Page 37 of Stars Above the Never Sea (The Last Faeyte #1)

Chapter twenty-five

Selene

T he fall is endless.

Over and over again I tumble, my arms cycling in the air as I fight to breathe, to steady myself. I strain, attempting to open my wings, but they barely shift, pulling and stretching at unused muscles.

I cannot possibly find Leo. I’m falling too quickly, and there is nothing around me to mark the passage of time.

Minutes pass. Or maybe hours. And I keep falling.

You’re a gods-damned fool.

My head spins, blurs. And then I jerk, my breathing harsh as I regain consciousness. My stomach roils.

I’ll never be able to make it back. Even if I can find him.

A sob barely touches my lips before it’s torn away by the wind that howls in my ears as I drop like a stone through unending night sky.

And there is nothing to break my fall. I’ll just…keep falling. Over, and over again, until my body gives out.

Perhaps it was borrowed time. All of it. There’s a curious comfort in that thought, that I made it back to Hala’s sky after so long, only to meet the fate I should have embraced a decade ago. As though a circle is closing.

Hala is calling me home.

For a moment, I stop fighting. My muscles unclench, my arms loosening as I close my eyes. The twisting, rolling movement of my body steadies, until the darkness embraces me. Warm, and welcoming, even as icy-sharp air kisses my cheeks, my nose.

And when I look up, all I see are stars. So many stars. Surrounding me, gentle and soft and glowing. So many souls, and soon, I will be one of them.

And… Leo.

Leo is somewhere, in this vast darkness. Alone, and small, and frightened.

As I was, once, or so I had thought. Callan had been there, and I had no idea.

Leo does not know I’m here.

Blinking, I yank myself out of the reverie. My body threatens to roll, to sink back into that never-ending tumble, but I grit my teeth and focus on the unfamiliar muscles in my back. I flex them, push them out. Wider.

And then I flip, in mid-air. Until I’m arrowing down, my hair streaming back as I plummet faster. My skin is ice and flame, my eyes brimming with tears as I search the darkness for a little boy with curls that match the cocoa he loves so much.

I will find you.

I close my eyes, seeking the maegis. It glows, brighter than before.

Help me. I stretch out a hand, pleading. Can you help me?

It comes at my urging, winding around my hands. At the warmth, my eyes fly open.

Brilliant, blazing, dazzling light beams from my palms, so bright that it lights up the darkness. And there—not so far ahead of me after all—I see him.

Tumbling, just as I did. Over, and over again, his eyes closed.

My heart flips, and clenches. The light shining from my palms flickers.

No. Stay. I need you. Help me get to him. Unless you can’t.

The words seem to agitate the maegis. It flickers again, as if in irritation.

Then show me. You could help him.

Possibly. I try to hide my own doubt inside my mind, where it will not sense it. My maegis seems to be easily offended.

There is so much you did not tell me, Nyx. Celeste.

The slightly hysterical thought appears and vanishes within a moment. Focusing, I fight to keep my hands straight. If you can help, now would be an excellent time. Can you help me reach him?

I try to tuck my body in, to move faster, but the distance between us does not change.

He’s just a boy , I whisper to the maegis. But it doesn’t move. He should not have to face this alone.

Nothing. The gap between Leo and I seems to get wider.

Grief threatens to close my throat. “Please!”

Damn them. Breath shuddering, I push the maegis back, and concentrate.

Wings.

Wings, wings, wings—

They unfurl at my back, my muscles already screaming at the strange movements, and I slow, the air catching beneath them and slowing my descent as they beat in heavy movement at my shoulders. Wafts of air brush my cheek with every dull thump.

Elation and frustration war in my chest. I need to get closer —

The shadows burst from my hands. They do not slow, or falter, or curl around me.

They shoot , straight and true as if directed by feathered fletching and iron point, straight down to where Leo tumbles, mercifully unconscious.

Careful—

They wrap around him, slowing him. My breath becomes trapped in my chest, ragged and raw.

Come back. Bring him back. Gently.

They start rolling, slowly, back toward my waiting arms as if guided.

Leo comes with them, his small body carefully carried until he gets close enough for me to cradle him close.

The shadows wait, lingering, holding him in place until I settle him against me.

My wings tremble with the weight, but I keep moving them. Thank you.

They don’t vanish. They hover in the air, as if waiting. I shift Leo. His head buries against my neck, my hand cupping the back of his head. Motionless.

Perhaps it’s a blessing, if he sleeps through this.

Because my wings will not lift us.

Tears slide down my cheeks as I pump my wings with every bit of strength I have, caught in mid-air in the center of this void with Leo tucked against me, desperately trying to raise us and unable to move.

I did not get so close to fail now.

I refuse.

But it hurts . A cry peels from my lips, agony lancing down my back, across my shoulders, as I force them to keep going.

