Page 67 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

CHAPTER

Rada

I let the once golden grains trickle through my fingers, a frown on my face.

A black substance clung to them, the slimy sensation as it stuck to my skin making me shudder in revulsion.

I wiped my hand clean and moved to the next crate of my stores.

A curse escaped my lips; the sight was the same.

Rot. My entire supply of grain had spoiled.

“What’s the matter?” Noctis leaned in through the door of the storage room, a questioning look on his face. When I showed him the rotten grain, his expression darkened. “Does that happen often?” he asked, a worried gleam in his eyes.

“From time to time,” I answered with a sigh. “I bought most of the grain at the beginning of winter. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a delivery has been corrupted.”

His lips pressed into a thin line as he stared down at my now useless stores. “Will it be a problem? The araks have grazed down the entire pasture behind the farm.”

He was right. The herd had been outside on my fields for an entire tenday now.

I motioned for Noctis to accompany me into the central space of the barn, the scent of hay and arak dung heavy in the air.

“We can bring them up into the summer pasture in the hills,” I said, going over to Alma to pet her massive head.

“It’s the right time of the year. Only…”

Noctis looked at me when I trailed off. “Only?”

I hesitated. Part of me was still reluctant to tell him about the recent mysterious attacks in the area, and that I planned to go to Dalath in order to protect the village. First I had to find out what he knew.

“I’m a bit nervous about leaving them there on their own,” I tried to deflect.“With those Serai lurking around…”

“Mmm,” Noctis murmured, twirling a blade of straw around his fingers, his eyes narrowing in thought. “You have an Air stone, don’t you?” he said after a moment. “Together with mine, we could set up a magical field around the araks that should repel any predators.”

I stared at him, my mind racing with possibilities.

It might actually work. Mayor Brim had promised to acquire more grain, so we only had to get through a tenday or two.

It would also do the araks good to spend some time outside in the pastures before Adesh and his soldiers took over caring for them.

We would need to confine them mostly to the barn during that time.

Besides, bringing them up into the hills would give me the perfect excuse to be on the lookout for those unknown attackers in the coming days.

I would take my spear and the Fire stone with me, ready for any eventuality.

“That’s a splendid idea,” I told Noctis, a wide smile spreading across my face.

A few hours later, we were on our way. Nacin’s muscular body shifted beneath me as I urged the black stallion along the line of my araks, trudging up the winding trail into the hills.

Noctis’s loud clapping drew my gaze to him at the end of the line.

He was likely reprimanding Itzi, who had tried to slink past him to pluck some tempting wildflowers at the edge of the path.

Alma, leading the way, gave a loud moan, her big brown head shaking.

The herd fell into slight agitation as Itzi broke into a gentle trot to join the matriarch at the front.

Soon, the araks calmed, a long line of huge, dark shapes moving steadily up the path. I grinned and spurred Nacin on to overtake them. This was a lot easier than in previous years. Despite the turmoil Noctis stirred in my heart, we worked well together.

The araks quickened their pace as the familiar green slopes of their summer pastures came into view, their excited sounds filling the balmy air.

I laughed, their joy sending a warmth through me that drowned out even my earlier worries.

I jumped off Nacin and affectionately patted their shaggy flanks as they passed through the gate I opened for them.

My smile lingered as Noctis helped me close the gate after I fetched my spear from Nacin’s saddle and coaxed the horse inside. The proud stallion shook his head in disdain at the prospect of sharing his pasture with the araks, even briefly.

“Well, that went well,” I said, relieved we had gotten my little herd up here without incident.

Noctis ran a hand through his hair, tousling it, the dark strands seeming to drink in the bright sunlight. “For the most part, yes. But I swear, if Itzi tries to run me over one more time…”

I nudged his shoulder playfully. “Vexed by a fellow troublemaker?”

Noctis’s lip twitched, but he didn’t return my ribbing.

Instead, he surveyed the green hills, vibrant with summer blooms in a dozen different colors.

I followed his gaze. So far, I had detected nothing suspicious, and the weather was clear, not a single cloud in the sky.

All thoughts of dark threats and Chaos stirring once more seemed far away.

“We should watch them for a while before heading back to the farm, to make sure they settle in.” I dropped onto a plush patch of grass by the fence, my spear beside me, and patted the space next to me invitingly.

