ShatterStar

by Krista Rose

  “I did.”

  Vitric stopped in his tracks and blinked at him. “Seriously?”

  Tanner pulled the jar from him pocket. The light of Felice’s soul swirled inside. “Fresh from the Temple of the Burned.”

  “Yrisa’s bloody-” He caught himself, and flushed. “Ah, I didn’t think you could really do that. That’s incredible.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How many people died?” I interrupted. We were drawing closer to the source of the fear, and, beneath it, I could sense agony. Somewhere amid these tents, people were in pain.

  “So far, we’ve counted about three dozen that died the night of the attack, though there might be more. Only twelve that we’ve found were actually killed by the Vampyres. Most died from the flames, the smoke, or from being trampled by other people.”

  Three dozen? The number didn’t even make sense to me. I shook my head. “How many are injured?”

  “I’m taking you past the infirmary now. It’s just beyond these tents.” Vitric pointed, and resumed walking. “Probably close to a hundred have physical injuries. A lot more were hurt by the smoke. We have them out here with your grandfather and the medic-mage who arrived with the legions.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate you being here.”

  I swallowed, and said nothing.

  “This way.” He led us down a different row of tents, weaving between small groups of huddled, scared people. They watched us silently as we passed, their eyes glazed and haunted.

  The tents got larger as we walked further in, though they were more crowded inside, packed with people with a variety of injuries, from broken bones to bruised faces. My whole body began to ache.

  We were nearing the end of the row when a round, sweat-soaked man popped from one of the tents. He blinked in surprise, stopping just in time to keep from slamming into Vitric.

  “Hamar!” Relief flooded me, and I dropped the reins of my horse to rush forward to give him a hug. His skin was clammy and wet as he wrapped his arms around me, and he smelled awful, but I didn’t care. Hamar was one of the few people I loved unconditionally; just being near him made me feel as if everything was going to be alright again.

  “Lanya!” I could feel his relief and joy pour into me, outweighing his anxiety. “Thank the gods you’re alright! Haven’t heard any news, and you were gone for so long-”

  “Sorry, Hamar.” I pulled away, tried to subtly wipe his sweat from my cheek as I smiled up at him. “There wasn’t any way to send a letter from Cedralysone.”

  “It’s alright, long as you’re safe.” He put a hand on my shoulder affectionately, then glanced up at Vitric. “You taking them to see Brannyn?”

  Vitric nodded.

  “Good. Give him my regards if he wakes up.” Then he winked at me. “I’ve got more rounds to make, but come see me when you’re done. We’ve got work to do.” He waddled off, and disappeared into another tent.

  I frowned at Vitric. “If he wakes up? What does that mean?”

  He sighed. “Come on.”

  “What happened to my brother?” Fear wrapped its fingers around my heart and squeezed. “Is he alright?”

  “He’s fine. He just-” He glanced at the tents, then back at us. He stepped closer, his voice lowering so he couldn’t be overheard. “He overexerted himself, and he’s sleeping it off. Firemages do that. All Great Mages do.”

  “Firemages? But Brannyn’s not-” My words trailed off at the steady look he gave me. “Oh, my gods. He is?”

  He nodded, then glanced around again. “He doesn’t want anyone to know about it yet, asked me to hide it from the townspeople. Thinks it’s better if they think the legions put out the fires. Haven’t been able to tell him they know it’s more than that, because he’s been asleep since the attack.”

  We gaped at him, stunned.

  “Until he wakes up, Chanach doesn’t want anyone to know what he did,” Vitric continued. “There’s going to be… questions. He might not be ready for them.”

  We stared at him. He shrugged and started walking again. The rest of us looked at each other, then followed.

  Brannyn was being kept in a large tent separated from the others by a stretch of grass and three alert soldiers who stood guard at the corners. Tanner and I raised a brow at that, but Vitric merely waved to them before walking inside. The interior was neat, a simple cot in the center with small, wooden chairs on either side. Brannyn slept on the cot, white sheets tucked around his waist. The only thing that looked out of place was the large bucket of water beside him, and the man who watched over him from one of the chairs.

