Page 39 of Between These Broken Hearts (Cursed Stars #2)

I dreamed of my brother again. Of that other life he planted in my mind. Of being in my own body and never having to hide.

Then I dreamed of a beautiful dark-haired faerie passing me a cherubic blue-eyed baby girl, and when I held her in my arms,

I knew I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to protect her.

Misha skims his gaze over me a few times before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t think anything could take me by surprise after

how well you impersonated Jasalyn, but every time you take a new form, it’s still hard for me to believe it’s you.”

“It’s probably best that you forget,” I say, glancing down at myself. Sol’s tall and lean and has dark hair that’s loose around

her shoulders and flows down to the middle of her back. Because watching someone move and talk is better than being told,

Misha let Storm into my mind to show me his brief interactions with her. It’s more than her traditional beauty, though. She

has an air about her that exudes confidence and power. It’s the perfect match to Misha’s energy.

It’s the first time I’ve seen him since what he told me yesterday afternoon, and while I would’ve loved nothing more than to wake in my own body and put his words to the test, I couldn’t do that—because I assume my father’s still looking for me, and because I need to be Sol today.

“Learn anything useful in your dreams?” Misha asks.

Focus, Felicity. “There’s a child—a baby girl. I think Sol is a grandmother. And I think she would do anything to protect that child.”

He flinches.

“What is it?”

“That’s the kind of information I hope we never have to exploit,” he says. “Let’s go. Pretha said Sol just arrived at Castle

Craige, so we need to hurry.”

“You’re sure we have to go back that way?” I ask Misha as I glance toward the mirror we just walked through—a mirror that

now looks entirely ordinary. There’s nothing ordinary about where we just came from. The Hall of Doors is worse than the sanctuary

he took me to while I was staying at Castle Craige. When we walked down the corridor toward his revered elder, the Jewel of

Peace, I didn’t think I’d ever be in a place as disconcerting as that. I was wrong.

“As far as we know, that’s the only way in or out of the Eloran Palace.” After a quick survey of the room—a space that looks

like a rarely utilized office—he opens the door to the hall. Does any of this look familiar to you? he asks, switching to speaking into my mind.

We pass room after room and I don’t see anything I recognize until— “In here.” I tug him to follow me and turn into the library. My mind is flooded with memories of playing in here when I was a child, of my mother reading to me, of—

Illusions. These are just illusions.

“There.” I point to the opposite side of the library, where another doorway leads into a hall I know from my memories.

“This is as good a place for you to remain unseen as any,” I say, looking around.

“It wouldn’t be impossible to explain it away if I was seen here with Sol.”

“And if we run into Konner? And what about anyone else who might know you’re the one who rescued me?”

He sighs. “Keep your mind open to me. I can get to you quickly if you need me.” He gives my hand a hard squeeze.

“It will be okay,” I say. I’m not sure why I feel the need to reassure him, but he seems more on edge today than usual.

The moment I turn out of the library, my surroundings click into place in my mind. It’s eerily easy to navigate through the

palace’s maze of hallways. It doesn’t feel like a strange place I only know from maps. It feels like... like home .

“Sol,” someone calls from the hall to my left. I freeze. “Where have you been? I’ve been hunting for you all morning.”

I turn slowly and have to focus on keeping the shock from my face when I realize it’s Konner. “Hello.”

He grins. “Come with me. I have a surprise.”

I grimace. “I’m in the middle of something. Surely it can wait.”

What do I do? I ask Misha in my mind.

“It can’t, though,” Konner says. “It won’t take long at all.” He takes my hand and tugs me along like a little boy excitedly dragging his mother toward some new toy. “You want to see this. I promise.”

Calm down and use your gift , Misha says in my mind.

Using my gift is what got me into this mess.

Not your Echo gift, the other one. Feel out their relationship. How does he feel for Sol? Is this just professional or is

it personal?

Misha’s right, and I’m more than a little embarrassed I didn’t think of it myself. Konner seems almost giddy as he pulls me

through the halls, and I realize my thought of him as a little boy was coming from their connection. She’s like a mother to

him. Interesting.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m just busy today.”

