Page 25 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Scarlett

T he stars were dull tonight, blocked by the clouds. The world was too still. She could feel it all. Everything hanging in the balance.

Scarlett released a slow breath. The too soft grass swayed gently around her as she studied the map burning in the air above her.

Thin lines of white flames created an outline of their continent and Avonleya along with the borders of the various territories.

She studied the red and orange embers hovering in various places, moving some to new positions.

Moving pieces into place. Setting up the game.

It was almost time.

She’d been forced to stay behind more times than she liked these past few days.

She’d been hiding out in Avonleya out of necessity, but it hadn’t been wasted time.

Not when she’d been training every day with Cethin and learning to fight off the same draining magic Alaric had.

Not when she had learned where she truly came from.

Not when she finally, finally , had all the pieces laid out in front of her.

Now it was making sure they were all where they needed to be.

Making minor adjustments as Alaric made his moves.

As Saylah made hers.

But tomorrow?

Tomorrow when she saw Alaric things would be set into motion that could not be undone. The final game would start.

Sorin had gone to bed hours ago. It had been a long day, and he was still adjusting.

She had spent the entire afternoon and evening planning with Cassius and Sorin.

When Sorin was all but falling asleep in the middle of their discussions, she’d told him to go to bed and that she would be in shortly.

Cassius had stayed another three hours, then she’d come here two hours ago.

The Sutara family country estate. A place she would have called home if things had been different.

This was where Cethin had always brought her in her dreams when he would dream walk to her.

There was some comfort in that, despite the things Cethin had kept from her.

He may not have known everything Saylah had told her, but he knew enough.

He’d kept enough from her to break that fragile trust that had been built.

But Kailia had been right too. She had her own secrets. Could she fault Cethin for keeping his?

Her hands were stacked on her stomach, and she drummed her fingers as she let her thoughts have their way.

Cassius was … Well, not better, but functioning again.

There was a team collecting Ashtine now.

They would be back tomorrow, and she would leave to get Cyrus.

Then her focus could shift again. The Tyndells.

The lock. Cethin. Sorin. More pieces that would be moved into place.

Moves and countermoves.

What would their world look like when this was over?

Would she be here to see it?

She lifted a hand, the embers on the map disappearing and far fewer ice crystals appearing, scattered in various places throughout the two continents.

Mirror gates.

There had to be others. Surely Pyry contained one or two. And what of the other continents in their world? Lands she’d only read about and territories unexplored?

Her magic strained beneath her skin. Shadows and flames pushing to be let out.

She was keeping it contained, but it demanded more.

She’d taken so much from Sorin and then had kept it locked up tight.

It felt dangerously similar to when it would break through her tonic and that had never ended well, so she let her shadows out to breathe before they forced her hand.

They coiled around her—brushing along her arms, throat, cheek—seeking to comfort her.

She sucked in another breath, her eyes fluttering closed at the now familiar essence.

Until they thickened around her.

Her eyes flew open, and she pushed up to a sitting position. Her shadows were writhing, merging into two panthers prowling around her as she got to her feet. The gentle breeze had stopped, the grasses stilling.

Scarlett raised a hand, starfire flaring to life in her palm as she peered into the darkness. There was nothing around but the rolling fields and a small copse of trees. She should Travel back to Aimonway, but there was something watching her. She could feel its eyes on her.

The shadow panthers snarled softly, their eyes glowing orange embers.

Pulling a dagger from her hip, she took another step.

She was barefoot, clad in only loose pants and a thick long-sleeved tunic.

Her silver hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she was debating sheathing the dagger and calling forth her spirit sword when she saw it.

The copse of trees was perhaps thirty yards to the left and drifting among it was …

Scarlett didn’t know what it was.

It had a body, but it wasn’t one of flesh. It shimmered against the dark, almost translucent. Almost, but not quite. A spirit of the After?

Scarlett took another step towards it, her panthers falling to her sides to flank her. The being stepped forward too.

No.

It glided.

