Prince of Stars, Son of Fate

by H. L. Burke

  Something akin to warmth spread through Arynne’s chest, and she managed to smile. “I just need rest and warmth. I’ll get through this. I know I will.”

  But even as she spoke the brave words, cold fingers gripped her throat. Her sight blurred around the edges, a gray pall descending over her vision, as if she were looking at her friends through smoke. A longing for heat, for light, but most of all for Kay grew within her, and she almost reached for the heartbond. Instead she tightened her fingers around her blanket and stared forward pretending she could see as clearly as ever. She would not endanger Kay. She’d die first.

  Chapter Nine

  The small group of wardens stepped through the shimmering boundary into the warmth and light of the starshard. Kay’s shoulders immediately slouched in relief.

  Crede grinned broadly. “Good to see the light again, sir, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is.” Kay closed his eyes and let the energy from the starshard which shone in the distance recharge his magic and soothe his soul.

  While the Starspire was by far the biggest starshard in the frozen wastes, it wasn’t the only one large enough to support life. The Shepherd’s Shard was about a two moonnotch journey outside of the Starspire, large enough to support a small village and several farms, all under a dome of sparkling, magical energy projected by the towering starshard at its center. Green fields and groves of trees sloped down to a tiny rivulet winding about a cluster of sod and stone houses. Sheep and moss-elk grazed upon the sweet grasses, and above it all stood the starshard, tall as three trees on top of each other, a pure white mass of arching crystals, working together to form a cohesive whole that jutted like a dagger through the earth.

  “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to travel us the last leg of the journey, Starwarden?”

  Kay opened his eyes at Idyne’s comment and found all three of his wardens gazing at him like expectant children. He swallowed. Traveling took as much energy as running the distance would—and in this case it would be the equivalent of running the distance carrying three grown men on his back. Still, it wasn’t far. He could do it, and they’d all risked their lives for him on this mission.

  With a sigh he put out his hand. “Bring it in.”

  All three wardens clapped their hands on top of his. Kay closed his eyes and envisioned the warden station within the light of the Shepherd’s Shard. Magic tingled through him, there was a jolt like stepping from the last stair step onto the ground, and when he opened his eyes they were all standing before a large stone building with a silver star engraved on the door.

  “Great!” Crede grinned and rushed for the entrance.

  Kay took a moment to lean against the wall and catch his breath before following his men inside.

  This particular warden station was overseen by a married couple, a middle aged man and wife. Female wardens were rare, and female wardens who risked their careers by becoming romantically involved with other wardens even rarer, but Seren and Mikka had made the most of their shared profession, looking after the Shepherd’s Shard together for nearly a decade. Upon Kay and his fellows arrival, the couple quickly showed the men to a back room with six bunk beds, a blazing fire, and several chairs to lounge in.

  “We’ll get you something to eat while you see to your gear,” Seren said before leaving the men alone.

  Sweat already beaded beneath Kay’s collar. While necessary out in the frozen wastes, the heavy cold weather gear swiftly became burdensome once he was inside the light of a starshard. He shed his heavy coat and laid it across one of the bunks. Turning, he sat down to remove his boots and found Idyne, Frole, and Crede surrounding him.

  Kay swallowed. “You fellows want to talk about something?”

  Frole shrugged. “Just looking forward to returning to the Starspire as soon as possible. You too, sir?” His eyebrows melted together, his expression far too serious for the lightness of the inquiry.

  Kay bit his tongue. “Yeah, well ... you three can definitely head there as soon as we rest up for the final leg of the journey. The mission is over. You all deserve a rest.”

  “But what about you, sir?” Idyne crossed his arms.

  Kay shrugged. “I’m not in a hurry. You know me. I don’t get on well with my family. Better off staying out here where no one wants to fight besides the occasional grim.” He forced a chuckle he hardly felt.

  The men exchanged a glance. Idyne nudged Frole in the side. An uneasy feeling settled over Kay.

  Clearing his throat, Frole stepped closer. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Kay, don’t throw ash in my face and tell me it’s snowing.”

  Kay recoiled. “Excuse me?”

