The Girl Who Ruled The Stars, The Starlight Duology #2

  © 2018 by Heather Hildenbrand

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover: Design by Definition

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  Chapter One

  Year: Reign of Tharos 5

  Planet: Bardawulf

  System: Ursuna

  Ash coated my arms, leaving my skin itchy and overheated thanks to the glowing embers that rained down over our heads. The others gathered were only a little cleaner than me, and I knew it was because they had the sense to stand a little farther back. Out of the range of the falling soot. My grief had nearly blotted out what was left of my good sense—it was all I could do not to rush toward the flames—but I stayed where I was.

  Numb. Still trying to make sense of it all.

  Atop the pyre, bright orange flames blazed against a darkened sky. I stared at the contrast of it, transfixed, as tears tracked silently down my ash-stained cheeks.

  A body brushed mine as someone stepped into the empty space beside me. I looked over and found a familiar face just as dirty as my own.

  Xander.

  “You look like hell,” he said, his voice rough from the smoke.

  I managed to give him the smile he was trying so hard to earn. “You aren’t exactly turning heads today either.” It was meant to be a tease, but my tone was flat.

  His hand slipped into mine. “You mean sooty and coated in ash isn’t your favorite look on me?”

  “Xan, I’ll take you however I can get you.” I had to say the last part around a growing lump in my throat. “As long as you’re alive.”

  Xander’s expression softened, and he nodded up at the pyre. “This was a good idea. The perfect way to honor them.”

  “It’s the least I could do,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.

  Jalene emerged from the trees, exhaustion lining her face. “No casualties and the infirmary is under control. Minor scrapes and burns only,” she announced.

  “That’s good to hear,” Xander told her. “How’s Ben?”

  “Still upset, but your mom gave him something to help him sleep,” she said.

  “Good.” He nodded, worry clouding his expression.

  My heart hurt for Ben. I’d comforted him until the burial plans had been made, and then I’d let him go so I could gather the wood we’d needed for the pyre. Eamon had offered to do it himself but I’d needed to be the one.

  “I’ll come see him when he wakes up,” I said.

  Jalene nodded then looked toward the fire. “I’m glad I made it. I didn’t want to miss this.”

  “Did you hear anything from Eamon?” Xander asked her.

  She shook her head, a strange sort of frown on her face. I didn’t bother trying to decipher it.

  Xander scowled at her.

  They shared a glance then Jalene slid her arm around my shoulders in a one-sided hug. “I’m so sorry about Nightingale,” she said quietly.

  I didn’t answer. The emotion in her voice was too much, and I knew words were impossible now.

  We stood in silence for a while—Jalene with her arm around me, and Xander with his hand in mine. I couldn’t summon the words needed to tell them how much it meant, the three of us here like this. So much of it was wrapped up in my memories of our trio growing up. Memories I’d only recently recovered and had yet to process. Every time I tried, I was hit with the reminder that I’d so clearly already lived two different lives, and now Nightingale wouldn’t be a part of either one ever again.

  Finally, Jalene gave my shoulder one last squeeze and then she stepped away. “I’m going to check on Peter. He needs to eat and drink more after all that energy output the shield required.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Jay.”

  She blinked at my use of her old nickname. Then her lips curved crookedly in a faint smile. “You remember.”

  “I do,” I told her.

  Our eyes met. I could see the question in hers but she left them silent for now. “I’ll find you later,” she said instead.

  I nodded.

  Jalene looked at Xander.

  “I’ve got her,” he assured her, and Jalene reluctantly nodded then walked away.

  New tears slipped down my cheeks, and I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I flinched when Xander swiped them away.

  He squeezed my hand as I looked back at him. “It’s been a long day,” he said gently. “Come sit with me. Eat something.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not hungry.”

  Xander didn’t argue. After a while, his hand in mine turned slippery from soot and sweat. Still, he didn’t move, and he didn’t ask me to leave again.

  Above the tips of the dancing flames, stars blinked to life, their twinkling taunting me. Reminding me. The power inside me was curled into the corners of my mind now. Sleeping. But if I woke it…

  I was terrified of the power I had, but I wasn’t sorry. Not now; not when I was standing here, shoulder to shoulder with everyone I’d saved—watching the bodies of my beloved horses burn.

  I’d killed Taryn. But not before she’d sacrificed Nightingale and Archer in her quest for more power. They’d been innocent. Nightingale had been my only friend for so long, and Taryn had taken that from me.

  “This isn’t your fault.”

  I blinked at the sight of Peter standing on my left.

  “I know that,” I said.

  “It wasn’t Taryn’s either. Not really,” Peter added.

  “It was Tharos,” I agreed flatly.

  He nodded. “Without Tharos feeding her bitterness, she would have never become powerful enough or capable enough for something like this. He’s the real enemy here.”

  “Trust me, I know that.”