Noctis sat down without another word, and a comfortable silence descended between us as we watched the herd graze.

A yawn escaped me, the exhaustion of the last tendays catching up with me.

“Rest a little,” Noctis suggested. “I’ll keep watch.”

I was so tired that I accepted his offer. The grass was soft beneath me as I let myself fall back; the familiar sounds of the araks and the slight breeze caressing my skin quickly lulled me to sleep.

Darkness. The trickle of water. The first touch on my skin made me groan in unbearable agony. A sigh of relief escaped me as soothing healing magic slowly lessened the pain. Tender hands held me afloat, my entire body submerged in wonderfully cool liquid, only hazy images reaching my mind.

Dark, tormented eyes. The unhewn rocky ceiling of a cave. A trinket of feathers and glittering stones that swayed in a gentle breeze. The unsettling odor of burnt skin and ashes.

“Saeraery, I am sorry, so sorry.”

The hoarse whisper brought a pain that made the hurt in my body appear insignificant. How could anyone feel even a shred of compassion for me after what I had done?

“Monster, monster,” I forced out of parched, bleeding lips, my voice cracking. The touch on my skin stilled .

I awoke with a gasp. My heart raced, a stray tear trailing down my cheek. The dark terror that had gripped me gradually faded. Sensation by sensation, reality returned: the mild summer air, the scent of flowers, a firm, reassuring warmth against my cheek.

I blinked at the brilliance of the green grass, the blue sky above almost otherworldly in its intensity. A huge, dark brown shape crossed my vision. Alma, grazing contently.

Long fingers gently combed through my hair, accompanied by a soft hum. “Shh. You had a nightmare.”

The comforting warmth beside me was Noctis’s leg.

I ordered myself to sit up and move away, to bring some much-needed distance between us.

My body did not obey my mind’s half-hearted commands.

On the contrary. My racing heartbeat shouldn’t have calmed at his touch.

But it did. I shouldn’t have closed my eyes, basking in his presence.

But I did. He shouldn’t have made me feel safe. But he did.

“How long have I been asleep?” I whispered, my voice too loud against the tranquil background of crickets chirping in the tall grass and the occasional moan of an arak.

“Less than an hour,” Noctis murmured, seeming as reluctant as I was to break the peaceful atmosphere. “You needed the rest. I only woke you because you seemed distressed.”

It was an offer to share what troubled me so.

I idly plucked a small lilac flower from the grass.

“I can’t even remember what I dreamed about.

” Not an outright lie; I genuinely couldn’t recall any details.

Yet my nightmares were always about the same things: the fall of Yggdrasil, the war, his sentencing.

Noctis did not pry further, his steady caress of my hair unwavering. But he probably knew.

“You were right. It is beautiful here. Peaceful,” he said, his voice tinged with unusual wistfulness. I moved my head, catching a hint of vulnerability on his face. Do you long for peace? I might have asked. Are you also plagued by nightmares?

Monsters don’t have nightmares, Sha’am and many others allied with the side of Order would say.

Nor do they deserve peace. Perhaps my life would be simpler if I could divide everything and everyone into neat little categories of black and white as well.

Light and Darkness, Chaos and Order, Good and Evil.

But I knew better. I had touched the heart of Darkness and seen the sparks of brightest Light amid the shadows.

Noctis was haunted by more ghosts than I could ever fathom.

As for what he deserved… Despite all he had done, I had never fully condemned him.

I clung to a last sliver of hope against all odds.

No judgment between us . It held true, even now.

I reached up to his face, a cheeky smile lifting my lips as I placed my little flower behind his ear. “You would make such a lovely flower girl.”

Noctis shot me a narrow-eyed glare that likely would have sent his troops scattering in blind panic. I ignored it, my hand lingering, toying absentmindedly with a few dark locks of his hair.

“Your hair is getting too long,” I said.

Its softness and the stark contrast against his pale skin had always fascinated me.

It seemed to come alive, entwining around my fingers like living shadows.

I could understand why he had cut it shorter than it had been during his time as a god, though.

Without magic, it was a chore to care for.

“Are you offering to cut it for me?” Noctis’s voice held a slight rasp, betraying how much my touch affected him.