Page 47 of Starfall

Ari

T he depthless void sang to me as I descended.

Harpists played, and out of tune violins wailed, and all around my plummeting form, the air buzzed and hummed with the haunting music of death and night.

I wore the darkness like a shawl as my body spun in endless circles, my sight a blur of reaching hands and midnight skies. Long, spindly fingers stretched out to grab at my ankles, their icy touch searing. Sharpened nails dug into my skin, and warmth bloomed where the claws pierced my flesh.

My mouth opened to scream but no sound came out.

It reminded me of when I had tumbled into the river and the dense water filled my lungs, robbing me of air and my voice. But this wasn’t the river, and Elias wasn’t here to rescue me. I fell into a place no mortal could reach. I knew this deep in my bones.

Squeezing my eyes, ignoring the hands stroking my exposed flesh, I dropped deeper into the infinite vacuum of space.

Ages passed before soft ground rushed up to meet me, and I yelped when my feet touched soft dirt. I stumbled, off-balance by how gravity pulled at my limbs.

Suffocating gloom surrounded me, black, gray, and dark green fog rushing in on all sides. I could hardly make out anything past my waist, let alone when I glanced in the distance. My head spun as I took a cautious step, landing my bare feet in what felt like mud. What I prayed was mud.

“Lily?” I called out hesitantly. This wasn’t the mortal realm, nor was it anywhere near Maldia. If I had to guess—which I didn’t want to—this hellscape would be the perfect place to trap my sisters.

I held out my shaking hands, inching in one direction, uncertain of where I headed. There had to be something else here aside from the ravaging darkness. Something I could hold on to and use as a guide to find my way out. If getting out was even possible.

A droning whined in my ears, the sound akin to a thousand swarming flies. The grating noise held none of the melodious sounds belonging to Maldia. It spoke of pain.

My mind flickered to the six men. Ash—they were all piles of ash. Dead and gone.

Was this a punishment for using Xavier’s ring? Surely I hadn’t done that to the assailants by myself. My power wasn’t that strong.

Still. Six men were dead, and I had unwittingly been the cause. Regardless of whether or not they deserved their demise or not, I had yet to process my role.

I probably never would.

The discordant music ceased abruptly, and a flash of blue-gray light flared, momentarily blinding me. When the stark light receded, I screamed, the shrill sound piercing my eardrums.

I stood imprisoned within a circle of those unholy silver and blue flames, trapped.

They moved around me in a ceaseless spin, blocking any and all escape.

Gazing up, beyond the taunting fire, I glimpsed the tops of spindly trees, an open sky mocking me from overhead.

Thousands of stars twinkled, the bright moon sliding out from behind a gray cloud.

What sounded like a twig snapping brought my attention to my left. Squinting beyond the writhing flames, I made out the shape of a lone figure walking closer, their steps slow and purposeful as they emerged from the trees beyond .

I sucked in a breath. The world I’d seen through the circling barrier shuddered, and the figure sped toward me in the blink of an eye.

Every muscle seized when their face came into full view. It was the last person I would’ve suspected.

Carina swayed in the same white gown she’d worn on the night of the Fall, though a muddy gray tinged her silver eyes. No haughty expression curved her full lips, which trembled as they parted, a sheen of black ooze coating her teeth.

“Two days to save yourself, Ari,” Carina croaked.

It sounded like she hadn’t spoken a day in her life, and her voice held a terrifying amount of both fear and concern.

For Carina to be frightened made my stomach tie into knots.

She was one of the bravest most self-assured star maidens.

Whatever this place was, it had destroyed her.

The barrier gave a violent shake, and Carina flickered out of view before steadying.

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. She was here because of me, and I’d been celebrating a festival an hour before.

I couldn’t feel any worse than I did then.

“I’m so sorry, Carina,” I said with a sob. “I’m doing everything I can to help you. I won’t give up, and I still have time.”

Elias was going to win the championship right after I had a little talk with his opponent. It would be simple.

Carina wavered, her mouth twisting as though consumed by sheer agony. More black ooze seeped from between her lips, dripping down her chin.

