Stars (Dragon Reign Book 8)

by Kit Bladegrave

  “He’s sensing them now. Their bond is pretty strong, powerful. Hopefully, we can use that.”

  “Yeah, hopefully.” She was still staring at the door, her lips screwed up to the side.

  “Will you just go to him already? Get the fight over with.”

  “We’re not going to fight.”

  I arched my brow at her.

  She sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “Anything you want to talk about… or anyone?”

  I pointed to the doors. “Get out of here before you have two of us pissed at you, huh?”

  She held up her hands as she walked toward it. “Fine, keep it to yourself, but one of these days, you’re going to have to say something.”

  Finally, she left, and I found myself wandering out in the courtyard, checking supplies aimlessly and ensuring no news had come from Gregornath. Drake and Ashan would be arriving any day now to assist with making a plan for now what we knew would be the final battle against Baladon.

  “Evening Magnus.” I found the old healer humming to himself in the stables, brushing down his horse.

  “Ah, sire, good evening, if we can even say it’s evening.”

  “The darkness is getting old, but at the same time, I think I’m getting used to it and really don’t want to be. I hear no word from Gregornath?”

  “Yes, all is quiet at home, for once. But it sounds as if Mori has returned.”

  “She has,” I sighed, running my hand down the mane of another horse in the stall next to us.

  I relayed to him what she told us, and his hands slowed in their brushing until he stopped completely.

  “You sound conflicted.”

  “Hmm? No, just… well, yes, to be honest,” I admitted. “I haven’t slept well. Nightmares and such.”

  “About Mori?”

  I glanced at him; caught him giving me a knowing smile. “How did you know?”

  “Not so hard to figure out, sire. You worry for her. There’s nothing wrong with that. She is in danger and quite an impressive goddess.”

  “She is that,” I agreed quietly.

  “Then what are you doing here speaking to an old dragon instead of her?”

  I frowned and found it hard to speak all of a sudden.

  “Good night, Magnus,” I said in a rush, and left the stables, his chuckling following me.

  Eventually, my feet took me back inside, and before I reached my room, I heard a familiar burst of laughter. I peered down the long hall.

  Kate was dragging Craig into their room, both of them grinning at each other once again.

  For a second, I considered checking in on Mori, but entered my room instead, shut the door, and attempted to catch up on some sleep.

  A few hours later, when the castle had fallen silent around me, I gave up on closing my eyes and got up. The fire had burned out, but this room felt too small all of a sudden and I had to get out for a little while. Get some air. Clear my head of the racing thoughts inside my skull. I left the room and wandered through the quiet castle. There were several shifter guards posted throughout, all bowing their heads as a I passed.

  When I came across Boris at the top of the stairs, I stopped. “All quiet?”

  “So far nothing to report,” he growled, but looked less than pleased about it.

  “You can’t tell me you want to keep being attacked by monsters, or worse.”

  “No, but an old wolf like me knows it’s time to worry when the enemy is being quiet, far too quiet, especially after how bad it has been.” He huffed as he patted me on the shoulder and failed to smile. “Don’t mind me. Just on edge.”

  “We all are,” I mumbled, thinking of Sabella’s latest vision.

  I left Boris and entered the kitchens, finding a mug of ale and a warm fire to sit by for a little while. When the mug was empty and did nothing to help ease my growing worries about the three supposed to rise to stop Baladon—rise and possibly die. I was about to force myself back to bed when the strangest urge to find Mori struck me hard.

  I was outside her door a few seconds later. She was missing. She wasn’t in her room, not anymore, and I let my feet guide me. leaned my head toward the other end of the corridor.

  I wasn’t sure where I was headed but found myself down the east corridor that had a large balcony overlooking the courtyard.

  My feet slowed to a stop when I spotted Mori’s starlit hair. Her back was to me, and her head tilted back as if she studied the darkness overhead. For a long while, I simply stood, unable to move my eyes to anything else. The strangest sense of peace came over me when I was near her, like she calmed the storm of chaos this war had created. We’d been going nonstop since Baladon’s return. But close to her, everything was peaceful, and time seemed to slow.

  “You may join me if you wish,” she said softly, without turning.

  “I didn’t mean to intrude.” I walked out to stand at the railing beside her. “How are you holding up? Any news from the other gods?”

  “I keep reaching out, wanting to feel them, but… it’s just a blank void.”

  “I’m sure they got out.”

  “I’m not,” she replied sadly. “The look in Devon’s eyes, it was pure evil, as if I was staring at Baladon again.” She shivered, running her hands up her arms like she was cold.

  I moved nearer on instinct to try and keep her warm, then turned around to find an unlit brazier behind us. With a puff of fire, I lit it, and she sighed at the warmth radiating from the flames.

  “Better?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  I had a hundred questions I wanted to ask her about Devon and what else happened while she was with Baladon, but the sudden pleading look she gave me said the last thing she wanted to talk about was the gods. I wasn’t the only one who needed to hear the answers, so I swallowed them back until tomorrow when we were all assembled.

  “Do you usually wander the castle at all hours of the night?”

  “I couldn’t sleep, and honestly, I can’t even tell anymore if it’s night, or not.”

