The Reigning Star (The Orien Trilogy, Book 3)

by Catherine Wilson

  “But do you understand the cost, Brave? If Knox and his men attack you at once, you’ll have no choice but to use every ounce of magic you have. You are strong, yes, but even the girl of fire and ice can only handle so much. They’ll push you to your brink, and once you are there, I’m not sure you’ll come back.”

  “What do you mean she won’t come back?” Vivi voice pitches with outrage, highlighting the fear I can already feel digging tunnels through my thoughts. The fear that tells me Lo may be right; I might be strong enough to stop them, but at a price I didn’t know I’d have to pay. “Are you saying if my sister uses too much of her magic, she could die?”

  “I’m saying death is always a possibility when you are dealing with fire, Vivi. The danger does not belong to Brave alone. I’m assuming you’ll be there to fight as well. If you exert yourself too much, you’ll end up knocked out cold like your sister did not many months ago.”

  “Wonderful!” Reeve jolts to his feet, running a rough hand through his growing curls. “Not only do you doubt Brave, but now you doubt her little sister as well. If the two of them cannot undo their father, then who can? What’s the point?” His question seethes with rage, causing the whole camp to quiet and turn in our direction. Ian starts to intervene, but Aras catches his arm, mumbling something close to his ear. Together, the two turn back to their food. The rest of the camp follows their lead.

  Lo, unaffected by emotions—life-threatening or not—remains unmoved. “Calm down, Reeve. I never said your fire sisters wouldn’t succeed. I said they needed to be careful, and by careful, I mean they need to go in with a solid plan.”

  “And what would a solid plan look like to you?” Vivi asks, toeing her boot in the dirt.

  Lo grins, mouth wide and eyes bright. “It would look like a surprise. A move so big, your dear old father would never see it coming.”

  “Is Vivi alone not surprise enough?” I rise to my feet, holding out a hand for Lo and pulling her to her feet. “Knox will never see that coming. It’s how we’ve planned on defeating him all along—together.”

  “Oh, she’ll be a surprise. I’m saying it’s all in how you use her. The bigger the shock, the greater the defeat. If I were you, I’d plan her entrance well.”

  Vivi jerks her chin with quick acceptance, all nerves evaporating with it. “If Knox wants a surprise, that’s exactly what we’ll give him.”

  “Of course that’s what we’ll… we’ll…” Reeve sways on his feet, words slurring as he struggles to right himself. He holds up his water pouch, eyes flaring red as he turns to Lo. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Did you…” But that’s all he manages to say before his eyes roll back, stealing his words and closing us off from his world. Out of instinct, I grab his shoulder seconds before the full weight of his frame hits me square in the chest. Vivi scrambles to my side. Together, we fumble and grunt until our cousin is safely on the ground.

  Knocked out cold.

  “What in Ashen happened to him?” I gasp, still catching my breath from the weight of his fall.

  Lo shrugs, eyes skimming Reeve’s still body without a hint of remorse. “You see, ladies, that’s what I mean about a surprise. For all his talks about sleeping tonics, he never saw mine coming.”

  “You did this to him?” Vivi eyes bulge out of her head, her mouth open wide in wonder.

  “Of course, little spark. To be honest, the fault is his. We’ve never gotten along, and he should have guarded his water better. I’m actually disappointed he thought so little of me.” She smiles, reaching down to pat his cheek. “But it’s no matter. He won’t make that mistake again.”

  Vivi looks to me, as if I could make sense of the wild woman in our camp. But I know better. There’s no making sense out of Lo. “He’ll be mad as a hornet when he wakes. This time, I actually feel kind of bad for him. Don’t tell him I said that when he comes around.”

  “I won’t,” Lo says, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “That’s it.” Vivi holds out her hand, shaking it with vigor once Lo grabs hold. “I’ve changed my mind. You’re completely forgiven for the horse. In fact, if you’ll teach me how to make that tonic, I think you may be my new best friend.”

  “Sounds like a plan I could live with,” Lo says.

