The Reigning Star

by Catherine Wilson

  “And now that I know you, I can trust you’ll be able to stop him. In the past, he could be very persuasive to get what he wants. No matter the cost. No matter who he punished.”

  “Like your parents.” The statement hangs between us, stalling the air and making it hard to breathe. Reeve shudders, the memory of his mind too gruesome to bear. I don’t know how the events of his parents’ murders unfolded, only the end result. But if our experiences are even remotely similar, I can bet that Reeve had a choice before Knox unleashed his horrid deeds. Just as he holds Vivi over my head, waiting for me to fail so he can rip her away.

  “Yes,” he admits, a ragged breath leaving his lungs. “And countless others.”

  “Reeve.” The sound of his name seems to break his trance, eyes alert and focused on my own. “Whatever Knox said, it wasn’t your fault. His greatest pleasure is not in watching his prey break, but in watching them crumble along the way. He’s threatened many lives in order to keep me as a valuable player in his game. The only difference is that now I’m strong enough to know I can keep those around me safe.”

  Except Bates, I think, causing a crushing wave of guilt to strike my chest. But I have to think better now, be better. I’m stronger, and I’m more prepared than I’ve ever been. If Knox were to try something similar again, he wouldn’t succeed. I wouldn’t let him. I’ve already survived my darkest nights. If Knox wants to find any joy in watching me crumble, he’ll soon be disappointed when we meet again. For even though I may have chips in my armor, scratches that mark my skin and show my pain for all to see, I am glued back together. Another piece for everyone I’ve lost.

  I’ve been made anew.

  His cool fingers finally loosen around my wrist, shoulders edging away until air flows between us once more. “I know you are, and I can’t begin to tell you how surprised I am to be able to say it. But then again, I guess I shouldn’t sell you short, seeing as we are kind of family.”

  “Oh, Reeve,” I say, my hand finding my heart as I bless him with my widest grin. “Is this the part where I hug you?”

  Reeve looks stunned for a moment, as if he actually thinks I might grab him forever and hold on tight. But when he catches sight of my face, his features relax, molding into that cool boy I know from the woods. “No, fortunately for us both.” He stands to his feet, dusting dirt off his pants and looking everywhere but at me. “I’ll leave you to get ready. Aras doesn’t think he’ll need but another day of walking before your… friends… catch his scent. The Lost and I have some planning of our own to do. We’ll see you through today before we go our separate ways. And though I hope you don’t need me to say it, you’ve got to do something with that hair. It looks like a rat’s nest atop your head, and no cousin of mine should ever resemble a rodent.”

  “Noted,” I say, watching as he walks off toward Ian and his men, who sit around on makeshift seats while they tend to a meager breakfast of roast rabbit and fruit. Aras catches my eye from across the way, his pallet folded and refolded so many times I can’t help but laugh. Not only is Aras horrible at eavesdropping, but when Reeve said the word cousin, it also didn’t hold near the disdain that it once did. Two very useful bits of information I plan to keep dear.

  For the first time in forever, I’ve experienced a morning that’s started off right.

  Seventeen

  “When I agreed to come along on this trip, you neglected to mention how awfully boring and slow it would be. I’d like to say I’m the forgiving type, but I think you and I both know that’s not true.”

  Vivi slumps before me, our cramped space on the saddle souring more than her mood. My grip tightens around her waist, feeling the unbridled nerves of our mount as it senses my sister’s growing agitation. It’s not our fault she hasn’t seen another human-beast yet. “I don’t recall asking you to come.”

  She snorts, more for show than of actual anger. “That’s the way it is with us sisters, Brave. You don’t have to ask, because I’ve already read your mind.”

  I start to argue, but think better of it. She’s irritated enough.

  “Do you think we’ve gone far enough for the day?” Ian rounds back on his horse, sensing the brewing storm that is my sister as if she were his and not my own. “Aras didn’t know exactly how long it would take them to pick up his scent, but with Brave present, that should magnify their chances of finding us sooner than not.”

  “I sure hope so,” Reeve calls from his horse a few paces from the lead. “I’ve always wondered what Brave’s fake family would look like in their animal forms.”