  “Chanach, good news.” Vitric grinned. “Tanner’s back.”

  “Thank the gods.” Chanach shifted in his chair and scowled at us. “Something needs to go right around here.”

  “Your excitement is overwhelming me, sir,” Tanner said drily. “Please, try to contain yourself.”

  Chanach’s lips twitched.

  I walked closer to the cot, looking down at my brother. He didn’t look sick- in fact, he was all but glowing with health. His breathing was slow and regular, his eyes flickering with dreams behind his lids.

  “What happened?” I asked, sitting on the cot beside him and taking his hand.

  “He blew up the damn bathhouse,” Chanach said bluntly.

  “What?” Tanner’s eyes widened. “How could he even-”

  “He’s a Firemage,” Vitric reminded him, then sighed as he wearily sat in the room’s only other chair. “Half the town was on fire. Vampyres set it to drive people into the streets. People were dying. Brannyn, he- he still doesn’t really know what he’s doing with his power. But he managed to put the fire out.”

  I stared at him. “How?”

  “He pulled it into himself, then channeled it into the wells beneath the bathhouse. Blew the roof clean off.” Chanach sounded impressed. “Damnedest thing I ever saw.”

  “After the legions took over, he collapsed.” Vitric sighed and stretched his legs. Beneath the dirt, his eyes looked tired. “He’s been asleep ever since.”

  “But he doesn’t look sick.” I frowned, and checked him again to be sure. “Did he get injured?”

  Vitric shook his head. “No.”

  “So then why are there guards posted outside?” I glanced up at Chanach. “And why are you watching over him?”

  “The guards are to keep away the curious.” Chanach leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “And I’m here in case I need to put him out again.”

  “What-”

  “Brannyn keeps catching on fire in his sleep,” Vitric explained. “That’s why his tent is so far from the others, and why we don’t want all of Fallor to know yet. They might think the wrong thing.”

  “You mean they might think Brannyn set the fire.” Kylee scowled. “Which is stupid. He’s a hero.”

  “We’re well aware that most of these people owe their lives to your brother, Mistress Rose,” Chanach said mildly. “But these people are terrified and grieving. Their homes were destroyed by monsters most of them didn’t even see, their friends and families killed by things they don’t even understand. They haven’t had time to even process what’s happened yet.”

  I looked back down at my brother’s face. I envied his ability to sleep through so much tragedy; I had barely been able to catch a few hours since the destruction of the Aurelion. I reached into my pocket, touching the piece of violet crystal that rested there.

  “Now, tell me.” Vitric leaned forward, his gaze focused, his body braced as if for a blow. “Where is Kryssa?”

  I winced, and drew a deep breath.

  “She was captured by slavers,” Tanner replied, before I could say anything. “On our way to Cedralysone, a month ago.”

  His shoulders slumped, as if he had been expecting the answer. “Suraki?”

  My brows drew together. “How could you know that?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “Vitric-”
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  “The legions have set up a camp on the opposite side of town.” His voice was firm, ending the discussion. “They’re patrolling the countryside for the Vampyres, but they’ve had no luck hunting them down.”

  “Fallor’s Guard was decimated by the attack,” Chanach added. “There’s ten of us left, including Brannyn. The legions are talking about setting up an outpost here, a base of operations, in case the Vampyres move north, so they don’t have to chase them from the capital. They took over the town, relieved us of our duties.”

  “But you’re all still here,” I murmured. “Do you think the Vampyres aren’t going to move north?”

  “Felice is still here,” Vitric said quietly, “and the nest is hers. She won’t leave. But there’s someone else she’s taking orders from, and we don’t know his motives. She calls him Eoct. We don’t know who he is.”

  “Eoct?” Tanner frowned. “That’s an odd name.”

