Dominion of the Star (Descendants of the Fallen Book 1)

by Angelica Clyman

  Still, that knowledge didn’t ease her burdens. She spent her days in training, and her nights alone in a room that never seemed to become familiar to her. It appeared that each passing day brought more urgency, and with it, more scholarly and physical tasks. Kittie and Jeremy were kept busy as well. Often she didn’t even recognize her own loneliness except when chance allowed her to see Kittie’s smile or feel Jeremy’s hand brush against her arm or back as they passed by one another. Kayla pressed her face into the cool pillow and thought of his eyes. They exchanged no words this whole time, but his gaze remained the same. She didn’t want to be his promised prize for defeating Asher, but she couldn’t deny the pleasure of witnessing how his passion for her did not fade with their lack of contact.

  She suddenly experienced an overwhelming desire to see the moon. Although she didn’t want to be in this room, she was thankful that the window here was a broad, glass-paned expanse, unlike the narrow slits in Kittie and Jeremy’s quarters. Kayla moved the heavy curtains aside, but instead of the calm, cool sands she expected to see, there was a storm on the horizon, swiftly moving in towards her. She watched, transfixed, as the heavy winds, thickly strewn with sand, beat against the steel beams outside, pressing them closer to the mysterious lighted tower that the compound centered around. Kayla saw no signs of life. Was she the only one that noticed this strange phenomenon? No, although she couldn’t hear or see anyone scrambling about, if she concentrated, she could feel the panic in this place. She could sense preparations being made and defenses reinforced.

  A strange instinct moved her to hide behind the curtain again, shielding herself from the events outside. She felt exposed. Kayla hurried to the door, and she wasn’t sure if she was comforted or threatened by finding it locked from the outside. She stood there, frozen, listening to the howling of the wind, the sand crashing against metal and concrete, and the whine of iron and steel slowly bending to an unnatural force. Kayla rushed behind a tall cabinet as she heard the door rattling open. Even hearing Kittie’s distinctly soft, prancing step was not enough to free her movements again. The man with her was one of Za’in’s soldiers, and although his head was covered to protect him against the storm outside, she was sure he wasn’t Jeremy.

  Kittie was dressed in the dark, slick armor Kayla was familiar with, but she had never seen the small girl wear it before. Both she and this soldier were wearing similar headgear. Kittie pulled her goggles up and her dust mask down. “C’mon, let’s go! This diversion isn’t gonna last forever, you know!” She threw some black clothes at Kayla, and then looked down at her bare feet. “Do something about that. I got a covering for your head.”

  Kayla watched the masked man next to her. “Kittie, tell me what’s going on.”

  She frowned, turning to her companion. “Well, hurry up and say hello — we’re running out of time!”

  Kayla felt relief instead of surprise when she saw Asher Serafin remove his helmet. The only astonishment she experienced was the realization that, as soon as she saw the storm, she knew he was the one that brought it in. His hazel eyes were sharp, and she felt as if nothing escaped his vigilant gaze. He didn’t smile. His voice was quiet and softly harsh, as if he spoke rarely. “I had no doubt we would meet again.”

  For a moment she wondered if she should feel injured by his seemingly cool reply, but she knew it was as it should be. Regardless of how it appeared, he shared her feelings on their reunion. Kayla reached for her locket. Something deep within him had changed since the picture was taken and the note was penned. Her heart soared at finding the man she searched for, but as she examined his face she also felt as though she should mourn for him. “There were times I wasn’t as sure as you,” she whispered, “and all I could do was dream.”

  Asher bowed his head. “We are awake, and so we must move.”

  Kayla felt renewed, throwing on the soldier’s uniform and putting on her boots as Kittie tied on her armor. As she began to secure her headgear, her excitement melted into uncertainty. Wasn’t she supposed to meet with Asher under Sebastian’s supervision? Isn’t this what he warned her about? She looked to Asher. No, it was this man that she had been searching for. She wouldn’t make another mistake like the one on the shore, where she was lucky that her Intercessor only acted as a shield. She squeezed her locket once more and pulled her goggles down over her face.

