Page 122 of Fire to the Stars

“Diu has been trying torescueyou?” I exclaim.

“Now you understand.” Noctu smiles morbidly. “Diu created the Ignition to search for me from the safety of the celestial realm. Dragons are his foot soldiers.”

“Then the owl constellation—”

“—is made of stars. Othersuns. And therefore his creation as well. He designed it to serve as a compass for dragons to recognize while in human form. Their instincts are the magnet that compels them to follow my owls north.”

“Owls wereguidingClaire?”

“Yes. And others.”

That explains the converging flight paths, and how the owls predicted where they’d end up. Where dragons went, they followed. But if all this time, dragons needed tosurviveto end the curse—

I stare, dumbfounded. “Slayers have been workingagainstDiu.”

Noctu’s star-filled eyes follow me as I put the journal away and pace the cavern, working blood through my limbs just to ensure I’m still alive and present in the mortal realm.The Tale of Stars—the Church itself—is a complete fabrication. A way to convince us mere mortals to ignore the instructions Diu placed in the stars and blame each other for the continued existence of dragons.

Thisis the answer I’ve been looking for since the day Micah turned. He wasn’t greedy. He was innocent. All of them were.

Diu chose his dragons for no other reason than to follow the stars.

Still, vindication can’t ease the pain of knowing there is no cure for Claire.

Heavier than ever, I retreat to kneel at her side and place the lantern near her peaceful face. Firelight flickers across the angle of her nose, the planes of her cheeks, the outline of her scar. As much as it hurts to absorb this information alone, I’m thankful she sedated herself. A good dream is better than reality.

“Is this why you wanted to speak to me?” I swallow the thickness in my throat. “To tell me everything slayers have done wrong?”

“Ideally, I wished to speak to youandthe dragon. To prepare you for the Ignition to come.”

“She consumed sleep powder. She won’t wake for several hours.”

“Then once she wakes, you must explain her purpose to her.”

A purpose that killed her father and made her feel terrible, terrible guilt. All that sorrow, all that turmoil—just to fight on behalf of Noctu’s furious brother, who refused to risk his own hide to return to this realm and free Noctu himself.

“Diu’s curse has killed thousands of innocent people, includingthe dragons themselves,” I snap. “What is his justification for that?”

“He was angry,” he replies with a shrug, “and wanted to saveme.”

Rage shudders through me—then gutters out. I understand how far someone might go to save his only brother. I have no room to judge.

“I imagineyou’reangry with us,” I say. “Is that the reason Florent has endured meteorite strikes for so long? Do those follow your instincts too?”

My real question hangs between us:Do you believe humankind deserves to die?

He considers me for a moment. “I harbor no ill will toward mortals, flawed as you may be,” he replies. “My celestial materials fall to this realm because I am unable to keep them at a distance. With enough time, every piece of my domain will follow me here. It will not be pleasant for you humans.”

In other words, the apocalypse. Just not for the reasons we were taught.

“Do the Immortals know their actions will cause an apocalypse?” I ask.

“They do.”

“Then why do they pursue immortality? What is their goal?”

“Wealth. Power. Control. The usual shortsighted temptations. In their defense, they will have many more centuries to indulge in it. Though speaking as one of their creators, I believe their primary goal is to evade the psychological consequences of shame.”

“I don’t understand.”