  “Excellent. Now let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Vivi, wielder of fire and ice. Daughter of a madman. Sister of Brave. Seeker of mischief. And I have a love-hate relationship with my cousin.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Vivi, the girl with the strangest family I’ve ever met. My name is Lo, wielder of tonics and daughter of the woods. I, too, have a love-hate relationship with your cousin, although mine is mostly hate.”

  “Friends,” Vivi says.

  “Forever,” Lo agrees.

  Nineteen

  When Reeve finally awoke, an angry hornet ready to sting everyone within reach, Lo was already long gone. A ghost of a woman, drifting through the dark trees.

  I’d admire her if it wasn’t for the mess she’s left behind.

  “You’re sure those were her exact words? I’ll be back to check on Reeve when the time is right?” My cousin slouches against a tree, the bark catching his curls and lighting his face with a grimace every time he tries to move his head. He braces his hands on the ground, trying to build up the courage to stand. I start to grab his shoulder, but he shakes me off, closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his forehead.

  He’s still too dizzy to stand, Lo’s tonic as wicked as they come.

  “Yes, I’m sure. But you know how Lo is. She could mean one thing and make it sound like another. My guess is she’ll be back to help you with Knox’s army; otherwise, why would she worry about checking on you at all?”

  Reeve releases a heavy puff of air, leaning his head back until he can see the morning light filtering through the thick leaves. His blue eyes crawl with swirling clouds, a heavy layer of sleep threatening to pull him back under again. He blinks, and the clouds scatter, a rare beam of clarity lining his tone. “You’d think we’d get along better, Lo and me. We’re both made from the same cloth—tight stiches with little room to give. We never met before she put me to sleep the first time, but I always imagined our meeting would go differently. We share a common enemy, both torn from our home and family when we were very young.” He laughs under his breath, turning his sights on me. “I thought we’d be friends.”

  His words tug on my heart, pulling on emotions I didn’t know I could feel for my once-despised cousin. Feelings I wish we had shared all along. “And maybe that’s exactly what you are, Reeve. Lo didn’t put you to sleep because she dislikes you; she did it because she wanted to teach you a lesson.”

  His eyes, once so clear, turn a dull and muted gray. “A lesson? What? That she’s better than me? That she’ll always have the upper hand, no matter what I say or do?”

  “No,” I answer, though I’m not sure there isn’t a bit of truth to his claim. “At least, not a lesson in the sense you’re thinking. Lo wouldn’t go through the trouble of slipping you tonic simply because she didn’t like you. Lo went through the trouble, because in her backward way of thinking, she wants you to be safe. She wants all of us to be safe. And although she could have showed you how to make her tonic and given you some ideas of how to best slip it to Knox’s army, she went about it the hard way. The way she likes best.”

  “The way that ends with me passed out like a fool?”

  “Naturally.”

  Reeve stretches his arms. This time when I offer my assistance, he doesn’t shy away. When I pull him to his feet, he rests a hand on my shoulder, steadying his balance. “I know this sounds odd, but I’m not angry with her for putting me to sleep. If anything, she’s lit a fire I didn’t know I needed to stoke. I thought I was ready for the army, but now I know the tonic I was planning to make may be too weak. Did she leave any instructions before she left? I’d like to recreate her masterpiece.”

  “I think Lo is more
in the business of messages than instructions,” I say, nodding with reassurance as he takes away his hand, testing his balance. “But she did spend a long time with Vivi. Your little cousin wouldn’t let her leave without giving explicit directions on how to make the tonic. If you have any questions, you should see her.”

  Reeve’s mouth quirks to the side, and he looks away, seeking her out in camp. “I blame you for this, you know.” He motions between us with his hand, causing my brows to raise in question. “Us. Our kinship. I think it’s what makes me see Lo in a different light. Instead of being angry, I’m strangely thankful. That can only be your doing. You’re like a worm, digging into my skin and rotting me to the core.”

  I laugh, a trill so happy and loud I imagine every creature in the forest turns in our direction. “Reeve, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  Red patches bloom against his cheeks, lighting his pale skin on fire. My laughter only grows. “Try not to get used to it, cousin.”