  “Do you?” Peter cocked his head knowingly. “Because you have that look in your eye that says you’re blaming yourself.”

  “You’re wrong.” I spoke without turning my head away from the fire. “I know exactly who’s responsible for what I just lost. And when I’m done here, I’m going to find him and make him pay. For all of it.”

  “And how will you do that?” he asked softly.

  I tried not to wonder if his gentle tone was because he’d seen what I could do and was afraid of provoking it. “I’m going to become who my mother intended for me to be. And then I’m going to kill Tharos.”

  Peter didn’t answer.

  The silence between us stretched, and I went back to staring up at the fire, my resolve hardening as the logs cracked and disintegrated into cinders.

  A moment later, Peter moved away.

  Without a word, Xander offered me a bottle of water. I refused it. Vengeance provided a sustenance all its own. Despite the fear of my own power—of what the council might say when I told them where it had come from—my decision had been made the moment Taryn had taken what mattered to me.

  I would fight.

  Even if it killed me, I would see Tharos fall for everything he’d done. To me, to my people. To the entire galaxy.

  If it was the last thing I did, I would hold him accountable for his sins.

  When the pyre had been reduced to nothing but glowing embers, I looked up at the starry sky once more, studying the tiny lights blinking back at me. I’d obliterate my enemy with those stars if that’s what it took. I’d call them down, one by one, and destroy Tharos and his army with the fire of the heavens. I was Alina Leone, Empress of Zorovia, and the girl who called the stars. As long as I was still standing, no one else I loved was going to die.

  Chapter Two

  The moon had already begun its descent again by the time the council had assembled in the small clearing. I recognized most of the faces from the day I’d first arrived. Had that really only been days ago? Already, it felt like a lifetime. Like I’d become a completely different person in the short time since leaving Earth behind. In fact, I had. And I’d left a lot of other things behind too.

  Gone was the shy, uncertain girl pulled from hiding. In her place was a stranger capable of magic and murder and mourning. I stood tonight with my shoulders back and my chin up, ready for whatever came next. Despite my newfound confidence and determination, I was hyper aware that being thrown out of this meeting on my ass was a real possibility. The idea of it didn’t make me flinch nearly as much as it had a few hours ago.

  Leadership was pointless if I couldn’t stop Tharos.

  That’s what mattered.

  “You ready for this?” Xander’s voice in my ear was low and comforting.

  The scent of burnt wood clung to him, reminding me of everything we’d already been through tonight. It smelled a lot like the skullbushes and the way they’d catch and smoke when my magic became too much for me. The memory of it, and my mother’s frustration those nights, made me smile.

  I nodded, fighting back the tears that threatened to cut soot-stained tracks down my cheeks. The funeral fire had died
out an hour ago, and I’d finally turned away from it to come here, but my heart was still back there.

  With Nightingale. Or what was left of her spirit.

  This meeting was about avenging that spirit—gone too soon.

  When everyone else had assembled, Eamon cut a path through the crowd, making his way to the front. His usual gray fur was darker now; matted and coated in ash although I couldn’t tell if it was from the burial pyre or the starfire I’d called down from the sky before that. He offered a short howl toward the brilliant white moon that hung hazy and low in the sky.

  A few of the others joined him, and I steeled myself against the memory of Nightingale at that first meeting. The howls had panicked her then—just like they were doing to me now with her absence so fresh.

  Xander shot me a concerned glance, but I ignored him and stared straight ahead, careful not to let myself think too hard about all the times Nightingale had been there for me these last few years. I couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

  Later, maybe.

  Now, I needed my strength for what was to come.

  “I call this council to session,” Eamon said when the howling had quieted. “This afternoon gave us a victory—and a loss. Without the help of every single one of you here, we might have lost even more. Many lives were saved because of the quick thinking of all of you. Taryn fooled us all, myself included, and Neila is already working on a full investigation into what we can do to strengthen the shield Taryn’s actions weakened.”

  “Is it compromised then?” asked Chad, his brows creasing. Messy hair fell over his forehead but he didn’t bother to brush it away. I remembered him from the first meeting. He’d been one of my biggest supporters from the moment I’d arrived.

  More than I could say for Gregory beside him; Kent’s father, according to Jalene. He watched me—just like they all did—but his expression was much harder than Chad’s. Than all of them. I wondered if Kent had told him exactly what I’d done to Taryn.

  What I’d called down from the skies.

  I hadn’t seen Kent since this afternoon. He hadn’t attended the funeral service. Not that I’d expected him to. The loss had been mine, and I didn’t fault him for not mourning with me. But I wondered what he thought about his plan now that this place had become so unsafe.

  Did Gregory still think hiding here forever was the best option?

  “The shield is intact for now,” Eamon said, “But based on Taryn’s betrayal, and the magic she traded…” He paused to glance at me, but I pretended not to notice. “It won’t last.”