“Don’t let him t-trick you,” she warned, her lifeless stare penetrating my soul.

“Who?” I asked, pleading now. “Is it him, Xavier? He’s insisting that the Eternal lied to us all. But that can’t be right? It has to be a lie.” I was rambling, my thoughts scattered.

She had to mean Xavier. Who else was there to fear?

The black forest began to fade and Carina’s face became a distorted blur of the fierce maiden I’d known .

“Wait!” I shouted, daring a step closer, the lick of heat from the blue and silver flames burning my cheeks. “Tell me what I need to do!”

Carina’s answer wafted across the depthless space, eerily hollow. “Don’t trust him,” she repeated. “Don’t let him steal you away. He’s not what he seems. And please, do not let go of your promise, Ari.”

She flickered in and out of sight like a mirage, her long black hair the first to vanish. The voracious light inhaled her, devouring her body.

“Carina!” I shouted, tears flowing down my face.

Carina morphed into the night itself, and then the light went out altogether.

I gasped, my eyes opening to find more darkness. Panic surged in my veins, and I let out a shrill scream as I lurched forward, ready to attack whatever new nightmare greeted me.

“Woah, lass. Take it easy.” A broad hand pressed against my shoulder, gently pushing until I rested upon a cloud of silk and pillows.

For a moment I didn’t recognize that deep, gruff voice, and I shot up, clawing at the arm holding me down. My nails tore into bare flesh, and warmth trickled down my fingers. I was wild, frightened, and mostly…angry.

I let loose a cry between anguish and rage, and it pierced the silence like a dagger through a broken heart.

“Shhh. I’m right here. It’s all right,” the voice above murmured, not moving an inch, not stopping me from my relentless assault. He took everything I gave, only letting out a hiss when I clawed at his right shoulder.

The sound of pain snapped me out of my daze.

I panted, shuffling backward until I became flush with an iron headboard.

I saw Carina’s face every time I blinked, her gaping mouth and lifeless eyes burned into my mind forever.

I repressed a shudder and fisted the sheets like I could stay grounded if only I held on tight enough to the flimsy material.

“Don’t trust him. Don’t let him steal you away. He’s not what he seems. ”

“Ari.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, yearning to curl up in a ball and drown in self-pity. Lily would know what to do right now. My friend wouldn’t falter or doubt. I wasn’t like that.

I’d put too much stock in the Eternal to dictate my life, and I had trusted him to solve any problem I encountered. Because that was what was expected of me.

But the Eternal wasn’t helping me now. He hadn’t guided me. Since landing in this world, I’d been alone…except for Xavier.

His ring had saved our lives tonight. What did I make of that? If he was the man Carina warned me about, then why did he help me?

The bed dipped and then a drawer opened and shut. I heard the strike of a match and the hiss of a candle wick catching flame.

“Ari, please open your eyes. Please , sweetheart. Do it for me. Let me see those stunning eyes of yours.”

Elias. The assailants in the alley. The ring. The piles of ash and the smell of burnt hair ? —

I could still smell the death we’d left behind. Could almost taste it.

I wanted to hide. To bury myself in the comfortable oblivion I’d found myself in.

“You’re so strong, Ari. Stronger than I ever was or could be.

” The voice was deep and low, barely loud enough for me to make out the words.

“You’re everything I admire: your strength, your determination, how much you care.

” Fingers graced my cheek, warm and light, hesitant.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified as I was when that man dug his blade into your neck.

I felt so fucking helpless, and the idea of him hurting you…

” A chocked noise rent the air. “I feel torn to shreds in ways I don’t understand, but now that I have you here, safe, I need to be selfish and see you.

To know that your spark is still there, and burning bright. ”

The words poured over me like a warm bath, my muscles losing some of their tension.

He was here. I was safe. And his confession broke me.

My eyes snapped open .

In the candle’s tenuous glow, I made out the results of my temper.

“Eternal above,” I breathed, bile rising in my throat.

It scorched my insides as it climbed into my mouth.

I’d covered Elias in scratches, some red and angry, others faint and pink.

