Page 16 of Born of Starlight
“But to be an idol of the realm, you must be Henosis’ best-kept asset. You must not be revealed to its people, or their wonder will dissipate.”
Asset.My mind swam through other assets one could own—a pair of shoes, an estate, a sword. Such a harsh choice of words from such sweet-spinning lips.
“I don’t understand.” I spoke softly.
Firose’s feline smile spread. “The courts won’t know your face. You will not be making an appearance in the Corridors. You must stay in your tower until a time comes worthy of revealing your gifts.”
My stomach dropped. My dreams were washed away with her words.
I tried to sway her toward a different decision. “Surely, it wouldn’t hurt if I wore a veil. So that the people cannot see—”
“It has already been decided,” she said, cutting me off. “You will not leave unless a request comes from the Central King. We must conceal what you are. Asterie, they wouldneveraccept the dark magic that burns under your skin, my dear. You belong nowhere but here, up in the towers. If they should realize that your magic is unpure…well, I can’t protect you then.”
“We have no proof that the star left me with dark magic.” I tried to argue.
“Ah—but we have no proof it didn’t. You have dark tendencies, my dear. The Brennac texts call to you, don’t they? You live in shades of gray and black. Death has laid its mark on you. No one rises from the dead without dark magic playing a hand. It is safest this way…I do hope you will understand and be dutiful to the realm—to the Order.”
Guilt gripped me.The acquisition of my immortality and powers might be something to be feared by the courts.I’d never thought of it that way.
“You will be the most respected in our realm; no one will dare cross the High Enchantress of the Central Corridor.You are our most protected weapon. For you can only fight darkness with darkness.”
She made sense. She was waiting for my answer with an expectant painted smile.
“By the Order, I agree to these terms—agree to be bound here,” I promised, awaiting Firose’s praise.
It didn’t come.
“We will not need to bind you, will we?” Firose’s smile faded.
“What do you mean?” My words sounded meeker than I had intended.
“Binding curses allow you to attach an object and an entity. For example—a Jinn bound to a bottle. It is painful and hard to reverse,” Firose explained. “Do you want to be bound there, like a Jinn? Or can we rely on trust between us?”
“No, I don’t want to be bound—likethat—I will stay. It’s my duty,” I promised. Curiosity got the better of me. “But why would someone be bound like that, to something or somewhere?”
“Well”—Firose tapped her painted fingernails on the desk—“sometimes an entity…”
Firose was struggling, which felt odd.
“Sometimes an entity doesn’t belong in this world. So the most humane thing is to ensure they are kept somewhere they can do the least damage.”
“Like those bound to the Wastelands,” I mused.
She nodded. “Yes, very good.”
I reveled in her praise.
Pleasing her gave me a giddy sense of accomplishment.
Surfacing from my memory, I flipped to the next page in a Brennac text about the ancient curse that binds Jinns to bottles and lamps.
There was a tap on the doorframe.
Emmerick began to greet me, “Lady—”
“JustAsterie.”
He restarted. “Asterie—I prepared some dinner. The tower seemed…upset that someone else was cooking.”