  “It is, trust me. And I don’t sleep,” she said with a slight smile. “Though sometimes I wish I could.”

  Even though I knew she wanted nothing to do with a difficult conversation, I still expected her to ask me what the others had talked about after I took her to her room. Or to tell me more of what happened when she was with the gods, but instead, I felt like we were having an everyday conversation, a rarity lately.

  “Why is that?” I rested my arms on the cool stone as I watched her sigh, deep in thought, tapping her fingers along the railing, then shrugging.

  “Dreams.”

  “You want to dream?”

  “Yes, such a wonderful part of being able to sleep,” she explained, her smile growing as her eyes slipped shut, though it wasn’t a happy smile on her face. “To escape from this world for those few moments in time and simply be. To let your mind take you on an adventure.”

  “Not all dreams are so nice,” I told her, remembering my recurring nightmares of late.

  Her gaze slid to mine, and I felt the weight of her concern fall on my shoulders.

  “No, no they are not, but that cannot stop you from dreaming of better times. Or having hope, King Forrest.”

  “Just Forrest,” I corrected gently. “The title doesn’t seem to suit me much these days.”

  Where had that come from? I’d kept my self-doubts hidden from everyone so far, even Kate and Craig, who knew me better than anyone else here. And yet, Mori I told without any hesitation.

  “You do not give yourself enough credit.”

  “I give myself just enough.”

  Ever since learning Craig and Kate had been taken by Baladon, I felt control of my realm—of my destiny—slipping from my hands. I’d been unable to rescue my friends without the aid of Tristan and Sabella. I couldn’t stop my lands from being overrun by banshees and hellhounds. Lost countless dragons so early in the w
ar. What did I have to show for my short reign so far except a rebuilt palace and blood on my hands? I was no longer part of the three needed to save the Darrah lands and the Darrah name, or to protect the Vindicar. Now I was just Forrest, a dragon who became king far too soon.

  “You have a purpose, Forrest,” Mori urged, resting her hand on mine. “All here do. The darkness will try to take your hope from you, but you can’t let it.”

  Why did she sound like she didn’t believe her own words?

  “Hard not to when all around is death and destruction.”

  She squeezed my hand, and a rush of heat washed over me. “Hope and faith, those are what will win this war. Not strength of arms or number of soldiers. Baladon feeds on despair. On fear. It’s what gives him so much power.”

  “What are we supposed to do? You can’t just tell people to suppress their fear,” I muttered.

  “No, but you must use it. Transform that fear into something much stronger.”

  “Such as?”

  Her hand was still on mine. Any second, she would remove it, but it lingered. Her eyes turned hard and her face set in a sneer of hatred that did not suit her face.

  “Mori?”

  “Revenge,” she said simply, shaking out her hair so stars tumbled over my skin and hit the balcony. “That is what I want, and that is what I will have, one way or another.” Then she sucked in a deep breath and pulled her hand free. “I’m sorry, I’m having trouble understanding what’s happened. It’s taking its toll on me I’m afraid.”

  “Wanting revenge is understandable.”

  “Yes, but it’s folly, and I should know better,” she muttered. “The key is here, and it must be used before it’s too late. If not, if the races cannot combat this darkness and Baladon will rule not just these lands, but the human world, as well.”

  The notion that he could be strong enough one day to cross out of these realms and into the others was terrifying. Humans would be defenseless against him. There was no magic in their world, at least not as there was here. Once Baladon stole the rest of the power from the gods, from the realms themselves, he’d be able to break down the barriers separating us all and drag magic into a world that was far from ready for it. If we were to stop Baladon, it had to be here on our terms, not his.

  “Do you know anything of Sabella’s visions?” I hated to do it, but this wasn’t a time for peaceful conversation. Not when we were so far behind, and now possibly without our one advantage.

  “If I did, I would share, but visions are not a gift I have, and their meaning is only for the seer to unravel. I myself asked for more answers before being sent back, but… those were not for me to know it seems.”

  “And those who do have that ability? Who are they?” I asked, fearing that what Tristan stated earlier was true.

  Mori tilted her head curiously as she said, “Farrah for one. And Devon. Why?”

  “Damn it,” I cursed and slammed my fist on the railing. “He was right.”

  “Right about what? Forrest?”

  I was about to tell her, but a shadow moved across her eyes, and I bit back the words. She said Devon turned on the others because of the darkness lingering within him. Was there darkness still in her, too? Baladon might not have tried to drain her of her life, but she was with him for decades. A bit of his power might have latched onto her, be with her now and if it was…

  My mind said I was an idiot to doubt her, but my gut twisted uncomfortably. If there was a chance Mori could turn, or Baladon could use her, I had to be careful.

  “It’s nothing, we were merely double checking what we knew of the gods saved,” I lied.

  She pursed her lips, but didn’t try to argue.

  “What about dreams?” I asked, needing to change the subject quickly. I hadn’t meant to mention my dreams to her, but I couldn’t stop myself, wondering what she would think about me seeing her before. And it seemed the only topic that made sense to ask about at the moment since I was lying to her now.

