Page 12 of Starfall

In Maldia, I’d never been cross with my sisters—not openly, at least—but with Elias…

he brought out my worst attributes. He was condescending, pretentious, cocky, and ill-humored, and I was physically unable to rein in my temper.

Though he wasn’t so condescending at the moment.

He was ca lming. Warm and gentle . That unnerved me more than any of his rudeness had thus far.

“Take a nice long inhale, through your nose,” Elias instructed, the soothing, deep timbre of his tone drowning out my incessant thoughts—the gruesome images of us hurtling off some cliff.

“That’s it, nice and easy. Now hold it. Good girl,” he praised.

“Breathe out now, through your mouth. Make the exhale last longer than the inhale.”

I silently said another exciting curse I’d learned. His words had an odd effect on me; both raising my heart rate and pacifying my nerves.

“You’re a star maiden, Ari,” he murmured into my ear, his lips brushing against my heated skin.

“You literally fell from the sky. You can make it through this.” He moved our intertwined hands to his lap, and heat seared my cheeks, forcing me to squeeze my eyes tightly. “Just breathe for me, little light.”

So lost in my tumultuous emotions, all I could do was follow his commands without question, and he repeated the process over and over again until my head lolled to the side to rest on his shoulder.

It was hard and uncomfortable, but with my eyes closed, the train’s steady rocking became something pacifying rather than startling.

It helped that Elias still murmured in my ear. That his solidness kept me tethered.

I would never admit such a thing to him aloud.

I passed out minutes later.

“Get up!”

Someone shook my shoulder, jolting me from a deep sleep. Visions of Lily and my sisters floated away as I opened my eyes and blinked.

Elias’s wild stare hovered inches away, his mouth a hairsbreadth from my own. My gaze lowered to his lips, noticing for the first time how full they were.No. Not the time to think of that .

I jerked back in my seat, ignoring the prickling sensation in my chest.“Why the hell did you wake me?” Now I’d have to endure this dreadful train ride awake, feeling every jolt and turbulent shudder .

“We need to go. Now ,” Elias said through clenched teeth, his hand seizing mine to haul me up. I yanked back on instinct, eyeing him through narrowed slits.

“What ridiculousness are you going on about?”

Elias dropped my hand and swiped at his stubbled jaw in frustration. “There’s someone I know here. And they don’t particularly care for me.”

I lifted a brow, repressing a smile. “And this is shocking, how exactly?”

“Funny,” Elias said with a sigh. “I’m serious, Ari. This person, they’re dangerous, they…” He paused, running his fingers through his unruly dark curls. “They don’t exactly like the fact that I’m alive and breathing.”

I bit my lip, killing the sarcastic retort on the tip of my tongue. “Which one wants you dead?” I asked instead, scanning the crowded car. Everyone appeared the same in my eyes.

“There, at the front of the train,” Elias said, angling his face down. “He peeked back once, and I swear he saw me. If he did, we’re done for. He’s got three of his men with him, and they’re all carrying weapons. I can’t take on all three.”

I swallowed the inappropriate laughter threatening to bubble up.

He thought I wouldn’t be capable of aiding in the brawl.

Mistress Lina forced us to train every day to keep our bodies as sound as our minds—and seeing as my own was forever restless, I’d devoted a lot of time to learning such skills.

It helped ease some of the tension that occasionally crept up when the days were long and the nights even longer.

“Daggers, swords, crossbows? What kind of weapons are we talking about here?” I asked stoically, requiring specifics.

Elias made a face, clearly taken aback by my question. He shook himself before he answered. “Alecks prefers the serrated blades belonging to the famed Erlan people in the north. They cut through flesh like they’re slicing into an overripe piece of fruit.”

“Lovely,” I said, tensing. I’d known a few dreamers who wished for the elusive blades.

Soldiers stationed on the Alderon front, mostly.

The soldiers were forever at war with the continent to the northeast. Humans always seemed to be at war over something or another.

“I’ve seen them before,” I muttered under my breath. “Nasty things. ”

Once more, Elias paused to stare at me before he continued, that shocked expression making him appear almost boyish.

“That’s why we need to carefully, slowly, make our way to the back of the car.

If Alecks makes a move to follow, we know he’s spotted us,” he warned.

“Hopefully, we can hide out by the toilets until we reach the station.”

