Shattered Stars

by Theresa Kay

  “Show who what?”

  “The E’rikon. Your people. You needed to show them you could be a leader, that you could broker this alliance with the humans, the alliance your father wanted.” Rym’s eyes move to me. “And I told Trel the truth about Jax, about what she is and what she can do. She said we would need her. She said my father—”

  “Had already told her how powerful he thought I was?” I say. “How I was the weapon the E’rikon needed?” A slow-building heat rises through my body as my anger grows. “What gave you the right?”

  Rym’s eyes narrow. “That’s what you are though, is it not? What other chance do we have against Jastren? Against your brother? There are not many lines left with enhancements, and the majority of those enhancements are useless in this situation anyway. Except for the askari, none of us are even trained to fight.”

  I step forward, a simmering heat resting in my fingertips.

  Lir moves between us, his hands out. “He is right, Jax. I don’t believe he did it to betray you.” He turns to Rym. “I understand why you did it, but do not ever keep anything like that from me again.”

  Rym presses his lips together and gives a quick nod. I study him while I let the heat bleed out of me. Rym has never been unkind to me—hell, it turns out we actually have a lot in common, like murderous family members—and I believe he didn’t have bad intentions when he told his sister about me. I probably would have done the same thing in his shoes.

  “Sorry,” I say. “As you know, I’m not a big fan of your father, and what you said… it brought up bad memories. His quest for the ‘weapon’ inside my brother and me is part of the reason Jace was so susceptible to Jastren. He was weak and broken, and he hates the E’rikon—thanks to your father.”

  Rym’s expression softens. “I know. And I am sorry for that. If there was anything I could have done, I would have.”

  My gaze darts to Lir. “You did what you could. I should thank you for that much… And I should thank you for doing what you had to in order to get Lir to… well, to me. I don’t know if I’d be here right now if you hadn’t.”

  “Sheesh, now you’re just getting mushy.” Rym rolls his eyes and then winks at me. “Are we BFFs now?”

  Both Lir and I look at him in confusion, Lir with one eyebrow up.

  “Never mind,” he says. “If I have to explain the joke, it’s no fun.”

  Lir smiles and shakes his head. “Let’s get moving. I would like to get there as soon as possible, and walking is going to add quite a bit of time as it is.”

  * * * * * * *

  It’s late afternoon by the time Peter’s cabin finally comes into view. There’s no smoke in the chimney, no sounds, nothing. It looks lonely. I didn’t expect Peter to be here, not with the extended barrier, but it’s still disappointing—and worrying. If Peter were here, he’d make us a nice hot meal and sit down with us, chattering away like he does, and I’d be able to take a break and forget for a little while. Peter’s a master at taking my mind off things, whether he means to or not. I miss the old priest, and the obviously empty cabin makes me scared for his safety. Where could he have gone? He didn’t go to Bridgelake with Jastren and Jace, but that’s all I know for sure.

  We approach slowly, the two E’rikon flanking me as we make our way through the clearing and up to the back door. Why is it cracked open? Peter wouldn’t have left it open.

  I swallow as I open the door and look inside. The place is a mess: table overturned, papers everywhere. The couch is on the wrong side of the room, and every single book has been ripped from the shelves. What happened here?

  Lir puts a hand on my arm to stop me from going any farther. “He would not have left it like this. Someone was here.”

  “Yeah.” I’m too stunned by the state of the cabin to come up with anything more to say.

  “I don’t think there’s anything to be gained by going in,” Lir says. “Jastren may have left some sort of trap for us.” A long pause. “Or for you specifically.”

  I eye the interior of the cabin with new suspicion. “Like?”

  He shrugs. “I’m not certain what he is capable of, or what he may have had access to.”

  Rym is peering over my shoulder. “Well, someone was clearly searching for something.”

  What would…? Oh. “My mom’s kitu. It’s here—or it was.”

  “Is that the one Adam said was out at the cabin?” asks Rym. “The one he said he’d give to Trel?”

