ShatterStar

by Krista Rose

  KYLEE

  Packing to leave Cedralysone wasn’t hard, since most of my things were still in my bags. I added what little remained and tightened the straps, slinging them over my shoulder before turning toward the door.

  Vanderys was standing in it, his eyes filled with anguish.

  “Don’t.” I cut him off before he could say anything. “I don’t want to hear it. I hate goodbyes.”

  His lips twitched. “I would expect nothing less from you, lyssen.”

  “It’s not like I’m never going to see you again.” I glared, daring him to contradict me, unwilling to admit that leaving him was the most painful thing I had ever done. “After all, you see me in your stars, right?”

  He stared at me for a long moment, his face unreadable. “I am sorry, lyssen,” he said at last. “For- for all of this. I had hoped to help you find your sister, once the prophecy had been dealt with. I had hoped to train you more on magic.”

  I shrugged, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt. “I’ll find Kryssa, and someone else to teach me.”

  “Yes.” He fiddled with something in his pocket, then sighed and pulled it out, handing it to me. “Here. For you.”

  “What is it?” My hand reached reflexively to take it from him, and I found myself holding a small clear stone, a little smaller than the center of my palm.

  “It is a glowball,” he explained. “It is how we train children in magic. This one was my first. I have had it for over a thousand years.”

  “Everything sounds more impressive when you add a thousand years,” I managed, but my voice was hoarse from the tears choking me. I swallowed, and stuck the glowball in my pocket. “Thank you.”

  “It shall not be the same without you here.” He smiled. “I have grown fond of your temperament, and your colorful use of language.”

  “You sure know how to flatter a girl,” I muttered.

  He laughed, and some of the tension went out of the room. “I really shall miss you, Kylee Rose.”

  “I’ll miss you, too.” I couldn’t stop the tears now, but I smiled at him through them. “Now, go away. I don’t want you to watch me cry.”

  “As you wish, lyssen.” He smiled, bowed, and left. I waited until I heard the echo of his footsteps fade, then collapsed to the floor to weep out my heartbreak.

  LANYA

  It seemed only moments passed before we were being escorted from the palace. The Valariels that ensured we left did not look at us, their faces like stone, and I wondered what they thought of us, we who had destroyed all they held dear.

  The towers of Cedralysone still gleamed in the sunlight, golden and beautiful and untouched by the tragedy within as we rode toward the Madyrim. My heart lay broken in my chest, as shattered as the Aurelion that lay upon the floor beneath the city. Dark clouds were sidling over the mountains, threatening rain upon the spires, and I knew the magic of the valley would not hold them back any longer.

  There was no magic left here. It had all died with Aleydis.

  My hands were cold, and I slid them into my pockets to touch the Aur-Ishket. I shouldn’t have kept it, but I couldn’t help myself. It was the only reminder I had that Aleydis had loved me, and parting with it would have killed me as surely as his knife.

  Something sliced my finger and I flinched. I grasped it carefully, and drew a shard of the Aurelion from my pocket. It glowed, violet and warm against my fingertips, the exact color of Aleydis’ eyes. A drop of blood from the cut on my finger slid across its surface.

  I should have thrown it away. Instead, I slipped it back into my pocket beside my other Cedrani treasure, rubbing it back and forth between my fingers as we entered into the Madyrim, and the wonders of Cedralysone disappeared into the darkness.

  VITRIC

  9 Syrthil 578A.F.

  “I have an idea.”

  I glanced up at Brannyn with a lingering smile. At my feet, his little cousins cooed and giggled as the two kittens Eloise and I had brought with us batted at their hair and fingers. The other parents in the great room of Rose Manor stared at us with naked gratitude etched into their faces; weeks of trapping their children inside had done little for their nerves. “What? I wasn’t listening.”

  “I have an idea. Come here.” His eyes were alight with excitement as he grabbed my arm and dragged me into the hall, leaving Eloise to watch over the kittens and cousins alone.

  “Do we really have time for ideas right now?” I asked, glancing out the open front doors toward the darkening, moonless sky. “The Vampyres will be here soon.”

