Page 97 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

“They are some of the Chiasma, aren’t they?” Kyree motioned at Rahni and then at the still-glowing dagger in my hand. “Will that give you enough power to counter their magic?”

His earnest belief in my abilities sent a strange warmth through me. “Let’s hope it’s enough,” I answered, suppressing my own doubts.

My head came up as I sensed a sudden shift in the air, the tendrils of Chaos dancing around me, hissing viciously in warning. Though we had been victorious, something about the attack tugged at my mind.

“She knew we were coming,” I murmured, my gaze scanning the dark forest as I came to a terrifying realization .

“Perhaps that should not surprise us,” Kyree said, not catching on to the direction of my thoughts. “Anyone who knew Briseis and Varien were important to Rada could have guessed you would come to free them.”

“No, that is not what I meant.” Bright lights flickered through the Chaos stone, reacting to my agitation. “Rahni lacked the ability to sustain spells like this for long. She knew we were coming right now. Which means…”

The Aerieth spun toward the path to the hut at the same moment a dozen dark shapes emerged from the rain. His voice shook with a mix of rage and disbelief. “We’ve been betrayed.”

I should have known better. Anger at my own foolishness pounded through me as the Rakash fanned out around Kyree and me, cutting off any escape routes.

The Chiasma could have delivered that message to us far more easily than by letting Calder go.

Sparing him had been a poisoned mercy. Deira allowed no one to flee without sinking her claws in first.

The dark iron of the Rakash’s weapons gleamed menacingly in the flickering light of the storm.

I suppressed a vicious curse at the sight of at least two entire fists of the brutal creatures, herding Adesh, Tristan, and the two female soldiers in front of them.

The four of them had evidently been overwhelmed not long ago, their weapons taken, although they appeared unhurt aside from a few bruises and cuts.

I did not have to wonder how they had been defeated. Calder followed behind them. The fact that his sword remained by his side and he walked free was confirmation of his complicity .

“So this is the extent of your duty to protect this village?” I asked coldly. “The moment your own life was in danger, you betrayed us.” It served me right for having faith in the strength of mortal hearts when the past had shown me time and time again how easily Humans were corrupted.

“No. You don’t understand.” Despair flashed across Calder’s pale face as he turned to me. “She said she would keep the others alive if I brought you to her. That she would leave without harming anyone else in the village. I had no other choice.”

“And you believed her?” Adesh’s bitter laugh echoed off the tall trees around us. “You damn fool. She will turn against us the moment she has what she wants.”

The voice that answered was deceptively sweet and melodic. “I am keeping my word, am I not? Your little friends are all still alive.”

Deira stepped out of the rain, the hood of her robes pulled back, her brown locks plastered to her head, revealing the splintered ruin of her horns.

Chaos magic flickered in her gaze, strands of it wafting around her in a ceaseless dance.

But it wasn’t how she kept her two other hostages close.

Dark roots, as thick as a man’s arm, bound the hands and feet of a slim, golden-haired Elvish female and a young boy—Briseis and her son, I guessed.

Both seemed unharmed, impotent rage on their faces.

Behind them, Kaius loomed. Tall and taciturn, the dark-haired Human Chiasma had never left much of an impression on me. Deira had cultivated his loyalty by appealing to his darkest impulses, the two of them sharing a reputation for enjoying breaking their enemies’ minds along with their bodies.

“I am happy you finally decided to join us.” Deira met my gaze and clapped her hands with a delighted laugh. “I hope you don’t expect us to call you Master. ”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I had forgotten that Deira also had a flair for dramatics when her schemes came to fruition.

“Release them, Deira.” Tristan and the soldiers exchanged confused looks at my command. I switched to Aurean, knowing that while it was suspicious, letting anyone overhear our conversation would be even worse. “Your quarrel is with me, not with these mortals.”

“But you are a mortal now.” A serene smile spread across Deira’s face as she indulged me, replying in the language of the gods.

I had seen that smile before, when she had coldly choked a man to death with one of her roots.

“I will gladly release them if you give me what I want.” Her grin widened.

“Surrender yourself to me, and the mortals can go free.”

I channeled more power into the dagger, testing how much I could command without burning myself out. Enough to deal with one of them? Perhaps. But the moment I acted, they would undoubtedly threaten Briseis and Varien.

“So, you think you can wield the Adept’s powers?” I drawled. “Do you fancy yourself a goddess now?”

I needed to buy time for Rada to arrive. Even with another Chaosdagger and Starfire, this would be a desperate fight. But at least we’d have a chance.

“Gods can fall; gods can rise. It’s all a matter of power.” Deira tilted her head, studying me like I was an intriguing insect she had discovered among her plants. “Where’s your little whore? Is she hiding at the pathetic hovel you call a home now?”

