Look to the Stars (The Orien Trilogy Book 1)

by Catherine Wilson

  “Now,” she says, bending down beside Reeve. “Do you want to get out of here before your prince arrives, or are you ready to be tied to a Theron beast for life?”

  Despite my growing insecurities, I give a curt nod, hoping that this is not only a step in a new direction, but also in the right one.

  “Then come on and help me lug this fool.”

  She grabs onto his boots while I grab under his shoulders, and together, we slowly make our way back to their sleeping camp.

  ↄ

  True to her word, Reeve’s camp is an eerie version of itself, with men passed out in various places throughout their makeshift home. While a few of them show the obvious signs of a dart protruding from their necks, others remain blissfully curled on their open pallets in what seems to be a fanciful sleep. Water drinkers, I take it. By the time the others might have noticed that their friends had taken to an unusually deep snooze, Lo here had another surprise up her sleeve just for them.

  She’s dangerously right. They never knew what hit them.

  “You see,” she says, leading me to place Reeve on a pallet near the dwindling fire. “They’re all resting like babes, just as I promised.”

  I stretch my clenched muscles, quite positive that I won’t be able to walk in a few hours, while Lo parades on as if it’s perfectly normal business to carry a dead man’s weight through the woods. I’d envy her, but at this point, I honestly don’t have the energy. Instead, I focus on the fact that she didn’t promise me one thing, aside from a full load of trouble by the time they all come to.

  “And you’re sure I’ll be well into Orien territory by the time they wake?” I ask, eyeing Reeve with a renewed scrutiny.

  Lo’s body shakes in response as she at least has the decency to try to cover her laugh, though I still hear the edges of it ring through in her voice. “Oh, I promised no such thing, but luckily, that’s where you come in.”

  My eyes jump to her face, and I cringe at the wide grin I find waiting for me there. Of course her plans for me would involve more than just lugging my traitor cousin back to his camp. Truthfully, I’m not sure why I expected anything different. Everyone seems to want something out of me that I’m not willing to give.

  “Other than running as fast as I can, I don’t see how I could be of any more help at this point,” I mumble, fidgeting with the raveled ends of my tunic.

  “Brave,” she says, her voice so soft that it almost comes off as a whisper. “You do know that I would never ask you to do anything that we didn’t think you were capable of, right?”

  She doesn’t say who is included in this we, but I know exactly who she means. Aras. Papa. Those who I’m beginning to see understand me the best, even if it is annoyingly so. She knows this simple fact alone will keep me listening, but I have a feeling I won’t like a word of what she has to say.

  “If you’re going to ask me to try to use some sort of crazed magic, then we might as well start running right now and hope for the best,” I spout, refusing to meet her gaze. “There is nothing that I can physically do to make this situation any better than it already is. You’ve done the hard work. You’ve knocked them out and given me a few hours’ lead. Honestly, I think we should leave while we’re still ahead.”

  “I think you underestimate your importance, Brave,” she responds before settling on the dirt with her long legs stretched out and crossed before her. “You are aware that the Theron prince is coming to retrieve his bride himself, which is a feat unheard of in this land. It’s a great risk that he takes in venturing into these woods, and he’s not simply going to stop when he discovers you are gone. Obviously, he’ll assume that you were taken against your will by some rogue member of The Lost or most likely, someone under Knox’s control. You have to remember that while you grew up blissfully unaware of him, Prince Ian has held an extended interest in you for most of his life.”

  She pauses, patting the ground beside her, as if she knows I’ll need to be sitting down for the remainder of our conversation. Unfortunately, she’s probably right, so I settle down beside her before I can talk myself into being unrealistically heroic. A slight smile forms on her lips, making her look more human and less fairy-beast. Though I know her next words are bound to hurt, the knowledge that deep down, she’s just a strong woman who’s a little misunderstood, and not all that very different from myself, keeps me planted in place.

  “Can you imagine being taught for years that your future wife will help to save your kingdom?” she continues. “What kind of pressure do you think that puts on a man, much less a prince? So, no, Brave, a simple few hours’ lead won’t do.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” I ask, dreading the answer as soon as the words leave my lips.

  Her bright eyes widen with excitement, and the heated fear begins to burn within my chest. Looking up to the sky, I try to pretend that I can’t hear her words—that I’ve drifted away into that special place within the clouds where we all find rest. But when her arm reaches out and slides across my heavy shoulders, my heart bounces back to the present, and horrible realization cloaks my splintered thoughts. For I’ve heard her words, and I know I’ll never be the same.

  “I suggest you send a message, my fiery friend, and there’s no better way to do that than to create a cage of flames.”

  Forty-One

  Once, when Sara and I were young and Crisp wasn’t quite so broody, we snuck into one of Papa’s quarterly meetings and hid crouched behind his massive desk while we listened to secrets that we were still too young to understand. Now that I think about it, Papa and his men had to have known we were there, with all the random snickering and elbowing going about in that tight space. It’s not as if we actually gained anything from the whole experience, aside from a little boasted pride at our somewhat successful eavesdrop, but I’ll never forget the sour look on Crisp’s face when we finally climbed out from beneath our secret cave.