  “The idea is for after, so I don’t forget.” He grinned at me, and for a moment I thought I saw flames flickering in his eyes. “I think you should All-Dream for Felice.”

  “What?” I gaped at him. “Are you insane?”

  “It’s the perfect plan,” he continued, as if he hadn’t heard me. “You can find out where she is without her even knowing we’re looking. If we can find her, maybe we can stop her, restrain her somehow until Tanner gets back.”

  I closed my mouth, swallowing my protests as I considered it. “Maybe. I’m not too keen on looking for a monster, but…”

  “But if it gets her to stop, it’ll be worth it.” He squinted out the front door into the gloom. “Just keep it in mind to try after tonight, alright? Now, come on. We need to get in our places.”

  I followed him outside, to where the other Rose men had gathered. They wore their armor more comfortably now than when I had first met them, but it was obvious from the way they held their swords and axes that they were still better with farm equipment than weapons.

  We ranged out in front of the Manor, standing a little more than shoulder-width apart. Brannyn, Elias, and I were the only guards from town that were present; too many others had quit. If Chanach sent more, he risked leaving the town defenseless.

  Besides, we had a dragon.

  Across the lawn, Sylvathi was huffing flames, his body braced for confrontation as his tail lashed like a cat’s. I had never seen a dragon in battle before; Brannyn had told me it was something that hadn’t happened in hundreds of years, since the War of the Gods. It left me feeling awed, and more than a little nervous. What if Sylvathi forgot we were present, and accidentally breathed fire at us? Roasting in my armor was not the way I wanted to die.

  My thoughts abruptly filled with Kryssa, of her face, still as death, pale as the sheets that covered her. My dreams of her had not stopped, and I lingered at her side as long as they lasted.

  All I wanted was for her to wake up.

  Come back to me. It had been the last thing I’d said to her, and it had been stupid, when there were so many other things left unsaid. I should have told her that I still loved her. I should have told her that the past didn’t matter, that we had the rest of our lives to understand what had happened.

  I should have gone with her.

  I knew, deep down, that even if I had known what would have happened, I couldn’t have abandoned Fallor- and yet, the guilt of what had befallen her without me was eating me alive. The desire at times to split myself into two people was so strong, I was surprised my skin didn’t break.

  “You alright?” Brannyn frowned at me. “You look like you’re in pain.”

  “Yeah.” Embarrassed, I shoved thoughts of his sister from my mind. “Just nervous.”

  “It’s going to be fine. Relax.”

  “Yeah. Relax.” I took a deep breath, rolled my head to crack my neck, and drew my sword. “I can do that.”

  We settled in to wait. Minutes crawled out. The stars spun overhead, a black void in the sky where the moon should have been. Half an hour passed, then another. Dread faded into anticipation, then concern, and finally boredom. Twice, I had to nudge Brannyn awake when he started to snore. The other men looked just as tired.

  And the Vampyres still didn’t come.

  After the second hour had passed, Elias wandered over to us. “Do you think they forgot?” he murmured, his voice pitched low so the othe
rs couldn’t hear it. “Or do you think Felice finally gave up?”

  “No.” Brannyn yawned and rubbed his eyes; he looked exhausted. “She’s too determined for that. The Vampyres would have moved on months ago otherwise.”

  “So what-”

  “Shh.” I held up a hand, my ears straining against the noise of crickets and sleepy, shuffling men. “Do you hear that?”

  Elias cocked his head, frowning. “Hear what?”

  “It- it sounds like-” Dread knotted in my stomach as I realized why the Vampyres hadn’t attacked us. “Oh, gods.”

  “What? What is it?”

  “Bells,” I whispered.

  Elias stared at me, his face turning white as it dawned on him what I was saying.

  “The town.” Brannyn turned his head in the direction of Fallor, his eyes wide. “They attacked the town?”

  “We have to go.” My mind was already racing. We needed to saddle the horses, and the return ride would take us more than a quarter of an hour at a full gallop. Were there even enough guards left in Fallor to protect it until we got there?