  “We all know, sir,” Idyne broke in. “The rumor was going around the dimming we left the Starspire that you’d got into it again with your father, the king, and, well ...” He hesitated, shooting a helpless glance at his fellows.

  “I think what he means, sir,” Crede hazarded, “is we feel we deserve to know if you aren’t returning to the Starspire because you don’t want to, or because you can’t.”

  “Ah.” Kay scratched at his beard. He didn’t want to explain the whole of it, the mistakes he’d made with Arynne, the heartbond, the life oath. “Well, let’s just say it’s a little of both.” He pulled off his boots. “That doesn’t mean you three can’t enjoy your liberty, though. You all did a fine job on this mission, and it wasn’t easy. You should go home. See your families. Take some time to enjoy life before you have to go out again.”

  “With all due respect, Starwarden,” Frole frowned, “we’re not going home without you.”

  “We owe you our lives,” Idyne agreed. “We’d be foul friends indeed if we didn’t stick this out with you.”

  Kay’s chest warmed, but he shook his head. “I can’t ask that of you. I’m sure all three of you have friends and family—”

  “Crede and I are bachelors,” Frole disagreed. “And Idyne’s wife ... well, let’s just say a grimbear is better company at most times.”

  Idyne opened his mouth as if to protest, then shrugged, nodded, and shut it again.

  Kay snorted. “Having met Idyne’s wife, I can’t disagree.” He tapped his fingers against the edge of the bed. “Still, this is my problem, not yours. You all deserve—”

  “And you don’t, sir?” Crede’s eyes flashed. The intensity of his voice took Kay by surprise, and he fell silent. “You saved all our lives out there with your quick thinking during the grimbear attack,” the boy continued. “Also, when I fouled things up, you gave me a second chance, made me realize that I could do this, even if I was afraid to.” Crede exhaled. “You’re the best of us, sir. I know the stories going around the Starspire, but you aren’t what they say you are. You’re the best warden I’ve ever known. The best commander I’ve ever had, and if your father can’t see that, king or not, well, he’s blind as a grimowl in a white-out blizzard.”

  Frole and Idyne grumbled their agreement.

  Kay’s heart swelled. “It means a lot to hear that from you ... all of you.” He mulled over his options. He didn’t know when he’d be allowed to return to the Starspire, and as heartwarming as their offer to stick with him was, he couldn’t ask them to stall their lives and careers indefinitely. “Look, we need to rest before we take the journey to the Starspire anyway. Let’s get food and sleep and see how we feel after that, all right?”

  “I don’t think a meal and a nap is going to change our minds, sir.” Frole shook his head.

  “Maybe not, but it will help mine clear.” Kay kicked his boots under the bunk and stood to face his men. “Thank you all. Crede, why don’t you see if Mikka has our food ready yet?”

  The boy nodded and scurried off. Frole and Idyne both cast Kay skeptical looks before turning away to see to their gear.

  Kay sank back onto his bunk with a sigh. How long could he last out here? Should he send word to Olyn? Let him know he was all right? Well, with the heartbond, Arynne already knew he was alive and well, and she would likely
keep Olyn informed.

  He closed his eyes and considered the heartbond. It rested at the back of his mind, oddly placid. He prodded at it, trying to get Arynne to respond to him.

  Nothing.

  She was still there. He could feel her spirit like the warmth of a fire at the edge of his consciousness, but it was oddly distant, as if something were keeping her from him.

  He swallowed.

  Could that mean their bond was weakening? That it would break and free them both? He wasn’t sure if he wanted that. Even if it would free him to return to the Starspire, it would mean he’d lose his connection to Arynne ... well, nothing he could do about it for now.

  Maybe she was just resting.

  Praying that was all it was, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

  ARYNNE’S HEAD POUNDED. The blankets pressed down on her, providing weight but not warmth. Nothing provided warmth. Even when she could muster enough energy to use her magic, the fire felt cold at her fingertips before blinking out like a candle flame at a breath. Worse, however, was the darkness before her eyes.