  “It is an old name,” Lyrel corrected, speaking for the first time since entering the tent. She hesitated when we all turned to look at her, then continued. “Eoct is ancient, from near the beginning of the creations of our language, or even before. It means ‘Ever-Light’.”

  Chanach growled. “You’re telling me the one responsible for sending Vampyres after my town might be a godsdamned Elf?”

  “That’s not what she’s saying, sir,” I argued, but memories of Aleydis’ face swam before my vision, making my voice tremble. “She’s saying the name is old enough to be one.”

  “If this is an Elf-”

  “Cedrani, sir,” Tanner corrected, glancing at Lyrel’s stony face. “They’re called Cedrani.”

  “I don’t care what they’re called. If one of them is sending these godsforsaken creatures after Fallor-”

  “Then it is my responsibility to take care of it,” Lyrel finished, her voice hard. “To end this threat against the Vadrani.”

  Chanach glared. “Look, miss, I don’t know who you think you are-”

  “I am Lyrel, a Lysone of House Cedralysone.” She stepped forward, allowing him a good view of the long daggers strapped to her hips. Her violet eyes were sharp, and almost as deadly as her weapons. “And I am going to hunt for these Vampyres, with or without your help.”

  She and Chanach stared each other down, a long moment of silence stretching between them.

  At last, Chanach threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine. You can help. But we don’t know where Felice is, or the rest of her nest. There’s three hundred legionaires camping on the other side of town, and they’re combing the countryside looking for whoever started the fires. The chances of us finding her first are very slim.”

  Lyrel nodded.

  “Well, there’s no point talking about it right now, in any case.” Vitric stood again, and winced. My knees ached in sympathy. “Let’s get you all set up with tents so you can rest. We can talk more about-” he hesitated, if only for a moment

  “-about the rest later.”

  Kryssa, I thought, and my heart ached for him.

  “Lanya, I think you should check in with your grandfather. He could use your help dealing with the injured.”

  I nodded. “Whatever I can do.”

  “I’ll have one of the men escort you to him.”

  I looked down at Brannyn one more time and squeezed his hand. I’ll be back. But his eyes remained shut, and he didn’t respond.

  I sighed, and stood. “Alright. Let’s go.”

  VITRIC

  I assigned one of the guards to find Brannyn’s siblings a couple of tents they could use before I headed back toward the rubbled remains of Fallor. It didn’t surprise me when Tanner fell in beside me, his face unreadable as he squinted in the afternoon light.

  I couldn’t bring myself to return to my station by the pit; instead I led him into the town, down the recently cleared main street. He stared around, watching as groups of men hauled fallen wood beams and collapsed stone walls out from where buildings had once stood, loading them into wagons which were then taken outside of the town and sorted into piles of useable debris. Women scavenged the inside of undestroyed homes for anything of use: blankets, clothes, food. One woman sat in the middle of a shattered house, weeping as she clutched a dirty, stuffed toy.

  Tanner looked away, his face tightening in pain.

  I took him to the apartment. By some miracle, the incense shop had survived with only a few charred shingles, though the buildings on either side had been completely engulfed in flames. He said nothing as we circled behind it, taking the back stairs up into the apartment.

  The kittens greeted us as soon as we walked in, mewing and rubbing against our ankles in affection. Tanner grinned when he saw them, stooping to pick them up. “Well, what have we here?”

  “Eva and Meg,” I said with a smile. “I rescued them from a watery demise, and they’re eternally grateful now.”

  The kittens rubbed against Tanner’s chin and purred. “I see.” He gazed around at the neat apartment, looking impressed. “I thought you two would have destroyed this place.”

  I shrugged. “We hired Eloise to clean it. She said it gave her something to do while Elias was on watch.”

  “Ah.”

  “Come on.” I gestured toward the kitchen. “We need to talk.”

  He followed me to the table, setting down the kittens before pulling out a chair. I sat next to him, wincing as my knees bent.

  “You alright?” he asked.

  “Yeah, no, I’m fine. Banged up my knees a bit the night of the attack. Scabs keep breaking open when I bend them.”