  Elias glanced at the other men still standing in front of the Manor. “But what do we-”

  “Stay here.” He grabbed my arm. “In case it’s a diversion. We’ll be back as soon as we can.” He started dragging me across the lawn, away from the stables.

  “Brannyn!” I yanked against his grip. “Brannyn, the horses are that way!”

  “We’re not taking the horses.”

  My eyes bulged as I realized he was dragging me toward Sylvathi. “Oh, no. No. Brannyn, that’s insane. I’m not a Firemage. I’m not even a regular mage. There’s no way-”

  “Sylvathi!” he shouted, ignoring me. “I need you to take us to Fallor! The Vampyres are attacking the town!”

  The dragon blinked at him, one giant eye considering us. He rumbled.

  “I know he’s not.” Brannyn didn’t slow. “But I need you to take us anyway.”

  Sylvathi shook himself, a graceful motion that somehow managed to look like a shrug. He rumbled something else, and lowered his enormous body toward the ground, one back leg bent like an over-large step.

  “Come on.” Brannyn let go of me to scramble up the leg, reaching back to offer me a hand up.

  I stared at him, fear and a strange longing warring inside me. The haunting ring of distant bells tolled across the empty fields.

  People were dying.

  I took a deep breath, and sheathed my sword. Please don’t let me regret doing this. I took Brannyn’s hand, and let him pull me onto the back of the dragon.

  The scales were hot, though not as hot as I’d feared. Brannyn instructed me to lie along the spine, then showed me how to brace my hands and feet on the ridges so I didn’t fall off.

  I desperately hoped I didn’t fall off.

  “Have you done this before?” I asked him, praying he would tell me that riding a dragon bareback was the easiest thing in the world, that he had done it dozens of times while I had been on watch.

  He shook his head. “No.”

  Sylvathi climbed to his feet, his body moving like a cat’s beneath us. His wings stretched out, wide enough to block Rose Manor from our view.

  “Dear gods and goddesses of my Faith,” I whispered, and closed my eyes, “please don’t let this be how it ends.”

  Sylvathi leapt into the air.

  My stomach lurched, then fell away as we rose faster than I was prepared for. My ears filled with the rush of air, the wind pushing against my face. Sweat made my hands slick as I clung to the dragon’s ridges, my arms straining with effort. The scales were uncomfortable against my chest, as if I were pressed against a warming oven.

  The world seemed to settle at last, only the rushing of the wind and the surging of muscle beneath my cheek letting me know that we were still airborne. I risked opening my eyes, but all I could see were the stars above us; even the dragon’s wings were hidden by infinite darkness, as if we soared through a sea of nothingness.

  I whimpered, and closed my eyes again.

  The ride upon Sylvathi’s back seemed to last forever, but in truth it was probably only a couple of minutes before we were tilting toward the ground again, settling in for a landing that was considerably gentler than the takeoff.

  “Vitric, you need to see this.”

  I opened my eyes, only to have pain explode across my face as Brannyn planted his boot in my eye. “Agh!”

  “Sorry.” He shifted, sitting up. “Gods. You really need to see this.”

  I blinked stars from my eyes as I lifted myself onto shaking arms. It took a few moments for me to understand that what I was seeing wasn’t caused by the kick to the head: a brilliant orange sky, and clouds of smoke that billowed up to obscure the stars. Though I still felt deafened by the roar of wind, other sounds began to penetrate my hearing: screams, shouts, and the incessant tolling of the bells. My panic over the flight faded, replaced by the dreadful knowledge of why we were here.

  The Vampyres were attacking Fallor.

  A wisp of smoke gusted into my face, and I coughed as I waved it away. “Holy mother. What were they thinking? Why would they set the whole damn town on fire?”

  “To drive the people into the streets.” Brannyn’s voice was grim as he dismounted.

  I followed, ignoring my knees when they tried to buckle. The screams seemed closer from the ground, more terrified, more real. I glanced at Brannyn. “It’s going to be a bloodbath.”

  “Yes.” He was staring straight ahead, and flames flickered in his eyes. “Sylvathi, go back to the Manor in case this is a diversion. Keep my family safe.”

