Beneath the Guarding Stars

by Everly Frost

  “Agreed.” He smiled and hugged me close, but I couldn’t deny that the cold had crept into my legs and my back where his jacket didn’t reach. He must have sensed that I was about to launch into teeth-chattering. “But we should still get out of the cold.”

  I let him shepherd me inside, even though I wanted to fight the icy air and cling to the starry night sky and our place under it.

  Letting the doors close, he pulled me close again, waiting for my temperature to rise and the shivers to subside. Satisfied that I wasn’t going to turn into an icicle, we headed down the hall to our rooms. He dropped a quick kiss on my forehead and turned to his room.

  Leaving my door ajar, I snuggled into bed, letting the automatic light shut itself off—a weight sensor was triggered as soon as I hit the bed. Not so great if I wanted to sit on my bed to take my shoes off, but I could tap the manual light switch above the bed to turn it back on.

  The yellow flower above the bed faded to darkness, and before I could close my eyes the door nudged open and Michael appeared, carrying a pillow and dragging a blanket. My mouth dropped open as he arranged the blanket on the floor next to my bed, dropping his pillow on it. Without speaking, he lay down, pulling the blanket over himself.

  I laughed. “Ruth is going to kill you.”

  “Ruth will have to live with it.”

  “It can’t be very comfortable on the floor.”

  “Is there somewhere else I should be?”

  I swallowed. I could hear his grin and I wanted to laugh it off, but part of me considered the possibilities.

  We’d slept guarding each other for days in Evereach, and even though Starsgard gave us safety, it felt as though we’d been pulled apart when we got here. Not in a bad or a terrible way, but I missed having him close. I missed knowing he was there, the familiar sound of his breathing as he slept—or knowing he was awake and keeping watch.

  I wasn’t sure how to answer, but before I could he said, “I want you to know something.”

  I nudged closer to the edge of the bed so I could see him properly.

  He’d propped himself half-up, head on his hand, his face just visible in the faint light. Serious. Calm. But also terrified. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid of losing something as I am of losing you.”

  When I found my voice, I said, “You won’t lose me.” But my promise hung in the air, and after he lay back down and I tried to fall asleep, I knew without a doubt that even if I made it to twenty, thirty, or even fifty years of age, one day too soon I’d be gone, and he’d still be there.

  Chapter Sixteen

  THE NEXT morning was the day of festival. I woke to a kiss on my cheek and a smile, before Michael dragged his blanket and pillow back to his room. After dressing and washing my face, I emerged to find Ruth at the dining table with her head in her hands.

  “It’s done,” she said, pushing a newspaper toward me. On the front page, the headline read:

  Evereach President Resigns.

  The newspaper crackled as I read aloud. “Last night, Mr. Olander demanded a change in leadership—a vote of no-confidence—as the only alternative to civil war. President Scott resigned this morning and Mr. Olander will be sworn in tomorrow, vowing that he will restore transparency to government. In his victory speech, he said, ‘I will end the silence about mortality and return peace to Evereach. I will bring to light all mortal threats.’”

  Suddenly, the light seemed like a dangerous place to be.

  I dropped the paper on the table, worry building inside of me.

  Ruth’s words were forced, but there was conviction behind them. “Please don’t be concerned, Ava. You aren’t in any danger here. The people of Starsgard have no time for concocted fears. But I’m upset for my friend. There’s nothing I can do to help him.”

  “Will the president come here?” Former president.

  “Maybe one day, but not right now. Not until things calm down.”

  “Not in my lifetime, then.”

  She pressed her lips together, blinking away tears. “I do wish things were different.”

  I realized then that she’d tried really hard to give me a home, but no matter what she did, I didn’t belong.

  She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “The festival’s today. You should enjoy it. I’m looking forward to seeing you dance.”

  When Michael emerged, dressed in jeans and t-shirt, I raced into his arms. His smile disappeared when he saw the newspaper, and didn’t return even when Ruth assured him we wouldn’t be affected by what was happening in Evereach. His hand reached for mine. I knew he feared that fear itself would infect the Starsgardians the same way it had infected the Evereachers. That we were not safe, and never would be.

  He finished his breakfast and I watched him shove his thoughts away. But like mine, they wouldn’t be far from the surface.

  “Are you ready to go?” he asked me.

  I grabbed my bag. “I’m supposed to meet the dance troupe in an hour to prepare, but I don’t dance for a while after that. Luke and I are fourth in the line-up. I don’t really know what to expect today. Do you think … do you think we could have a normal day? Maybe just once?”

