Page 28 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

“Always stay away from any sign of lightning,” Belekoroz advised, the touch of his mind to mine surprisingly courteous. “The magical storms on this plain can be vicious.”

I stayed by his side as we floated through this strange, foreign world, his companionship more reassuring than I liked to admit. He was astonishingly well-behaved now, his mind-voice holding only traces of the arrogance I was used to as he pointed out anything of interest.

Suddenly, something curious caught my attention—something even darker than the endless twilight of the Other, looming ominously to our right.

Intrigued, I instinctively drifted closer, shifting back into my corporeal form at the edge of the bottomless chasm before me.

An involuntary shiver ran through me as I stared into the deep vortex.

“Ah, the Abyss,” Belekoroz’s voice sounded as he joined me.

His presence towered behind me, making me acutely aware of my vulnerability.

If he wanted to get rid of me, now would be the perfect time.

I reached unobtrusively for my power. Belekoroz’s lip lifted in a taunting smile as he stepped next to me.

“Careful, my queen. You should definitely stay away from that.”

“What is this place?” I asked, trying to mask my sudden nervousness. My voice sounded disconcertingly small and fragile in the vast emptiness around us.

A gust of wind tangled my red hair with his dark locks, the enticing scent of him teasing my nose.

“I don’t know,” he said, his gaze on the Abyss.

“I doubt anyone does.” His voice carried a note of pain and bitterness.

“The place where the Allfather disposed of all the terrible failures of his attempts at creation, perhaps,” he continued, a wistful softness on his face that I had never glimpsed before. “Most of them, that is.”

For the first time, compassion for Belekoroz stirred to life in my heart. Compassion and curiosity. Did he regret some of his deeds? Was Aramaz right? Did a part of his brother want to return to the light of our Maker?

But then a bitter chuckle escaped him, a harsh twist to his mouth as if he rued his moment of weakness. His eyes were piercing as they shifted to me, the vulnerability replaced by a steely resolve. “Or something beyond his power. Something that could threaten even him.”

I reeled back. Of course he had never let go of his delusion of rebellion. The only thing he regretted was his failure.

“That is blasphemy,” I chastised him, all righteous indignation. “Nothing is outside the Allfather’s purview.”

Instead of the irritation I expected, Belekoroz only flashed an icily condescending smirk at me.

“How boring,” he mocked. “But then, you have always been an obedient little thing.” His shadows tugged playfully on a lock of my hair as he glided behind me, the tendrils of darkness curling around the fiery strands like serpents. “Must be tiring.”

I whirled around, not foolish enough to allow him at my back again. “Whereas you bring only conflict and destruction wherever you go.”

My defiant words sent a flicker of annoyance across his face. “Brilliant acts of creation require a certain amount of fire,” he retorted heatedly. His eyes roamed over me with open derision. “Not that I think you would recognize a spark if it set your pretty skirts aflame.”

So that was what he thought of me. That I was a coward and a fool, lacking ambition and imagination, content to play his brother’s little queen, wielding no power of my own. The realization stung, a sharp pang of anger and hurt twisting in my chest .

Arrogant bastard. How dare he. He knew nothing about me.

“By the Allfather, you think you’re better than all of us, don’t you?” I laughed coldly, barely keeping my temper in check. “Believe me, you are not.”

Belekoroz growled, shadows pulsing around him. “You can hardly compare me to the likes of Sha’am.”

“Ah, forgive me,” I said with mock sympathy, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I forgot you are afraid of him.”

“I am not—”

He was in front of me in an instant, his rage a living, breathing thing between us.

Traces of his power escaped him as his corporeal form frayed at the edges, shadowy veins twisting and churning beneath his pale skin.

The air around us crackled with dark energy, the shadows deepening and swirling in response to his fury.

“I am the most powerful of the Aurea,” Belekoroz snarled.

The words hit me with the force of a hammer blow, demanding my deference. Finally catching a hint of the burning resentment and jealousy I ignited in him, I realized I had been right. He would love to get rid of me.

And still I stood firm underneath the onslaught of his magic and his ire, my Light flickering over my skin in agitation.

I used just enough power to resist cowering in front of him.

Giving in to the violent urge that whispered insidiously that I should retaliate would not help my plans.

It served me well if he thought my magic was weaker than his.

If he underestimated me, he was more likely to make a mistake. And when he was furious…

My gaze boldly meeting the pools of dark fire Belekoroz’s eyes had become, I said, “The most arrogant, perhaps.”

My hopes of pushing him to his breaking point were dashed as he regained control, the haughty sneer returning to his lips. The shadows around him seemed to settle, the dark energy receding slightly.

“You can’t deny there’s only one of our brethren who could hope to match me in power.” He laughed mirthlessly, circling me like a predator its prey. “And I assure you, if we ever fought one-on-one, I would be victorious.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I snarled, my pride stung, my gaze never leaving him. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

To my surprise, my words made Belekoroz freeze, his expression of nearly comical confusion shifting first into astonishment, and then into terrifying glee.