After Carina, after the grisly forest of black, I lashed out at the only thing I could reach. Shame crushed me.

I didn’t know how much more I could handle.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, unable to look at him and the pain I’d inflicted. I cast my gaze to the nightstand, where the flame of the candle he’d lit sputtered. Wax melted and dripped down to the wooden table.

Elias sighed in relief, removing his hand to swipe it through his disheveled hair. He looked a mess. “Ari, what happened?” The bed shifted, and I felt him scooting closer, his thigh brushing mine. “Tell me, what happened back there in the alley?”

My hands trembled beneath the covers, the peace his voice had brought vanishing. I curled my right hand, expecting the bite of the ring to dig into my palm. There was nothing.

I lifted my hand.

It was gone. The ring was gone .

“Talk to me,” Elias pressed, the back of his hand grazing my bare arm. I looked down, my heart racing as I took in the sight of myself wearing a simple black shirt.

Elias’s shirt.

It hung over my ruined corset, the smell of death wafting to my nose.

“I just put a clean shirt over your top,” Elias explained, his voice hitching slightly. “The jacket was torn to bits.”

Heat immediately spread across my cheeks. I was thankful for the dim, only the weak flame from the candle illuminating the room. I peered at it now, surprised to find the carved bull I’d bought Elias displayed beside it.

I feel torn to shreds in ways I don’t understand…

I wanted to reach out to him. To relish the comfort he provided. His vulnerability wasn’t something he often displayed, but he’d begged me to come back to him. Needed me to.

And I followed his voice back home.

“Do you remember what happened?” Elias asked, forcing me to meet his piercing stare. “There was this bright light and then…then they were gone.” I knew he chose that final word with care. We both understood what those piles had been.

His eyes drifted to my neck, to where the man’s blade had pressed. I reached for it, finding only smooth, clean skin. I’d healed, and Elias…he must have cleaned the dried blood from me while I slept.

“I wanted to kill them myself,” Elias murmured, his dark eyes lingering on my throat.

“When he dug that blade into you, I lost my mind. I was going to attack them, and likely get us killed before we were miraculously saved. There was that blinding light, it…it only harmed our attackers. It didn’t even touch us. ”

He wanted to know why. If I was responsible.

The ring left by the white-haired stranger saved us.

He hadn’t hurt me when he visited me. Never once threatened or caused me undo damage. In fact, the last few times, he appeared concerned . Was he just waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth of his evil?

I swallowed thickly before forcing out the truth. I owed Elias as much, and after he carried me from that wretched alleyway of dead bodies, I couldn’t hold anything inside any longer. I trusted him… Hell, if I was honest with myself, I more than trusted him.

“The man— Xavier, he called himself—was the one who appeared to me in that mirror. But he left something behind; an onyx ring,” I said, watching as Elias’s face fell.

I’d kept this from him, and my deceit caused him to draw back.

“That ring was enchanted, but I didn’t know what it could do until now.

” I brought my knees to my chest, looking at my muddied hands.

I could feel Elias’s eyes boring into me. Judging me.

I deserved it.

“You didn’t tell me,” he whispered, lifting from the bed. “Why did you hide it?”

He sounded angry. Hurt that I’d omitted something so big.

“I should have.” I really, really should have. But deep down I knew the answer; I was afraid he’d make me get rid of the ring, and I’d been too enthralled by its power to consider it .

“I thought we could trust one another,” he said, giving me his back. “After everything…”

“Elias, I do trust you,” I said, enunciating the words. “I was just scared. Or, maybe afraid you’d judge me. Or?—”

“You don’t trust me, then. Good to know,” he said, heading for the bathroom, the one place he could escape me. Before I could deny his claim, he paused at the threshold and ordered, “Get some sleep. Darren will need me at the club by noon, meaning we both have to go.”

I groaned in defeat. Leaning against the pillows, I shut my weary eyes. I didn’t get the chance to feel guilty over my deception. Over the way Elias’s voice had deepened and cracked. I didn’t get the time to think about how much my trust truly mattered to him, and why .

Sleep stole me back into its waiting arms and I let it.

Oblivion was far easier to handle.