The dull thump, thump, thump falters.

And grows faster.

But nothing changes. Or… I can’t tell. Not with the darkness. Everything looks the damned same. Maybe our combined weight is pulling us down instead of up.

Gripping Leo tightly, I breathe him in and try not to panic. I think of Merrick’s face. And of someone else.

The battle is not won yet.

I hold onto those words. I can still win this.

So I keep going. The shadows move with me, hovering around us as my wings beat, thump by painful thump. They brush against my cheek, helping me feel a little less alone. And all the while, Leo sleeps, his head nestled into my neck.

My arms grow heavy, his weight sinking as my body aches and burns.

I start to count to pass the time, seconds building in my mind. When I reach five thousand, I fight back a sudden rush of tears.

We have to be close. Hala, please.

Leo shifts, stirring, and I grip him more tightly, settling him into me.

His breathing slowly changes against my neck. Arms suddenly grab for me, pulling at my wings as he panics.

“Stop!” I cry out, my stomach swooping as we drop. It takes precious seconds to regain my balance. And Leo begins to cry. Shallow, panicky sobs that dampen my neck as I hold him, shifting his arms up. “It’s alright. Hold onto me.”

“I didn’t mean to.” His hands tighten around my neck, his voice trembling and bordering on a shriek. “I didn’t mean to, Selene.”

“Hush.” Pain pulses in my chest. “It’s not your fault.”

I puff the words. My energy is draining, trickling away like grains of sand through an hourglass.

He hiccups. “You’re flying .”

“Yes.” I crane my head up, but it throws off the rhythm of my wings. “Can you see Volatus , Leo? Are we close?”

Please let us be close.

He shifts, his body trembling, and I focus on pumping my wings to counterbalance the shift in his weight. “I don’t want to fall again.”

“I won’t let you fall.” Ash in my mouth, and fire in my throat, and pain everywhere. I block it out. “I’m taking you back to Merrick. Can you see it?”

He squints. “Maybe. But it’s pretty far.”

My breathing hitches, and he gasps as my wings falter for a split-second. His voice is small when he says, “Not too far.”

Something that might be a laugh, short and abrupt, spills from me. “That’s… that’s really good.”

My face crumples when I feel a small hand run through my tangled hair. “You look tired, Selene. If I had wings, I would carry you.”

“Well,” I force out around the tightness in my throat. “One of us has them, so that’s all we need.”

I snatch a glimpse up, my neck craning as I fight to keep my wings going. My heart flips over.

It’s there. Volatus is there. And I laugh again, out of shock and sheer disbelief. “We’re nearly there.”

Just a little more.

Don’t stop.

It sounds like Nyx. I’m almost sure that she’s here, beside me, and I blink. She disappears.

Leo is talking. I try to listen, but I can’t focus on anything except the pain. It’s everywhere. He slips, and I clutch at him, my arms tightening.

“Sorry. I’m sorry.” My voice is winded. “Nearly there.”

We’re almost to the bottom of the ship. I risk another glance, trying to keep my balance. Thick ropes of netting are only a few feet away. I hadn’t even noticed them on my way down. And it’s as though the sight of them weighs me down, makes it ten times harder to keep going.

“Leo,” I gasp. “We’re going to make a stop. Just a small one.”

I can’t go any further. We crash into the netting, tangling in the ropes. “Grab on!”

Leo reaches for it, wrapping his hands and legs into the fibers before I twist. I cover him, copying his movement. His face drops as he peeks up at me.

My shoulders are numb. But his hand slips off a rope, unable to hold onto the slick strands. “Come back here. You can hold onto me, and I’ll hold onto the ship.”

He nods. I press us into the slippery rope, winding my hands in more until they’re well and truly caught, painfully twisted but secure.

It’s a small reprieve, but not much. My hands burn already, my body trembling with the effort of keeping us both in place.

Swallowing, I taste dust and glass and nothing but dry air. What I wouldn’t give for Sol’s glare and a full canteen. My legs tremble with the effort of holding us both in place. “I’ll be fine to continue. Just a minute.”

I’m so cold. Leo squirms around in my embrace. His small face twists in worry. “You’re all wet, Selene.”

“Sweat.” I force a smile. “It’s a little warm.”

But it’s not. It’s so very, very cold. And I can’t stop trembling.

He touches a spot on my chest. “You’re hurt!”

It’s only then that I remember the wraith, and its claws.

“Oh,” I whisper. Leo’s lip wobbles, and he bites down, as if trying to hide it. He even tries to smile.

“You’re going to be okay,” he whispers. His hand strokes through my hair again. “Callan will find us. Or Rio. Maybe we’ll get to Asteria soon, and someone will see us.”

My heart breaks. Because the ship isn’t moving.

And my head feels so very heavy.