  “Why… never mind. I actually pulled it from Dane’s office, but he wouldn’t know that. If he promised it to Trel, we should see if it’s still here. Unlike whoever ransacked the place, I know where it is.”

  Indecision plays across Lir’s features, but he releases my arm. “I will go with you.”

  I walk into the house with quick steps. Lir follows closely behind with one hand on the small of my back. We walk through the kitchen and into the living room. Lir inhales sharply at the sight of blood all over the couch.

  “Lenny,” I say. “Peter probably didn’t have time to clean it up.”

  Lir nods, but his body is tense, and worry splashes across the bond.

  We make our way down the hallway and into the last room on the right—the one that had been my bedroom. I count floorboards until I reach the fourth one from the bedpost. I pull my knife from the sheath on my leg and use it to pry up the board. Reaching blindly, my fingers scrabble around for a few moments before hitting the cool metal of the kitu. I breathe a sigh of relief. Either this wasn’t what they were looking for or they simply didn’t found it—whoever they might be.

  “Got it,” I say, pulling the kitu out and sliding it into the interior pocket in my jacket.

  “Good,” says Lir. “Now we should get out of here.”

  I hop to my feet and follow him back to the hallway, but I pause when we pass the door to the room my brother shared with Flint. Lir turns back to me with a mixture of concern and confusion.

  “I think… I need to see what he left behind,” I say. “To see if there’s anything that could help us, or could…”

  Help you say goodbye. Lir smiles softly. He walks back to me and pulls me into his arms. You don’t have to explain it to me. I understand.

  My eyes water, and I swallow back a lump in my throat. Maybe something in there could explain what happened to Jace, how everything got so completely screwed up and how he could do what he did. Not likely, but…

  I place my palm on the door and rest my forehead against it. “There’s probably nothing in there. Nothing useful at least. I just…”

  Lir uses two fingers to turn my face to his. “I said you didn’t have to explain, and I meant it.” There’s warmth and understanding in his emerald eyes, and it trickles through the bond. He leans forward and presses his lips to mine in a soft kiss. You know my feelings about your brother, but that does not change my feelings for you. If you need… closure, I want you to have it.

  I move my hands up to frame his face and deepen the kiss. I swipe my tongue over his lips, then wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. We spend the next few too-brief moments in this contentment where only the two of us exist, softly kissing and sharing our emotions.

  Thank you. I pull back and smile up at him while I run a hand down his cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  He smirks. “Be very, very sad.”

  “Yeah, that.” I wink at him. Some of the heaviness in the air is gone.

  The door creaks as I push it open and walk into the room. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s a mess just like the rest of the cabin. I pick up some of the clothes strewn about and toss them on the bed. There’s nothing here but memories.

  I slowly back up until my legs hit the bed. My eyes burning, I sit down and rest my forehead in one hand. What was I hoping to find? Some explanation for his actions? Maybe a magic tip for how to save him? There’s nothing that could possibly excuse Jace’s actions. Not that it would matter.

  I know wha
t it takes to fight that kind of darkness, and the tiny spark I sensed in Jace… it’s not enough. It will be drowned under Jastren’s manipulations, because my brother is too damn weak to fan that spark into the fire he needs. And I can’t save him this time. He has to fight his own darkness. He has to want to and… and… I’m not sure he’s strong enough.

  Or if he even wants to.

  I close my eyes, but there’s no hiding from the realization that my brother is so much weaker than I thought. I thought he was invincible, that he’d always be there, that nothing could pull us apart, but—

  My whole body jerks as shock floods through me. But it’s not my shock. It’s Lir’s. What’s going on?

  I jump to my feet and head out to the living room. No one’s there. The boys must be outside. I rush out the back door and run directly into Lir’s back. He puts an arm out to keep me from moving forward.

  Why…? Oh. Four unfamiliar E’rikon are in the clearing, fanned out to surround us with the cabin at our backs. And none of them are looking very friendly at the moment.

  LIR ANGLES HIMSELF IN FRONT of me, shoulders back and spine stiff. I recognize the show he’s trying to put on, but the alarm and worry rolling off of him are almost enough to send me into a panic. Who are they?

