Page 43 of Starfall

Ari

P ersh had transformed.

The street beyond Darren’s club teemed with masked men and women, all sporting costumes of the Eternal’s divine beings.

People clutched drinks between loose fingers, and they sang songs from all the many regions of Alderon.

They grinned, swaying from the effects of the ale, their bodies moving in a way that looked like a languid dance.

“Keep close,” Elias instructed as we delved into the crowd. “I got you.”

If I believed Persh was crowded enough before, I had been mistaken. It came alive at night, and on an occasion such as the Aura Festival, it felt like not one soul desired to miss out on the fun.

With Elias at my side, I peered around at all the many costumes and friends out celebrating. Everyone had done their best to mimic the Eternal’s divine beings.

I jolted when I glimpsed a woman wearing a bright silvery wig, her mask painted in delicate blue swirls. Swathed in white silk, a star pendant rested at the hollow of her throat.

Was she dressing up as… me ?

My heartbeat thudded in my ears. It was one thing to see the sprites and ravens and nymphs, and another to behold what people deemed a costume.

It was my life.

The beginning of panic crept in the longer I stared at the woman dressed as a star maiden, memories of my solitude in the heavens constricting my breathing.

I loathed the new emotion, fear, how it rendered me immobile.

Moments ago, I’d been elated at the thought of the festival, but out here, in the thick of it, that excitement had quickly turned sour in seconds.

My thumb rubbed against the silver band on my index finger, and a cool wind brushed my cheeks. The rising alarm eased when I grazed the facets of the gemstone Xavier had given me, and a calming numbness blocked out the too loud world.

Better. Much better.

A warm hand slipped into mine, the heat scattering my thoughts. I hastily let go of the ring and found that Elias’s eyes were on me, the summer color instantly soothing. “You all right?” he asked, his lips curled down with worry.

“Just…a lot of people,” I said, which was partly the truth.

Elias eased closer, blocking out some of the bedlam. His attention landed on the very woman who initially sparked my panic before he nodded to himself. “They don’t know you ,” he said gently as if reading my mind. “If you need to go, we will. No questions.”

I swallowed thickly, centering my aim only on him and the sense of safety I experienced when he hovered over me; like a wall built to take the brunt of a wild sea. “Thank you. I believe I’m all right for now.”

I forgot all about Xavier and his ring, and how it made me feel stronger when I wore it.

Elias’s hold felt better.

“Ready for this, Ari?” he asked, giving me a gentle squeeze, those warm fingers sending a jolt across my frozen skin.

Would I ever be ready? Probably not, but I envisioned my brave sister who needed me, and then I thought of the woman I wanted to be. If only for a little while longer .

I squeezed him back. “Ready.”

“Ari! Elias! Over here.”

Liv barreled into me before I could register her as anything more than a blur of white silk and black curls. An oomph left me at the impact, and I sputtered for air just as she reluctantly drew back with a contented sigh. Grabbing my shoulders, she studied me with wide eyes and a frown.

“Wait. Where’s your costume?”

“I don’t think I need one,” I teased, raising a silver brow.

Liv huffed in disappointment. “You could have at least added some shimmer to your eyes. Next time, I’m taking over.”

Next time .

“Agreed,” I said, though we both knew there wouldn’t be a next time.

Leaning back, I studied Liv’s costume. Tiny crystal gems shone in her hair, woven into the curls with care.

They sparkled like fairy lights under the moon, their shine adding to the beauty of her brilliant white gossamer dress, the plunging neckline causing several nearby eyes to venture to her chest.

A star maiden.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but given her necklace and her belief in me while I’d healed her in that alley, I wasn’t surprised. Besides, she looked gorgeous.

We were just outside the center of town, in the Key Quarter where the festival took place.

Already, I spotted the tops of several brightly colored tents and could smell the dozens of different foods being cooked.

Thankfully, I found fewer star maidens among the revelers, people seeming to favor the sprites or nymphs.

“Oh, shit.” We all turned to Elias, whose face went pale. “I’ll be right back. Darren’s waving at me.”