  “Ouch.”

  I shrugged.

  “So.” He edged closer to me. “What exactly happened that night? The attack, I mean?”

  “You mean Felice.”

  He bit his lip.

  I sighed. “I’m not sure. We were at the Manor, because we thought she would attack there. Only she didn’t. Her Vampyres set Fallor on fire instead, to drive the people into the streets. We could hear the bells, even from there.” I took a deep breath, memories of smoke and screams echoing in my head. “When we arrived, Brannyn and I split up. He headed to the bathhouse, to handle the fire. I went looking for Felice. I thought, if I could stop her-” I shook my head.

  “You thought you could stop the others.”

  “I didn’t stand a chance. She was near the temples. She moved faster than I thought possible, disarmed me in a second. She could have killed me.”

  “Could have?”

  “She had me by the throat, Tanner.” It hurt my pride to admit, but it needed to be said. “She had every opportunity to kill me, but she didn’t.” I took a deep breath, forced the next words out. “I don’t think she’s been killing anyone.”

  “What?” He gaped at me. “But- but how-”

  “Her nails are already dying, and it’s only been a few months since her change. That would only happen if she isn’t feeding, since the whole point is to stave off the decay.”

  “So you don’t think she’s been killing people?”

  “If she has, she hasn’t been eating them.”

  “But- but she’s in charge of all these Vampyres. How is it she can just not feed, and-”

  “But she’s not in charge of them, remember? Eoct is. I think he’s using her, and she doesn’t want him to.”

  “And you based this on…?”

  “She asked me to kill her.”

  He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes dark and unreadable. At last, he sighed, and rubbed his hands over his face. “Great. So, what is it you’re not telling me?”

  My stomach tightened in guilt. “Tanner-”

  “You could have told me this in the tent in front of Chanach. You only headed here when I joined up with you. So what is it?”

  “Chanach- Chanach still wants to kill Felice.”

  “Well, that’s not surprising. I mean, she’s dangerous-”

  “He doesn’t care if you get her soul back to her or not. He wants her to die for he
r crimes. He blames her for all of this, the entire destruction of the town. He wants her to hang.”

  Tanner opened and closed his mouth several times, speechless. Finally, he cleared his throat. “Well, that’s- that’s not good. How do the other guards feel about it?”

  I merely looked at him.

  “Oh.”

  “We’re going to have to be very, very quiet about looking for her,” I continued. “We can’t let anyone know.”

  “Which means we’ll have no back up when we try to hunt down a dozen Vampyres,” Tanner concluded moodily. “And I thought being in the Temple of the Burned was bad.”

  I bit back the questions I wanted to ask, forced myself to stay on topic. “We have to get the soul back to Felice.”

  “Why?”

  “Because otherwise she’ll stay a monster.”

  “Yeah.” He let out a breath. “Yeah, I get that.”

  “So.” I leaned my elbows onto the table. “First we’ll rescue your woman, and then we’ll go rescue mine. Deal?”

  He nodded. “Deal. Now, what’s your plan?”

  I leaned back again, and told him.

  REYCE

  15 Syrthil 578A.F.

  Fallor, Valory

  I snuck through the shadows between the tents, holding my breath whenever I heard voices nearby. I estimated it to be about midnight due to the sliver of moon that was bright overhead, and the sleepy soldiers changing shifts. They patrolled the outskirts of the sea of tents, enforcing the curfew that had been put into place by the legions. The soldiers would return me to my tent if they caught me; no one was allowed into the ruins of Fallor after dark.

  But there was something I had to see.

  I reached the edge of the tents nearest to the town, ducking back when a soldier walked into view. He stared past me, oblivious, before turning down a different row and vanishing out of sight.

  I took a deep breath, and peered around the tent. Torches had been nailed to posts driven into the ground, providing pools of light down an avenue of grass surrounding the encampment. No soldiers were visible, but I still felt exposed as I darted across, expecting at any moment for someone to shout an alarm.