Page 44 of Starfall

Elias

T hey set up the festival in the center of Persh, the boulevards and squares of the Key Quarter unrecognizable under the soft fairy lights hanging from each wrought-iron lamp post.

True to its name, various keys dangled from every street sign, the metal tinkling together when the fall wind blew through. The keys themselves belonged to the previous owners of the homes in this quarter. It symbolized that wherever the occupants journeyed, they left a piece of themselves behind.

Ari had remarked upon them with awe, reaching out to trail a finger over the uneven teeth of a copper key, the handle shaped like a broken heart. Enthralled since we stepped foot past the gates, she finally pulled her attention from the glittering keys and to the main attractions.

A gasp sounded at my side. “It’s…stunning.” She gawked at the spectacle, and on my other arm, Liv admired the festival with the same adoration.

My brows knitted together. “It’s just a bunch of lights and tents.” In my eyes, there was only one thing worth looking at. Or rather, one person.

Fuck me. I had to fight to keep my attention off of her.

Liv tsk ed, narrowing her stare. I swore she could scold me with a simple look alone, and this one was scathing. “You really don’t recognize beauty, even when it’s standing right in front of you.”

Oh, I recognized beauty. I just wasn’t interested in the festival. How could I be when my hands shook whenever she neared, or when she brushed her body against mine? It was instinctive, leaning into her and the sensations she wrought. I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to stop it.

Ari stepped forward, a breeze wafting through her silken strands. The silver hue shifted beneath the lights, and I was struck with the temptation to reach out and run my hand through the locks.

I cursed myself and shoved my hands into the recesses of my pockets. Keep your shit together, Elias , I reminded, gritting my teeth. I tracked her stare, attempting to picture the festival through her innocent eyes.

They’d constructed a grand arch out of twining vines, some dainty white blooms braided into the tangled green.

Men and women wearing costumes strolled beneath it, laughing with glee as they entered the main street boasting gauzy tents of every color.

Each one held wares from across the realm, a few dedicated to palm readers, magicians, and glimpses of rare or ancient artifacts supposedly belonging to the divine.

I’d heard a vendor claim they possessed a relic belonging to the Eternal. Some sort of sword. The proprietor listed it for an exorbitant amount of coin, and I had the suspicion Darren might make a bid on the weapon for the sake of clout.

To our right, a group of forest nymphs wearing nothing but flowers and leaves chatted beside a pair of ravens, black feathers pinned to their short black dresses.

Some wore masks, others chose heavy, detailed makeup.

The sprites painted flowers beside their eyes, their lips colored blue to match the rivers and lakes, and the ravens drew wispy feathers on their bare skin.

Ari watched them all, though I noted how she lingered on those dressed as star maidens.

Their costumes were bespeckled with crystals, the dresses revealing more than they covered.

Silver shone on their lids, their lips colored either silver or bright red.

They looked nothing like Ari had the night she arrived; flawless and effortlessly striking.

Like a vision one conjured when they imagined a goddess .

Tonight, however, Ari appeared like sin itself.

Less like a star maiden, and more like a beacon of light in the darkness.

A temptress whose lush figure turned every damned eye.

I wanted to rip them all out of their sockets.

Too many people lingered on her, and I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Ari wouldn’t like me ruining her night by maiming anyone. Unfortunately.

Ari studied a man wearing a flowing star maiden gown, his features highlighted by silver lotion.

She smiled for just a moment before sorrow weighed her shoulders.

Each time she glimpsed another star maiden, the muscles in her neck visibly strained—they were all reminders of the family she loved and could lose.

If I didn’t have to show my face here for Darren, I’d have suggested we leave.

When I noticed unshed tears in her eyes, I was about to say damn the festival, but a gentle strumming of a guitar filled the night air, the musician’s voice accompanying the lilting song.

Ari’s tension eased, and she lifted her head, her jaw tight as she took in the musician with rapt attention.

On light feet, she moved toward the melody, practically floating under the archway and into the horde of bodies.

Liv and I scurried after, following until she came to a stop before a vivid purple tent, the man and his guitar seated on a stage of wildflowers.

His kohl-lined eyes met hers, and he winked, the young rogue clearly working his audience.

But Ari didn’t know that, and she beamed in reply, earning a sincere grin from the player, who couldn’t take his blue eyes off of her.

