The Fallen Stars (A Star Child Novel)

by Stephanie Keyes

“The boy, of course. The lovely Cali is just a bonus.” He glanced in my direction, looking me over in an unsavory way that made me want to wrap a thick blanket around myself. He acted like such an imbecile when other people were around, but when we’d been alone…I forced the thought away.

  “How did you find us when we came to Maine?” I asked Willock.

  “That actually was easy. I performed a simple location spell that pinpointed the plane you were on. Though I lost you for a bit in the air, you resurfaced in Boston. Then I hacked into the rental car records, just because I could, and tailed you the entire way here,” Willock said, smiling.

  “Location spells aren’t simple, Willock. What did you have to trade to get that kind of power?” Dillion asked. He rubbed his fingers on his chin as he waited for his son’s answer.

  “I don’t answer to you anymore, Father,” Willock said.

  “Then how about to me? I think you owe me that much.” I glared at him.

  Willock smirked and inclined his head in my direction.

  “Why do you want Kellen? Why didn’t you just drug us at the table and take Kellen then?” I demanded, trying to keep from shaking. I didn’t expect him to give me any answers, but I had to try.

  “As if I would tell you.” Willock held my gaze for a moment, as he had every time we met. “You really don’t know, do you?” He looked to his father and then back to me.

  “Know what?” I asked.

  “It’s more complicated than that. I needed all of you to remain in the dark, but I wanted to keep you close. So I fabricated messages from my father. I knew about St. James’s unusual skill for remembering the written word. I banked on him recalling the writing, and it paid off.”

  “But the trail, Kellen’s dreams—”

  “Have not been my doing,” Willock assured me. “The others took the initiative to try and capture Kellen when your little boyfriend went outside at night. I saved him in those woods. As for the dreams, I don’t know anything about them.”

  “Where is he?” My voice sounded calm and rational, but my mind was anything but. I’d spiraled out of control.

  “Let’s just say he is in a sort of in-between world at the moment. He’s doesn’t really know where he is, but I do. He’s on the Cusp of Faerie.”

  “My father told me about the Cusp once. He said that it was a place neither of Faerie nor of Earth. It exists as a sort of purgatory, where you can see both sides but never truly belong anywhere,” I said. I couldn’t believe that I remembered that piece of information, though part of me wished I hadn’t. They had Kellen. My Kellen.

  “That’s right, Cali. If someone gets lost in the Cusp, they lose their mind before they return fully to either world,” Willock said.

  “If others want him so badly, then why leave him there?” If Kellen were with me, he would have tried to reason his way out of the situation. Realizing that I had little hope of finding out anything of Kellen’s whereabouts, I had nothing to lose.

  “I have to admit that it wasn’t in my plan, but the others snatched him from me almost as soon as we left this evening,” Willock said. “It works out well, however, for he’ll be easier to deal with if he’s weakened before we…retrieve him.”

  I couldn’t even think about what he’d just said. Leaning in, I demanded, “And where is Gabe?” The thin line separating me from rational and non-rational behavior could possibly thin more, depending upon his response.

  Willock smiled. “Gabe? Gabe….That was the friend, right?”

  “You know who Gabe is!” I spat out.

  Willock gave me a smirk. “I’m not really sure. He didn’t make a sound when one of my brothers of Faerie sent his car over the cliff, so I guess he might still be alive. Either way, he would have just been in the way.” He walked closer to me and ran his hand down the side of my face, making my skin crawl. “Too bad lover boy Kellen won’t be joining you to hold your hand, but he’s needed for bigger and better things.”

  My temper, having previously been dampened by fear and my own mortal state, came back with a vengeance. This creature came here, manipulated all of us. And Gabriel…Gabriel was…

  “You bastard!” Shrieking, I caught him off-guard just long enough to kick him in a very crucial area of his anatomy. Gabe had assured me that should I ever need to keep Kellen in line, this would work very well.