  Besides the four E’rikon in the clearing, there are a few more off in the trees. The ones in the clearing are brighter somehow—blues and yellows and silvers—while the others are more muted; they could almost pass for humans. I get the sense that these E’rikon are divided like this for a reason. Maybe it has something to do with the caste system Dad mentioned.

  One thing they all have in common is their uniforms. They’re similar to the ones the E’rikon normally wear, or all the E’rikon I’ve seen anyway, but with what looks like extra padding in the chest area. Armor of some sort? The uniforms are all the same dark gray, but the closest ones have gold threading twisting down the sleeves.

  The one in front has a pretty sharp glower going on, but no weapons. Two of the others are holding out slim metal cylinders, one pointed at Lir and one at Rym.

  What are those things? I ask Lir, not taking my eyes off the E’rikon.

  Lir shifts from one foot to the other. Pulse sticks.

  Okay…?

  They… disrupt our kitus and create a sort of feedback loop that can be painful and disabling—and, depending on the setting, perhaps deadly.

  I study the cylinders with a little more respect. Those tiny things can do all that? They don’t look like they can do much of anything. Would they affect me?

  Lir’s shoulders twitch upward. I am not sure.

  I try to step forward, but he pushes me back with a sharp shake of his head. We will not be finding out.

  I send Lir a sharp glare, but before I have time to snap back at him, one of the other E’rikon steps forward. His hair is such a pale shade of blue that it’s almost white. “We are already aware of the hybrid’s presence,” he says. “You might as well allow her to step forward.”

  “No,” says Lir. “She is under my protection, Vi’Zirekai.”

  Wow. That guy’s name is a mouthful.

  He shakes his head sadly. “Your protection does her no good. You should not have allowed her to return here. The Council spared your life because of who your parents were, but they will not be so kind to her.” Lir opens his mouth to reply, but Vi-what’s-his-name puts a hand up to stop him. “There is no use in arguing with me; I am merely following orders. Your uncle is aware of your arrival and has directed that your party be brought directly to him. Anything else you have to say can be said to him.” His silver eyes slide to Rym, pause, and then move back to Lir.

  It’s not the glance or even the slight tension in Vi-what’s-his-name’s jaw, but the look on Rym’s face that has me studying the blue-haired newcomer more closely. He appears to be in his mid twenties, and he’s certainly attractive in that tall, graceful way of most of the E’rikon I’ve met, but Lir’s cousin is looking at the guy with such an intense longing that I can almost feel it. Blue Hair’s eyes find Rym again, then dart away.

  What’s with your cousin and Blue Hair?

  Lir shoots me a quizzical look.

  I jerk my chin at Rym.

  I have no idea what you’re talking about. Lir’s gaze moves back and forth between me and Rym. Those here are askari, and the four closest to us are members of my uncle’s personal guard, the Vi’askari, of which Vi’Zirekai is the leader. He is… an employee?

  Okay then. Clearly my alien boy is clueless or a bit of an elitist. Maybe both. Granted, I don’t know much about E’rikon culture, but I can recognize that kind of look between two people. Well, as long as it’s right in front of me anyway. I did completely miss the relationship between my brother and Flint.

  … ridiculous, Kai.

  I jerk at the intrusion of Rym’s voice in my head. His eyes, chin, shoulders, and whole mood suddenly drop, and he turns his face away from… Kai, was it? Looks like Lir and I aren’t the only ones having a private conversation. Although it wasn’t so private, was it? I didn’t do it intentionally, and I’m assuming the typical E’rikon can’t break into each other’s conversations like that… so how did I do it?

  I shake my head. None of that matters right now. This isn’t an ideal situation, but we do need to get to the city, and I suppose Vitrad is on our list of people to talk to, so… maybe it’s time I tried out a bit of diplomacy for myself.

  I step around Lir, holding my hands out in front of me. “Okay, guys, we’re happy to go willingly, so why don’t you—”

  There’s a twinge in the back of my mind, and a screech comes from above. A dark form swoops out of the sky, angled toward Kai. What the hell? Is that Tiercel? I stumble back a step and stare at the hawk in shock. How? Why?

