Starkeeper of the Fractured Crown

He lifted his chin. “Isn’t that you judging us?”

My eyes narrowed. “Were you going to come back and rummage if I told you to leave?”

He remained quiet.

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “I can easily read people, that’s what happens when you spend your life studying everything. So, you can stay,” I repeated, gathering my things, “whatever you use, you need to replace. Honor comes to mind with that too.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I finishedfilling my satchel with the things I needed.

“Do you hate us?” he finally asked.

I adjusted my satchel and met his eyes. “Hate is too strong of a word to waste on someone I don’t know. Keep out of my bedrooms.” With that, I headed for the door without looking back.

I couldn’t look back. I couldn’t admit what I was doing. Leaving a General of the Fallen surrounded by information he could use in thousands of cruel and dark ways.

I was fucking stupid.

~~~

I stood outside the rusting red door with a large rock in my hand.

The street had still been there. Bustling as usual. Not an ounce of fear in the air. Everything had been normal.

Which meant the dick sitting in my cottage had lied. Of course, he had lied. Magic doesn’t just disappear. If that were a real problem, more people would know about it.

It was comical what I was thinking of doing. What was a rock to one of these beasts? Nothing. He was a General. If he hadn’t fought in the last great war, he had fought in hundreds of battles waged by hissickHigh King.

But all I had was a rock, so it’d have to be good enough.

I inhaled deeply, knowing he knew I was out here, and pushed through the door, the rock biting into myskin painfully.

The first thing I did was look around, inspect every inch of the cottage. Nothing was out of place, not a single piece of paper.

But the Fallen had amazing memories, they could recreate something within nanometers of its original form. Which is something I wished I had but it also proved to be a problem in this situation.

“Is that rock important for something?”

I found his eyes from where he sat at the table reading a book. Not a history book or a book of politics, but a fantasy. One I had written.

Fuck, that was humiliating.

“Yeah,” I answered, remaining where I was near the door. I couldn’t run as fast as he could, but I could get a head start on him if he decided anything.

Maybe.

“Why are you lying about your magic?”

He set the book down, his brows pulling together in confusion. “What would be the benefit of lying to you? You’re human. I could get what I wanted from you without trying, lying just adds extra steps.”

You’re human.

He said it as if it was a curse. As if it was appalling that I had the audacity to be born as something so weak.

“I know you want information,” I said evenly. “It’s the only thing you want from me. Lying would be pointless, but you people love your games.”

“Us people? The Fallen?”

“Magic-folks,” I countered. His scar had turned out nice. It wasn’t too angry or jagged, just a puffy pink line fromhis temple to his jawline. It hadn’t even distorted his eye or lips. Even without magic, their healing was better than a human’s.