  Willock’s reaction surprised me as he doubled over in pain, moaning. Dillion stared at me for just a moment before he held his hands over Willock. A thousand tiny ropes appeared to bind him, wrapping themselves around Willock like little snakes, allowing him to breathe but not to move or speak. Once Dillion had lowered Willock to the floor, he waved his hand over his son. Willock’s head fell to the side, his eyes rolling back.

  “Is he dead, Uncle?” As a creature of nature myself, I didn’t take death lightly. Certainly there is a cycle to all things, but murder never had a place in that cycle.

  Dillion looked at me. “No, just sleeping. We will need to figure out what to do with him. This should hold him for several hours, but after that he should be able to break free.”

  Rubbing my arms, I walked away from Dillion, moving to stand by the window. Kellen had gotten lost out there somewhere, just out of my reach. Perhaps he stood on the other side of the glass door looking in, but I just couldn’t see him. That was how the Cusp worked. You were neither here nor there.

  “I’m sorry, my dear.” Dillion’s voice made me turn and look at him.

  “There’s no need to be sorry. We’re going out there to find him,” I declared.

  Dillion sighed. “Cali, darling, do you realize what a lost cause that could be? We could probably find Gabriel’s body—”

  “Stop! We will start searching because we will not accept any other outcome. We will find both of them. Alive,” I said, knowing that I sounded every inch the goddess that I’d been.

  Dillion raised both eyebrows at my imperious tone. However, I would have the man I loved and I would not accept any other outcome.

  “Cali—”

  “You’ll help me, or I will do the same thing to you.” I gestured to the crumpled Willock on the floor.

  Dillion blanched slightly. “Might I just add that it might have been more helpful if we had had a chance to get additional information from my son first,” Dillion added hastily. “However, I think in these circumstances we will do the best we can.”

  “What do we do with him? Surely we can’t just leave him on the floor.” I waved my hand at the pathetic Willock.

  Dillion looked at Willock with sadness. “Of course we can. Though he is my son, he clearly has changed sides.” Despite his words, however, Dillion raised a hand and Willock levitated, hovering through the air to the couch. When he’d arrived directly above the couch in mid-air, Dillion closed his fist and Willock dropped roughly to the cushions.

  Turning away again, Dillion reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ball. The transparent object seemed to be about the size of the yellow balls that I’d seen by the balcony next to a pile of club-like items. Using his finger, Dillion drew an invisible line on the ball. Initially it seemed as if nothing would happen, but then the ball opened at the spot where his finger had touched.

  Setting the ball down on the ground, he stood back and waited. A small circle of light began to form, rising from the globe and lifting into the air. The silent room became the backdrop as the glowing ball rose and slowly lowered to the ground outside of its original casing. Then poof! One moment there was a large glowing orb and the next a dog stood there, a large beast of proportions that I hadn’t seen for hundreds of years. It huffed good-naturedly. When he realized we were with him, he walked over and licked my cheek. We’d already become the best of friends. I ran my hand over the fur of his ruff.

  Dillion rubbed his hands together. “This is Skyler. He can travel easily between the Cusp and our world. Not your average dog, as it were.”

  Wrapping my arms around Skyler, I hugged him. “Good boy.”r />
  “Hand him something of Kellen’s and Gabe’s so that he can learn their scents.”

  Looking about the room, I found Kellen’s sweatshirt had been tossed on the back of the couch. My heart ached upon seeing it. Walking to the couch, I picked up the clothing, trying inconspicuously to smell it myself. Reveling in Kellen’s scent, I realized that he somehow smelled of the salt, sea, and turf. It made me think of home.

  The sweatshirt went to Dillion, and I headed to Gabe’s room and retrieved one of the blankets that he’d used. Carrying it back into the great room, Skyler whined, clearly wanting to begin his search. Crouching down, I extended an arm to the animal so that he could smell the blanket.

  After Skyler had learned the scents, Dillion reached up to pat the huge animal. “Be careful now, old friend. This is going to be a difficult journey, I’m afraid. Make sure you report back to me what you see.” The dog whined and extended his large pink tongue to lick Dillion on the cheek. Dillion laughed. “Good boy,” he said, patting Skyler on the head.