  Tiercel flies so close, Kai has to duck. He lets out an undignified yell and tries to swat the hawk away. Tiercel loops upward and then dives for another shot, veering away from Kai’s waving arm at the last second. The other E’rikon just stand there as Tiercel flies around their leader, or whatever he is. Why aren’t they doing anything?

  One of the others, a female with shimmering yellow hair pulled back into a tight braid, finally steps forward and tries to help Kai shoo the hawk away. She receives an angry squawk in response as Tiercel flies right at her, making her dodge sideways to avoid a beak to the face. One of the others makes a halfhearted attempt to point the pulse stick at the bird, but he’s flying too fast, and judging by the look on the guy’s face, the thing probably wouldn’t affect Tiercel anyway.

  A giggle builds in my chest. The unflappable E’rikon have been completely stymied by an angry bird. Air bursts from my mouth followed by a short laugh. I try to turn it into a cough, but fail. More giggles bubble past my lips until I’m out-and-out laughing.

  Even Lir is giving me a strange look.

  They look so… stupefied. I wave a hand toward the hawk. Tiercel wasn’t very fond of Jastren either, but he never dive-bombed him like that.

  The corners of Lir’s mouth quirk up. I get the impression you know this creature? Perhaps you could call it off?

  I get myself mostly under control, then let out a two-beat whistle. Tiercel aborts his dive, lofts his way toward me, and settles on the railing to my left. He lets out a screech in the E’rikon’s direction and puffs out his chest.

  I snort.

  Kai rises from a crouched position and brushes his hands over his chest. His gaze darts from Tiercel to me, with some combination of shock and interest in his eyes. “Is it… yours?” he asks.

  The female E’rikon who’d first stepped in to try to help Kai tilts her head to the side and narrows her pale yellow eyes. Suspicion. Kai meets her gaze and gives her a quick nod. What did she say to him? Something about that exchange…

  I keep my eyes on the E’rikon, but direct a question to Lir. What do I tell them?

  I’m not sure. The muscles on the side of his jaw pop out as he considers his answer. But—

&nbs
p; Youcantrusthim. Rym’s voice barrels its way into my mind, and my head jerks toward him. His eyes are sharp with intense concentration, but his brows go up in acknowledgment when he catches me looking at him.

  Once again, I appraise the blue-haired E’rikon. Lir knows nothing about the guy, but Rym clearly knows something.

  “Yeah,” I say. “The hawk is mine. Well, I trained him anyway.”

  The female’s pulse stick comes back up, this time pointed at me. “Did you direct it to attack us?”

  “Umm… no? I didn’t even know he’d still be out here. I mean, Peter was supposed to be taking care of him, but he’s not here and…” I let the words trail off and I shrug. “Maybe he’s hungry and thought you guys had food?”

  Kai motions for her to lower the pulse stick. “Miri, that is unnecessary. She—”

  Miri breaks into a rapid stream of what must be the E’rikon language. I’ve never heard more than a few words spoken at once, and it’s weird to hear something so… foreign. It’s rather musical, though her tone leaves no doubt in my mind that the words aren’t particularly complimentary. Kai sends her a sharp look and makes a cutting motion with his hand. She stops talking.

  “As I was saying,” Kai says, “she has agreed to come willingly. There is no need for force, and it is not for us to mete out justice.” He turns and walks to the edge of the clearing. The other E’rikon follow. He probably expects us to follow too, but confusion is rooting me in place.

  Justice? My brows rise.

  For the attack on the city. Vi’Alamiri was suggesting they simply kill you now. Lir’s hand finds my lower back and rests there. But Vitrad has ordered us to be brought to him first, and they cannot go against his orders. After that the Council has ordered that you be brought before them.

  How wonderful. At least we planned to go there eventually. I pause. What should I do about Tiercel?

  Lir glances from me to the hawk. Well… You can’t exactly bring it… him?… to the city. Would he wait here for you? We could stop to pick him up on the way out? Maybe?