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When I was little, Linzi and I occasionally snuck out at night to the small park near our house. We’d huddle together on the grass, suppressing giggles, and I’d point out the constellations I’d learned to her.
Back when the world seemed like a relatively safe place, with not much more to worry about than tripping on a loose cobblestone or getting ink on a favorite dress.
Melancholy swells up inside me. I push it away with a lift of my hand toward the stars.
“That line there they call Elox’s Staff. You see it makes kind of a curve at the top like a shepherd’s crook?”
So we’re supposed to think Elox is lounging about up there in the sky?
My lips twitch in amusement. “It’s more of a poetic thing. But I guess he could be. Aren’t the godlen supposed to be everywhere all at once?”
Julita chuckles.It’s a wonder they ever pay attention to anything at all down here when they’re spread that thin. We should be glad Kosmel, at least, noticed enough to get involved.
I’m not sure I love the results of the trickster godlen’s involvement, but I keep that to myself and point to a different part of the sky. “That diamond-ish cluster is supposed to be Inganne’s greatest kite.”
Hmm, I can almost see that one. I think she’d appreciate a sparkly accessory.
Having been to one of the joyfully chaotic temples dedicated to the godlen of creativity and play, I can agree with that.
I squint at the twinkling specks of light to see what else I can pick out. “That bright line there with a triangle at the end is Sabrelle’s Spear. And the clump over there gets called Prospira’s Basket, but no one seems to be able to agree whether it’s full of fruit or bread or coins.”
Julita lets out a soft snort.Somehow I’m suspecting it depends a lot on the interests of the person making the claim. It just looks like a big jumble to me.
A smile crosses my lips. “Yeah, I’ve always thought that one is kind of a stretch.”
An unexpected sense of peace has settled over me as we’ve talked, as if Elox has cast a blanket of serenity down over me with his starry staff. The tension in my chest has loosened.
I’m not alone, no matter where I go. Sometimes that’s frustrating and unnerving… but sometimes it’s kind of wonderful.
I push myself up on my elbows to study the horizon. “I think right over there you can see Estera’s Tome, that square-ish shape with—”
A hard but level voice cuts through the night. “What are you doing?”
I flinch in surprise and brace my hands against the boards on either side of me to hold my balance. I’ve kept my voice so quiet I hadn’t thought anyone would notice, and I didn’t hear footsteps approaching.
Pulse thudding, I tilt forward to peer over the edge of the gazebo’s roof.
A man in the deep blue uniform of the Crown’s Watch stands just below me. His pale face with its topping of chocolate-brown curls is tipped to fix me with a stare as hard as his voice.
Even if my nerves didn’t shiver with the traces of magic wafting off him, I’d instantly recognize those stunning looks. It’s the guard who’s made me uneasy before.
Despite the darkness, his striking blue-green eyes seem to hold a light of their own. An alertness that’s piercing me right now.
Fortunately, as far as I’m aware, nothing I’m doing at the moment is any sort of crime. The soldiers who’ve been assigned to monitor the college must be getting used to the random habits of rich young nobles.
“I’m stargazing,” I say honestly.
A small furrow forms in the middle of the guard’s smooth brow. He really is far too pretty for his job. “Watching the stars? What for? They aren’t doing anything.”
He might be pretty, but apparently he’s also a stick in the mud.
I can’t stop a dry edge from creeping into my tone. “Because they’re spectacular to look at? Because they inspire all kinds of stories?”
The expression on the guard’s face suggests he’d question what stories are for too. Instead, he shifts his focus. “Who were you talking to?”
If the magic vibes he’s giving off have anything to do with judging my honesty, I can still say this and not really be lying. “My sister.”
Her memory has been hovering alongside Julita and me since I climbed up here, after all.