I made a deep sound of irritation in my throat, and Liv fixed me with yet another face that might as well have said, “Do something, then.”

“Incredible,” Ari murmured, transfixed by the man and his instrument.

She told me she loved Maldia’s music, the harpists that played there. Focusing solely on her—and not the flirtatious musician—I smiled when her body swayed, her hips moving hypnotically from side to side. I didn’t need to see her face to know a radiant grin brightened it.

“She’s the real deal, isn’t she?” Liv whispered so Ari didn’t hear.

“She is.” There was no point in denying anything. Ari revealed to me that Liv knew exactly what she was. Hell, Liv had seen Ari’s magic with her own two eyes. “I trust you won’t say?—”

“I won’t,” Liv cut me off, turning my chin with her thumb and forefinger so I met her eyes. “You know how I feel about the Eternal, Elias, and I’d never break his trust by exposing one of his creations. You both have my promise.”

I searched her face, finding nothing but the truth. I was aware that she believed she was saved by a star maiden as a child. My heart sank when I remembered how I’d once teased her, saying it had just been a dream.

I’d been cruel then, and even if Ari wasn’t standing a few feet away, I should never have belittled Liv’s faith. Perhaps jealousy had played a role—the Eternal hadn’t answered my prayer.

The music came to an end, the musician’s final chords humming as he lifted his callused fingers from his worn instrument.

Ari clapped along with the small crowd who had gathered, her body vibrating with excitement. My eyes traced the outline of the black pants she wore, the material clinging to every curve. I saw only her, standing beneath a strand of fairy lights, her silver hair a beacon, calling me forward.

“You’re in trouble,” Liv muttered. “You never even looked at Grace that way.”

I went to argue, turning on Liv, but nothing came out but a hiss of a breath. My mouth didn’t belong to me, and my voice died in my throat.

“See, you can’t even force yourself to lie.” Liv shrugged, wobbling slightly on her sky-high silver heels. I wasn’t sure how she didn’t break her neck in those things.

“I-I’m not lying about anything,” I snapped. “She…we—there’s nothing there. It hasn’t even been that long.” I groaned at my stumbling. I couldn’t be more obvious if I tried.

Liv grabbed me by the shoulder and compelled me to turn back to where Ari swayed to the music, the man now singing a romantic tune, much to my dismay. Eternal below, he was asking for a punch to the face.

“Sometimes time is irrelevant,” Liv said. “It’s about a feeling you get, your soul speaking to you. It’s up to you to decide if you want to listen and see if it’s right. If it could be something real. Something magical. You’ve always been too fearful of a good thing. ”

A good thing . I wanted to remind Liv that Ari wasn’t long for this earth, but I couldn’t force out the words.

I aimed my attention back at Ari and stepped closer to the stage, away from my friend. When the handsome musician reached out a hand for Ari, preparing to pull her on stage, rage simmered in my gut. He said something too low for me to hear, but it had her tucking her chin as if in embarrassment.

Damn this.

I was at her side before I thought better of it. Slipping my hand through hers, I pulled her away from the shameless con artist.

“Come on, Ari. There’s so much more to see,” I said, turning her around, and all but lugging her from the purple tent. The musician called out to her, but my pace grew relentless.

“Slow down, brute. I have much shorter legs than you,” Ari reminded with a glare. “And I was just about to be invited on stage to sing.”

I shook my head. Yes, like that was all the man wanted her to do.

“Trust me. There are many more interesting things here, and that musician was looking at you as if he wanted to eat you alive.”

Ari slowed, forcing me to meet her small steps. “I was just having fun, Elias. You overthink everything, don’t you? It was just a song, and I’m not half bad.”

I snorted. “If that look he gave you was only to invite you to sing, then I’m the most peaceful man on Earth.”

“Someone sounds jealous!” Liv chimed in, stumbling in her heels to slip her arm through Ari’s.

I instantly dropped Ari’s hand and glared at Liv. “I’m protective. That’s not a crime.”

“Sure,” Liv teased, guiding Ari to another tent, this one yellow and painted with white daisies.

She took Ari inside, allowing her to admire the hand-carved creatures the artist had whittled.

I watched as Ari picked up a small bull, twisting it in her hands before lifting her head and meeting my eyes.

She raised the bull and pointed, mouthing ‘ This is you’ .