  We walked to the door and let Skyler out into the night. Though I ran to the window and peeked out from behind the curtains, he’d vanished completely from view, already running into the night. Letting the curtain fall, I looked back at Dillion. “Uncle, how will we know when Skyler finds either of them?”

  “He will let us know in his own unique way. Skyler’s cry can be heard for miles around.”

  My eyes returned to the window and the night blacker than any other. “Please come back to me, Kellen. Please keep your promise,” I whispered.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  KELLEN—DOG

  Back on the main road, I started walking again. What choice did I have? Cali waited alone back at the house. Gabe had been killed. That’s what that Bob guy told me, anyway. Nope, I had to put that out of my head. It was inconceivable that one of the few people that mattered to me in this life was gone. He had been too young, too full of life.

  My muscles ached, a combination of running through the woods and riding through the cold air on the crane. I felt like I’d aged one hundred years since I left the house with William.

  William. I seethed inside. He’d led me out there. Into the woods and right into danger. He seemed to be working for many people, but I wondered where his true allegiance lay. If he had one at all.

  His behavior had been odd, though. Why would he help me if he’d been working for Cana? He’d found me on the trail and took me home when he could have just left me out there to freeze to death. He could have poisoned us at dinner, or when he forced me to drink his anti-hypothermia freakazoid concoction. None of it made any sense. My mind ran round and round in circles, trying to figure it out. My mental musings helped me forget my frozen fingers and toes. At least I’d had the foresight to put on a coat this time, but that didn’t mean that the results had been any better.

  “William…where are you?” Muttering under my breath, I continued to walk. Running out after Gabe seemed like the best option in the late afternoon, but now, in the dark with no flashlight, I cursed my own stupidity. The hard pavement assaulted my tender feet with every step; my tennis shoes made little difference. Walking steadily on the main road proved fruitless in the dark. No way would I be able to find Gabe in this. Setting up camp seemed like a good thing to do.

  Moving into the trees along the side of the road, I stayed just inside the woods along the tree line. Unfortunately, everything was wet and cold from the rain. I wouldn’t be able to start a fire unless I could find some wood that wasn’t touched by the downpour earlier. That seemed unlikely in the dark, wet night. Then I stopped, unwilling to take another step, for two bright red eyes glared at me from just up ahead.

  It wasn’t one of the C.O.D., at least I didn’t think so. A low-pitched animal growl greeted me from within the darkness. Remembering a book I’d read on interacting with animals, I kept my head down and tried not to make direct eye contact. I found this difficult, because the red eyes seemed to draw me, to suck me in. Still, the sounds the animal made didn’t seem threatening. After standing in silence for a moment, I addressed it: “It’s okay, girl.”

  The beast let out a growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

  “Sorry. I meant boy.”

  The creature whined good-naturedly again. Slowly I extended a hand, inching it out in front of me toward the sounds. After a few tentative steps, the animal walked toward me. In a patch of moonlight, I found myself eye-to-eye with one of the largest dogs I’d ever seen. Not just any dog, either; it was one of Arawn’s dogs from Faerie.

  I had no idea what to do or say. These beasts were deadly. In Faerie, they were the dogs that Arawn used when he had to…collect someone. I’d had several close calls with them. Then Calienta destroyed the group of them—or so I thought.

  Pushing the memory out of my mind, I moved closer to him. The animal seemed to be the size of a small horse. “You’re an Irish wolfhound, aren’t you? A big one, too.” The dog sat down and looked at me as if he expected something. When I continued to stand there and watch him, he whined again. “What do you want?” I should probably have gotten away from him, but he didn’t seem threatening at all. Maybe when I took out Arawn this guy turned good or something.

  The dog came closer to me and sat beside me, pushing me with his behind, nudging me. He continued to do this, whining.

  “Look, I’m sure you’re a nice dog and all, but you can understand why I’m a little hesitant here. I haven’t had the best luck lately.”