Its legs moved as it took a step towards her, but it hovered a few inches off the ground. The entire being was pale. Pale skin. Short hair white as fresh fallen snow. White eyes with no pupils she could see from here.

She stopped, but the figure continued forward until it was no more than ten yards from her.

Tall and lean with sharp, angular features, it was not mortal nor Fae.

She could almost call him beautiful. This was a being she had never encountered, never read about.

And there were definitely no pupils in the white eyes that glowed softly in the night. How did he see?

The figure tipped his head back, inhaling deeply. Scenting, she realized. Then he dipped his chin, soulless eyes settling on her.

And he smiled.

She felt it settle over her. The calm as she prepared to fight. The anticipation of a deadly game. The hunger for the kill. Something that had been ingrained in her very being.

Scarlett tilted her head, a wicked smile of her own filling her face as she sheathed her dagger. A flare of starfire had her spirit sword appearing in her hand, and one of her panthers let loose a warning snarl.

She should definitely go to get someone, but now Death’s Maiden was waking up.

And she hadn’t been out to play in far too long.

The being nodded, as if in agreement of what was to come, before his mouth opened. The thing exhaled. Scarlett could see his breath as though they were in the arctic climate of Pyry. Lifting a hand, he reached into the hovering puff of air and pulled out something gleaming gold.

A sword.

A godsdamn solid gold sword.

She planted her feet. Her grip tightened on her sword hilt as she waited to see what he would do next, and when he started gliding towards her again, she let starfire ignite down her blade. The being didn’t falter. He kept moving forward smoothly, purpose and hunger set on his sharp features.

A hunter who had caught its prey.

One of her panthers lunged for him. His gold sword swiped through it, her shadows dissipating into nothing.

He hadn’t even paused, the movement like an afterthought as he continued towards her.

Her remaining panther shifted in front of her with a deep growl, but he brushed it aside with his hand.

She felt her shadows try to strike, to coil around him, but they dissipated too.

Definitely time to go for help.

But when she tried to Travel out, she found herself rooted to the spot.

He lifted his sword, placing the tip of the blade beneath her chin and tilting her head up.

She glared back at him, knocking his sword aside with her own.

She felt the sting of the blade as it left a shallow slice along her throat.

His eyes went wide, flaring with white light, and he leaned forward, inhaling sharply.

“Blood of death,” he breathed, and gods. His voice. It was unearthly. Raspy and icy and a whisper that latched onto her bones. It was as entrancing as a Night Child but so much stronger.

Scarlett had had enough. She couldn’t move her feet, but she could move the rest of her body. The being was still leaning towards her, his tongue running along his lower lip, when she struck, plunging her sword deep into his gut.

Her starfire went out on contact, and her sword felt like it was pushing through …nothing. No flesh. No muscle or bone or insides. There was no resistance, as though the being really was nothing but wisps of faint white light.

She yanked her sword back, and the being straightened. His head cocked to the side. There wasn’t a wound. No entry point where she had shoved her sword into his stomach. In fact, the only solid thing about the being seemed to be his own gold sword.

He reached for her, and she couldn’t step back. His hand landed on the wound, his fingers flexing around her throat. Well, those felt solid enough. She swiped her sword up on instinct, but it drifted right through his arm. He leaned towards her once more, his nose brushing along her cheek.

“Not one of his here, but two,” he breathed.

And then it was hissing and lurching back from her, releasing her throat and his hold on her.

She stumbled back, her feet released from whatever power had been holding them in place.

She tightened her grasp on her sword, but the creature was looking around wildly and there was an arrow protruding from his neck.

He reached up, yanking the arrow free with another hiss. It drifted away, becoming the same wispy light that he was. Except for the arrowhead. That fell to the ground, and he backed away from it quickly.

Another arrow came from her right, sinking into the creature’s skull. His mouth fell open, a wail of rage ringing as white wisps poured out of it before the entire being faded into the dark.

“There are more.”

Scarlett whirled to find Kailia standing behind her, bow raised and an arrow nocked. Where the hell had she come from?