Page 49 of Starfall

Ari

O n Maldia, I never had a dream of my own. I was too busy delving into the dreams of others.

In the mortal realm, curled up on the lounge in the blue room, that all changed.

I dreamed of Persh and the festival. Of holding Liv’s hand, shopping in the many unique quarters that comprised the city. Ones I hadn’t even visited yet. I saw myself smiling, laughing, and living an adventurous life that wasn’t meant for me.

In these glimpses of fantasy, I was a human.

Something warm and soft grazed my shoulder. I groaned, shifting on the lounge, trying to stay settled in the lovely vision where Liv and I were stuffing pastries in our mouths, a giggling Lily beside us. The two of them would get along, I thought.

“Wake up, little star.”

The pressure on my shoulder deepened, and I released a moan at the sensation, not ready to leave the safe comfort of my delusions.

“Arina.”

At the sound of my full name—spoken with such careful deliberateness— I peeled my eyes open, my lashes fluttering at my cheeks. The room had a hazy sort of quality about it, the gas lamps exuding a spark of gold.

The face belonging to the voice came into view.

Xavier.

I flinched.

“Shh,” he cooed. “It’s all right. No need to be afraid. Not of me. Never of me.”

“No….” The word left me like a croaked whisper, barely audible, but he must’ve heard me. He backed up, allowing me room. A confused look scrunched his striking features as he stared at the space between us like it was a mile long.

“What are you doing here?” In my dreams? The room maintained its blurriness, the golden glow surrounding us sparkling with glitter. It wasn’t real. It had the same features of a dream, and I knew dreams better than anyone.

His lips kicked up at the sides. He appeared almost boyish. “Did you miss me?”

No. Certainly not. But when he reached with tentative fingers for my face, I closed my eyes, inexplicably drawn to the icy touch he radiated. He glided those long fingers down the curve of my cheek and to my jaw. Down the column of my throat.

His touch was a whisper of air against my skin, a caress.

It was dangerous. Addictive.

“You need your strength.” His tone hardened, and he sounded almost angry, all playfulness from seconds ago gone. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself as it is, and you look half alive. All he needs is one more star maiden and he’ll be unstoppable.”

“Who?” I asked, still drenched in sleep.

Xavier continued, his white brows drawing together.

“You need to listen, sweet star. The other divine beings aren’t able to give him what he needs.

Only you can do that…you’re the first maiden to have defied him during a Fall, and that makes you…

valuable. A way for him to get what he wants without waiting another decade.

Creating divine beings from pieces of t he world itself has drained him, even if they will help fuel him in the end. ”

I could only focus on two words. “Defied him?” I tried to sit up, but my body had felt heavy since using Xavier’s ring yesterday.

“I don’t have a lot of time now.” Xavier glanced behind him as if someone was about to burst through the door at any second. “He’s trying to find me, even now. Always hunting.”

“Why’s he hunting you?” I tilted my chin, dislodging his wandering fingers. “Why have I never heard of you or seen you before?”

The gold in his eyes flashed. “I’ve been beaten down, Arina.

Shoved below the world and told to remain quiet.

And I did…for a time. But I’ve been patient.

Regaining strength, knowing I am one of the few, if the only one, who can defeat him.

With your help. With what you could become, should you choose it. ”

Choose it ? What was I choosing? There didn’t appear to be any choices in games with immortals. Still, even in my weary state, I didn’t latch onto the hope that I could trust Xavier. I couldn’t.

“Didn’t know I was so special,” I mumbled instead, sighing as I looked into his golden eyes. I licked my lips, suddenly parched. The man made a low noise in his throat, the reverberations sending tingles down my spine. “You truly are my very own nightmare, aren’t you?”

Hope . Hope could be just as much as a gift as a curse.

“If I’m a nightmare, then what are you?

I was nothing. My lips remained sealed as I willed myself to stay rooted, focusing on his every feature, trying to decipher why my heart thudded in this terribly realistic dream. And it wasn’t from fear.

“Why do you want to know me?” he asked when I didn’t reply, angling his head so he was inches away. My heart raced as he shifted on the lounge where I rested, his lower body pressed against my hips. I was too sleepy to care about the intimate position.

“Because you saved me,” I said, my words slightly slurred. It was half of the truth.

Xavier tensed, his stare boring into me. “I won’t let him win, Ari,” he promised vehemently. “No one will hurt you. No one will so much as touch you.”

