“No, Malak,”I pointedly hiss his real name. “The fundamentals of spirituality weren’t exactly well-communicated to us humans as a whole. One could even say that messenger angels might be to blame for that.”
He frowns.
I reign victorious.
Abaddon interrupts our exchange, “The star containing the power to open the Abyss just so happened to attach to your mortal soul. If your mortal body were to die without your soul ever merging with it, the star would not. It would most likely detach, passing on to somebody else in the material plane.”
“Wait, it—what?”I choke on the bite of food in my mouth and have to down some water real quick before continuing.“My soul has tomergewith it?”
I can’t even begin to fathom what that means.
Thankfully, Dusk finally decides to jump in and offer his opinion. “Consider the star as an add-on to your soul. If you were to die, your soul would leave this plane, and the star would be forced to find a new vessel. So, you have to absorb its power while you’re alive… in more or less words.”
I gape at him, dumbfounded. “You’re telling me that the power I’m trying to gain access to is actually abiblical parasiteon mysoul?And you want me to… what? Eat it? Become one with it?”
“That’s certainly one way of putting it.” Dusk scratches the back of his head, which I’m starting to think might be a nervous tic for him. “Though, I’d say it’s more similar to a dormant virus in its host.”
I shake my head. This is ludicrous. Out of all the insane shit I’ve seenand heard since meeting Dusk, a malignant star trying to infect my soul with its mysterious magic might justbe the craziest. “Surely you guys have something wrong here. Either that, or you’re fucking with me. Actually, I’m pretty sure you’re fucking with me. How gullible do you think I am? I think I’d know if I had some kind of sentient eldritch terror living inside me?—”
“Would you?” Abaddon says lowly.
My blood runs cold.
He was so quiet, I forgot he was part of the conversation for a moment there. And that voice? Menacing. Downright menacing.
“I…” I stutter, losing track of my words. “I don’t… Well, I don’t fucking know, okay? If it’s sentient, it’s never tried to make itself known to me. Never said hello. Am I supposed to just let it infect me to get its powers now? Is that not dangerous? Fucking hell—am I going to die from possession by biblical parasite?!”
The King interrupts me again, sounding impatient. “We wouldn’t be able to answer any of that. You are the first.”
I throw my hands in the air. “Well, isn’t that convenient?”
Dusk leans forward, trying to get my attention. “You’re spiraling, Dawn. We may not know much about the star, but that doesn’t mean we won’t figure it out. Alright? You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
I lean back in my seat, away from him. If he notices, he doesn’t show it. “How do you know I’m the first? What if you’re both lying, and everyone who’s tried before me has died?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you.” He tips his chin up some, looking at me straight-on, holding me in his gaze. After a few seconds trapped in it, heat rises to my cheeks, words and intelligent thoughts evading me.
“Do you think it would change anything if we were?” Abaddon, again, butts in.
I peel my eyes away from gold, giving them to silver.
“Yes, Abaddon,” I growl. There goes my temper again—driving me to risky behavior. “It would changemy trustin your kind. If you were expecting me to say I’d give up just because the stakes were raised, then you clearly don’t have the slightest idea what kind of person I am.”
I swear I see a muscle twitch in his jaw. “It does not matter what kind of person you are. What you do or don’t know won’t change anything. All that matters is your actions. One way or another, the Abyss will open. The prophecy will not be defied.”
“You know, that sounds an awful lot like a threat to me. If you’re going to kill me, you should really stop wasting your time playing host and just do it already.” I stand up, my seat scooting back and scraping the floor in the process. “But I don’t think you will. I don’t believe you’re certain the power to open your Abyss would pass to someone else if I died. From where I’m standing, I have something you want. So, it’d do you well to learn how to treat me with respect,Your Highness.”
Dusk stares at me, looking taken aback. I only barely note it from the corner of my eye. I’m too busy staring a hole into the King.
Then, for a brief moment, I feel the strangest, most indescribable pull to him. My fixed face falls, the fire simmering inside me suddenly snuffed out.
“Noted,” he finally says, nonchalantly going back to eating his food.
The feeling subsides, leaving me baffled.
I can’t tell if I imagined it or not. Is it this place? The parasitic star I just discovered is inside me? The haunting, nearly white silver of his glowing irises?
“Excuse me,” I mutter, backing away from the table and rushing out of the dining hall door. I can’t get back to my room fast enough. I need some time to myself, away from angels and monsters, to sort out the dark sea of my mind.
