Page 136 of Starside

It’s like hardened flame. And, as much as I’ve hated and feared fire, just like the fireflies above, I can’t help but admire this rock. It’s smooth. Slightly warm to the touch. “What is it?” I ask, handing it back.

“That’s fireglass,” he says. He shrugs. “I use it when I feel lazy … or when I want to impress a beautiful human.”

I blush, because no one but my family has ever called me beautiful. It’s stupid, really. He’s just flirting, he’s just being nice. He’s immortal. Still, the compliment makes me feel warm.

Raker makes a sound of distaste next to me. He clearly doesn’t share the immortal’s sentiment.

The hunter looks over at him warily as he begins skinning and preparing the meat. “What’s with the hood and mask?”

Raker, of course, doesn’t respond.

“He’s sparing us all of his glowering,” I say lightly.

That makes the immortal laugh. It’s a pleasant, musical sound. I find myself smiling. Raker doesn’t say a word, but I can almost feel his eyes on me.

“Tell me about the creatures you’ve hunted,” I say. “Please.” Time is always running out on this quest, but right now, as we wait for the horse to make an appearance, as the hunter roasts this meat, I can get answers.

The hunter smiles. It’s like he’s been waiting his entire immortal life for someone to ask about all his conquests.

He tells me. He tells me story after story, face alight with excitement, like he’s reliving every moment, every brush with death, every chance encounter.

He tells me about the hunter’s guild. About the rarest beasts he’s ever seen—and some that no one has ever been able to capture.

He tells me his biggest customers are typically heirs of Great Houses, who have the means to pay the most, and who are always desperate to have better resources than their counterparts.

“Especially lately, with courting season arriving,” he says, rolling his eyes. I wonder what he means. But I have a more pressing question. The hunter seems to deal with various immortals from across Starside.

“Do you know … do you know someone named Vander Evren?” Stellan did tell me to find him. The Gardener’s mention of him has me curious.

That curiosity only grows as the hunter pales. His easygoing smile fades completely. “How do you know that name?”

I’m not going to tell him about Stellan. I’m not going to answer him at all.

But I am going to wonder why a man who just single-handedly took down a beast as large as these trees, who hunts monsters for a living, is afraid of a name.

I say as much, and the hunter just shakes his head. “Some heirs spill more blood than these beasts. Vander Evren is one of them. Do not call upon him unless you want to be next in his long line of deaths.”

He’s an heir? Why would Stellan have known the name of a lord of Starside? And why would he tell me to find someone this dangerous?

“So, he’s powerful?”

He huffs a laugh. “He is power itself.”

He looks over his shoulder. As if someone could be listening. Watching.

This is the second time someone has said something about being able to summon Vander Evren. “How would I call upon him?” I ask.

“You don’t,” the hunter says, his voice firm. “If you want to live, you don’t want to. Trust me.”

“And if I do?” I press.

He sighs. His gaze flicks to my sword. “Then you summon him for a duel in the ancient way. By drawing blood, piercing a great blade into magical ground … and calling his name.”

I swallow. Summoning an immortal lord for a duel seems like a sure way to lose my sword and my head. So why would Stellan tell me to find him?

Clearly looking to change topics, the hunter pulls a satchel of spices from his pack that he’s collected across Starside, seasons the meat, then serves it. I take a hesitant nibble, and my tongue ignites in flavors I’ve never tasted before, varieties of salts and dried garlic. I eat every bite, listening as the hunter continues recounting his various adventures.

When the fire is put out, the skyhorse finally appears. It approaches my apple steadily, and this isn’t the same horse I met before. No, this one is so tall, I have to hold my arm up just to offer it the fruit. It sniffs the frozen apple. Huffs.