  The dragon rumbled, then leapt into the air.

  Brannyn took a deep breath. “You ready?”

  I drew my sword. “No.”

  “Let’s go.”

  VITRIC

  Too many godsdamned people. It was my first thought, equal parts irritation and despair. The citizens of Fallor ran screaming in every direction without purpose or thought, trampling each other in their desperate attempt to flee the flames. Smoke choked the air, but beneath it I could smell blood- and death.

  Brannyn and I were shoved and jostled as the crowd surged around us. In the gaps between them, I caught glimpses of horror: a man with his throat ripped out, his eyes glassy and dead; a woman weeping over the broken body of a child; a glittering puddle of ruby-black blood, smeared by the boots and hands of someone who had fallen in it.

  My stomach rolled, and I forced myself to ignore it.

  A hysterical, wide-eyed woman grabbed my arm, clinging to me as she gibbered unintelligibly. I pushed her off, forcing my way through the panicked crowd. My eyes watered, tears leaking down my cheeks as the smoke burned my eyes. “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know.” He stared around, up at the burning rooftops. Near us, a house collapsed in on itself with a sound like thunder. “But if I don’t get this fire out soon, it’s not going to matter.”

  “Can you do that?” I coughed, and realized how dry my throat had become.

  He shrugged. “I have to try.” Flames flickered along the vein pulsing in his forehead, and I realized the strain he was under as he struggled not to add to the inferno.

  “Brannyn-”

  “Go find Felice.”

  “What? No, I’m not-”

  “I need room, Vit. Otherwise I’ll kill more people than the damn Vampyres.” He waved a hand as he turned toward the bathhouse. “Let me deal with the fire. You stop Felice.”

  “But how-”

  He vanished into the smoke.

  “-am I supposed to do that?” I finished, and muttered a curse. I glanced up, to where the flames reached into the sky, setting fire to the stars. The roar was deafening. Around me, people continued to scream.

  And somewhere, farther away, the bell stopped tolling.

  Find Felice. I wondered why he thought it would be so simple, then shook my head. It’s not like I can do his job.

  But where did I
even beginning looking for her, in a town filled with terror-stricken people slowly suffocating in the streets?

  My lungs were aching. Tears streamed from the corners of my eyes. Think, Vitric. Where would she go? Where could she possibly be in the midst of all this horror?

  What was it she had said in the cellar of Rose Manor, part of her rant about not wanting to be saved? And why wasn’t the bell ringing anymore? Wasn’t it located by the-

  My blood went cold. The Temple. There was a temple at edge of the town. Felice’s voice echoed in my memory. Even the gods are afraid of me now!

  I took off at a run, covering my nose and mouth with my sleeve in an attempt to block out the smoke.

  A child stood in the street, crying as he was passed by the crowds surging around him. I snatched him up, then pressed him into the arms of the first woman to passed me. She stared through me, her eyes blind with fear, clutching the child to her chest instinctively as she disappeared back into the smoke, running with the rest of the crowd toward the town edges and hopeful safety.

  There were less people in the alleys, though more dead. I stepped carefully over bodies, swallowing as I recognized some of them as guards. They were the men that had refused to leave, had refused to give in to fear.

  They had died to protect Fallor.

  Rage began to burn, deep beneath my heart. It wasn’t right. I thought of that lonely, angry girl I had seen in the cellar. Felice had wanted to destroy her family, not the town. She wasn’t capable of this much destruction, this much chaos.

  So who was?

  The dome of the Temple of All-Gods rose up out of the smoke, blackened by soot. I pushed myself toward it, though my lungs were truly straining now. I needed clean air, needed to breathe. My skin felt stretched too tight, as if I had spent too long in the sun without water.

  I staggered out of the alley toward the temple, blinking rapidly to clear my vision. The Syrethra- the caldera of Destiny’s Eternal Flame- had been destroyed, its pieces scattered across the steps of the temple. A flower cart had been overturned on the steps leading up to it, and carnations and lilies and roses lay in the street, splattered with blood.