Page 67 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

The warmer air of the second dome hit them as they walked in, and Zylah made her way to the first terrace. “I’m glad he still has his sister.” She hoped he’d have time to see her whilst he was away.

“His sister? My dear girl, Adina is gone.” He was saying something else, but Zylah didn’t hear him. She thought of all the times Holt had mentioned his sister.Seven gods.

“Such a sweet girl.” Jilah was still talking. “Holt would do anything for her. Her death hit him the hardest.”

Zylah replayed all the things Holt had told her about his sister as unease twisted in her stomach. The furthest he’d ever evanesced was for his sister.Memories are fickle things, he’d said.But sometimes they’re all there is. He’d as much as told her, and she hadn’t been paying close enough attention to realise it. She put her boxes down and took Jilah’s from his arms. “Was it Marcus?” She already knew the answer.

The old man frowned. “Yes.”

Anger bubbled up inside her, hot and molten. “Then why are we wasting our time with Arnir? Why isn’t Marcus the one we’re going after?”

Jilah sat on the edge of the wall, looking out over the centre of the dome as if he were seeing something else. “You’re young, Liss. This has been in motion since before you were born. Holt knows what he’s doing. He’s a strategist. I trust him to set our people free.”

Zylah followed his gaze to where the children had chased each other into the dome.Our people.It was a world that just over a month ago she hadn’t even known had existed. But it was one in which the two children, and countless other Fae children just like them, could grow up to be free if Arnir was gone.

It was late when Zylah finally made her way to the safe house. Training was meant to be daily, but it was the last thing she wanted to do after the previous night’s events. She braced herself for the scolding she was going to get from Rose, not at all sure what to expect from Raif. The way he’d touched her at the restaurant… gods above, it had been the best kind of distraction.Hewas the best kind of distraction.

Kopi flew down to her shoulder as she reached for the door, and she gave him a light scratch on his head in acknowledgement. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever Rose was going to throw at her.

“Liss!” Saphi was waiting as she opened the door, and the Fae threw her arms around Zylah. “You did good,” she murmured into Zylah’s neck as she hugged her. Kopi readjusted his wings as Zylah hugged Saphi back.

Rose appeared from behind the counter, took Zylah’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Have I… did I miss something?” Zylah asked as they led her up the staircase.

They passed their bedroom and carried on up a second set of stairs, pushing open a wooden door to the roof. Stars glittered above them, and a canopy lit with orblights softly illuminated a table. Place settings and platters of food were laid out neatly across it.

“We wanted to thank you properly,” Saphi said, pulling out a chair for Zylah. “It was Raif’s idea,” she added with a smile.

Rose was watching her, but her expression was warm with no hint of her usual demeanour. “Holt means a lot to us, Liss.”

Zylah frowned and swallowed down the lump in her throat. Before she could answer, the door burst open and Raif joined them, a tray of drinks in one hand and a basket of bread in the other. His face lit up as his gaze landed on Zylah.

“This was your idea, huh?” Zylah asked as he set down the tray and basket and pulled her in for an embrace, pressing a kiss into her hair.

His hands found hers and he pulled her to one side, away from Rose and Saphi. He sat on the edge of the roof, holding her hands as he looked up at her. “What you did last night…” He swallowed. His hands were warm, and he traced circles in her palms, his eyes as bright as they were in the daylight. “Punishments from Marcus usually continue for days.” His expression darkened, and he closed his eyes for a moment as if he were steadying himself. “Thank you for finding Holt.”

“He’s your family. I understand,” Zylah said softly. “He was the only friend I had when I came to Virian. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing.”

Raif caught her by surprise, claiming her mouth with a slow kiss, his hands tangling in her hair. “Thank you,” he said as he pulled back. “Come on.” He reached for her hand and led her back to the table where Saphi and Rose were laughing quietly.

“I need to return your things,” Zylah said as Saphi handed her the breadbasket.

“Keep them. And wear the bracers, even at work. Jilah won’t question you. I’d prefer knowing you were armed out in the city every day.” She was walking around the table, spooning out servings of grains mixed with herbs, the fragrant scent mingling with the bread.

“So would I,” Raif said quietly from Zylah’s side.

Her relief was almost palpable. “Thank you,” Zylah said as Saphi piled more food onto her plate; pieces of steaming pumpkin in an aromatic sauce. “So that’s it, Holt won’t be back now until the festival, and he’ll be fine?”

“It was always his plan to go; Marcus just bumped up the timeline,” Raif explained. He lifted his glass of wine, and Rose and Saphi followed suit. “To Liss. For keeping our family together.”

Raif handed her a glass, and she took a sip of the sweet wine with the others. A gentle breeze shook the wind chime hanging off the canopy above them, and beyond it, starlight illuminated the sky. Zylah thought of the gods, the ones that weren’t really gods, and how they were said to have come from starlight. Of course, it had all been nothing but fables made up by the humans.

Saphi began talking about the festival, listing off the parts she was excited about and her guesses for some of the entertainment ahead of the scouts’ information. Raif and Rose were eating, but Zylah was still as she took it all in; the way the orblights made Saphi’s bracelets shimmer, the way Rose smiled at her, the way Raif laughed and raised his glass.

She wanted to see the world. To live free, knowing Arnir would no longer be hunting her down. But she’d missed being part of something, and in that moment, she was. They weren’t her family, but they could be her friends.

She managed a few questions between mouthfuls of food, worried she might seem ungrateful for the meal they’d prepared for her. She didn’t deserve it, not with the lies she was upholding, the things she’d been keeping from them. Already the wine had begun to muddy her thoughts and thinking of Arnir brought up unpleasant memories of Jesper, so she switched to water, unwilling to let it drag her thoughts somewhere darker.

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