Page 54 of Reign of Stars and Fire

My eyes widened. “The Point, he said that?”

“He did. Mean anything? I hope so, because if not, then I’m excited for nothing.”

“The Point could mean Divination Point. In the Court of Stars.”

A sharp gasp echoed through the cell. Gunnar stood in the doorway, his hand clasped tightly in Eryka’s. The star seer’s face paled more than it already was, and a glisten of tears filled her eyes. “I knew it.”

A chill crept into my blood. All eyes turned to Eryka. She’d dressed in the dark satin of the Court of Blood, a stark contrast to the icy shade of her hair and features.

“Eryka,” I said softly. “What is it?”

She blinked her gaze to Gunnar. He kissed her knuckles and nodded.

“I’ve been . . . I’ve been unable to send or receive any word from my mothers,” she said softly. “But two nights ago, the stars spoke. Over and over, they shouted the same words. Words of my mothers fading into shadows and this feeling, deep inside me, that I must kick and bite and fight.”

Gunnar’s jaw twitched, a steely rage burned behind the gilded color.

“I told my love only last morning it felt as if there were secrets hidden in the stars. Even I guessed such a rambling meant my court.” Eryka swallowed. “What if . . . what if there is some reason the battle lord is near my folk? We must get to them.”

“Have we heard anything from the Court of Stars?” I asked, looking to Cuyler.

“Yes.” He dipped his chin. “Some have been taken by the wild plague, but we believe Lady Celeste and Lady Iris to be safe and barricaded within their walls.” He blinked back to Eryka. “There have been no reports of their capture or harm.”

Eryka hugged her middle. “We were angry when we last spoke. They questioned my vows, they questioned this match.” She looked to Gunnar, tears falling on her cheeks. “The last words I said—”

“Don’t.” Gunnar pulled her against his chest. “Don’t do that. They love you, and know you love them. We’ll find them and bring them to us.”

“But there was—” Eryka swallowed with more effort. “The other part.”

“Star seer,” Calista said, a new kind of authority in her voice. “Say what you need to say. Each moment has the power to become part of a greater tale.”

“I wrote it down,” Gunnar said. He reached into his tunic and hand me a folded piece of parchment. “She said it in her sleep. Several times. Eryka doesn’t always remember when she wakes, but it felt important.”

Calista closed her eyes and told me to read.

Only one line, but I read it slowly. “Hidden deep, a blade of old lies in wait for the king to hold.” I groaned. “A blade of old? There are hundreds of ancient blades in the blood court alone.”

“Lies in wait.” Rune pushed off the wall. “It’s a specific blade.”

A snort came from the cell. Niklas chuckled. “Gods, another artifact to find. We did the same searching for my queen’s fated ring. So, what now? We must find a blade for a king—Ari, is a king—to hold and . . .” He trailed off as though giving the rest of us time to consider the tale.

Blades were used in war. A king held his blade in a war. Blades were used to strike and . . .

A small shriek slipped from my throat. “Strike the flesh, dim the foe.” I spun around. “Calista, Stefan, it’s what the seer said. Strike the flesh, dim the foe. A blade, a sword.”

“Told you it was important, don’t doubt your words,” Gunnar whispered and kissed Eryka’s head.

For the first time the star seer smiled.

“Wonderful.” Calista huffed. “Come one, come bleeding all. We’ve been tossed into another game of the Norns filled with clues and nonsense. Prepare yourselves, I have a feeling this one will become rather violent.” Calista rose from the dusty stone floor and folded the parchment on which she’d been writing. “Do we agree we ought to look into the star court a little deeper?”

The moment I nodded, Bo laughed in his cell. Cruel and low.

He pressed his brow against the bars. “Yes, come meet me if you think you’re bold enough. I think you’ve forgotten what it means to stand against me. I’ll remind you soon, little raven.”

“Dammit!” Calista shouted. “Eyes closed, Raven Queen. Eyes open—found. We’re found!”

My stomach lurched. I rushed to the cell, shouting for Gunnar, “Tell him to sleep. Close his damn eyes.”