  His laughter joins my own, deep and rusty, like it hasn’t been used since he was a child. His hand finds my shoulder once more, a gentle squeeze of his cooling power pushing against my skin. I reach into my being, pulling my mother’s ice to the surface, matching my temperature to his. He grins at the change.

  We are blood, but we are also friends.

  “You know—” The words start, only to die the second I open my mouth. A heavy wave crashes against my chest, crushing me with its weight until I’m drowning in the sea. In the noise.

  “Brave!” The chant overwhelms my ears, whispers so fierce I lose my footing, falling halfway to the ground before Reeve catches me by the arm.

  “Brave? What is it? Are you all right?”

  I look up, the concerned face of my cousin swimming in and out of vision, coming in clear only to slide away. The whispers continue their rampage through the trees. A hundred different voices chiming in at once. They don’t mean any harm. They only want me to know they are here. That they came for me. That I have them on my side. But right now, they’re burying me, covering me with a thick layer of dirt that clogs my throat and burns my lungs.

  “Brave!” My little sister’s voice cuts through the whispers, slicing narrow pathways where cool air is allowed to flow in. If only for a second, I’m able to breathe. “It’s them, isn’t it? The people of Ashen. They don’t know they’re hurting you, Brave. You have to tell them to stop. I’ve tried, but they can’t hear me. Not until they let me in. They don’t know me yet, sister. You’ll have to reach them yourself.”

  My head begins to lull, and I start, jerking my shoulders back from Reeve’s careful hold. He grimaces as I trip, unable to stand without his assistance, but he’s saved from having to rescue me further when another set of arms whisks me up in their grip.

  “Bravest?” Aras pulls me to his chest, hugging me tight as if he could take away the whispers and carry the burden himself. My eyes flutter, struggling to stay in the present when all I want to do is fade into the soundless black. “You’ve got to ask them to stop. They are new to their forms, and they won’t understand their mistake until it’s too late. I mean it, Bravest! Tell them.”

  Behind him, Ian comes into view. His usually pale skin devoid of even more color. “You heard him, Penelope. Emory said they’d be unsure of themselves when they first turned. They’ve only been in their forms for a few days. They’re excited to see you, but they can’t all speak at once.”

  I try to nod, but end up resting my forehead against Aras’ instead. I want to make them stop, but they don’t understand. I’ve only ever communicated with my papa aloud. I’ve never tried to speak into his mind, and I’m not sure I can.

  Undeterred, Vivi tugs on my braid, forcing me to turn in her direction. “I know what you’re afraid of, but you’re wrong. You can whisper too, Brave. All you have to do is try. It’s how I’ve always communicated with animals, and now that we have their help against Knox, it’s the way you’re going to need to use as well.”

  Slowly, Aras lowers me to the ground, my boots a shaky mess against the forest floor. Leaning on his chest, I close my eyes, allowing the whispers to wash over me, molding to my flesh until we become one. The noise threatens to overwhelm me, vibrating against my chest and stealing my voice, but I press on, determined to make them hear me through the madness. Through their call.

  “Brave! We’re coming. We’re here.”

  I wait for the last of their whispers to soak into my veins, spilling into my blood until every voice is a part of me, pumping through my heart. Their awareness hums like a light, the beacon of their minds flashing across the raging sea. Then I pounce.

  “I can hear you. I’m glad we’ve found each other, but I need you to stop. We can’t talk all at once. It hurts. You’re accidentally—”

  Like a storm, rolling in with a heavy thunder and dying out, the whispers vanish, parting into the air and leaving nothing but a curling steam. I stumble from Aras’ arms, but Vivi’s there in a flash, catching my hand before I fall. The quiet alarms me, hurting more than the whispers. I look around, surprised to find that everyone’s gaze is not on me, but on the woods around us. Spinning on my heel, I almost cry out at what I see.

  The forest has come alive, animals teeming from its dark corners, surrounding our camp like a wall of protection I never want to escape. Before me, birds flit through the trees, wolves paw at the ground, foxes sniff the air, cougars scream into the silence, and right in the middle of them, a bear roars, rising on its back feet.