“Oh,” he crowed, the wild light in his eyes dancing with unwilling mirth as he stared at me as if seeing me for the very first time.

“Oh. This is golden.” Even white teeth sank into his full bottom lip before he shook his head in lingering disbelief.

“You thought of yourself,” he said, grinning as if he had caught me at something forbidden and was rejoicing in the fact.

“And not of my brother, your mighty king.”

I realized I had made a mistake and frantically tried to salvage what I could. “No, I meant—”

“You think you can take me on.” Belekoroz left no room for diversion. “That is incredibly interesting.”

My breath caught in my throat when his hand came up between us once more.

“Have you been keeping secrets, my little queen?”

The touch to my cheek was not skin-on-skin but a whisper of his magic. Even he did not dare more. I reacted without thinking, my power flaring up, a sharp slap in response to his insolent caress.

“I think that is enough for today,” I snapped, furious at myself for letting him provoke me. A part of me longed to get away from him, to flee his vexing presence until I could calm myself and regroup. “I want to go back now.”

Despite the painful bite of my Light into his skin, Belekoroz’s face remained coldly amused. “Oh, I angered you. That was not my intention.” He tilted his head and shrugged, another smug smile on his face. “Or perhaps it was. I often can’t help myself among all you stuck-up, self-important little—”

“Do not worry,” I interrupted icily. “For you to anger me, I would need to care about your opinion of me… or anything else about you, for that matter.”

My insult made him press his lips together, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Spoken like a true daughter of the Allfather,” he forced out. “He and Aramaz must be so proud of you.”

Suddenly, I felt ashamed. Not because I cared if my words had hurt him—I most certainly did not. No, it was because my volatile emotions were jeopardizing my plans to expose his true nature and have him exiled from Aron-Lyr.

How could I truthfully tell Aramaz I wasn’t to blame for Belekoroz’s actions when I had provoked him as much as he had provoked me?

Besides, wouldn’t it be wiser to learn as much as possible from him about this fascinating place before making a move?

I might really be able to find a way to create my guiding lights here.

“Should we return to the entrance of the Other, my queen?” His overly polite inquiry ripped me out of my agitated thoughts.

I had to do something. Had to rekindle the intrigue I had sensed in him earlier somehow, or this might be my only venture into the Other.

“Race me?”

The words escaped my lips before I could think, my corporeal form falling away just as quickly. I plunged into the currents of magic flowing around us without hesitation, flying recklessly over the endless plain beneath me, the Abyss a mere blur.

But the one I was competing against had traveled the Other for ages, knowing every trick to ensure his victory. Darkness soon closed around me, Belekoroz’s mind brushing against mine in an open taunt as he overtook me.

I couldn’t let him win; his gloating would be unbearable.

Gathering my resolve, I veered left, coming dangerously close to the looming Abyss.

Belekoroz’s confused outcry echoed in my mind as he instinctively slowed to see my next move.

The maelstrom’s untamed power surged against me, and I used the boost to sail effortlessly to our entry point in the Other, leaving him behind.

The sensation of the chaotic energy propelling me forward was exhilarating, a wild rush through my veins.

I shifted back to my corporeal form, heart racing with the thrill of my stunt, a satisfied smile on my face as Belekoroz followed moments later. “Ah, there you are,” I remarked cheekily.

Belekoroz didn’t share my enjoyment of our little race. I should have known he’d be a sore loser.

“Are you completely and utterly insane?” he growled, something fierce flashing in his eyes. “I told you not to go too close to the Abyss.”

If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought I detected a strange note of unease in his voice. Perhaps he hadn’t yet figured out how to explain my disappearance if he got rid of me now.

“I won,” I said defensively. “That’s what counts.” I raised my chin boldly, meeting his gaze. “It seems I was right, and I can take you on.”

He stared at me for a long moment, breathing deeply, his expression unreadable. I became acutely aware of my tangled hair, a few strands plastered against my skin, flushed with excitement.

And then he laughed .

Not the cold, condescending laugh I had heard so often. No, a real laugh. Head thrown back, eyes closed, the sound scratchy and rough as if he wasn’t used to it. I had never seen him laugh like this. I hadn’t even known he could.

He abruptly trailed off with a choked cough, his gaze almost shy as it met mine. His face was utterly transformed, a tantalizing softness in his expression that made something tight and hot coil in my belly. What, I wondered, would it take to make him laugh like that again?

“Little cheater,” he commented, but there was no bite in his words. On the contrary. That hungry curiosity was back in his dark, glittering eyes as he watched me.

I could not help but feel the same.

This was all part of my plan. I needed to find out more about the Other, needed to lure him in to prove his guilt.

My actions had nothing to do with the fact that Belekoroz, my intended’s brother, the Dark One, had a surprisingly pleasant laugh.

Ignoring the way back to Lyrheim, just one single step away, I turned toward the depths of the Other again and threw a challenging look over my shoulder.

“Do you want a rematch?”