  Vivi straightens, tense shoulders sent on edge. “Careful what you wish for, Reeve. Darcy is liable to be a bear. She might bite your head off before we can think to calm her down.”

  “My head?” He rolls his eyes, thumb hitching back toward Aras. “What about his? He’s the one who got Brave into this mess.”

  “If by mess, you mean saving her life, then I whole-heartedly agree. Darcy is going to give me a big kiss when we meet again.” Aras turns around, a roguish wink enhancing his olive skin. “Or lick me, whichever her current form prefers.”

  “Gross, Aras!” Vivi shouts, clearly offended by his joke. Aras’ gaze slides past her glare, satisfaction coloring his face when he catches the twinkle in my eye.

  He knows I can’t resist his teases.

  “I mean it,” Vivi continues, turning her cheek so I can see her face. “I’m starting to get very cross with every person on this mission, and I’m beginning to think no one cares.”

  Ian frowns. “Even me?”

  “Especially you. You were the one who told me we should come.”

  “I think you were the one who told me I should come. Actually, you demanded I tell my, as you put it, bossy mother, that I needed to help Brave and Aras or else the entirety of Theron would crumble in your father’s hands.”

  Vivi does her best to look affronted. “I don’t think it was nearly as dramatic as you make it out to be, Ian.”

  He smirks, eyes finding Aras as he tries and fails to thin the humor in his voice. “Actually, I think it was worse.”

  “What!”

  “Come on, Vivi,” Aras goads, stepping in to steal some of Ian’s well-deserved fury. “Are you sure this isn’t because you’re hungry? Bravest always got a little testy when she needed to eat.”

  Now it’s my turn to look affronted. “Why are you dragging me into this?”

  Aras shrugs, dimple shining like it knows I’ll forgive him anyway. “What? I thought we were clearing the air? And I only said what I know to be true.”

  I hold my tongue; he has me there.

  “Anyway,” Vivi growls, pulling the attention back to her. “As I was saying, I’m getting tired of—”

  Her words freeze in the air, but I feel the heat of her magic building across her skin and searing me where we touch. I lean back, my voice fumbling to find the words to speak. “Vivi? What is it? Do you hear something?”

  Instinctively, I let my magic wander into the woods around us, drawing in any creature who might hear my call. Not only do I come up empty, but also without relief. If Vivi hears something, it’s a force that doesn’t want to be heard by me.

  Grabbing hold of the saddle, Vivi slides to the ground, a mess of wobbling legs when her boots meet the dirt. Aras and Ian follow her lead, but she holds up her hand, stilling them by their mounts. “It’s… it’s just…” Her words trail off, a blanket of confusion covering her face. She stumbles forward, an injured lamb learning to walk again, and makes her way to the clearing beside our trail. She stares out into the darkened woods, the edge of our torches barely enough to bring light to our day.

  Then, out of the nothingness, a figure stirs.

  Black and magnificent, pounding hooves like the beat of a drum. The beast rears back, blasts of air snorting from its nose. Vivi steps forward, hand outstretched, a different kind of magic flowing from their tips.

  “It’s her stallion from the Orien stables,” Aras says, wonde
r lining his tone as he follows Vivi toward the massive horse. “And there’s someone else on him.”

  My eyes flash up, short dark hair stealing my vision. The rider’s mouth twists with a wicked glee, and my heart all but stops at the sight of the one person who I never thought I’d have the pleasure of meeting again.

  “Lo,” I breathe.

  Vivi spins on her heels, almost falling over with the effort. “You know this horse thief?”

  “Does she know me?” Lo jumps down from the horse, stunning us all with her ease. “Why, we’re practically family after I saved her from cousin and convinced the prince to let her go to Orien and face her father head-on. But something tells me you might know that, seeing as how you’re the mythical little sister Ian told us about.”

  Vivi steadies her stance, digging her heels into the dirt. “But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here—on my horse.”

