Page 91 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

CHAPTER

Noctis

E ven after all those ages, Baradaz could still get behind my defenses and send me reeling.

The comforting flame of her presence flared brighter than ever within me as I gently scooped her up to carry her indoors after she had succumbed to sleep.

She grumbled softly as I tucked her into her bed.

The satisfied little smile that played on her lips was so sweet I had to fight the urge to kiss her awake.

I was all too aware I had found no release tonight.

A brief detour outside to bring myself to a quick, if unsatisfying, climax underneath the cold spray of the shower didn’t really help.

Not after seeing her come undone for me in the moonlight, so beautiful it stole my breath.

I could no longer hide the enormity of my longing for her to be mine.

Yet she had stayed with me tonight. In the end, my slip-up might have been for the best.

I hesitated at my pallet in the main room.

Then, with a deep breath, I returned to the bedroom.

Rada made space for me immediately as I slid in beside her.

Snuggling against her shapely body, my nose in her hair, was probably not the wisest idea given my state of arousal, but when had I ever been wise?

A greedy part of me wanted to revel in every moment with her.

I had been starving for her touch for far too long.

I awakened to her eyes on me, their bright silver hazy in the early-morning light.

She ran her fingers along my cheek and jaw, the gesture sending shivers down my spine.

Her full lips curved into a smile as she murmured, “Good morning.” And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she leaned in, her mouth whispering against mine in the gentlest of kisses—a kiss that still seared through me like lightning.

“Morning,” I croaked out. My gaze lingered on her as she rose from bed and fetched a blouse and a dark green skirt, her every movement graceful.

“We need to get ready if we want to leave for Dalath today,” she said. “I’ll take a quick shower, then we can have breakfast and pack the rest of our things.”

After she left, I moved as if in a trance, dressing slowly and setting the table. The fierce urge to grab her and carry her to safety had mysteriously faded. Now, all I wanted was to stay here with her. In our small sanctuary. Hidden from the world.

Would it mean resigning myself to a pathetic mortal existence? Yes. But somehow, even if I only got a few short years with her by my side, it did not seem pathetic at all.

Not that we had a choice in the matter. Deira would not rest until she had the power of the Adept in her grasp.

Rada didn’t notice my wistful mood. She bustled around the house, laughing at Nacin’s antics as he clearly showed us how much he resented his demotion from war horse to beast of burden.

Her good humor remained unshaken, even when she had to lock Bane in the guest room, the cat howling in protest. The promise that the soldiers taking over would let him out later that day did little to calm him.

After a brief discussion, we took the Chaosdagger with us. Deira already knew our whereabouts, and the dagger was our most powerful weapon at the moment, its benefits far outweighing the risks.

Our ride to Dalath was an unexpected delight, the air fresh and clean, the heat of the day not yet upon us. Rada told me amusing stories about the villagers. I said little, content to bask in the warmth of her presence against my back.

Dalath was a charming village, its wooden houses clean and well-kept.

My eyes caught the glow of a dozen lyrin -stones powering the mill, carrying the clear water of the river up into the air.

Not rich, but its citizens had gained a modest prosperity during the years of peace—a peace now under threat.

Even from here, I felt it. The wild tug of Chaos magic. The sky over Milford Ridge was ominously dark on this otherwise sunny day. Rada noticed too. Worry flashed over her face each time she glanced at the sharp limestone cliffs.

“I hope Briseis is alright,” she murmured. “We planned to meet in the village today.” Ah, yes. One of her friends lived on the Ridge.

We garnered attention as we made our way to the bustling market square, leading Nacin behind us.

People greeted Rada warmly and curiously eyed me.

Some hid their interest better than others; a few outright asked if I would stay at her farm permanently.

The first time it happened, she looked at me with a gleam in her eyes.

“We will see,” she said. Then her hand closed around mine.

I pressed back, not intending to let go .

“You are well known in the village,” I observed as we headed toward the mayor’s house.

Rada laughed. “Mayor Brim has asked me to join the village Council a few times.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. You exude natural authority.” I deftly swerved out of the path of a cart brimming with potatoes, a grin spreading across my face. “They probably enjoy being commanded by you as much as I do. Why did you decline?”

Rada paused in front of the grand wooden door, adorned with intricate carvings of gentle hills and bountiful fields, marking the entrance to the mayor’s house. “I wanted to be free of obligations for a while,” she said. “I would have given in this year, but…”

But then I had reentered her life, disrupting her peace.

“Listen,” she added after a moment of silence, a look of unease on her face as she smoothed down her skirt. “It might be best if I first speak with Brim alone. The farmer’s market is today, so the entire Council of Elders will be present.” She smiled wryly. “They can be difficult with strangers.”

I nodded in agreement, having no desire to confront a room full of prejudiced peasants.

After Rada left, I tied Nacin’s reins to the nearest post and let my gaze wander over the busy market square once more.

My eyes settled on the carving of the Sky Lord above the temple entrance, and I wondered briefly about my brother.

Did he have any inkling of the unrest brewing in the realm?

Or was he content to remain safely behind Lyrheim’s white walls, ignoring the wider world as he had so many times before?

A cheery voice jolted me from my thoughts. “If that isn’t a sight for sore eyes!”

Dolores had spotted me from her stall and approached, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Beside her, her husband Ulyss tugged thoughtfully on his impressive white beard, a smile playing on his lips. “Are you and Rada not selling anything today?”

I shook my head, returning the smile. “No. Rada has something to discuss with the mayor. I’m just waiting for her.”

“Trying to get into the lassie’s good graces, son?” the old Dwarf asked, his voice a deep rumble.