Across the boulevard, his suit covered in raven feathers, stood Darren. He mouthed Elias’s name several times before turning back to the three men who surrounded him, all wearing similar suits, although theirs were clearly more elaborate.

“Give me a second to play my part,” Elias said, pausing before he darted away.

He lingered on me as if asking a question only I knew.

I nodded my head, letting him know I’d be fine, especially with Liv here.

The concern melted from his features, and he returned the subtle gesture before adding, “Don’t leave this spot. Please.”

“So bossy.” Liv shook her head, the crystals in her hair glimmering.

Another growl of annoyance reverberated in his chest before he marched off to Darren and the men he aimed to impress. When he was near, Darren grabbed him by the shirt and threw an arm over his shoulders, yanking Elias to him like they were old friends. Such a lie.

With Elias thoroughly occupied, I gave all of my attention to Liv, ignoring the stream of people pushing past us.

“So…your costume?” I started, asking the question without truly asking it. “You haven’t asked me a single thing about, well, you know . Not that you don’t look gorgeous, I’m just curious about your choice.” Was it for me? Or was I reading too much into her selection?

Regardless, it was entirely uncanny seeing her dressed this way.

As I complimented her, a woman wearing nothing but reeds and glitter winked at Liv, a coy smile playing on her lips. Liv returned the gesture, her eyes darkening.

“Liv.” I snapped my fingers in front of her face. “Flirt later.”

“Hey. I get distracted.” She faced me, the spark in her gaze brightening.

“Look, Ari. I didn’t want to pester you with questions.

So I didn’t.” Grabbing my shoulders, she squeezed gently.

“And I’ll have you know, you aren’t the first star maiden I’ve seen,” she whispered, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Why do you think I knew you were special when you saved me from Darren? I mean, that act of yours would’ve shocked any other person. ”

“Excuse me?” She’d seen a star maiden in the flesh? That couldn’t be possible, unless…

Had Liv made a wish of her own? Is that why she hadn’t been all that surprised by my actions ?

Liv sighed and toyed with a gem in her hair, enjoying dragging everything out to torture me. I schooled my features, but she was succeeding.

“When I was ten, I grew very, very ill. No one knew what ailed me, not even my father, who was a renowned doctor from Athos. He tried every new technique, every approach, but still, I lay in bed, barely able to move, hardly able to eat. The pain never gave me a moment to breathe.” She paused, her attention drifting to the crowd.

“I couldn’t sleep one night, and I had a sudden bout of energy. It was rare, but whenever I had energy, I wanted to walk, to go outside and stare at the stars. But I never made it to the front door. There was light radiating from my father’s bedroom. I’d never seen anything like it.”

I held my breath, already figuring out where her story led.

“I saw a woman in white hovering over my sleeping father. I couldn’t make out much of her features, but I felt her power.

And then…” Liv stole a sharp breath. “Then she vanished. Gone. When the sun rose the next morning, all the pain and exhaustion left me, and Father claimed it was a miracle. But I knew the truth. I knew a star maiden had visited him, and she granted his greatest wish: to cure me.”

Her father had been a Chosen. A rare blessing, and one that saved the woman before me. Of course, she was a believer. Why she’d opened her arms to me without thought. My pulse slowed back down to normal, and I reached for her hand, the proper words trapped in my throat.

“I’m so happy you’re here with me,” I said, my eyes prickling. I meant the words with every fiber of my being. She’d been saved. Granted a gift similar to the one I had been tasked with. If not for the star maiden’s sacrifice, Liv likely wouldn’t be alive.

I was thankful, truly, but my mind circled back to the star maiden she’d seen. I kept thinking about who she was, this mysterious woman, and if she had hopes and dreams of her own. If she even had desired to grant the wish and ascend.

Such thoughts brought me shame, and I loathed myself for thinking them. Liv was safe and healthy. There was no moving backward.

“Me too, Ari,” Liv whispered with a tender smile. “And whatever reason you’re here, whatever you’re doing with Elias, I have faith that you’ll succeed.”

