Page 58 of This Shattered Star

I hummed half-heartedly. “We’ll see how the next trial goes.”

If we all make it out alive.

“Speaking of the next trial, the king didn’t happen to hint at what the next trial would entail, did he?”

“No. He gives me hints as he sees fit.” I let my arms drop. Ran my fingertips along the smooth bark surrounding my legs.

“How ambiguous of him.”

“Says the woman who could slaughter us all and win the trials with a mere thought.” An empty laugh involuntarily slipped past my lips. “Why put yourself through this willingly? Why put yourself right under the nose of the king, with the kind of power you have? Of all things you could have done,” I finished softly.Of all the things her magic could do against a man like Maverick.What it meant for the gods to have bestowed it upon her to begin with.

She finally looked up from the flowers, eyes filled with too many emotions for me to sort through. “I have no thirst for power. Only to stop the suffering of the ones I love.”

Again with that acute naiveness.“I’m sorry to disappoint, but ifthatis what you are searching for, then you are in the wrong place.”

She shook her head, the heaviness in her gaze deepening into something darker. Sadder. “I don’t think so, Eloise.”

Uneasiness crawled along my shoulders like hundreds of tiny insects. I tore my gaze away from hers, unable to bear the intensity of it any longer. “Suit yourself.”

Silence stretched between the both of us, save for the humming of the tree. I let it weave its fingers through the mess of my mind like a comb.

Lifting my face towards the sky once again, I was slightly surprised to find it empty. Guardians of the Temple streaked across the stars routinely around this time. Their wingbeatswould normally echo across the forest, shushing the animals and insects nearby.

But they hadn’t passed overhead a single time since our arrival.

What prompted them away from their usual patrol?I wondered. During the Starlight Trials, no less. What exactly prowled out there, in those ravaged lands, that could pull their attention away from those who threatened them the most?

Theia’s words jolted me out of my thoughts. “I told you one truth. Now tell me one of yours—tell me about your relationship with the king.”

A grimace pinched at my features. Thousands of answers danced across my tongue, several of them complicated, twisted by years of hatred and anger. But others, I kept tucked close to my heart, like precious gemstones coated in poison.

“He’s been the King of Aedreath for centuries. Any immortal being will grow bored eventually. It makes sense for him to want to pick me apart like some puzzle sent from the gods themselves,” I decided on saying. “Especially if one day other people might be born with the same curse. A blight in the making, perhaps.” Bitterness laced my words. “But for now, I’m one of a kind.”

Theia didn’t seem convinced. “I saw you two speak before the beginning of the trials. It looked like more than curiosity from his part.”

“At that moment, perhaps.” Another humorless laugh. “His eyes are darker than the purest shadow. And yet, they also hold more color than his treasury. You just haven’t seen him on one of his bad days.”

She tilted her head, considering. “That must be exhausting for you. Never knowing where his moods might take him.”

“It is,” was as all I managed to answer.

Neither one of us said anything for a long while after that. And neither one of us seemed to mind, content to turn the page and leave the next one blank for the time being.

I snuck a sideway glance at her as she plucked a flower from the ground and gently slid it behind her ear, the petals a stark contrast to her copper hair.

No,not terrible company.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The entry had indeed been left unlocked upon our return.

And we managed to navigate the corridors without another unwanted encounter. But what proved to be an issue was our two brooding allies, waiting impatiently by our rooms.

Kodhan sported his usual scowl. But Brannon… the sharpness in his gaze almost made it seem as though the amber of his irises were held up against the light of the stars, bringing their tint at least two shades brighter.

They spoke simultaneously.

“You didn’t think to warn us before disappearing?” Brannon whisper-yelled.