Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

I sat back on my heels, skimming through pages, chanting ‘Eye of Orion’ over and over again. It had to be here. I had to have foundsomethingon it. Anything.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Not—

I gasped and flipped back a page. “There,” I mumbled, skimming the words.

Just one line. One line in an entire book of information.

“The Eye of Orion will be used to stop Death.”

I frowned, rereading the entire page, front and back just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. That couldn’t be it. There had to be more. The Fallen were immortal, and from what I knew of the High King of the Fallen, he was the oldest immortal alive today, why would he need something to stop death? His own death? Maybe he had fallen ill. Maybe he wanted to remain a tyrant for the next couple thousand years.

I chewed on my bottom lip, going over the options. It could be rhetorical.

My mind started racing, trying to find the answers only to stop abruptly when I remembered my goal.

I snapped the book shut. My goal was to get the last remaining items I needed for Mark to move in. I couldn’t be going off on trails. Even if the trail was the most interesting thing that had happened to me in months.

With a shake of my head, I slid the book back and shoved myself to a stand. Sure, I had just solved the mystery of the name of the High King of the Fallen, I discovered a new weapon, a new mystery to solve, but there were more important things to accomplish than collecting information.

I needed to focus.

Focus on the task, noton this.

I emptied my satchel, trying to clear my head. It would be an unnecessary risk. Even at the thought, my heart skipped, but I couldn’t take part in it. I had to focus on my brother.

Why would the High King need something like that? And why were the warlocks interested? And why had Talaroe’s magic led him to Therian? To my street?

What was happening out there that Raphael Gerodia was keeping from us? Did he know about it? Should he?

I glanced back at the stacks of books. Whose death was that stone stopping?

~~~

The woods held a cold bite to them today. I could feel the winter’s grip tightening around Therian, but it was more than that.

Today, the grip felt…different. The hairs on the back of my neck were up, persistent goosebumps across my skin, causing my nipples to tighten, digging against the rough fabric of my shirt. The demons were stalking me today. It caused my steps to be nothing but a breath, my spine rigid, the grip on my bow so tight, I could feel the smooth wood biting into my skin.

I could barely breathe, this presence was so thick. A nightmare come to life.

I smeared my lips together, wincing as the cut on my top lip reopened. I lifted my fingers to my lips, the silk of the veil against the bruises on the back of my hand nearly excruciating. When I pulled them back, therewasn’t much blood, just a drop or two.

Maybe that’s why they were stalking me today. They could smell the blood behind the healing wounds. I tried my best to clean them up after getting back from the city, before coming out here, but people made mistakes.

I slowed to a stop, heart pounding as I searched the darkness. I was being hunted and some part of me, somesickpiece of me, loved that.

Was turned on by it. I squeezed my thighs together, rolling my shoulders. Gods, this was wrong, it was so wr—

A rustle echoed through the woods, and the silence that followed roared in my ears. Never had a demon been that loud. Not once.

Before the rational piece of me could speak up, I took off, my steps silent as I flew through the trees. There was something else out here. An animal? Something I could bring home besides the rabbits I stole from the market. Something big. A deer.

My heart skipped in excitement as I skidded to a stop, straining my ears. A deer, I couldn’t even imagine.