Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

My eyes shifted, taking in the beautiful woman. Her shoulders were dropped, her hand was reaching for the necklace Eric had given her on her 17thbirthday, not long after we had met. “You look tired.”

She nodded. “The tensions are growing in the West. Lia is planning something, and I can’t figure out what.”

Lia Seeker, High Queen of the Pixies. When we had dropped into this world, we all received memories as if we had always been here. Penny had memories of her old life and a life of being Erson’s daughter. Just as Satarmore and I had memories of our old lives and memories of growing up here with our parents.

Even our parents in this world believed that we had always been here.

It had given us all horrible headaches for weeks but settled eventually.

Lia had had arguments with Penny’s father about Penny taking over. We believed she could feel the truth even if she didn’t completely understand why. When Erson perished not a year after we arrived, she had no choice but to take the crown.

Lia had been causing problems ever since and as the years continued, the problems had gotten worse. The last I had heard, Lia was taking the Fae and torturing them before spreading their limbs across the Western most shores of Phaidras. Not unlike what TrickMichael liked to do. It stopped a year ago, but if it was happening again, Penny would have no choice but to act on it.

“Has she made any moves?”

Penny shook her head, her shimmering golden hair bouncing in her ponytail. “No, but I can feel it across my skin. Anyway,” she waved off, “it’s not important. What’s happening?”

It was important, it was serious. She cared about her people more than anything else in the world, this meant something, but if she didn’t want to discuss it, I wouldn’t push. “I was running an errand for Satarmore, and it led me to this girl. A human.”

She straightened, her eyes hardening. “What did she do to you?”

I smiled at the worry in her eyes, the fierceness. “Not to worry, Penelope, not a hair out of place. What was strange was what happened when I reported back to him.”

Her panic eased, but only just. The humans in this world knew about us, the Nightwalkers. Hated us. Killed us. In the old world, the humans had no idea we had even existed, so it was something we had had to get used to since arriving over two centuries ago. “What do you mean?”

“I told Satarmore of what I had found, and he immediately shut down. In fact, he ordered me to leave her alone and then he left.”

Her delicate brows pulled together. “He was angry?”

I nodded. “Bitter, upset. All of his normal emotions except far greater.”

Penny gripped her necklace a little harder as sheconsidered my words. “Who was she? Where did you find her?”

“She called herself Astraea,” I answered. “Wearing a veil, her hood covered most of her face. She was in hiding.”

She nodded, not pushing for the information I hadn’t given. It wasn’t something that needed to be told, not yet, not with everything else on her plate.

“Well,” she finally decided, “Satarmore has never cared about anyone like that, so maybe just do what he says for now. If this girl means something to him, we don’t want to be the reason harm comes her way.”

As much as I wanted to push for answers, I knew that she was right. Satarmore never cared about anything or anyone, so if he was showing any sort of emotion towards someone, it was best to respect it.

To an extent, I supposed, although it was still curious.

“She may have the answers he wanted me to find,” I explained carefully.

“Did he tell you to stop looking for these answers?”

“Just to leave her alone.”

Penny chewed her lip carefully. “Just…just be careful then, okay? Tread lightly.”

I sighed and nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Despite the way the humans acted here, they were still souls that deserved a chance, but trust? No, I might never trust them again. Satarmore wanted answers, I would get them, if that meant speaking to this girl again, then fine, but I would do my best not to get her into trouble. Or myself, for that matter.

I walked over and kissed herhead. “Thank you.”

She offered a small smile. “You’re welcome, Tally.”

~~~