Page 55 of Darkness Births the Stars #1
“But why?” The question had haunted me since Noctis told me what had happened after his sentencing. “I can understand that he spared his brother’s life. He always hesitated to cross that last line. But why not tell me the truth?”
Briseis put a finger to her lips in thought. “It weakened you. Ultimately, it removed you from the political playing field. Aramaz rules alone now.”
Had I just been too blind to see that my husband could act so ruthlessly? If Noctis’s supposed death had not shattered me—my mind only fractured pieces, my very being drowning in despair—things might have turned out differently.
“Would you have spared him, even if it meant destroying the world?”
One of the angry questions Aramaz had thrown at me during our last terrible fight.
I had not answered. And it must have told him the truth.
Of how close I had come to choosing his brother over the ages, how close to abandoning him.
No longer an unreliable ally, but a threat that had to be contained.
“Noctis always said Aramaz couldn’t hold on to his power without me.” There had been a time when I believed him. Unfortunately, I also knew my power was part of the reason he had desired to make me his queen. These days, I wondered if either of the two men in my life had ever wanted me for myself.
“Did the king know that, though? He had no qualms about branding you a traitor in front of the entire world,” Briseis said, interrupting my bitter thoughts. “If I learned one thing at my father’s court, it’s that men overestimate their power and importance, while we underrate ours.”
She paused as her stall came into view. Varien and Alona’s laughter drifted over to us.
The two children were talking with a customer, trying to sell their wares with their antics.
Only a head smaller than his mother and me, the young half-Elvish boy favored his Human father in height, if not in much else.
He had inherited Briseis’s golden locks and brilliant blue eyes, as well as her passionate temper.
Four years older than him, Alona was barely taller.
The Drakuul’s features were sharper than Varien’s; small scales covered her cheeks and temples, curling up over her forehead into small golden horns, and the red and orange of her hair and scales was a vivid contrast to her silvery skin.
She jumped back quickly as Varien demonstrated the aim of a bow he and his mother had made, using her strong tail, covered in larger, darker red scales, to keep her balance.
Briseis’s face hardened as she took in the children. “If Noctis plans something that endangers us…”
I immediately reached for her hands, meeting her gaze with unwavering determination. “I will never let any harm come to Varien, you, or anyone else in Dalath. That is a vow I will not break.” I would rather die than let my weakness hurt anyone again.
The children caught sight of us, Varien greeting me with a happy scream of “Aunt Rada!” I staggered back a step as they threw themselves into my arms. Alona grinned up at me, showing her sharp canines.
“My favorite little troublemakers!” Warmth surged through me at their uncomplicated affection, my fierce conviction to protect them only deepening. With a wink, I pulled a deceptively simple-looking stone from my pocket. “The Pixies might have left something for you.”
Blue and golden eyes widened as I split the stone into two, revealing glittering shades of indigo, turquoise, and green at the breaking point.
“Lapis lazuli,” I explained, giving one piece to Varien and the other to Alona. “Two halves that form a whole, concealing their beauty within. It’s considered a symbol of enduring friendship.”
“Wow,” Varien exclaimed, hugging me again. “You’re the best.”
Alona’s gratitude was quieter, shown through a smile and a swift gesture with her claw-tipped hand.
Her silence wasn’t due to a lack of feeling; she hadn’t spoken since the tragic day she lost her family to dragon fire—the same day Kyree lost his wing.
Over time, we had all become adept at interpreting the sign language she and the Aerieth had crafted together.
Yet it was Varien who seemed to understand her best, the pair inseparable whenever Briseis and her son came down to Dalath.
“When can we visit you again, Aunt Rada?” Varien asked, dragging me over to their stall. “Ma says not before the end of summer, with all the work there is, but… ”
Even after they had relocated to their cozy hut on the Ridge, their visits to my farm had remained frequent. But that was before I had gained an unexpected houseguest.
“We will see.” I exchanged a look with Briseis, ruffling Varien’s hair. “We can always meet here, though,” I assured him, noting his crestfallen look.
“Alona and I have a customer,” he said, suddenly recalling the cloaked figure in front of the stall. He waved at her with excitement. “This lady is in need of a new bow, and it’s well known that we craft the finest bows in all of Lasgallen.”
“Then we should certainly assist her,” Briseis replied, chuckling as she moved to select several bows for the customer. “Please forgive my son; his enthusiasm knows no bounds.”
“There’s no need for concern,” the woman responded, her smile evident even beneath the shadow of her hood. “There’s nothing quite as endearing as a child’s pure joy and the display of steadfast friendship.”
I observed her thoughtfully as Briseis showed her bows made out of different types of wood.
“This one feels right. Your son didn’t exaggerate, miss. You make the wood sing.” After trying several bowstrings, she settled on one and asked Briseis to pack it up for her.
Her gentle, lilting accent caused me to halt in recognition. It was rare to encounter a Dryad so far from the Forest of Bar-ak-alein. The children of Tanez despised being away from their trees.
“ The raging storm may bend a single tree, but the forest endures ,” I said in melodic Tri-telac.
She spun around in surprise, her hood falling away to reveal a cascade of dark brown curls and a warm, oval face, her hazel eyes and smooth brown skin being her most striking features .
“Forgive me,” I said, noticing the fragment of a broken horn amid her wild curls. A Dryad’s horns only broke if her tree perished, often leading to her own death. “I did not mean to evoke painful memories.”
The Dryad composed herself and adjusted her hood. “It’s been ages since I’ve heard those words. It feels like another lifetime.”
“The war stripped much from many.”
“Indeed, it did,” she replied, her gaze locking onto mine with an unusual intensity. “Yet it also paved the way for new beginnings. Take this delightful village—a sanctuary for all beings of Aron-Lyr. You are fortunate to be living here.”
The hairs on my nape rose in sudden awareness, a chill running down my spine. Something tugged at the edges of my mind with a hiss, a sharp pain radiating from my temple. An answering spark pulsed deep within me.
The Dryad’s face jerked to the left as if she had heard an inaudible sound.
Her expression shifted from serene to alarmed in an instant.
“Excuse me,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I fear I have to leave.” And then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd, the odd sensation that had taken hold of me vanishing with her.
“Well, that was strange,” Briseis remarked after her customer had left, tucking away the handful of silver coins she had received.
“I’ve had enough of strange for today,” I scoffed, my thoughts racing. Had the Dryad probed my mind with magic? And if so, what had made her stop? Had she found something suspicious?
My gaze flicked up to the sky, worry rising within me as I noted how late it was. The sun hung low, casting long shadows across the market square. I would have to hurry if I wanted to be back at the farm before nightfall.
“Be careful,” I said to Briseis, squeezing her hand. “We will meet here again in a tenday. ”
She gave me a concerned look, her eyes searching mine. “What are you planning to do?”
Mysterious magic users and unknown attackers—my visit to the village had done nothing to diminish my dark premonition. I could no longer allow my fear of the past to guide my actions.
“You are right,” I said, my voice steady. “We cannot ignore what Noctis’s presence here might mean. I will find out what he knows. And if he is serious about wanting to rein in Chaos’s destructive power… then I am going to get him to help us.”