  “Oh? This little guy?” She glances up, patting his neck as if he doesn’t have the jaws to bite her hand in two. “We happened to be heading in the same direction. Word travels fast in these woods, especially within the loose-lipped Lost.” She spares Reeve a daring glance, pleased at the obvious tension she sees building with his scowl. “My mother heard of your plans to thwart the king’s wishes to take Theron’s throne. She sent me here with a message, one meant specifically for Brave.”

  Her eyes find mine, and I slide off my horse, a careful hand steadying me by its side. “And?”

  “She says you have her loyalty. Our loyalty. Whatever your plans are for the future of Orien once the king is gone, we’re on your side. Not even a hint of a question asked.”

  I square my shoulders, begging my laughter to hold tight while I keep up these formal discussions with the girl who I know to be anything but. “Well, that’s good, seeing as we plan on restoring the kingdom to its less life-threatening form. All peaceful, happy, and burn-free.”

  She pretends to mull over my words. “Peaceful, happy, and burn-free. You should have that embroidered on our new flag.”

  My lips twitch. “As long as you promise to do the stitching.”

  Her hand flies to her heart, head lowering in an extravagant bow. “It would be my honor.”

  Beside me, Ian bursts out into laughter. The fragile charade shatters as Reeve and Aras begin to clap. Ian marches forward, surprising Lo as he tugs her to his chest, blessing, or cursing, her with a cool hug. “Lo. It’s been too long.”

  Lo’s expression tries to soften as she pats his back, unsure of how to handle this new affection. Or any kind of affection, for that matter. “On the contrary,” she says, finding my gaze and holding steady. “It’s been too short.”

  Eighteen

  “You mean to tell me you ran across my horse in the middle of a cursed wood and you both happened to be heading in the same direction? It seems a little off, if you ask me.”

  “Good thing I’m not asking then.” Lo chews on her last bit of rabbit, the grease still fresh on her fingers. “But yes, I do mean to tell you that, just as I’ve told you the first ten times. I was already headed in your direction; it so happened your horse has been trying to track you down since you last parted.”

  Vivi crosses her arms, nose crinkled and lips pressed. They’ve been at this all afternoon, ever since we decided to stop to set up camp and wait for the people—or beasts—of Ashen to find us in the middle of the woods. I must say, when I imagined this meeting between my beloved sister and my heavily sarcastic friend, I thought it would be much more… civil.

  So far, Vivi has been too torn up about that blasted horse.

  “If it makes you feel any better, he did try to nip me several times and throw me once. If we shared anything on our journey, it was a mutual dislike.”

  Vivi’s head ticks, a brief acceptance of Lo’s words. “Yes, it does.”

  Lo offers her hand, pumping it twice when Vivi takes hold. “Then that settles it. You and I are friends, via your strange sister. The two of you are a lot alike it seems.”

  “Practically twins,” Vivi agrees.

  I grimace, unsure of when the insults turned into compliments.

  “Don’t seem so glum, Brave.” Lo knocks my arm, causing some of my own food to slip from my fingers. “You are the one who ended up with the prize.”

  I follow her gaze, zeroed in on Aras as he laughs at something Ian says. When I don’t bite at her words, she adds, “The Orien guard. Even though he messed up by letting your backward cousin steal you away, I still agree he suits you best.” She wipes her greasy fingers along her pants, not a care in the world for the stains she leaves behind. “But I still say the prince is quite the looker.”

  I choke on my last bite of meat, settling for a glare when my words fail. As if he can sense my irritation, Reeve approaches, dropping with a heavy lurch by my side. For the first time since we’ve met, I’m thankful for his intrusion. “You’ve travelled a far way to simply pledge your allegiance to the future heir, Lo. Tell me, what else are you expecting to gain from this adventure?”

  Lo’s answer comes with a slick smile, teeth flashing in sight of her prey. “You mean besides bearing witness to the fall of our tyrant king? The very one who banished my mother and me away when I could barely walk?” She leans forward until her face is dangerously close to his. “It’s called justice, friend, and it’s all I’ve ever needed to gain.”

  Reeve stiffens, jaw twitching as he narrows his eyes. “And yet, you only offer your assistance after our king is gone. What of before? What of now? Are you content to watch from the edges while the rest of us risk our lives to take him down?”

