Page 76 of Of Stars and Lightning (Sun and Shadows #1)

Cas glared at the men who reached for the girl—Mariyah, according to a swarm of sailors that called after her.

This was no place for such a girl. He didn’t mean to doubt her ability to take care of herself but rather distrusted the stench of desperation that permeated the thickly populated place.

“So, no other places around.” Alix shouldered his way to their table, a paper in his hand and scowl on his face when the aggressiveness of the locals nearly ripped it from his grasp.

He glared at the laughing boys before placing the paper on their table.

“But I did secure us two rooms for the night. And found this.”

It was a neatly written advertisement for a local apothecary, the calligraphy ending in swirls and shapes that clued the writer’s graceful strokes. At the bottom, the name of the place was signed in an elegant, violet ink: Lora’s Remedies and Poultices.

Cas blinked at it, recognizing the name immediately. Sure, the name wasn’t uncommon, but the odds of the letter finding them first, and now the name of Irene’s Royal Hand and political sister appearing within the same town couldn’t have been a mere coincidence.

Nina made the connection as well, a gasp escaping her as she traced the words with her fingertips. “Lora.”

“It could be anyone,” Sawyer said, frowning at the paper.

Nina shook her head. “But what if it isn’t just anyone? Lora Yarrow was a healer as well.”

Nina had a point. And Cas had a nagging in his stomach that made him think she was correct.

Mariyah returned with their requests, the bread and cheese atop a wooden platter and the ales in cloudy glass mugs. She set the things down wordlessly before floating to the next table.

“Well, let’s eat for now.” Alix plucked a slice of cheese into his mouth. “And we can visit the apothecary for ourselves tomorrow.”

THE UPPER FLOOR of the Hound Inn was far less crowded and much more presentable than the eatery below.

Orange carpet covered the single hall that bisected the floor, both sides leading to rows and rows of closed doors and lingering plants.

The plants were near withered, and Nina couldn’t help touching them alive as they passed to their respective rooms.

The voyage had been arduous, the seas relentless in their volatile currents and shifting winds. Cas didn’t think they’d ever make it to Yavenharrow, but after a week of travels, had finally gotten the call of land from the captain.

His body was tight with the harsh sleeping pallets of the ship, so when he saw the two small mattresses meant for him and Alix in their room, nothing but relief settled over his aching bones. The girls would take the room next door, connected by a single door on their left wall.

It was by no means a luxury Inn, but it would make do.

Sunset came as fast as the sunrise had out at sea, bathing Yavenharrow in curious hues of purples and pinks Cas hadn’t seen in a long time.

Eswin had similar sunsets, as they were also a costal territory, but it had been years since he’d seen it as calmly as he did this one.

The Helian Ocean roared in the distance, even through their room’s closed window.

By the time Cas had bathed and changed into casual clothes, Alix was snoring on his bed.

For a while, Cas explored the room further, then tried to read some books left for entertainment. When that failed, he fluttered his Shadows over his palms and stared at the ceiling, unable to stop the faceless silhouette of the Yarrow Heiress from invading his thoughts.

Would she hate him already? Irene had surely told her all about the fall out between their families. Would she be a Warden like her mother, or would she settle for her paternal line, as Sawyer had?

For the sake of Erriadin, he prayed it to be the former.

And if it was the former, Cas wondered if she’d be as formidable as her mother. Would the Queen of Rimemere have taught her daughter Void Magic?

The questions made him restless.

Cas sighed heavily, running his hands through his unruly curls. The Apothecary’s advertisement beckoned to him from its place on top of their singular nightstand. He swore the corners of it shook on a phantom breeze before he took it into his hands.

Perhaps some air would clear his mind—and there was no harm in scouting the place before their visit to it tomorrow.

Without the small army of sailors marring the Inn’s first floor, it was almost a pleasant place. Muted red walls, cedar furniture and a large collection of unique spirits behind its bar. To his surprise, Mariyah remained, her attention heavy on the glass she cleaned with a tattered rag.

Cas pulled the hood of his cloak on and hid his face behind the black face cover sown into his shirt, leaving only his eyes. Those alone were enough to make him easy to remember, so he had to try harder to mask anything else strangers may recall.