“I promise this is worth it.”

I let him lead me down the hall, then follow him into a room at the back of an isolated corridor. When he opens the door,

I’m met with sunshine and the smell of clean laundry and milk.

A young fae woman with long, dark hair sits in a chair by the window, a babe with white curls cradled in her arms. Her eyes

light up when she sees me, and though she strikes me as familiar, I can’t quite place her. “Did you tell her?”

“I thought she might want to see for herself,” Konner says.

I look back and forth between them, trying to act as natural as possible. Who is this female and why did Konner bring one

of the Seven to see her and her baby? “See what?”

Konner laughs. “You are distracted today, aren’t you? I think this is the first time I’ve had you here that you didn’t immediately demand to hold

her.”

The female brushes her hair behind her shoulder and spins the baby to face me. The infant’s chewing on her fist, drool rolling down her chin.

“Act like you’re leaving, Mom,” she says.

Mom. That is why she looks familiar. I saw them in my dream. She’s Sol’s daughter, and this is Sol’s grandchild—Konner’s daughter.

My niece , I realize with a flip in my stomach.

I reach toward the door behind me and open it, pretending to leave, as instructed.

Konner lifts the baby from the mother’s arms. “You have to wave and say bye,” he instructs me.

The baby girl looks up at him with wide eyes and says, “Bye-bye!” opening and closing her chubby little fist.

“That’s right,” Konner coos. “Tell Mamaw bye-bye!”

“Bye-bye,” the baby girl repeats with a giggle.

“Precious,” I breathe, and heat pricks my eyes.

“See why I didn’t want you to miss it?” Konner says, but his full attention is on the child in his arms.

“She’s so beautiful.” I do want to hold her, just as Sol would, but I’m afraid if I do I’ll never be able to convince myself

to let go.

These people are my family. No matter how I feel about the Seven or my brother, that will always be true. They’re my family

and this might be the only time I ever get to see my niece.

“Now all we need is Konner’s sister to do her thing and maybe we can stop hiding,” the child’s mother says.

“She’s scared,” Konner says. “The oracle told her that her brother would die if she killed Erith.”

She presses her lips into a thin line. “ You are her brother.”

He looks almost sad. “Not in any way that counts.”

“I still think we should tell her about Leia. Maybe she would help us to protect her.”

Konner shakes his head. “We can’t trust her. No matter how much we might want to. She was raised by our enemies and brought

up to believe that the Seven should be abolished.” His throat bobs. “You should’ve seen how quick she was to kill Orlen. She

wouldn’t have done that if she was interested in understanding me or capable of believing that we’re all not like Erith.”

The young female looks to me and I realize I’m just staring at them—staring and trying to piece everything together. “Mom,

what’s wrong with you? Isn’t this where you usually go into your tirade about how the concept of the Seven has been corrupted

and how you have a vision for the future that brings it all back to where it belongs?”

I swallow hard and sigh. “I’m feeling a little off today,” I say, hoping this response isn’t completely out of character.

Konner frowns at me. “She’s worried about the alliance with King Misha.”

Sol told Konner about her plans, then. “Can you blame me?”

“But it was still worth it, right?” the female asks. “Seeing Leia one more time before we leave?” She stands and wraps one

arm around Konner, leaning her head on his shoulder. The sight of him with a baby in his arms and his partner at his side

makes me sentimental for a life that might’ve been—a life where I was close to my brother and friends with his wife, where

I got to watch his children grow up. Tears prick at the back of my nose.

“Mom!” she says, stepping away from Konner and pulling me into her embrace. “Don’t cry. I’ll be fine, though I wish I could tell you where to find us.”

“Tulle, we talked about this,” Konner says.

“It’s better that I don’t know?” It comes out like a question. I’m off my game, but neither of them seems to notice.

“We’ll see each other again soon.” She looks to Konner. “Just as soon as someone meets her destiny.”

I squeeze her in return and let myself imagine that other life for just a beat longer than I should. When Sol realizes we

made her miss this goodbye, she’ll hate us for sure. And I can’t even blame her.

