Page 14 of Stars Above the Never Sea (The Last Faeyte #1)

Chapter eight

Callan

S he watches me with cold eyes of pure starlight. There is no hiding those eyes, deep pupils of pure black that flicker with the light of falling stars—eyes that mark her as exactly what she is.

A faeyte.

The last faeyte.

Something she may not have known, from the stillness of her body. Regret flickers inside my chest. “I have more questions.”

“I thought you might.” Her words are monotonous now, not an ounce of emotion within them. “Ask your questions then, Callan Edgeborn. I will decide whether they need a response.”

I consider her for a moment. The ship groans around us, lantern light flickering across her features. Our shadows stretch out, flickering against the wall as Volatus moves beneath our feet and I shift with it to keep my balance. “Do you know how you got onto this ship?”

“No.”

My sigh falls into the space around us. “This would be easier if you were truthful.”

If possible, her body stills further. She could be a statue for the lack of movement. “I am.”

Leaning forward, I hold her gaze. “No, you are not.”

Dark eyes tighten a fraction, pulling together. “I was trying to get on board. Someone caught me.”

Truth. “Who?”

One shoulder tips up. She points to the chain in the wall, the cuff around her ankle. “I assumed you would be able to answer that. I don’t know.”

Damn.

The faeyte shifts back, bracing herself against the wall when I settle down onto the floor opposite her, raising up my knees and balancing my wrists on them. “Why was the Guild turning the territory upside down searching for you?”

One of your lot , the guard had said. She’s no Caelumnai, but they have never cared to tell the difference.

She doesn’t answer for a moment. “I escaped.”

“Are you a murderer?”

Starlit eyes on mine. “Yes.”

A quick response to a quick question. I can respect her honesty, at least. “Do you intend to hurt anybody on this ship?”

The silence stretches on this time. Her eyes drop. “No.”

I consider it. Not a complete truth. But not a lie, either. “Why are you here, Selene Amaris?”

Her back is straight. I watch closely for her response. There’s no change to her expression, not a hint of emotion on her face. But I sense it all the same, when she responds.

“I want to go home.” The words are quiet. “To Asteria.”

Sweeping my gaze over her again, I examine her words. Turn them over in my mind. “You realize it’s not the Asteria you knew. Not anymore.”

Her response is impossibly heavy. “Believe me when I say that I know that far better than you do, Edgeborn.”

Perhaps. Although she escaped the carnage of the Shift.

I wonder what brought her to Terrosa, and when.

Study, most likely. Merrick told me once that the faeytes used to send out students to the continent, to expand their knowledge and bring it back for the benefit of those who came to Asteria to learn from Hala’s priestesses.

Not that it matters. However she got there, she’s here now. Getting to my feet, I move closer to her, and she stiffens when I crouch to pick up the chain that holds her in place.

“What are you doing?” Her voice pitches slightly higher. Nervous.

I turn the chain over in my hands. Thick iron links lead to the copper cuff. “You cannot use your maegis with the copper on, correct?”

My eyes shift to her face again, examining it. I’ve heard many stories of Hala’s gifts, most of them from Merrick. I wonder how many of them are accurate.

“That is correct. Faeytes cannot cast with copper on their skin.” Her voice is pure ice. “In that, we are alike.”

Something about that statement doesn’t ring true. “Did your victim deserve their fate?”

Her lips part. “He deserved a lot worse.”

The iron clinks in my hand, and she lowers her gaze. I’m still watching her when she frowns. “You unlocked it.”

“The chain only.” I toss the links into the corner, waiting for her to ask. But she doesn’t. I step back as she gets to her feet and gesture to the cuff. “The copper stays on, I’m afraid.”

“What if I run?”

“We’re in the middle of the Asterian Sea.” I fold my arms. “You won’t be running very far, I assure you.”

The smallest wrinkle appears in her brow. She’s surprisingly tall—less than a head below me. The cloak wrapped around her shoulders was made for someone far shorter, ending mid-calf and showing her lack of shoes. “I could fly.”

“You could try, I suppose.” I step back to give her space. “None of us would be able to catch you.”

Her mouth opens, and closes again. “What do you want?”

“Many things.” I turn my back on her. “For now, you’ll join us on deck, where I can keep an eye on you. And I wouldn’t suggest flying, unless you can maintain it for several days.”

I flick my fingers in her direction as I turn for the door. “Follow me.”

Only silence follows me. “I am not a dog to be called.”

I come to a stop at the frigid tone. Without looking back, I pull the door open. “No. But you are an unknown faeyte on my ship, a self-confessed murderer, and you will follow my instructions, or I will chain you back up here until we arrive back in Asteria.”

“And then?” The padding sound of bare feet on wood sounds behind me. Her voice sounds again, closer. “When we return to Asteria?”

I glance over my shoulder. Selene lifts her chin, waiting for a response. “You’ll be brought before the king, most likely. He’s been searching for a faeyte for several years. You seem to have the luck—or otherwise—to be the first we’ve come across.”

A pause. “There is no king—”

“There is now.” I cut her off, my words terse. “Like I said. Asteria is not the place you remember.”

I step through the door, her quiet response following me. “Clearly.”