  “I have told you, I don’t dream. Asking me for a meaning would be futile.”

  “Even if it’s you I saw in mine?”

  Mori’s eyes widened. “Me?”

  “Yes, a number of times,” I said softly. “And I had no idea who you were, but then we found you and saved you and I… I’m not even sure who you are.”

  She blinked quickly and stepped closer, so our arms touched, and a flicker of my dream came back to me. She’d been walking through the woods at night, her glow lighting the way and leaving behind a trail of stardust. When she’d turned to me, there were tears streaming down her cheeks, and her lips moved, but the words were lost to me. Each time, that was what I saw, and each time, I was never able to get to her. Or hear her.

  “I am a star,” she said in a breath, and tilted her head back to stare up into the darkness.

  “A star? But I thought you were the gatekeeper?”

  “I am both. I was plucked from the sky and shaped to be the gatekeeper, to watch over the paths to the gods just as I watch over the sky. The stars, the moon.”

  I leaned back far enough so I could see up into the sky, not that I saw anything but blackness. Baladon blocked out any light. The sun, the moon, and the stars. I longed to see them all again, and hated how accustomed I was becoming to it being darker than night all the time.

  “I wish I could see them now,” I mused.

  “I can,” she replied, and her hand reached out to rest on mine again. “I see them all shining brightly, fighting to pierce the night without end. When I was pulled from the heavens so many years ago, I was afraid, worried I would never be a part of such greatness again.”

  “But you are a goddess.”

  “Ah, but what’s better? Being a goddess or being a star that leads those below to their destinies?” She smiled sweetly, and once again my head told me to stop worrying she was afflicted, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. They darkened even more.

  I tensed in case she turned right then.

  But she took a breath and went on. “Then they gave me my duty, and I was torn for so many years on where I truly belonged.”

  Her words had turned sad, and it was my turn to move my hand, so I held hers in comfort.

  “Surely they’d let you return to the sky?”

  “They can’t, there’s no one else to guard the paths, not that there are many left to guard since Baladon has destroyed so much.”

  “And the orb?”

  Mori stiffened, and this time she did pull her hand away.

  I waited for her to send me away, but she said nothing for a long, long while.

  “The orb is now in his control,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “And with it, he can destroy the world as we know it.”

  5

  Mori

  What was happening to me? I longed to put my hand back in Forrest’s, but he confused me. Everything about this world did. I was not human, never had been. I was a star, burning brightly in the night sky until the gods called to me. Now I was here amongst those I watched over, and my senses were jumbled. I felt… strange. Off, in a way.

  That voice was still whispering incessantly in my mind. Promising failure and death.

  A few moments ago, when it spoke of how I would bring them all to ruin, Forrest tensed. Could he hear it? Did he know what resided within me now? I’d been trying to leave, that was what brought me to this balcony, but no one responded to my calls or brought me back to them. They’d probably fled by now; those Devon hadn’t killed.

  Or worse, taken them back to his new master. I prayed Agaris found a way to stop him before he harmed more of our family. I blamed Baladon for all the pain and sorrow in the world, but the voice… the voice was more than happy to remind me it was all me.

  You gave in. You let yourself succumb to the pain… what true gatekeeper lets the world fall instead of standing and fighting?

  I scrunched my eyes shut, willing the voice to quiet, and then Forrest spoke my name and the voice was hush
ed. Each time Forrest spoke, his deep voice tugged at me as if he was reaching out to my very soul and chasing away the darkness, without even knowing it.

  And his dreaming of me, what did that mean?

  “Mori?” he said again.

  I opened my eyes to find those blue ones narrowed.

  “Apologies, I was lost in my thoughts.”

  “Understandable. You’ve been through quite the ordeal. I would say you should get some rest, but if you don’t sleep, guess it’s pointless.”

  “But the sentiment is a comfort. Thank you, for worrying.”

  Why had I said that? He shouldn’t worry for me. Should he? I could very well turn out to harm every living soul in this castle, and he was trying to comfort me. The realization of the destruction I could cause hadn’t occurred to him yet. If it had, they would’ve locked me up by now. Our shoulders brushed together, and I bit my lip at the odd warmth rushing over me starting from that spot.

  “These dreams of yours, did I speak to you?” I asked.

  He nodded, and I held my breath, but then he said, “I could never hear the words.”

  “How long ago did these dreams start?”

  He sighed as he rested his forearms on the railing, his muscles bulging beneath the tight sleeves of his shirt and I found myself admiring his physique. I’d been alone for most of my long existence, with nothing but statues and my guards to keep me company. Not that I ever tried to seek out someone to chase away my loneliness. I thought I was happy as I was. Being around Forrest made me feel almost as if I’d been sleeping all that time, and only now was I truly coming alive.

  Until you turn on him and the others…

  “A few weeks? Not every night, but enough so that I noticed,” he said.

  And the voice was silenced immediately.

  “Interesting,” was all I could think to say.

  “What happened to you?”

  I stiffened, turning away from him. “I’m not certain what you mean.”

  I sensed his uneasiness, and he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Baladon, he kidnapped you, didn’t he? How? I thought the gatekeeper would be well protected.”