Did she not know what happened to me after a wish was granted? Or perhaps, she considered my ascension a gift, like I had before I fell to Earth.

Liv beamed with pride, her gratitude lighting up her face. “This world deserves a few miracles every now and again, Ari. I’m just lucky to have met you.”

Warmth spread across my face. That should have been the affirmation I needed to hear to know star maidens did the right thing. That we had divine purposes.

Then why did the notion of me actually succeeding make my knees weak?

Lily. I had to think of Lily. Had to picture her face twisted in agony. Her pleading for me to not let her down.

Regardless of the burgeoning feelings inside of me, I drove down the urge to run away. To be selfish. To want .

And I had started to want so many things…

Liv embraced me, leaning onto her tiptoes to whisper into my ears.

“Now I know why your soul spoke to mine the second I saw you. You make me feel safe, which isn’t a feeling I have too often.

Except with him,” she said with a tilt of her head in Elias’s direction.

“He’s all barbs on the outside, but he’s one of the most tender-hearted people I know.

Like you, his soul spoke to me, and I was helpless but to reply.

” Liv drew back, her rosy lips wide. My smile strained, my heart aching from her sweet words.

“Maybe we’re all connected because we each have something the other does not. ”

My brows furrowed. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, Elias is a protector with a golden heart. I’m our unwavering faith. And you, Ari, are the impossible magic of hope. Imagine what we could all accomplish together.”

What could I possibly say to that? I hugged her tightly instead, delighting in her floral perfume.

Sometimes words were just redundant.

Liv wiped at her eyes and drew back with a sniff. “Now, let’s get you out of that coat!” she said, smiling through the memory she’d just shared.

I obliged, tugging off the coat and hanging it over my arm and hand—the one that bore Xavier’s ring. How it hummed pleasantly against my skin, cold and soothing. I missed the thrumming of magic in the air I’d known on Maldia, and it calmed me enough to lift my head high.

Liv’s mouth parted as she appraised me. “I should be awarded for picking this outfit,” she said, grinning. “While it’s not the white dress I chose for tonight, I think it suits you better.”

Yes, she and Lily would definitely get along nicely.

I laughed, looking down at the silver corset covered in lace and tiny, sparkling beads. The plunging neckline showed off my cleavage, the tight construction of the top pushing them high. Liv had paired skintight leather pants with the corset, giving me a more seductive look.

I blushed when a few heads turned, but Liv had none of that—she forced my chin up. “Don’t hide yourself.”

I itched to reach for Xavier’s ring, but held back. Hiding sounded nice about now.

“Thank the heavens that farce is over.”

Liv and I startled when Elias returned from his boss’s clutches, his lips pulled into a deep frown. I had the urge to mimic his typical growl of displeasure. I resisted?—

Mainly because his face went abruptly lax at the sight of me without my coat.

Hooded eyes traveled down my body, his breath hitching when he reached my top. “Ari…” Elias stepped closer, wonder wiping away his scowl. “You look…”

I could melt beneath such a gaze. My cheeks instantly flamed.

“Can’t seem to finish a complete sentence, can you?” Liv knocked his side with her hip. “She looks stunning. There. I said it.”

“Yes. Stunning,” he echoed. Elias didn’t even glance at her. His eyes were just for me, and that thought made the butterflies fluttering in my stomach go wild. Having all of his focus on me was like being the only star against a canvas of black .

Suddenly the eyes of the crowd didn’t bother me. As long as he looked too.

Without a thought, I grabbed his hand, placing it in mine. I watched in awe as his entire demeanor shifted, the creases on his forehead smoothening, his eyes sparkling.

“In two days, everything will change,” I said gently. “Do you think you could enjoy yourself just for tonight? For me?”

A flash of indecision flickered across his handsome face before he righted himself and forced a curt nod. “I think I can do that.” He hadn’t glanced away yet. Like he couldn’t bear to miss a single moment.

“Come on, you two,” Liv said, pointedly shuffling between us. “Time to have some fun.”