  Vivi squeezes my hand, excitement bubbling in her voice. “You see! I was right. Darcy is a bear.”

  Twenty

  “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?”

  Darcy is the first to speak, her whisper coming out more like a snarl than anything else. Beside me, Vivi stiffens, the only clue that the communication floodgates have opened and she can now hear the others just as well as me. My eyes cut back to Darcy, all dark-haired and feral-eyed.

  Not much different than when we last saw each other, though I don’t dare broadcast that thought aloud.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Aras’ fingers entwine with mine, pulling me close as he comes to my side.

  Darcy notices the movement, and her dark gaze finds our clasped hands. A loud growl leaves her mouth as she brings her front paws down to the ground with a heavy lurch.

  “Yes, it most certainly is.”

  A low whistle fills the air. “I was hoping she’d be the bird.”

  “Careful what you wish for. Even birds can peck you to death.”

  He bends, whispering close to my ear. “A point well noted.”

  “And I can see our worry was well placed.” Darcy rocks forward on her paws, massive trunks holding up a solid frame of tight muscle and brown fur. “Shame on you, Penelope Brave. You said you’d never find him pleasant.”

  I smile, replaying the memory of that day in my chambers when Aras made himself comfortable atop my pillows and Darcy warned me of his evil ways. It’s only the teasing rise of her tone that prompts me to answer aloud, proud for everyone to hear. “I’m sorry, Darcy, but I’m afraid I find Aras to be all kinds of pleasant.”

  The Orien guard freezes by my side. Vivi and Ian laugh. Reeve rolls his eyes. And Darcy? She bolts with surprising speed, her head nuzzling between my neck and shoulder as I fall to my knees. “I’ve missed you, child,” she says, lowering to the ground so I can wrap my arms around her neck. “I know I was always hard on you, but I hope you realize it was because of how much I love you. Because of how much we all love you and longed to keep you safe.”

  Tears sting my eyes, and I catch my breath, holding back a sob. “I know, Darcy. I’m sorry it took leaving home for me to finally understand. I’ve missed you every day, and I’ve worried even more.” I pull back, rubbing a palm across my wet cheeks. The people of Ashen have gathered around us, wrapping me up in their strange circle of beasts. When I speak again, my words aren’t just for Darcy, but
for everyone else as well. “I know you all think this was your duty—to come to my side when I needed you the most—but I wish you would have stayed at home. Stayed safe. I can’t stand the thought of any of you getting hurt, especially when you’ve already been punished enough.”

  “Not to mention we might not be able to turn you back into your original forms. We’re only guessing that ending Knox will end your curse.”

  Nervous eyes flick to my sister, but she simply shrugs, reaffirming what we all wish she would have never said aloud.

  Skies above. Honesty in the most awkward of situations seems to be her strong point.

  “Nonsense, girls.” Darcy falls back on her haunches, resting comfortably on the dirt. “Despite what you may think, it wasn’t our duty to come to your aid, but our wish. Besides, do you have any idea how hard it was to convince these two to wait, instead of running off into the woods and never looking back?”

  Her head flicks to the side, a loud sniff leaving her nose as she calls our attention to the two silver wolves standing patiently to her right. Their blue eyes widen when they meet mine, almost embarrassed, as if I couldn’t recognize their sweet spirits from miles away. “Sara? Crisp? I should have known you’d turn into a stunning pair of wolves.”

  “We couldn’t disappoint our fiery friend.” Sara steps into my embrace, her coat still warm from the run. “Plus, we missed you. From the looks of things, we have a lot to catch up on.”

  She starts to lift her head, searching over my shoulder for Aras, no doubt, but my arms tighten around her neck, holding on for life. Afraid if I let her go again, she may never come back. There will be plenty of time after all of this is over to discuss my handsome prince. Besides, something tells me she won’t be surprised.

  “Hello, Brave,” Crisp says, his familiar voice pulling me from my thoughts. I break away from Sara, turning on the tips of my boots until we’re nearly face to face. The girl with a troubled past and the boy who was always like a brother who cared too much.