Page 42 of Queen of the Crimson Throne (Queen of Blood and Stardust #2)

42

LENNOX

“Is it really you?” Kara’s voice filled with awe. “You’re the goddess Astria?”

The figure shifted, her body made of stars moving as she did. “I am.” She spread her starry arms wide.

She was beautiful. Even if this wasn’t her true form it was still breathtaking. Her body was made up of stars, dark and light contouring the shape of her body. She wore no clothes, only the stars covered her exposed skin. Her hair made of stars falling to her waist, covering her breasts.

“I can’t believe it worked,” I murmured.

Her lips curved up, “You should have more faith Queen of Blood and Stardust . You will never be the answer to the prophecy if you do not have more faith, my dear.”

“The prophecy—you can tell us about the prophecy?” I asked eagerly.

She held up a star-flecked hand. “I cannot—that defeats the point of a prophecy. That you must discover for yourself.” I rolled my eyes as Astria’s gaze shifted behind me.

“And you even brought the king.” She smiled. “I do love seeing you rekindle your love for one another.”

“Love, we’re not—” She held up her hand again.

“We do not have time for your denials tonight. I do not know how long your spell will allow me to be here. You must get on with what you summoned me for.”

“We’re looking for your journals,” Luce cut in.

The goddess’s lips turned down. “I feared you would not give up this search easily.” She shook her head, her starry hair moving with the motion like a mass of stardust.

“I will tell you where to find them, on one condition.” She paused, eyeing us all. “Only if you promise they will not leave your hands.”

“That defeats the point,” Luka said as he moved to stand at my side.

“We need the journals to get me and Lennox out of this arranged marriage. My uncle and grandfather are searching for them.”

The goddess narrowed her eyes at Luka. “They cannot have the journals. If you give the journals to them they will only cause destruction. The destruction I already sense is brewing.”

“But I don’t understand,” I protested. “What is in those journals?”

“What you have heard is correct. The ones who are truly searching for those journals are hoping to find the cure to vampirism. They are hoping it will reveal a way to reverse the spell.” Well, at least that answered one question.

“Unbeknownst to them, the journals will only put them farther into their pits of despair.”

“What do you mean?” Luce tucked a braid behind her ear.

“There is no cure to vampirism,” Astria said matter of factly.

“Why not tell them?” Luka questioned, pressing in closer to the Goddess.

“Because living with hope keeps them from falling over the edge into destruction.” I let out an irritated sigh. Couldn’t someone give us a straight answer for once?

Astria stared at Luka. “If anything, when you find those journals you should destroy them so no one will ever know the truth.”

She turned her star-flecked gaze to me. “If you want to save Lethenia you will keep those journals hidden or destroy them entirely.”

“How do we find them?” It was Nico who spoke this time.

Astria’s face softened as she looked at the ground between us. “You must find the Galtain family. That is what you were searching for, hmm? Answers as to how to find them?” There was a different tone to her voice as she spoke now, almost a sadness. “The Galtain family lives in the Blood Court, in a tiny village to the south of Cel Nox, almost at the border of the Court of Embers. You won’t find it on any map though. They have the journals.”

“If they live in the Blood Court why were they not on the Populus?”

Astria met Luka’s gaze. “The Galtain family has been scrubbed from history.”

“Why?” Luce pressed.

“That is not my story to tell.”

For fucks sake. I hated all this secrecy.

Astria maneuvered her hand, the stars around her moved, coming together to form an object in her hand.

“This map will lead you to them.” She manipulated the stars until the map rolled up, and she bound it with a star-flecked string.

She held out the map to me, I took it hesitantly. The end that met my hand turned to parchment. As Astria lifted her grip on the map the entire thing became solid.

“Use the map to find the Galtain family. Do whatever you must to destroy those journals if you choose to seek them out.”

I looked around. Defeat and confusion was written on all of our faces. All this time and energy spent towards finding these journals for it to end like this .

“We should have followed Hecate’s directions the first time,” I murmured.

“It’s my fault,” Luka admitted. “I’m the one who’s been obsessing over finding them to get you out of marrying me.”

Astria tapped her chin. “That is something I could never understand—why are you both so determined not to marry? Have you ever taken a moment to think what a true joy your union would be?”

I spared a look at Luka. There were so many emotions written on his face. Defeat, confusion, hope .

“It’s hard to see the joy in an arranged marriage,” I said finally.

Astria’s stars flickered out one by one. Her form was becoming less and less like a person and more like the starry sky.

“Wait, what can you tell us about King Arlo and his involvement with the Vanir? Was he the one who orchestrated my family’s deaths?” I took a step toward Astria as her form continued to dissipate. She couldn’t leave yet. We still needed answers. “What does any of this have to do with the disappearances Arlo has been cataloging?”

I don’t know how it was possible, but Astria’s face paled, causing my stomach to drop. She opened her mouth, her throat bobbed before she closed it again, her lips forming a thin line.

“Part of of being able to see all means I cannot share information openly.” Her entire shape deflated. “The Stars do not allow me to share what I know about any of what you ask.”

I swallowed a scream as I balled my hands into fists. Of course, she couldn’t tell us anything. That would make this all too easy, wouldn't it.

I’d have a conversation with the Stars one day and let them have a piece of my mind.

“But I can tell you this.” She looked around to all of us. “Be careful who you trust, but do continue to trust your instincts, all of you. They have not led you astray yet.”

Her form grew more faint as she looked toward me again. “ Lennox.” There was a hint of urgency to her tone now. She took my hands in hers, they somehow felt real despite being made up of stars. “Listen my dear.” Her voice lowered to a whisper only I could hear as her stars closed around us, hiding my friends from view.

“Look past the arranged marriage. If you take away everything that has put you on this path, look at who you are standing here with. Everything that has led you to him. You are focusing on the wrong thing my dear.” Her stars continued to wink out, her form becoming translucent. “I’ve already said too much, but Lennox, some things are more simple than they seem. Some problems are easily avoided if you let your heart be free.” She placed the waning form of a hand on my chest. “Your heart is still in there. All of it. We’re all rooting for you. All we want is for you to be happy.”

“All?” We? My chest constricted.

She nodded. “All. We all want you to be happy again.”

A tear slipped down my cheek as the last of the stars making up her form winked out and daylight crept back in.