Page 117 of Reign of Stars and Fire

Malin touched my arm. “The tracker has helped Ari map out the stronghold for us; we’re ready to begin planning.”

“I’m still uneasy with you lot being here,” I said.

“Nik gave us that elixir to guard us from the mimicker.” Elise winked. “And you might as well accept us being here anyway. Calista will tell you, we’re not so easy to get rid of.”

“Have the Golden King read his missive,” Calista said. “Might help.”

I let out a long breath. “Shall we? Seems we have another war of thrones to wage.”

* * *

Ari saton a berm he’d used as practice connecting to the land and hugged me against his side.

“You’re hesitating a long time,” I said, nudging his ribs with my elbow.

“Seems wise,” he told me. “Right now, in this moment next to you, I feel peaceful. Every damn time I read one of these, someone, somewhere, adds a great deal of stress to my existence.”

“Pardon? I believe you received a tale from Calista about a raven and love and bliss.”

Ari kissed the side of my head, laughing. “I did. And I got it all, yet convincing you to love me was rather stressful. You grew irritable over any hint of my nearness for some time.”

He jolted when I pinched him and hugged his waist. “Only because you did things to my heart I wasn’t certain if I liked. Turns out I like it a great deal. Now, read it. I’m getting irritable now.”

I settled my head against his shoulder. Ari unrolled the parchment and held it out so we both could read the message together.

Golden King, a new riddle for you. Best of luck, for all our sakes.

Cal

A gift among stars fit for a king.

Listen well and the blade will sing.

Strike the flesh and make it bleed.

Rest you’ll get but darkness feeds.

Battle ends with more to win.

On this red night, your world will dim.

No complaintsabout the riddling words. We’d grown accustomed by now to the pause the thoughts, the wonder after reading the rhymes of fate.

“Strike the flesh.” I sat up. Words came faster the more excitement built. “We didn’t know what to think or where to begin trying to find a damn sword, but, Ari, this—gods—this tells us where to bleeding look!”

“A blade.” He pressed his thumbs to his forehead, a groove between his brows. “Saga, what if . . . the sword I was shown. Your brother said, a blade fit for a king, and it was hidden away.”

Fog gathered in my head as my heart beat too wildly. I gripped his arm tightly. “Riot did nothing without purpose. There is something about that sword he knew we would need.”

“Stars are often mentioned. Ironic, don’t you think, that out of anyone, Davorin took Eryka.”

I stiffened. “He needed her.”

Ari’s jaw pulsed. “It feels like it was deliberate the closer we get. Why set up a stronghold at the Court of Stars when he had the Borough,the High Court, which is built as a stronghold? Why take the princess of the star court?”

“Royal blood can reach certain points in the Court of Stars that no one else can,” I said. “They protect their prophecies under fierce lock and key. Only noble lines, andcertainnoble lines at that, have access to the repository in the high peaks of Divination Point.”

“There’s something there,” Ari said, sitting up and resting his elbows over his knees. “Something Davorin wants, or knows about perhaps.”