Page 50 of Starlit Bargains

“To hell with the prophecy,” Kai interrupted. “I'm tired of letting some ancient prediction dictate my life, my feelings, my future. Aren't you? After centuries of isolation, of denying yourself connection, aren't you tired of it?”

The question hung in the air between them, weighted with implications neither was fully ready to face. For a moment, something shifted in Eliar's expression—a crack in the facade, a glimpse of the longing he usually kept so carefully concealed.

“What I am tired of,” he said finally, “is watching people I care about suffer because of me.”

The admission—subtle but unmistakable—that Kai was someone he cared about wasn't lost on either of them.

Kai took a step closer, close enough that he could see the faint glow emanating from Eliar's skin, the subtle pulse of power thatseemed to intensify with proximity. “And what if staying away causes more suffering than staying close? What if pushing me away isn't protecting me at all?”

“That's a risk I'm willing to take,” Eliar replied, though the conviction in his voice was wavering. “Better the pain of separation than the pain of destruction.”

“Says who?” Kai challenged. “Because from where I'm standing, they both sound pretty shitty. And at least if we're together, we get something good along with the bad.”

A ghost of a smile touched Eliar's lips, gone almost before it appeared. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Maybe it is,” Kai suggested. “Maybe we're the ones complicating it.”

Eliar shook his head, but the gesture lacked his earlier certainty. “Nothing about this situation is simple, Kai. The prophecy, the corruption, the weakening veil—none of it.”

“I'm not talking about all that,” Kai clarified. “I'm talking about us. About this.” He gestured between them. “About the fact that you can call last night a mistake all you want, but we both know it wasn't. We both know it was the most honest either of us has been since we met.”

The words hung in the air, a truth too raw to easily dismiss. Eliar's gaze dropped to Kai's lips, a fleeting, unconscious gesture that revealed more than any words could have. The desire was still there, banked but not extinguished.

“It doesn't matter what we want,” Eliar said finally, his voice soft. “It matters what must be.”

“And who decides that?” Kai asked. “The prophecy? The stars? Your own guilt over things that happened centuries ago?”

Before Eliar could answer, a sound reached them—the snap of a branch, the rustle of undergrowth that didn't match the wind's pattern. Both tensed, argument temporarily forgotten as they scanned the forest around them.

“Briar?” Kai called softly, hoping it was just the sprite returning from her scouting.

A moment later, the tiny sprite darted into view, her normally bright aura dimmed as if she'd been deliberately trying to conceal her light.

“Village patrol,” she whispered urgently. “About five minutes behind us, and they've got tracking hounds.”

Kai and Eliar exchanged a quick glance, personal disagreements set aside in the face of immediate danger.

“The sanctuary?” Kai asked.

Eliar shook his head. “Too far. And if they're using hounds, they'll follow our trail straight to it.” He looked around, considering their options. “We need to reach the village border. Cross it. The magical boundary there will mask our scent.”

“Into Mistwood? Where everyone's looking for us?”

“Not into the village,” Eliar clarified. “Around it. There's a path that skirts the edge, follows the boundary. It will lead us toward Thornhaven eventually.”

Thornhaven. The word hung between them, laden with implications neither was ready to address. But this wasn't the time for such discussions.

“Lead the way,” Kai said simply.

They moved quickly through the forest, no longer bothering with stealth, prioritizing speed over silence. Eliar seemed to know this part of the woods intimately, guiding them along barely visible game trails and through dense underbrush that somehow opened just as they reached it.

Briar flitted between them and the direction of pursuit, providing updates in increasingly worried tones. “They're gaining,” she reported after several minutes of hard travel. “Those hounds are good.”

Kai could hear them now—the distant baying of hounds on a scent, the shouted commands of their handlers. The Keepers were determined, it seemed, to find them at any cost.

“Almost there,” Eliar encouraged, his pace quickening even further.

The trees began to thin, the dense forest gradually giving way to sparser growth. Ahead, Kai could see light breaking through—the edge of the woods, where the world opened up again. They emerged at the top of a small rise, the view suddenly expanding before them.

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