“Getting into her good graces was never the problem,” I replied with a chuckle. “Staying there is the challenge.”

“True, true,” Ulyss laughed, patting my arm. “A woman’s mood can be as tempestuous as the sea. We can only hope not to be caught in a storm every time we brave the danger.”

Dolores scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Talking from experience, you foolish old Dwarf?”

“Only appreciating your patience, my love.” He kissed her cheek, and she giggled like a young girl.

A wave of wistfulness washed over me as I watched them. “Rada should be back soon,” I said, fighting a strange sense of envy. What would it feel like to be so content? To share such simple, profound joy with someone who loved you unconditionally?

“In Order we find purpose, and in purpose we find peace.” The familiar blessing of the Ten echoed behind us, each word feeling like a taunt. The temple garden stretched nearly to the wall beside us and a few believers had gathered there.

“Are you praying to the Ten, son?” Ulyss asked, raising one bushy eyebrow as he noticed my sudden distraction.

“Not really,” I replied absentmindedly.

“It was in those golden days that the Sky Lord decided to be merciful toward his brother and freed him from his chains.”

The local priest’s rich baritone caught my attention. Under the shade of the apple trees, their white blossoms moving gently in the breeze, he narrated the fall of Yggdrasil to a group of children. Despite myself, I stepped closer, drawn in by the story.

“Yet nothing good remained in the heart of the Fallen One, only festering hate and resentment. Before long, he was scheming once more, longing to destroy everything the gods had achieved.”

“The Sky Lord should never have freed him!” one boy exclaimed, his face flushed with righteous indignation.

“Yes,” his friend chimed in. “Or even better, he should have thrown him into the Abyss. He never deserved any mercy.”

“That’s why it’s called mercy,” a tiny Brownie girl corrected primly from her spot in the first row. “It’s about giving those who don’t deserve it a second chance. Just like Lady Khiraz taught us.”

Mercy? Was that what it had been? A bitter laugh caught in my throat.

To free me after two thousand years in darkness, alone with my anger and regret?

Something inside me had broken during that time, had withered without hope.

I was vulnerable when my brother came with his offer.

Weak. Desperate enough to agree, even knowing I would break the oaths I was forced to utter, condemning myself no matter what I did.

“Quite right, Rosalind,” the priest said, a gentle smile on his round face. “Yet the Fallen One repaid his brother with an even worse betrayal, using dark whispers to seduce many to his doomed cause. Anima, mortal, and even…” He paused, his expression pained, as if overcome by sorrow.

“Even the Star Queen,” little Rosalind whispered.

“Yes, even Lady Baradaz,” the priest confirmed, gently touching the girl’s wild curls. “And because Light failed, Darkness triumphed. One terrible night, the Destroyer took his sword, Chaosbringer, and drove it into Yggdrasil’s heart. The Tree fell, and the world was sundered. ”

The children gasped in horror. They only calmed when the priest continued, detailing the hard-won victory of the forces of Order. There was no mention of Masir and Baradaz’s deceit, I noted, but that probably made for a less enticing story.

“That’s not quite how it happened,” I mumbled when I sensed a familiar presence beside me.

“Do you remember, then?” Rada’s voice was filled with anguish as she answered me. “That night?”

I couldn’t bear to look at her. Monster, monster echoed relentlessly in my mind. I remembered the fire, the searing pain, the terror in her eyes as she recoiled from my touch. She had every reason to blame me for what had happened.

“Only fragments,” I admitted. “But I know even Chaosbringer couldn’t have felled that tree.”

No, it would have taken the most powerful magic to achieve that. I’d heard my sword was now kept in the Temple of Order, mounted on a wall behind unbreakable enchantments. A symbol of the Ten’s triumph over Darkness and Chaos.

“Do you remember what happened?” I asked. It took all my courage to glance at Rada. Her face was as pale and distressed as I had feared, her silver eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Some of it,” she whispered, a single tear escaping and trailing down her cheek.

“Baradaz.” Instinctively, I reached out to capture it. She shuddered at my touch, then shook her head, turning away from the garden—and from me. My hand lingered in the air for a moment longer, unable to bridge the chasm that had formed between us.

“The meeting went well,” Rada said. “After the attack on the Sommerhalt farm, everyone agrees that strengthening the militia is a good idea. They want to meet you, though.” She cast a tense glance at me. “And there has been talk of sending someone to Rasga to ask for help.”

My arm fell to my side. “I expect you have tried to dissuade them?” I asked, struggling to mask the pain in my voice. No matter what we did, we couldn’t escape the shadows of our past. “Lasgallen’s army has no magic users who could deal with the likes of Deira.”

“I know.” Rada forced a smile as she waved at Dolores and Ulyss in greeting. “Besides, Queen Sarella is young and untested. If she suspects the forces of Chaos are behind the threat, she will call on Lyrheim for aid. And I don’t think either of us wants Aramaz or one of the others to come here.”

The enormity of the choice she was making suddenly hit me.

She was trusting me with the fate of the home she had built for herself, and its people, when our past should lead her to do the opposite—when she should have given up on me long ago.

I could only stare at her. The fierce emotion that had lingered within me the entire day was so enormous it stole my voice.

“Rada,” I finally pressed out, her name half promise, half plea. It seemed to be enough, though, as a small smile lifted her lips.

“Together. We will weather this storm together,” she said, taking my hand, her eyes bright and sure. “And now I need you to be your most charming self and help me deal with Portia Sommerhalt before I strangle that impossible woman.”

I didn’t dare resist as she pulled me into the house.