  They made their way swiftly and silently down the halls with no incident. As they approached some unfamiliar doors, she whispered to Kittie. “Where does this lead?”

  “The Beacon.” They continued into the next room, which was nothing more than a darkened stairwell.

  “That lighted tower?” Kayla asked breathlessly as they ascended.

  “It’s just a recycled ruin, once a part of a cement plant. It’s been altered to retain its appearance, but to function as a more traditional structure. Now it exists as a place for Za’in’s…research.” Kittie’s movements were almost wrathful.

  “Why are we going there?”

  Asher came close to her. “We need the key to our way out.” His gentle growl was laced with an edge of irritation that Kayla could tell was not directed at her.

  She found herself winded, losing track of how long they had been climbing. Kayla had expected Jeremy to meet them, but the further they went, the more her worry grew. “Are we running away?”

  “It’s not safe for you here,” Kittie said, her voice low. “Have you forgotten how you felt the first night in this place? You weren’t wrong. We were terrible to bring you here. When I was away, preparing to be an Ophan, Za’in had me listen to some stones. Oh, the stars understood too, and even the wind tried to tell me, but it was the stones that made me realize…I know what he has planned for this next Eclipse. It’s horrible. He’ll use you, Kayla, just like he used—”

  She grabbed Kittie’s arm, stilling her forward motion. “Where’s Jeremy?”

  The small girl pulled her sleeve out of Kayla’s grip. “There wasn’t time! I—” Kittie shook her head, hard. “He’ll come. He always does.”

  The storm still raged outside, and the strained groan of the metal beams was dangerously close. A loud clang shook the building, forcing the three of them to cling to the walls. Kittie scrambled to the next door, pushing it open, with Kayla and Asher at her heels.

  The room they entered was cold, chilled by the violent gusts that blew through the broken windows to their right. The rare and precious electric lights flickered. Jeremy stood before them, his sword drawn, his eyes moving quickly over Kayla, then back and forth between Kittie and Asher. His muscles twitched, frozen rage darkening his down-turned face. It was impossible to say who struck first, but when their blades met, the tower shook, shrieking against the storm.

  12

  Kayla clung to a table that was bolted to the floor. She didn’t know what to fear more: the outcome of Asher and Jeremy’s fight, the probability of the tower coming down, or Sebastian’s wrath. The sinister atmosphere of this room thickened the air. What was it that Sebastian “researched” here?

  She turned around quickly as another loud thud sounded from the window behind her. Four vaguely familiar men dressed in ponchos were attempting to get up from the floor, using each other to balance themselves. They pulled off their goggles and head wraps, and Kayla realized they were the pirates she had encountered when she first traveled with Kittie and Jeremy.

  Kittie ran to the blond pirate. “You have it, right? Give it to me!”

  He scrunched his face at her. “Serafin can beat that guy. Then I’ll give it to him.”

  Her expression was a tiny mirror of his. “You want to get out of here alive? Then at least hand it over to her.” She flipped her hair in Kayla’s direction.

  The blonde’s scrawny comrade frowned. “Well I guess sh’ could ak’shly use it, Cap’n…”

  He glared at his friend. “Givin’ away treasure now, Fec?”

  “You were gonna give it to Serafin! And he came here for her,” chimed in the bejewele
d pirate that stood behind him, fiddling with his dreadlocks.

  The Captain’s shoulders slumped and he pulled on his short hair. Turning his head, he saw Asher wrestling with Jeremy on the ground, their weapons out of reach. He tensed his body, ready to rush to Asher’s aid.

  His tall, somber companion laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Bruno, he said if it came to him, to stay out of it.”

  The Captain nervously yanked on his hair again. “Okay, okay!” He muttered under his breath as he retrieved a bag from underneath his poncho and reluctantly handed it to Kayla.

  She pulled open the drawstring, her hands shaking with the inexplicable knowledge of what was inside. Her hands closed around the bony hilt of an Intercessor, recognition flooding over her. “This was my father’s…” she whispered, shocked by the words escaping her lips. “Where did you get this?”