  The dog looked at me, emitting a low growl and nudging me with its body. Does he want me to ride on his back? I will probably regret this sometime in the future, but…

  Slowly, I lifted one leg over his back and leaned against him. With both hands, I gripped his neck, feeling the coarse fur beneath my hands. As if on cue, he stood up to his full height.

  “Wow. Please tell me that you’re not one of the bad guys.” He tilted his head back enough to lick my hand in response. “I’ll take that as a no. Can you take me to Gabe?”

  The animal whined, but then took off running as though he knew exactly where to go. As he sprinted through the trees, I brought my head down close to his, closing my eyes. He galloped full-out through the woods, his heavy paws thudding on the ground. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. As he ran, he howled, a plaintive cry. It mesmerized me. Repeatedly he cried out. Was it some sort of message?

  Keeping my head down, I closed my eyes, focusing on Cali. Please let me see her again. The thought repeated inside my head, almost in time with the pounding of the beast’s feet on the solid earth.

  “I hope you’re a friend,” I stated again. Weary from the stress of the day, I snuggled into the fur on the animal’s back, defense against the cold night air. His coarse fur became my pillow, the rhythmic sound of his running soothing as I slipped into another dream.

  In my dream, I was back at Stephen’s house again. It seemed different, welcoming somehow. Surprising, as Stephen’s house had never been anything but a cold maze of locked rooms with secrets whispering behind every door.

  Stephen himself stood at the head of the large dining table. The one that no one had eaten at since my mother died. “Where is he, Willock?”

  My mind reeled as William walked into the other end of the room. He stopped at the chair opposite Stephen’s, about twelve chairs away from the opposite end.

  “I need Kellen, and I sent you after him to bring him to me. You said that you would be able to find him. My patience is wearing thin.” Why is he so interested in finding me? I don’t have anything that he wants. I’m an adult now; he can’t do anything to me.

  William stepped forward but then stopped, seeming to think better of it. “My apologies, my lord.” Willock? How did Willock know Stephen? Why did he refer to him as my lord?

  “It would seem that apologies are the order of the day. A pity, though, that I don’t see much point in accepting them,” Stephen said. William visibly blanched. “Do I need to go an
d get Kellen myself?”

  “No, sir. He got away from me. Cana and her crew stole him right out from under me. They led him into the Cusp. I’ll make sure that you have him soon.”

  “And Cana and the rest of Danu’s brats still are unaware of my existence?”

  “Yes, my lord. I managed to hide my alliances well.” William bowed.

  “It seems that you have. Everything is in place. Bring him to me, or it will be a rather rough ending for you, Willock. Even if you have been like a son to me.” What? Like a son?

  “Of course, sir.” William bowed again.

  Eyes popping open, I found myself wide-awake and still on the back of the wet dog. Only the sheer mass of the animal kept me from falling off of him. He continued to run. The rain had begun again, although this time it fell in a fine mist as opposed to the torrential downpour from earlier. Sliding my fingers deeper into the animal’s fur, I turned my head to see where we were going. The animal ran, undeterred by the constraints that limited my vision. He could definitely see better than I could.

  The dog howled again as he ran down a steep embankment. Gripping him tighter and pushing my knees into his flanks, I did my best to hold on. Down and down he ran until we reached the bottom of the hill. He came to a stop then and sat down, forcing me to slide off and onto the ground unexpectedly. I grunted as my breath escaped me. I looked up at him. “You could have given me some warning.”

  The dog walked up and licked my cheek, his tongue covered with slobber.

  “Thanks. Where are we?”

  Whining again, the dog walked forward a few feet. As I followed him, a car came into view. My heart thudded in my chest again. Every part of me gave the order to turn and run away, for I didn’t want to see this.

  A tree had impaled Gabe’s rental car. A large branch had ploughed through the front windshield and jutted out of the car’s back window.

  “Gabe!” Taking one foot in front of the other, I ran to the tree, walking around its monster base. There had to be a way up and there was. It came in the form of a low-lying branch that I could easily access. Raising my hand and foot, my stomach heaved within me as I climbed up, trying not to imagine what I would find in the car. Gabe at the wheel with dead, lifeless eyes…