He couldn’t risk running into one that knew who his silver eyes belonged to.

Ensuring he made a noisy descent down the large staircase to not scare the girl, he was almost to the entrance before she spoke.

“There’s a curfew in place, Mister.”

Cas turned to her. “Is there?”

She nodded, placing the glass mug down. “A local was killed last week. For safety, it’s not advised to be out after dark.”

Cas didn’t think slaughters would be uncommon in such a busy town, but by the emotional edge and pout on her face, it was obvious the death had rattled the town. He shifted on his feet. “What slaughtered them?”

“We don’t know.” She shrugged. “Some sort of animal is what they’re saying. But I think it’s way worse than that.”

Cas pondered her words, wondering if perhaps he should warn the rest of his court. But that would mean waking them, and they would likely follow him outside. And what Cas needed right now was to be alone beneath a sky full of stars and the silence of night.

“And who enforces this curfew?” he asked, moving to the doors, stopping briefly before placing his hand on the knob to give Mariyah time to answer.

He didn’t think she would after the long silence, but as he pulled the door open, she said, “Whoever is out there slaughtering.”

Yavenharrow was in fact a ghost town at night. There were no lights, no people—only the full moon and the soft chattering of crickets. It was exactly what Cas needed.

He wandered through the streets, keeping an eye out for any beast or creature he could rid the town of while he was there. But the cobblestone storefronts and paths were deserted. Weirdly so.

He couldn’t have been the only soul breaking said curfew…unless he had misjudged Yavenharrow’s locals and they were more subservient than he’d thought.

A rough, quick sound jolted through the silence, the surprise making his hand rush to the pommel of the dagger at his hip and his Shadows flare with anticipation.

Again, a trembling thud reverberated through the night.

The sound was familiar, though not enough for Cas to decipher it blindly.

It continued in a rhythm, like the slow, lazy beat of a drum.

He followed it, weaving through alleys until a sliver of amber firelight cast long, straight shadows over the cobblestone, the edge of a building concealing where the light came from.

The closer he’d got to it, the louder the noise grew.

Letting his Shadows dance over his face, he peered over the corner, to the source of whatever rebelled against the mysteries of the night.

He had expected a person, to which he was proven correct. But the sight of a woman throwing knives into an unsuspecting pine tree caught him wholly off guard.

The light came from a set of burning lamps on either side of the store she lingered outside of, the shivering flames casting her in a halo of amber and gold.

Her silhouette was lithe, petite but taller than most of the locals he’d seen.

Even from a distance, the bright yellow of her hair easily blended with the fires beside her, following after her with every impressive cast of her knives as if she herself was the heart of a flame.

One by one, she hit the same mark on her target, each knife falling to the floor when the other took its place.

Cas didn’t know how long he watched her—long enough to notice her aim was slightly off center.

She seemed unbothered by the apparent curfew, or the threat of a beast on the loose within her borders. It was only her and her deadly dance, her gaze only leaving the tree long enough to grab another blade from the floor.

“Your feet are too far apart. It makes your wrist bend when you throw.” Cas hadn’t realized he’d stepped out of the building’s protection, now standing directly in the girl’s view.

His sudden appearance startled her as much as his carelessness did him, as she jumped out of her trance and hauled the knife she was holding straight his way.

It zipped past the side of his head, the steel singing a sad lament at its missed purchase. Cas couldn’t help his small smile. “Had your footing been correct, you would’ve definitely hit me.”

The girl straightened, bright, emerald eyes wide and trained on him as she realized what she’d done. She blinked quickly and wiped her hands over her beige trousers. “You frightened me.”

“Enough to try to kill me?”

It was now her who smiled. “Well, yes. No one good is out past curfew.”

Cas knew he should’ve walked away. Mingling with the townsfolk was dangerous, especially when they were trying to get the Yarrow girl and leave undetected.

But this woman was intriguing, from the almost expert way she held those weapons to her bright, cautious gaze, wary but still clearly worthy of a fight.

He walked slightly closer, keeping his Shadows as thick as he could within his cloak and over his cheeks.

As a show of good will, though, he lowered the cloth that concealed his face.

“Does that mean you’re not good?”