  Kittie moved in closer, her eyes intent. “What’s important now is what it does. When two Intercessors are brought together with one purpose, they say even those without wings can fly. It’s our only way out of here. I can’t say where we’ll end up. But if we stay here, Za’in won’t let us live. Not now.”

  Kayla couldn’t speak. Her chest felt like a gaping wound. Holding her father’s Intercessor against that void, she watched Jeremy and Asher fight, and she was no longer sure if the shudders that racked her body came from the trembling of the tower or from some closer source.

  *

  The bitter taste in Jeremy’s mouth could only be described as “pain.” He had let that sensation drive him before, and now it was his only comfort as he met with the reality of the three of them coming here, all dressed like that — exactly as Za’in had predicted. When his weapon clashed against Asher’s, that taste covered him, saturating his body and expanding his lungs. He remembered Asher’s angular defenses and attacks, and enjoyed appropriating them, tossing them back carelessly. “You think I’m gonna let you take what’s mine?” Jeremy’s sword raked against Asher’s armor.

  Serafin’s face was calm beneath a fierce expression. “Those aren’t even your words.” His kukri caught Jeremy’s gauntlet, tearing it off and pulling him forward.

  Jeremy let that force carry him towards Asher, swinging his sword down violently, as if that rush of steel could drown out what was just said. He didn’t know how Serafin knew, but his opponent was right. He felt sick when Za’in used those words against him; why was he repeating them now? The cross on his chest felt like a razor cut. “Shut up. There’s no way Kit could really be on your side. And Kayla—” Jeremy didn’t know how to end that sentence, and he was almost thankful for being silenced by the sudden need to dodge Asher’s blow.

  “—doesn’t belong to you.” Asher’s eyes caught his, as all three of their blades locked together.

  The anguish that had been tracing jagged lines through Jeremy’s insides finally cut something loose. A savage growl escaped his throat as he kicked Serafin down to the ground. He twisted his sword up, not caring that it forced the weapons out of both of their hands. They struggled on the floor as the whole tower shook, each of them vying for a dominant position. Jeremy’s knee landed against Asher’s ribs before he grasped his adversary’s hair with one hand, his other fist smashing into Serafin’s face. Keeping a tight grasp on his hair, Jeremy secured his hold of Asher’s head by seizing his opposite ear and then slammed him into the ground. A strangled cry broke through his clenched teeth as he bashed his enemy’s head down again.

  Another scream pierced through the fever that gripped him. He didn’t need to turn his head to know he would be faced with Kayla’s panicked eyes. The momentary slackening of his grip was all Asher needed to draw his legs in and kick Jeremy over. The soldier’s agonized cry couldn’t drown out the sickening crack that came from Asher wrenching his arm on the way over. He landed on Jeremy’s back, pulling his head up at another awkward angle. Before Asher could complete the jerking movement, Kayla’s hands were on his, desperately prying his hands back with her fingernails.

  “If you do this, you leave here without me,” she whispered, her voice wavering.

  Asher let go, but not before pulling Jeremy back far enough so he would collapse against the floor, instead of into her arms.

  *

  Kayla didn’t know who to comfort: the man with the twisted arm who lay crumpled on the ground, or the one that staggered, bleeding above her. She squeezed her eyes shut, drawing out her Intercessor, and held one in each hand. “Help me use these. Let’s just go now!” she cried out.

  As the others crowded around her, she could hear Jeremy mutter, face down on the floor, “You’re not leaving…”

  “I have to, and I want you to come with me,” she whispered back hurriedly.

  Asher knelt down beside her, and Kayla tried to hand her father’s Intercessor to him. He shook his head, pushing it back at her with an open palm. “I’m just a man,” was all he said.

