Page 50 of Starside

Just the smallest bit of silver is showing, but those immortal eyes miss nothing.

Slowly, his gaze meets mine again. I keep my grip on my weapon, waiting for him to strike me, or yell out his discovery—

But he doesn’t say a word. And as I back away and flee into the morning, I realize his silence wasn’t the most surprising part.

It was that he didn’t look surprised at all.

10

There’s a place where creatures can be claimed, like swords.” We finally slow down a mile from the Tower of Knowledge, just beyond a grove. I show them the map, pointing at the Beast Tree, a mountainous oak sticking up from a forest, with a ring of wings circling its crown.

Zane unfurls his own. We compare them. His avoids the north of Starside entirely until the very end, when the path curves up northeast, to the entrance of the Land of the Gods.

He chews his lip as he considers both options. “A winged creature definitely would make things easier … and give us time to make it back to the gates.”

Easier is putting it lightly. The new map shows a smattering of ominous illustrations. Dueling Rings. Great Houses. Something called the City on Fire. Endless forests and lakes and mountain ranges sharpened into treacherous points.

We could fly over it all …

I know which path I want to choose, but I’m not alone anymore. We look at each other awkwardly, silence spilling over.

Kira sighs deeply. “Well, then. Let’s get this out of the way.” She throws a hand up. “We don’t trust each other. And for good reason. Just yesterday, we were rivals.” She looks at me. “But I saved you, in the forest. And you saved me … on quite a few different occasions.” She points at Zane. “And he saved you, on the bridge.”

“No one’s saved me,” Zane says.

Kira pauses. Frowns.

“The scholars were going to poison us, and cut us open to study,” I offer.

“See! She saved you too.” She brings her hands together. “Now. Since we’re all in this wonderful circle of saving … I propose we make a pact.”

Zane raises a brow. “A pact?”

She nods, red hair spilling out of its loose braids. “We’re not enemies anymore. We’re a team with one goal: making it to the end. In service of that, we should agree on a few rules between us.”

No one says a word, and she continues.

“First, we vote on each big decision.” Like choosing a path we know works or going north to try to claim a creature. “Second, we vow to protect each other, if doing so won’t lead to our own deaths.” Fair enough. “And … finally.” She swallows. “If one of us is slowing the rest down … we cut them loose. Nothing personal. The quest must come first.”

It’s a brutal truth none of us want to admit … but she’s right. It isn’t betrayal, if it’s agreed upon from the start.

Kira lifts her silver sword so its tip is pointed between us both. “Well. Do we have a pact?”

I’ve never made a pact or an oath with metal before. I’m not even really sure how it works.

And I don’t have friends. All the ones I did have, as a child, are dead. I don’t know what it’s like to trust anyone other than my family, or Stellan. Every day on Stormside is a fight for survival—and this journey is only going to be worse.

But Kira’s right. We’ve all saved each other. Maybe if we keep doing that, we could actually make it to the end of this.

And … a weak thought flits through my head. I don’t want to be alone. Not anymore. Not if I don’t have to be.

With both hands, I lift my weapon.

Zane just looks at us both, a crease between his brows. He shakes his head, sighs, then unsheathes his ax in a glorious arc, the multicolored gemstones glittering beneath the morning sun. Our metals all touch.

A current sweeps through my blade, into my bones, and I wonder if we actually did make some sort of promise beyond words.

I plan to honor the pact. Looking at them both … I hope they feel the same.