  “Neila said she used the blood spilled to signal Tharos while our shield was down.” One of the wolves spoke the words.

  I winced at “spilled blood” and looked away, staring at Peter instead. He offered a smile that was meant to be encouraging, but it only made me nauseous. Would he be angry with me for keeping my secrets? Would it matter that I’d forgotten all these years—especially when I’d hidden it long before that?

  “Neila’s right,” Eamon said reluctantly. “Taryn used the blood sacrifice to strengthen her spell. We must assume Tharos is aware of our location.”

  “How long before he breaks through it?” Chad asked, sounding worried now. “Magic rituals or not, we all know he’s more powerful than any shielding spell we can do ourselves.”

  “Neila and Peter are working together to reinforce the shield using some of Peter’s cloaking energy,” Eamon said. “Peter?”

  “We’ll hold the line as long as we can,” Peter said. “In the meantime, we need to talk about what happened today. And what happens next.”

  Eamon grunted in agreement. “Xander, you want to take us through it?”

  Xander sent me a sideways look, and I gave him a subtle nod. We’d talked about this earlier. “Actually,” he said to Eamon and then the crowd. “I think Alina should explain.” He squeezed my hand and then stepped back to give me space.

  I felt the sharpness of every gaze as they shifted from him to me.

  The space between my shoulders pulsed with the weight of their stares.

  Eamon nodded, studying me, though he didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of letting me brief them all. “All right. Alina?”

  I ignored the brick in my stomach—and the murmurs from the others. It didn’t matter that they might turn on me. They needed to know. We all deserved the truth.

  I blew out a breath and began. “Today, we were confronted with an attempt to destroy us from within. The truth is that Taryn harbored a grudge against me for years. With my memories gone, I didn’t remember her jealousy or what I had that she would want badly enough to betray us in order to get it. If I had, I might have been able to stop her.” I shoved away the guilt and added, “Her bitterness made her an easy target, and Tharos exploited it.”

  “But you remember now?” Eamon asked.

  I nodded. “I do. Thanks to Beck—Rebecca—I have all of my memories back. Unfortunately, by the time that happened, it was already too late for Taryn.”

  “But you stopped her,” someone called out. Chad.

  I nodded. “With the help of Xander and the others, yes. It was too late to save her, but we managed to stop her from hurting anyone else.”

  “I was there,” said a wolf near the back, and I recognized him as the sentry from my porch the other day. Austen. He turned to face the crowd and added, “She didn’t just stop Taryn. She obliterated her. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen.” He turned back to me. Across the distance, our eyes met. His narrowed slightly as he added, “There’s only one creature with a power like that.”

  Just behind me, Xander shifted his weight, and I knew he was about to interrupt, but I shrugged him off. This was it.

  “He’s right,” I said loudly enough to silence the murmurs. “What I did to Taryn—what’s inside me—is nothing like the Zorovian gifts you’ve come to know. This is different. Bigger.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Gregory suspiciously. “What is it?”

  “It’s magic,” I said. More murmurs, this time louder—and full of shock. I spoke over them, adding, “And it’s only right that you all know how powerful it really is and where it came from.”

  A few gasps rose up, every expression one of surprise or shock at my words. I waited for them to quiet.

  A hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing slightly. I looked over to find Xander nodding at me. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said quietly.

  “Are you sure? This secret…I’ve kept it from everyone,” I said. “Even you.”

  “Alina.” He lifted a hand and let it rest on my cheek. His blue eyes held mine, and for a moment, the council vanished. There was only us. Our shared past, this present moment, and my desperate hope for our future. “There is nothing you can say that will ever change how I feel about you. I love you. No matter what you are. No matter where you go. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  Gratitude rocked me, and I had to look away to stop the tears that burned my eyelids. I hadn’t been sure he’d still want to stand beside me after I told him the truth, but here he was. Unmoving. For better or worse, he was mine. No magic or war or wasted time was going to change that.

  I reached back and held Xander’s hand tightly in my own. It was the only thing grounding me now. The only thing I’d ever needed, anyway.

  “Magic was outlawed by the empress herself,” Gregory spat, and I didn’t miss the accusation in his words. “How do you have it?”

  “When I was six, my mother taught me basic spell work,” I began.

  The voices quieted instantly. No one wanted to miss any part of the explanation I was about to offer them. I couldn’t blame them. Magic in a Zorovian—or anyone besides Tharos himself—was unheard of. Especially magic that didn’t drive the wielder mad. Or to murder. Then again, I had killed Taryn without even a smidge of regret.

  I forced all of that aside and focused on the story my returned memories provided.

  “By eight, I could call the elements and perform every ritual in any grimoire I could get my hands on. My mother worked with me every day. It was our secret. My father didn’t know. Neither did my friends.”

  I resisted the urge to look at Peter. If he felt betrayed by this… I wouldn’t be able to finish my story if I knew it was hurting him.