  She looked around to find six faces watching her, all tense and breathless. Kayla closed her eyes again, adjusting her grip on both hilts. The only thing she could do was breathe deeply, hoping that some of her training could be applied to this situation. She felt a pang of guilt when she thought of using what Sebastian taught her in order to escape him. Kayla pressed that thought back down; it was too late now. Her right palm grew soft, enveloping her Intercessor, but she felt the hilt ramming hard against her left palm. It just wasn’t hers.

  “Are you wondering why that isn’t working? Perhaps you are questioning if it’s even possible.” Sebastian’s voice felt very close to her ears, but she looked up to see him standing a few feet in front of her, next to Jeremy, who was slowly finding his way to his feet.

  Kayla’s heart beat hard and fast. She opened her mouth to speak, but fear and shame silenced her.

  “Did I not offer you enough, Kayla? Freeing you from your terror and ignorance wasn’t adequate? Opening you to a sense of purpose, and presenting you with a better world wasn’t sufficient? Or maybe you’re just nothing more than a weak-minded girl who was easily persuaded by these two.” He cast his gaze on Kittie and Asher. “I thought that it was Saros I had to worry about. Instead, it seems that it takes very little convincing to sway you. And now look at what you’re trying to do. Your left hand offends me.”

  She froze. There was something strange about his last sentence. Kayla turned to the sudden movement at her side, and saw Kittie rushing toward her with a small knife, her eyes dark and torpid. Kayla dropped her father’s Intercessor and instinctively raised her arms to cover her face. Kittie slashed her left hand before Asher smacked the small girl hard with the back of his arm, sending her to the ground.

  “Serafin, do you now see why you can’t conspire with my Ophan? All of my men have made the choice to belong to me. Even in the midst of betrayal, I have the power to enforce loyalty.” Za’in smiled grimly.

  Asher stood, shielding Kayla with his body. “You think I could forget that? But I also recall that your methods didn’t work with all your soldiers.”

  There was a slight break in Za’in’s cool demeanor, but he ignored Asher’s words. “How many of your kind are you going to sacrifice to your vengeance, Serafin? Do you think that’s what he would have wanted?”

  Asher’s expression contained a violence tempered with tranquility. “He never would have wanted her to be with you.” His movements were so swift that they were difficult to follow, but when his kukris made contact with Za’in’s throat and abdomen, no cuts appeared. Asher noticed the strange toughness of his skin immediately, and started for a retreat. Za’in’s Intercessor was released only a moment later, and it scraped Asher’s side, breaking through his armor, its barbed and craggy edges catching in his flesh.

  Kayla cried out, dropping the cloth she had pressed against her wound, and impulsively reached for her father’s weapon. As her bloodied hand closed around the hilt, a throbbing pain spread from the point of contact, through her entire being. She felt her bone fuse to his Intercessor, a warm v
ibration lightly shaking her body. Kayla brought her palms together and she was sure that she was a circle, a conduit of energy, a ball of light. There was no reason to be afraid — or to fight for Asher, or to be hurt by Kittie, or to long for Jeremy, or to mourn for Sebastian — or to doubt that this would work.

  She pulled her palms apart, and the air felt taut between them, as if she was drawing a bow. The pirates were crowded protectively around her and she turned to them, eagerly. “I’ve done it! I’m the way out.”

  The pirate with the heavy locks stared at the space between her hands. “It’s true,” he called out, and the four of them grabbed ahold of her arms.

  Asher staggered backward, his side bleeding. Turning his head quickly back to Kayla, he straightened, and then rushed at Za’in, who had also noticed the girl’s heightened energy. Knowing his blades couldn’t cut him, Asher caught them against Za’in elbow and shoulder, and pulling down, tripped his enemy against his hip. Za’in fell gracefully, easily taking Asher with him.

  Another shudder shook the tower, and Kittie stirred. She crawled toward Kayla and then wrapped herself around her leg. Her distressed squeal rang out in cries of “Jeremy!”

  For a long time Jeremy had stood motionless, holding his arm, but Kittie’s calls brought forth an automatic reaction. He moved a step forward before he stopped, forcing himself into stillness.

  Kittie noticed his struggle. “Come on!”