Konner hands the child off to her mother and kisses her on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a few,” he says before leading me out

of the room.

Once we’re several steps down the hall, he blows out a long breath. “I know we don’t really have a choice, but I don’t want

her to go.”

“What else can you do?” I ask, because it seems like a safe response and because I want to know more. Is Leia the secret Squird

mentioned? Is she the new variable?

“It was one thing to have them here when Leia was smaller and no one would question who their father was, but...” He gives

a bashful shrug.

“She’s starting to look like you,” I say.

“Exactly. And Erith will be back soon.” He scrapes a hand over his face. “It’s better to hide them until this is all handled.”

“I...” I swallow hard. “You’re so young.” This is my twin brother. I can’t imagine thinking about children yet, and meanwhile he has one he has to keep hidden.

He coughs out a laugh and shakes his head at me. “I thought you were done with that lecture once Leia arrived.”

I flash what I hope looks like a concerned, maternal smile. “Call it motherly concern.”

“I wish we’d understood the prophecy better before. Wish we’d have taken the time to think about where his power came from.

But we didn’t, and I can’t regret her.”

“Neither can I,” I say softly.

“I hate all of this. I wish I could’ve just talked to my sister when I had her. I wish there’d been a way to make her understand—to

make her see it from my point of view.” He stops in front of the double doors of the library and shoves his hands into his

pockets. “Thank you for meeting with Misha today. I would’ve gone with you, but after everything with Felicity...”

“I understand,” I lie.

“You go soon?”

“I’m supposed to be there already,” I say. “But he can wait.”

“I’ll be here when you return. I want to hear everything.”

“Of course.”

He steps out of the way, and I should let him go, but instead I hear myself call out, “Konner?”

He turns back to me and my heart swells. “Thank you for taking me to see her. I would’ve hated to miss that.”

“I know.” He winks and then strolls away, leaving me with nothing to do but return to my mission.

My head spins as I step into the library to cut through to the hall where Natan told me I’d find the Chronicles. I find the hidden stairwell behind the back row of books, and when I’m sure no one is watching, I climb up and duck inside the dark room at the top of the steps.

I feel the power in the room before I even find what I’m looking for. It pulses like a living thing and calls me toward the

panel on the opposite wall. My hand shakes as I lift it to the screen, but a low hum buzzes through the room and the walls

before me slide away, revealing another wall of books.

The Chronicles.

“What do you think you’re doing in here?”

I freeze, mid-reach, too scared to turn around. Sol wouldn’t be scared. She belongs here and has as much right to the information on these shelves as anyone else.

I make myself face the male behind me with confidence and fury in my eyes. I’m planning to give him a piece of my mind until

I see who it is.

“Shae.” His name slips out before I can catch myself. Shit. Shit shit shit . I better hope Sol is supposed to know his name. I school my expression and fold my arms. “Why do you think I’d take orders

from you?” I ask, sneering as I look him over.

There’s no reason he should recognize that I’m not really Sol, but I’ve never used my Echo abilities in front of Shae when

he didn’t already know it was me.

“You think we don’t know what you’ve been up to?

” he asks. “All the whispers and the sound shields and the secret meetings. ‘Sol thinks she can save the world from greed and tyranny just because her grandmother was one of the original Seven,’” he mocks, then chuckles.

“Don’t worry. A lot of people fall victim to that.

I know because I was raised around them.

Thank the gods Erith offered me the deal of a lifetime or I’d still be stuck with those idiots. ”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you get it? None of this matters. The threads of fate are stitched too far now. There’s no going back.”

I need him to leave if I’m going to access the Chronicles, but how? I lift my chin. “Did you need something?”

He frowns and looks me over. “You seem different today....”

“That’s because I’m trying to decide how to execute you.” It takes everything in me to still my hands, and all the shaking

I’m stopping on the outside seems to have relocated to my stomach. If he realizes it’s really me, I’m as good as dead.

He cocks his head to the side, then in the next second, he’s behind me, his dagger to my throat. “How did you get in here,

Felicity, and what did you do with Sol?”