  “What’s wrong with you, grumpy?” I’d asked, never being one to shy away from the obvious.

  His eyes narrowed as they usually did when I called him out on his moods. “If you had even taken the time to listen, then you’d know, now wouldn’t you?”

  “I’d have you know that I take in a lot more than you think,” I’d said, tilting my chin up for good measure.

  “Oh, yeah? Then I guess you’re just full of ideas to help keep the animals out of our fields, aren’t you? We can’t eat if we can’t keep our food safe from rodents.”

  His words ruffled my coarse feathers just as they usually did, and to spite him, I started to spout off random solutions. “A fence?”

  “Already tried that,” he snapped back.

  “Poison?”

  “Done more than a week ago,” he said, flashing a snide smile.

  “Then how about a ring of fire?” I smiled back, clearly trying to suggest the most outrageous solution in an attempt to goad him further. “That ought to do it, right?”

  I’ll never forget the haunted look that crossed his face, although I didn’t understand his scornful words until now. “No, Brave. A cursed fire is the last thing we need to look to for help.”

  Then he turned his back and left me to wonder what I had done wrong and why he wouldn’t speak to me for the next three days.

  I don’t have to wonder anymore.

  “Come on, Brave. We’re running out of time,” Lo says, walking up to where I stand at the edge of Reeve’s camp.

  When I refuse to respond, she huffs softly, and the corner of my eye catches her as she tilts her head up and looks longingly at the cloudy sky above. “It’s not as if I’ve asked you to kill anyone.”

  Right—because that makes it all better.

  Rather than giving up and walking away as I’d hoped, she plops down on the ground beside my boots with her knees pulled up to her chin. The position looks achingly comfortable, and my weary bones yearn to sit down and rest. They pound from within, each pulse bringing another round of hurt. It’s as if they know I’m a
bout to see my end in one form or another, either by botched escape or marriage to a Theron prince. At this point, I’m not sure which is worse.

  “Do you know how we all knew it was you?” she asks, trying to pull me back to her side once again. “That day when you ventured off alone into the woods and Aras thankfully had your back?”

  I tell myself I don’t want to know, that I don’t even care what new information this seemingly random conversation will bring, but I can’t help the slight shake of my head as my intrigue betrays me once more. While her words bring up a similar statement mentioned by Aras time and time again, he never fully told me why Knox and everyone in the apparent free land knew who I was or in this case, who I wasn’t.

  Her shoulders seem to lose their taut edge as she takes in my minor attempt to respond for the first time since she spewed her flaming suggestions into the air, and she leans back on her arms to prepare herself for what must be a long story.

  “By now, you’re obviously aware of Knox’s curse for all who live in Ashen. On the day Emory and his followers left, Knox was quick to let them know that while he had given them their lives, he wouldn’t give them their freedom. They were too dangerous, you see, but Knox was always enamored with your mother, and though I’m sure it very well killed him, he consented to your mother’s conditions to keep them alive.”

  “And turn Papa into a cat if he ever were to leave,” I drawl.

  “Oh, yes, but that’s where you’re missing the point, Brave. It wasn’t just Emory… it was all of them.”

  My head snaps down, only to be greeted with an innocent shrug. “So you’re saying that if anyone else in Ashen were to leave the city’s boundaries, they would turn into cats as well?”

  “Not all just cats, probably. Knox has a very wild imagination, so you can trust me when I say he’s probably ensured a wide variety of pets for his choosing.”

  My heart hardens at the thought of Darcy, Sara, Crisp, or anyone else I love turning into something that they are so clearly not. I think back to those first few weeks when I walked around ruining everyone’s day, determined to show the world I was angry at their cowardice, for not going after Papa, and finally, Sal’s parting words make sense.

  They were all afraid of how leaving would change them.

  Here I blamed them for not wanting to help, when all along, they were just trying to preserve the last of their dignity. And then I went and endangered them all by selfishly stepping out on my own, and obviously, not turning into an animal. I might as well have been a bright star, flashing into the sky. Of course I wasn’t of Ashen blood because I came into their home as an outsider, and therefore, escaped the curse. Anyone else, including Sara who was born there, would have turned.

  “But why animals? Why not just curse them with death if they leave?”

  She smiles sadly before tugging my hand and pulling me to my knees in front of her. “Because they’re much more useful to him that way. You do know that it’s a part of his magic, right?”

  “I only know what I’ve experienced, and that’s just that I can somehow communicate with my papa.”

  “Knox enjoys controlling animals, Brave, and in their cursed form, they wouldn’t have the strength to resist his will. Instead, they’d do his bidding.”

  Reality hits, and I feel as though I’ve slipped down the stairs at my home for the thousandth time, except this round, I’m not sure if I can get back up. If what she says is true, then Papa is in even more danger than I originally thought. If I can do something about it, I will.

  “Can it be undone?” I ask. “Can my papa be saved from this life, or will he always be on the run, afraid Knox can control his will?”

