Page 183 of A Touch of Stars and Stones
My wrist vibrates like the warmth of magic is pulsating in the stone as I draw closer. Only one stride, and I’ll be through.
My foot steps out tentatively, and I take another, the humming intensifying before everything returns to normal, the feeling inside of me calming, and my senses sharpening.
“Ever!”I shout her name as loudly as possible inside my head and will it to travel the distance.
Just as an arrow digs into the ground by my feet.
I track the trajectory, seeing the tower a hundred meters away, the same tower that was invisible on the other side of the barrier, less than a meter away.
Fuck! I knew it would be close, just not this close. I take a few steps and break into a run, but another arrow follows the first,chasing my feet into a sprint. With my hands up, I dive back over the barrier, retreating from the attack. As I go through, I lose sight and the sense of power again.
“Well, that went well.” Nettle plods up towards me.
They know I’m here now. It wasn’t the best plan of stealth, but they can’t cover the whole of the border. That’s the weakness, so I intend to exploit it.
Taking Nettle’s reins in hand, I set off on foot, keeping the deep dragging sensation to my left.
We walk for an hour more until the urge to step back over and assess my position again becomes too much. I’ll be way out of range of the watch tower, but I don’t know where the smaller camps are or if they will be tracking me.
“Wait for me, Nettle, you hear.” I nod to the horse and then step through the barrier again. This time, I’m alert to my surroundings first, looking for scouts or officers. If there’s no sign here, I can make a run for it?—
Warriors: a blur of motion, racing, approaching from the west. They’re going to chase me all along the divide at this rate. I step back out of Kirrasia and pull the Ciro knife from my back, sinking onto the balls of my feet, ready to see if they come to me.
Adrenaline surges, dragging my power to life, and my mind runs over my options, sorting through the moves I’ll have to make to overthrow and gain the advantage. My mind is slow, and my power isn’t responding as quickly in Estereah. But as I wait, it isn’t Warrior officers that cross a few feet from me. It’s Calix and Crimson.
“What the… How did you know I’d be here?” I ask, as relief and gratitude hit as hard as one of Calix’s right hooks.
He cocks his head at me. “It’s obvious. It’s the closest watch tower to the border, it has a strategic position against the sea, and it’s where the alarm sounded when we were infiltrated. Myguess would be that you’d try here and then find a weakness. We’ve skirted and patrolled.”
I never give him enough credit.
“Are you okay?” Crimson asks with more kindness than I’ve been used to.
“Fine. But you shouldn’t be here. You’ll be missed,” I warn.
“Like fuck. We’re not gonna let you get banished, Ten. You’re mad if you think otherwise,” Calix yells. “And they can’t banish us all.”
“We’re on the wrong side of the border, Calix. This is my punishment. My battle. They fired at me the moment I stepped over, and you being here won’t stop them. They won’t hesitate.”
“Well, the arrows led us to you,” Crimson defends, but silence follows. “There are scouts on our heels, so I hope you have a plan?”
I have considered one way. It won’t be easy but…
“Our father thinks Orion’s having some sort of episode, and there’s talk of him being challenged.” Calix changes the subject, and the plan fades.
“By whom?” I ask, appreciating the intel. My father would never allow a challenge. Stars above, isn’t everything that’s happened over the last few months evidence of that?
“Unknown. But you can’t just hover over here like this. We always said we’d stick together, so say the word, and we’re with you?—”
“I’m not fucking running, Calix. And I’m not accepting being banished, either. And even if I were, I could never ask that of you. But right now, Ever is in a cell, and we still don’t know who came for her the last time. I’m not doing anything until she’s safe.”
Crimson lets out an angry sigh and walks back and through the border, vanishing from sight.
“Look, everything’s changed, Ten. Training is confined to class, and there’s a curfew. It’s like the Orders have decided we’re all under attack. It’s only been a couple of days, but there’s been a shift in The Chamber members. If you’re not planning on staying in Estereah, you need to come up with something because there’s no way you’re going to walk back in and get to her.”
“I can’t just leave,” I yell, my jaw flexing with frustration.
“You mean you can’t just leaveher,” Calix corrects. He stares at me, and I can see he’s daring me to protest. But there’s no point. It’s the fucking truth.