“You aren’t one for well-thought-out plans, are you?”

“Ari, be serious,” Elias begged, and I immediately sobered. He was fearful. Obviously so, and that was the most unsettling part of it all.

In the brief time I had known him, I’d speculated that Elias didn’t enjoy revealing his emotions so plainly, least of all, anxiety.

I hesitated.

A clear plan of action popped into my head.

“I can coerce him to leave us alone,” I said, a victorious grin widening my cheeks. “All I need to do is speak, tell him that he never saw you, and we’re safe. And it’s a plan that won’t end with your head in that leather bag of his.”

It would be easy. I’d march over to Alecks and simply tell him and his men that they never saw Elias to begin with, and they’d believe it without question. It all would be over and done with before Elias let out the breath he was holding.

“What you claim may or may not be true,” Elias began through clenched teeth. “But I don’t particularly want to try it out when your so-called power might not work down here.”

On Earth, he meant.

My muscles tensed. If it didn’t work and I failed—a common occurrence, it seemed—then we’d be screwed.

I grimaced, but nodded in assent, understanding his point.

If Alecks killed him before I granted his wish, then what would happen to my sisters?

I assumed keeping my Chosen alive was a key part of the process. Even if he was an obstinate brute.

I squeezed my eyes tight in defeat. I’d try to use my untrained power when our lives weren’t on the line. “All right, on your lead then,” I relented, much to Elias’s relief. His jaw immediately unclenched.

“I’m going to get up and head to the back.

I need you to follow me. No dawdling or hesitating.

We get out now . If we’re lucky enough and aren’t made, then we still have a chance.

Believe me when I tell you, he’ll kill you, too, simply because you’re here with me.

They don’t call him the Butcher of Lindel without reason. ”

A lump formed in my throat, but I nodded again, watching through wide eyes as Elias rose, nervously smoothing down his shirt.In an instant, a stony mask fell over his features, any trace of softness vanishing.

Still, he stood out like a sore thumb. The man was enormous; all muscles and long limbs.

If Alecks hadn’t spotted him before, he definitely would now, especially since a few other patrons glanced over their shoulders, some whispering behind their hands.

Most of them blushing. I resisted rolling my eyes.

Elias’s notable appearance would be the death of us.

Unaware of his admirers, Elias sidestepped into the aisle, turned, and began down the path toward the toilets.

I would’ve found his attempt at nonchalance humorous during any other circumstance, what with his dogged walk and his shoulders impossibly taut.

But Elias might as well have been wearing a giant red target on his back.

I shook my head and rose, keeping an eye out for Alecks and his men, all three lackeys sporting brown checkered caps that dug into their shiny foreheads. The suits they wore were crafted of fine woven material; rich brocade specifically tailored to their lean frames.

I might have complained about Elias, but I was neither graceful nor subtle as I tripped over my long skirts and stumbled into the aisle after my companion. A perfect example of a time I could use Lily’s effortless poise.

I’d taken three ungainly steps when a surge of icy panic shot through my chest in warning. I twisted around at the same time that Alecks peered up from his seat, meeting my gaze?—

And grinned .

It was a knowing kind of smile, one that told me everything I needed to know—he’d spotted us well before we’d concocted our thoughtless plan.

Quickening my steps, I raced after Elias.

I misjudged the distance and collided with him with a smack.

My hands instinctively lifted to protect my face from crashing against the concrete wall masquerading as his back.

“He knows,” I said, grabbing at his sleeves and perching on the tips of my toes to murmur in his ear. He angled his head and peered down at me, a question in his eyes as his jaw feathered.

“Then this should be fun,” he muttered, grasping my hand protectively, his face a frighteningly blank mask.

“Elias?” He didn’t reply, just gripped my hand tighter and yanked me forward. He became a shield against the dodging patrons mingling in the aisle.

Daring another glance over my shoulder, I detected a shimmer of the brocade suit belonging to Alecks. He and his men were stuck behind a woman struggling to lower her bag from the compartment overhead. I thanked the Eternal.

“They’re behind us!” As if Elias needed the reminder. “What did you do to them?”

“No time!” Elias grated out, his hand clammy around mine. “Let’s just say they’re not men who like to lose a lot of money.”

Ah . I surmised he’d won a match he shouldn’t have. Or lost one.