Furious anger surged within me at her words, a burst of magic crackling from the dagger into the ground. Kaius chuckled darkly at my reaction, cruel amusement on his narrow face. “We sent her a welcome committee.”

So that was why there were fewer Rakash than Calder had reported earlier. I hid my unease beneath a self-assured scoff. “A few Rakash are hardly a challenge for the Star Queen.”

“No!” Briseis cried out, clearly understanding our conversation. I remembered she had once been Elvish nobility, tutored in the Aurean language. Her striking face burned with righteous fury as she struggled against her restraints and spat in Deira’s face. “You evil witch!”

“Silence, Elf,” Kaius snarled, grabbing her blonde braid in a cruel grip and forcing her head back. “Or the boy pays for your insolence.”

“Don’t worry,” Deira said calmly, wiping off the spittle.

“I told them to keep your friend alive and bring her here.” She shrugged and winked at me with a giggle.

“I can’t guarantee she will be unharmed, though.

” Her eyes shifted to the Rakash. “These dreadful beasts need a boon from time to time. I gave them a small surprise to use if she proves too unmanageable. Remember those Chaos splinters you were too squeamish to use in the war? We found an entire crate of them in your quarters after you were gone.”

A cold wave of fear doused my anger as I realized what she meant. Stars above, I had sent Rada into terrible danger.

Something inside me turned icy and still. “You do realize I will kill you, don’t you?” I said softly. My gaze tracked the Dryad’s every move, waiting for an opening to strike. Take Deira out, and the others would crumble, descending into chaos.

She didn’t wither under the weight of my fury; on the contrary, her expression turned mocking.

“It was always so dreadfully easy to manipulate you. The moment the Lady of Light appears, you lose your bite, as if she has cut off your balls. Look at you, coming here to save some pathetic mortals. It’s a disgrace.

” A vicious look entered her eyes, the amethyst and emerald glow in them deepening.

“You should have fought to reclaim your power, to return us all to our rightful place. Instead, you’ve given up.

A pitiful failure, content to wallow in the mud for a few crumbs of affection from that traitorous whore. ”

“Careful, Deira,” I growled, my control starting to slip. Chaos hissed insidiously in my ears, urging me to punish her, to destroy her without regard for the consequences.

Deira moved behind Varien, stroking his hair in a chilling parody of kindness.

“You think she’ll forgive you because you’re trying to save her friends?

” The snarl that left her lips transformed her face from amicable into a terrifying mask.

“Fool. She will never choose you, no matter what you do. The Light does not choose a creature of Darkness.”

“Bele!” Kyree cried out in warning as I stepped forward, consumed by a tempest of hate and anger, the fear that Deira might be right clouding my judgment.

Before I could act, Varien moved. The Elvish boy whipped his head around like a trapped animal and sank his teeth deep into Deira’s hand. The Dryad screeched in pain and surprise, staggering backward. Her grip on her power faltered, the bonds holding Varien and his mother loosening.

I seized the opportunity. Hurling a knife at Kaius to distract him, I cast a quick spell with the Chaosdagger to cut through the roots binding Rada’s friends.

Deira recovered faster than I had hoped, a furious scream escaping her as she drew her roots toward her, only to send them out like deadly spears aimed directly at Briseis, who had pulled her son into her arms to protect him.

“No!” Kyree roared beside me, lunging forward. I cast another spell, knowing it was too late.

The roots struck, the sickening sound of flesh being impaled filling the air. I stared in disbelief at the scene before me, the captured soldiers’ cries ringing out in despair .

Three roots had hit Calder, piercing deep into his chest and stomach. The young soldier’s body was only kept upright by their hold. He must have moved at the last moment, sacrificing himself to save Briseis and her son.

And giving me the opening I had been waiting for.

I knew I couldn’t defeat both Deira and Kaius without Rada. The thought of her battling alone, surrounded by enemies, haunted me. Yet I had to believe she could overcome them. I had to believe that what I was about to do would not only save her friends, but also give her a fighting chance.

You should have grabbed her and run as far and as fast away from here as you could, a small part of me whispered in resignation. Fate had a sardonic tendency to punish me immediately when I tried to be good.

Another surge of Chaos magic tore into the Rakash around Tristan and the Sundered, freeing them from their captors. I didn’t stop to see if they joined the fight.

“You want the power of the Adept?” I challenged Deira, moving toward her and Kaius with single-minded determination. “Then come and get it.”

The Veil was thin here on the Ridge, so thin that the power I could draw with the dagger was enough for someone who had once known the Other like no one else to tear it apart easily.

Plunging me and my former acolytes into Darkness and Chaos.