Page 20 of All the Pain of Promises
Shit.
He was going to be late and there was no way he would be back in time for dinner. Guilt swarmed him. It wasn’t as though he was proud of being unable to keep his word. On the contrary, he usually held himself to exemplary standards, most specifically in terms of loyalty, honor, and respect. But he was currently with his brothers—Ariesian, Tovian, and Nyxian—and the three of them hadn’t had this much fun together in what felt like years. Add in a few bottles of spiced whiskey and they were having a damn good time.
Solarius’s breath misted before him as he loosed a heavy sigh, the biting winter wind slapping at his face while he stood on a ledge of the Moonfall Peaks overlooking Celestine. The fading sun sparked off the high mountains, casting them in a sheen of golden violet, their sharp peaks coated in a heavy layer of snow. His thick woolen coat blocked most of the chill, but he’dlong ago lost most of the feeling in his fingers from gripping his bow.
He twirled the bow once, admiring its exceptional quality. The limbs were curved and crafted from midnight stars, solid in form yet shimmering like the night sky. Its string was a thread of glittering starlight and each arrow, though navy in color, looked like they’d been forged from a sea of stars.
Tovian had absolutely outdone himself. He possessed the rare ability to create anything from the stars, a gift he’d inherited from their father, and his aptitude for his magic had only increased with every passing year. His designs were masterful works of art, fabricated from celestial ribbons of wonder, and woven together to form anything born of the imagination.
Solarius wondered if Tovian harbored a more powerful magic as well, much like his other siblings. Perhaps he could control another aspect of the starstorm, similar to Novalise.
He debated asking him about it when Nyxian’s jovial voice dragged him back from his thoughts.
“Come on, Tov!” Nyxian shouted, a wide grin stretching across his face as he raised a glass of whiskey in one hand and his bow with the other. “Give us another one!”
Tovian laughed, smoothing back his sweep of deep blue hair. “Alright, alright. Let me think.”
He rolled his neck once, his breath puffing before him in the frigid night air. Clamping his palms together, Tovian slowly stretched his arms apart, an arc of chaotic stars and streaks of fire expanding between his hands. Angling one elbow back with his fingers splayed wide, he catapulted the explosion of stars into the open night sky. The tiny sparks of fire and magic swirled and raced throughout the darkening heavens, taking the shape of a magnificent raven. The bird-like constellation fluttered between wispy gray clouds, swooping and soaring around the mountain peaks.
Ariesian stepped up beside Solarius, a look of determination cut across his brow. He notched his arrow of stardust and took aim, his gaze unwavering as the glittering raven glided over a canvas of ink.
“Mine.” He loosed the arrow with perfect form and it shot across the pitch, striking the raven’s heart. A cascading waterfall of dark teal and golden stars tumbled toward the earth, the sparkling remnants of a fallen constellation.
“Better make a wish.” Tovian jerked his head to where the stars were fizzling and burning out before they reached the jagged mountaintops.
Ariesian scoffed, slinging his bow over one shoulder. His gaze scanned the night sky once more, watching as the last star burned out completely. “I never make wishes on fallen stars.”
No one mentioned that was Caelian’s area of expertise, especially not after the situation involving Kjeld Holtstrom. Their second youngest sister had made a grave misjudgment by putting her wants and desires above the hands of fate. It was a terrible error and one she would pay for…dearly. Kjeld Holtstrom was Drake Kalstrand’s former general and closest friend, and he’d willingly sacrificed his life to save Solarius’s youngest sister, Creslyn. Yet instead of allowing Kjeld to claim a warrior’s death, Caelian stepped in and saved his life by making a wish upon a falling star.
Or rather…multiple wishes.
Caelian’s magic was the ability to grant wishes upon stars, and she had used her power for selfish reasons, caring not for the soul subjected to her bidding. It would have been manageable if Caelian had only wished for Kjeld to live, but she sought more than just his survival. She wished for many things and not once did she ask for Kjeld’s consent in the matter. Her brazen assumptions altered the course of his destiny—Caelianhad single-handedly changed the man’s entire life, and he was in no rush to forgive her for it.
It was a sore spot of discussion and disappointment for Ariesian, so Solarius cleared his throat in an effort to redirect the somber nature of the conversation.
“You never were the hopelessly romantic one.” He jabbed Ariesian in the ribs lightly with his elbow. “That title has always belonged to our Tov.”
Tovian’s face fell, his easy smile fading into a faint scowl. “A lot of good it did me.”
Nyxian slung his arm around Tovian’s shoulders, his carefree grin widening. “Go easy on yourself, Tov. It’s not as though you were jilted for a fae of common birth. She chose a prince, for star’s sake.”
Tovian summoned his magic, gathering more stars between his palms. They burned brighter this time, flaring with the rise of his emotions. He launched them overhead, the twinkling orbs shifting into the constellation of a prancing fox. “What use is romance if it ends in heartbreak?”
Solarius shifted his weight, shuffling his feet over the rocky terrain of the mountain’s ledge. “We’ve all had our hearts broken, Tovian.”
“Not me.” Nyxian positioned his arrow on the notch of his bow and steadied his aim. In the next moment he set it loose, turning away from his mark to face them. “I break hearts before they can break mine.”
The arrow pierced the leaping fox and gleaming stars of emerald and copper spilled toward the rigid line of mountains.
Solarius rolled his eyes.Show-off.
“What about you?” Tovian asked Ariesian, collecting another cluster of brilliant stars in his hands.
Ariesian stiffened and adjusted the sleeves of his coat, flicking away an invisible fleck of dirt. He cocked his head to one side. “What about me?”
Tovian shrugged then, his teeth scraping along his bottom lip as he considered his words. He launched the bundle of stars into the swath of darkness overhead. “Ever had your heart broken?”
“No,” Ariesian answered, his tone devoid of any emotion.