  Her eyes brighten with a flash of hope, and she quickly stands, pulling me to my feet. “You see? That’s just it. When you walked out into those woods and didn’t change, you sent a blazing signal to all who could see. Yes, you are different, and yes, you may hate it, but that doesn’t mean you should let that stop you from becoming who you are truly meant to be. Magic is only as harmful as the one who wields it, Brave. You have been blessed with a terrible power, yes, but you can use it for the greater good. Starting with securing your passage to Orien and learning the secrets of the power you hold from the very person who gave them away. If you can learn his magic, Brave, then perhaps you can just undo it, too. But first, you must embrace it and make it your own.”

  For the first time since my papa left, I feel as though a giant weight has been lifted from my chest. No longer do I see the magic as a curse that I cannot control, but as a gift I am finally willing to wield. The magic that runs through my veins is an evil, terrible force, but it can only create chaos if I allow it to. And right now, I plan on using it to free my papa, and maybe just everyone else.

  “Alright, then,” I say, squaring my shoulders and surveying the sleeping souls before me. “Perhaps I should send this Prince Ian a strong message. Not that I want to hurt anyone, of course, but that I won’t be controlled all the same.”

  Lo’s face lights with a crooked smile, and she nods her head as she, too, keeps watch on the camp before her.

  I think she likes that idea.

  Forty-Two

  “Just breathe, Brave. Your father uses magic like it’s second nature. A part of his very skin. If a fool like that can control magic, then so can you.”

  I bite my tongue, this time trying to channel my anger into a solid purpose, and glower over my shoulder as Lo lounges against a tree without a care in the world. Of course she would say that wielding magic and asking it to create a charmed barrier of fire is an everyday task. Nothing that I should pause at anyway… and certainly nothing that should take me this long to manage.

  She’s Reeve in a female’s body, except a little more tolerable and less unhinging.

  “At this point, I’m willing to let you have a go at lighting me on fire. Perhaps then I could get some relief from this wretched wait.”

  Make that slightly less unhinging.

  “And you’re sure this is going to work, anyway?” I ask, tracing lines with my boot along the dry forest floor. “Considering Theron blood can block magic, how would a little fire stop them from pursuing me when they wake? Won’t they just be able to use their own power and walk right through it?”

  She smiles widely again, flashing her white teeth and making my shoulders go rigid with their gleam. “There’s where you haven’t gotten it all quite figured out, Brave. You keep forgetting that your magic is not only a part of your father, but also of your mother as well. Alone, your father is strong enough to take on someone of Theron blood only if that person is caught off guard.” She motions grandly to the forest of sleeping men before us. “And even then, he could only affect one person at a time. Any more than that, and his magic would be shut down. It’s why he’s never attempted a run at Theron. He knows he can’t do it alone.”

  I catch my eyes returning to Reeve, nestled neatly by the remnants of last night’s fire. It’s true that his power seemed to falter by the water, but even then, he wasn’t harmed. It was if my magic was allowed to boil over and spill, causing pain without mark. If I had continued, would I have actually hurt him? Would I have completely overpowered him? Lo watches as the gears turn in my mind and nods her head in encouragement, her quick hand shooting out and pointing to Reeve.

  “You see? You’re not the only one who saw what happened by the river. You were seconds away from breaking through his barrier. Aside from your mother, he’s one of the strongest Theron has seen. Your magic was already free. You just needed the motivation to use its full potential.”

  I roll my eyes, turning to look away and focus on the trees. “And kill him? Is that what will happen when I use my full potential?”

  “If that were your goal,” she says flatly, “but right now, I think we both know you just need enough leeway to make it to Orien without them yapping at your heels. Make a ring of fire to border this camp. They won’t be harmed, but they won’t be able to push thr
ough it either. Trust me. By the time your flames die down, you’ll be tucked away safely in Orien, sharing a less-than-pleasant first meeting with Daddy dearest, no doubt.”

  Too irritated to respond, I stomp off in the opposite direction, clear across the edges of the camp. While Lo may serve as a good form of frustration, so far, she’s done very little to help me access this hidden flame. Too bad my task doesn’t include making me want to stab myself with my own blasted dagger because she’d be very good motivation for that.

  “Just think of something that makes you really, really angry,” she calls through the trees. “You know, like all of those women who lust after Aras, or, I know, the knowledge that you’re related to Reeve.” She lets out a loud whoop, startling any birds that happened to be resting in the trees above. “That would light me on fire, for sure!”

  My head whips back, determined to let her know that her tirade isn’t helping. “Oh, just—”

  My words stop midway—a flash of black filling up my vision and nearly drowning me with it. Instantly, I’m on my knees with my arms open wide, begging the empty space between them to be filled. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long.

  “You came back,” I whisper into his soft fur, not even fighting the tears as they threaten to fall from my eyes.

  “I could feel the tension,” he whispers into my mind, “and I was afraid the entire forest would burn if I didn’t give you some reassurance.”

  His voice hums softly through my mind, making me feel whole just as it has throughout every day of my life. My papa will always be my foundation, whether he stands before me in his original flesh or not. I’m not sure how I didn’t recognize his love from within the cat until last night, but it shines fully now, soaking me up and knitting me whole.