  It worsened slowly, growing from a gray mist to inky blackness consuming all her vision. Sigid guided cups of warm tea and bowls of soup into Arynne’s trembling hands, but the liquid did nothing to combat the chill that had settled deep within her and would not be ousted. Without the benefit of sight, time blurred, becoming a series of restless wakings broken only by short sessions of haunted sleep.

  “And you can’t do anything about this?” a peevish female voice echoed at the edge of Arynne’s awareness. Arynne froze, channeling all her willpower into her ears. Why was Lady Friya in her room?

  “I’m doing everything I can, Mother. I’ve spent the last two moonnotches at her side. I’ve channeled all the magic I can into her, and it’s doing nothing. Whatever dark power has ahold of her has wormed its way into her soul and will not be easily removed. I’m keeping her alive but just barely.”

  “There has to be something else we can do, Clindt.” The new voice was Olyn, and the worry in his tone pained her. She opened her eyes, wanting to tell him she’d be all right, wanting to show him she could be strong, but tremors overtook her along with a fresh chilling sensation rushing through her veins. She huddled deeper into the blankets and stayed silent.

  “I’ve tried everything I’ve learned. Neither my magic nor the herbs I’ve slipped into her tea have done anything but ease the symptoms. To get at the heart of the matter ... cousin, it’s going to take a miracle.”

  “Well, we need a Sun Princess or the prophecy comes to naught,” Friya snapped. “If you let her die, Clindt, you’re letting our kingdom die with her.”

  “Thank you, Mother,” Clindt said dryly. “I wasn’t feeling the pressure to save her life as acutely as I should’ve. Obviously, that’s the only reason I haven’t been able to cure her unprecedented dark magic induced sickness. Lack of motivation.”

  Friya gave an irritated grunt and then a door slammed.

  “As much as I hate to side with Aunt Friya in anything, Clindt, we can’t just let her die,” Olyn pleaded. “The prophecy aside, she’s Arynne.”

  “I know. Trust me, it’s all I can think about.” Clindt sighed. “Let me spend some time in meditation. Sometimes the star spirits speak to me if I do so. For now, stay near her. Her heart might be the only thing that can truly defeat this, and it will be strengthened if she has friends close by.”

  A door gently clicked shut, and footsteps shuffled towards her. A weight settled beside her on the mattress, and a hand caressed the top of her head. Arynne forced her eyes open. The haze still obscured her vision, but from the gentleness of the touch, she knew it to be Olyn.

  She managed to lift her head off the pillow. “I don’t have much longer, do I?”

  “You’re stronger than anyone thinks, Arynne,” he said, though his voice cracked. “I have to believe you’ll pull through. After all, you’re fated to face Athan. You can’t do that if ... unless you’re here.”

  “I heard you all talking.” She forced a weak smile. “I want to have hope, but if even Clindt has given up, it’s bad.”

  “I wouldn’t say Clindt has given up.” Olyn rested his hand on her cheek. His fingertips worked into her hair, soothing her tangled curls.

  “He said we need a miracle.” Arynne shut her eyes. “That seems pretty hopeless to me.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Miracles can happen. Considering you’re the fated Sun Princess meant to save us all, I have to believe one will. The prophecy has its choice between myself and Kay for potential Star Princes, but you’re our only Sun Princess. We need you, Arynne. The whole kingdom needs you, yes, but Kay particularly ... and even me. If I lose you, it’ll break me.”

  Focusing with all her might, Arynne channeled her dwindling magic into her eyes, clearing away the fog enough to see Olyn’s worried face. His mouth still curved into a brave smile, though it wavered at the corners.

  Kind, gentle, patient Olyn ... if she’d only been able to resist her selfish desire for Kay, she could’ve learned to love Olyn. He was a shining star in the darkness, even now. Maybe if she had, Kay wouldn’t have gotten banished and she wouldn’t be dying. Tears welled from her eyes, immediately frosting on her lashes. Unable to focus, her vision blurred again.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t love you,” she wept.

  He drew her out of the bed and into an embrace, holding her tight as she shivered against him. “You did something far greater for me than love me. You loved my brother. You helped him see that he has value. Maybe things would’ve been easier if we had bonded as my father desired, but Kay needed you far more than I ever did, Arynne. I will eternally be grateful that you gave him a chance to see his true worth.”

