his fate, was the most frightening prospect of all.

Chapter 6

Night Market’s Bargain

Kai kicked a stone in frustration, watching it skitter across the forest path back toward Thornhaven. Three days. He'd promised Eliar he'd wait three days before returning to Mistwood, but the restless energy that had been building inside him since their magical connection at the stream made even the thought of waiting unbearable.

“You're sulking,” Briar observed from her perch on his shoulder. “It's not an attractive look.”

“I'm not sulking,” Kai retorted. “I'm strategizing.”

“Is that what we're calling it now?” The sprite fluttered her wings, sending a light dusting of sparkling pollen onto his jacket. “Because it looks remarkably like a grown man kicking rocks because a pretty star-person didn't want to play magic fingers with him anymore.”

Kai shot her a withering glance. “That's not—” He broke off, unable to fully deny her characterization. “It's not just about Eliar. It's about what's happening to my magic. About the connection between us. About the Void Feeders and the village's reaction and... all of it.”

“Mm-hmm,” Briar hummed skeptically. “And you're definitely not fixating on the way his eyes glow when he looks at you.”

“I hate you,” Kai muttered without heat.

“You love me. I'm the only one who tells you the truth.”

She wasn't wrong. Kai hadn't even told Silas and Thorne where he was going before he disappeared for what was supposed to be a simple day trip to Mistwood. They had no idea what had happened there, and the thought of explaining everything made his stomach twist. How could he tell them that he had somehow awakened the dormant powers of a fallen celestial guardian? That his magic had created a connection neither of them fully understood, but both seemed unable to resist?

They'd think he was being reckless. Again. And maybe he was.

But there was something about Eliar that pulled at him, something beyond the obvious attraction or the thrill of mystery. Something that felt important. Essential, even.

“It just doesn't make sense,” Kai said, resuming his walk along the forest path, though not with any real destination in mind. “Why would he keep pushing me away when it's obvious there's something happening between us? Not just... personally, but magically.”

“Maybe because he's an ancient cosmic being who's been alone for centuries and doesn't know how to handle someone like you barging into his isolation?” Briar suggested.

Kai shot her a surprised look. “That was almost insightful.”

“I have my moments between being a delightful nuisance.” She preened, smoothing her tiny leaf-skirt. “Besides, I've been watching you two dance around each other. It's like seeing a puppy try to befriend a particularly grumpy owl.”

“I'm not a puppy,” Kai protested.

“Energetic, easily distracted, overly friendly, prone to getting into trouble? If the collar fits...”

Kai was about to retort when movement ahead caught his attention. They had wandered off the main path, into a less traveled section of forest that lay between Thornhaven and Mistwood. A woman in a faded red cloak was walking purposefully through the trees, a basket over one arm. Something about her movements—furtive yet determined—piqued Kai's curiosity.

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