His vow made me shudder, the intensity of it soaking deep into my bones.

“Now.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small bottle. “You need to drink this and regain your strength. Using so much of my power hurt you. Something we can work on.”

He made it seem like he planned on a future with me in it. An impossibility.

Xavier’s hands slipped beneath my back and eased me up, one hand moving to cradle the back of my neck.

Eternal above, talking was getting harder and harder to do. I’d been a mess all morning, doing my best to keep my weakness hidden from Elias, but I finally lost the battle.

“I shouldn’t even be speaking with you.” That much was true. Even in a dream, Xavier was dangerous. And not just dangerous physically—he easily slipped into my head, his words ringing out like truth. I had to more guarded, no matter how much I desired to believe him.

I must’ve shut my eyes again because I flinched when a chilled glass vial pressed to my lips.

“Drink,” Xavier coaxed, the hand at my nape rubbing soothing circles. “You’ll feel better afterward. Channeling is an art, and taking too much will leave you defenseless. That’s my fault, I suppose. I should’ve explained how to wield the ring better.”

His words made no sense. Channeling?

Liquid poured between my lips and down my throat, and I groaned at the delectable taste of it; like strawberries and cream. Or was it peaches?

“Rest.” His voice drifted away, as did the solid feel of him against me. Too solid . “You’ll feel like yourself again when you wake. Ready for the next phase.” A pause and then, “All will happen like planned, but you’ll see the truth and make the right choice. It’s what I’m counting on.”

I barely made out his last words, sleep luring me into a realm of stars.

“I never should’ve doubted her belief in you,” Xavier whispered. “You’re going to be both my salvation and my ruin. ”

Whose belief?

The next time I opened my eyes, my body felt rested, and my eyes were no longer heavy.

I flipped over on the lounge, blinking away the residual sleep. I’d had the oddest dream, one where I was floating, trapped on a cloud of velvet. The sky had gleamed with a pale golden light, and phantom hands caressed my cheeks.

It had been pleasant.

Grunts and shouts from the arena’s floor wafted below the closed door.

Elias’s clothing lay folded in a neat bundle on his vanity, meaning he was down there with the lot of fighters preparing for the match.

I was thankful I hadn’t slept the whole night away, as I still had to be on guard should Elias need me to use my power. The fourteenth day swiftly approached.

Easing up, I stretched, thinking about what the festival would bring us tonight. Hopefully no more surprises or near-death experiences. I’d been in this world for nearly two weeks, and already I’d had my fair share of close calls. And that wasn’t including walking through the city itself.

That was a risk all by itself.

I rose and shuffled to the chipped vanity, half expecting to see the white-haired stranger peering back at me with those haunting eyes of his. Every reflective surface I passed made my heart skip.

“You in there?” I groused, shaking my head at my own paranoia. I’d assumed he would’ve made an appearance in some sort of flashy way by now. He seemed the type to enjoy flair.

Lowering my eyes from the smooth glass, I took in a thin white box. It had been placed beside Elias’s discarded clothes, a black satin ribbon dusted with gold holding it together. Ice skirted down my spine.

Did Elias leave this?

Cautiously, I undid the ribbon and lifted the top, my pulse fluttering. Maybe this was Elias’s way of saying thank you for the other night, even if I hid the truth of the enchanted ring. I hadn’t pegged him as a man who spent his hard-earned money on gifts, but?—

My hands stilled when I saw what lay inside.

A mask . The kind the festival-goers wore as costumes masquerading as one of the Eternal’s creations.

I trembled as I grasped the fine edges, marveling at the beauty cradled in my hands.

Fashioned of burnished gold, and etched with delicate whorls, fragile white wings spread out on each side. The feathers were so lifelike that I ran my finger over them, surprised to find them cold and unyielding.

It was stunning, a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Elias could never have afforded such a gift.

A piece of parchment peeked out from the open box, the glossy paper screaming of luxury. I returned the mask, laying it gently back in its nest of tissues.

In the center of the page were three words, followed by a single letter.

See the truth

-X

The paper fell from my hands and fluttered to the floor where it landed face up.

My dream. It hadn’t been a velvet cloud I laid upon, but the lounge. And those hands? Xavier had been here, his icy fingers trailing down my cheeks as I drifted in and out of sleep.

My body trembled as his face rushed into my head, a tender smile on his lips as he cradled my cheek. And I’d leaned into him.