  Her throat tightened. “At least if I die, Kay will be able to return home. His oath only keeps him away as long as the heartbond is intact.”

  He squeezed her closer. “I don’t think he’ll want to come home if you aren’t here.” He rubbed her back, the motion stirring some warmth within her. “He knows, though, doesn’t he? That you’re struggling? It has to be driving him mad that he can’t come to you.”

  “He doesn’t know.” She shook her head.

  His hold loosened. “But the heartbond?”

  It took all her willpower not to focus on the connection to Kay. “I’ve learned how to compartmentalize it, so to speak. If I control my fears and keep my mind off the heartbond, it doesn’t seem to get through to him ... at least I don’t think it does. I can usually feel when he knows I’m distressed. It’s like a cycle where my distress makes him distressed ... I haven’t felt that yet, so I think I’ve successfully kept it from him.”

  Olyn gave a thoughtful, “Huh.” He dabbed away the ice crystals that had formed about her eyes from her tears. “Is that really what you want? He might be able to give you some strength through the bond. Starcasting is the natural deterrent for dark magic.”

  “It’s not worth the risk,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Olyn hesitated. “You’ll think he’d come back? Even with the oath?”

  “I know he would.” In spite of her weakness and fear, she rolled her eyes. “He’s an idiot when it comes to big sacrificial gestures, and I will not have him forfeit his life in some misguided attempt to save me.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” A tingling warmth radiated through his touch into the muscles of her shoulders. “He’s not the only starcaster though.”

  Lights burst behind her eyes like falling stars racing through the dark sky. An energizing tingle flowed through her veins, fighting off the cold and the darkness. A sound like distant but undeniable music surrounded her. She drew an invigorated breath. For a moment her shivering abated, her blood flowed free and warm, and her magic sparked to life, bringing with it a sense of well-being and strength.

  Before she could begin to rejoice, a dark, throbbing power descended upon her. It buzzed through her head, drowning out the quiet harmony of the star-magic. Pric
kling pain rushed through her, and she cried out in agony.

  “Arynne!” Olyn gasped, nearly dropping her. He eased her onto the bed, his hands pressed against her shoulders as she began to thrash.

  Arynne couldn’t breathe. Her body was shaking too hard for her to see or think or feel anything but panic. She was going to die. The dark powers within her wanted her dead.

  Mocking laughter echoed through her mind. Menacing shadows loomed around her, terrifying in their indistinctiveness. Onyx eyes glinted in the twilight. She screamed.

  “Clindt! Clindt, hurry! Something’s wrong!” Olyn’s cry pierced her terror.

  She gripped the coverlet, clawed it, tried to fight her way through the encroaching gloom. Her heart pounded ’til she feared it would burst. She was going to die. The cold wasn’t going to let go until it had killed her. She’d never escape.

  Kay!

  Her soul cried out for him, and she couldn’t stop it. She was too frightened to think of what it could cost him. She was dying, and she needed to feel his love pour into her one last time. She locked onto their heartbond with all her remaining strength. His soul drained into her like blood seeping from a severed vein. It splashed over her, bringing with it a sense of hope, of love, of everything she needed to hang onto. She sank into it.

  Overwhelmed, she collapsed into the gentle pulse of his heartbeat, clinging to it like a frightened child might a favorite toy. Her own heart slowed but seemed to drag as if it were wearing out, uncertain it could keep beating.

  She managed to latch onto a single thought, one that should’ve terrified her, but instead all she felt was a sense of resignation.

  I’m not waking up this time. If I fall asleep now, I’m never opening my eyes again. She tried to force her eyes open but had not the strength. Oh, Kay, I love you. Never forget that I loved you. At least when I’m gone, you can come home.

  Chapter Ten

  Kay sat before the fire in the wardens’ lodge, staring at the flickering flames. Across the room, Frole and Idyne sat at a table, teaching Crede a card game called Wolves and Stoats. Their frequent laughter at the younger man’s confusion caused Kay to smile, even as his mind drifted through dark territory. He leaned back in his chair, toying with his link to Arynne.