  “My assistance with what? Putting an entire regiment to sleep?”

  “Well, it is your expertise,” he taunts, edging closer to her face.

  “You would know.” She grins.

  “All right, all right.” I grab Reeve’s arm, tugging him back before they collide in a mess of angry words. “You two didn’t part on the best of terms. We get it.”

  “We never were on the best of terms,” Reeve growls.

  Vivi, perhaps even surprising herself, pats her cousin’s knee. “Although I did promise Lo I would forget this horse-stealing business and start fresh, it doesn’t mean I can’t see your point.” She pulls away, turning her attention to Lo. “Reeve is right; what’s the point of coming here now if you aren’t going to help? Do you think we will succeed so easily?”

  Lo chews on the inside of her cheek, her quick eyes ticking between the three of us like she doesn’t know who to break the news to first. By the time she speaks, I already feel as though I’ve fallen to the ground, face pressed in the dirt and back trampled by the horses in our group. “I know you think your plan is solid, and on the surface, I believe it is.” She hesitates, and I hunch forward, wishing I could pull the words from her mind and set them free in the air. “I have no doubt you will be able to deter the Orien army. My worries start when you meet Knox at Theron’s gate.”

  “Why? Do you think we aren’t strong enough to stop him?” Vivi’s words puncture the fragile space between us, spewing like shards of ice and causing us to squint. Her question is valid, but I’m not sure we want to hear the answer.

  Lo senses our apprehension, and she raises her arms into the air with a lazy yawn. If anything, the action only serves to unsettle me more. “Between you all, I think you’re strong enough for many things. However, I don’t know if confronting Knox at the gates while his circle of promised men stand by his side is the best option. Wouldn’t it be better if the others were distracted?”

  “But how can we distract his men without showing our hand?” Vivi and Reeve nod at my question, encouraging me to speak the words we’ve all been afraid to say. That if this plan doesn’t work, we don’t have another option. “We are risking enough by taking out his army. There’s already a chance he’ll catch wind of what we’ve done before he makes it to the gates. Who knows? He may plan on marching with the army himself, and then we’ll really be setting our
selves up for the full brunt of his wrath.”

  Lo rolls her shoulders, stretching out her neck as if she’s been tasked to handle the biggest ordeal in our lands—me. “I think we both know your father is too full of himself to think he has to march with the army to keep them in line. He rules by fear, and this fear has served him well over the years. Why would he have any reason to believe it would falter now? I’m sure he has every one of his men scared to step one toe out of line, lest he burn their entire families in a minute flat. Besides, Knox doesn’t know you plan to betray him, and for now, he wants to keep his army a surprise. They’ll march at least a day behind him, and he won’t unleash them unless you and the people of Theron don’t cooperate.”

  “But that still doesn’t solve your main concern.” Vivi stands to her feet, arms crossed as she looks down at Lo. “You said you didn’t know if it was a good idea to face him head on at the gate.”

  Lo wags a finger, cutting Vivi off before she can say more. “No, I said I didn’t know if it was a good idea to take on Knox and his circle of promised men. Once he knows of your betrayal, they’ll all pounce on Brave. I only wanted to be sure she understood the amount of power she’ll need to spend in order to make this work.”

  And though she doesn’t say it, I can read the meaning wrapped up in her words. She’s afraid I’ll burn out again, see spots until I fall out on the ground. But she doesn’t know how hard I’ve worked. She doesn’t know how much I’ve learned and how powerful I’ve become.

  She doesn’t know how far I’ll go to save the ones I love.

  “I can do it.” My answer beats out my sister’s, but it does nothing to erase the worry painted on her face. “It’s different now—my magic. When we first met, it was in control of me, but now I’ve learned to become the keeper of my fate. The circumstances have changed, Lo. I’ve changed. Before, I only had my papa to think of.” My voice trails off as my eyes glide around our small camp, taking in the hunched frame of my sister, the furrowed brow of my cousin, the dimpled cheek of my heart, the kind grin of my friend. “And now, now I have more.”