  “We’ll find out together.” He took my hand and we left the building, jumped on the train and headed toward Tower Fourteen. It was one of the few towers situated next to a flat, open space, with the tower itself nestled beside a mountain peak, leaving enough room behind it and the next peak to fill a football field. The festival was being held in that open space.

  The train was packed with people headed for the festival. We could hear the hubbub all the way to the station. As we approached the tower, we followed the pathway around the side, past a giant blue crystal statue, through a walkway cut between the rock, and out into the open. The pathway was studded with more blue crystals, and I barely noticed the air print across my body as I exited the walkway. Mountain peaks rose up all around us as though the area had originally been a gully between them but had been cut to make it flat and widened to turn it roughly oval in shape.

  There was a wooden stage at the far end, set above the ground, with room in front of it for an orchestra and rows and rows of seats. It was set up with an opaque backdrop and I’d been told there would be wooden huts behind it for the performers to get ready. Immediately in front of us, between the walkway and the seating, was a group of stalls in three neat lines.

  “Do you have time to take a look around?” Michael asked.

  “I have half an hour before I have to meet Luke, so yeah, I think I do.”

  The nearest stall had the appearance of a typical jam stall like the ones at school fetes in Evereach, but as we got closer I realized these jams were nothing like the ones I was used to. They were all the colors of the rainbow and made from every kind of blossom imaginable—roses, daisies, marigolds, even bluebells. The lady running the stall beckoned us to try from the little pots along the front of the table.

  “Lavender jam is best for a good night’s sleep.” She smiled and I had to try it, feeling the wash of calm as it warmed my throat.

  I yawned. “That’s amazing.”

  “But maybe not too much in the daytime,” she warned.

  I laughed, and decided not to have any more. Two little girls ran up to us and I recognized them from my first day—Moira and Lilith—their ponytails bouncing behind them as they showed us the cloudy, sticky masses they held on sticks. Clara was close behind.

  “Angel floss,” the girls said, beaming from ear to ear. “You should have some.” They pointed to a nearby stall, each snatched one of Michael’s big hands, and coaxed him along. He laughed as he went and I followed, but Clara snagged my arm.

  “Have you seen Luke? He was supposed to meet me here ages ago.”

  “No, but Seth might have asked him to do something. He wouldn’t have been able to say no.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” She didn’t seem convinced.

  “Hey, there’s no way he would’ve stood you up
. Luke’s crazy about you.”

  Her eyes lit. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll have to wait until after the performance then.”

  I nodded as the little girls raced back with two more fluffy clouds in their hands, and within moments we each held a sticky mess of our own.

  When the girls bounced away to their beckoning parents, and Clara gave me a quick “break a leg,” we continued on to the next stall, and it wasn’t long before a regal voice stopped us.

  “The angel floss in this region is particularly good, don’t you think?”

  Naomi stood close behind us, this time with only one other Councilor. I recognized Peter, who governed the north-west region, but Naomi’s minders—three men—were only steps behind.

  The sweetness in my mouth suddenly tasted bitter. “Good morning, Councilors.”

  Peter nodded, and Naomi smiled at Michael, holding out a gold-entwined hand as she appraised him. “We’ve not met before, Michael.”

  He shook her hand, his expression closely guarded, but she continued to smile.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said. “Of course, we could have helped you much sooner than they did.”

  He frowned at her. “Your help came with conditions. If you really wanted to help, you would’ve just done it.”

  She blinked at his strong tone, removing her hand from his, a new appraisal in her eyes. “In my position, you would’ve chosen the same path.”

  “And what position is that?”

  She wrenched her gaze from him, planting it on me, but didn’t answer the question. “You will find your way north, my dear, sooner or later.” She gestured to her guards and floated away in a majestic cloud, waving and acknowledging well-wishers as she went.

  “She really isn’t giving up on moving you, is she?”

  “Let’s forget about her,” I said. “We still have time before I have to go get ready, and I don’t want to spend it thinking about her.”

  For the next fifteen minutes we wandered around the arena together, then it was time for me to get ready. Michael squeezed my hand as sudden nerves fluttered in my stomach.

  “You’ll be great.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead and whispered in my ear: “I can’t wait to see you dance again.”

  I reached up on tip-toes to kiss him back. “I’ll see you after.”

  Heading past the seating and around to the back of the stage, I found a row of huts set up for the performers, and the one allocated to the dance troupe. Next to ours was a theater troupe, and next to them was the orchestra that would be playing the music for our dances.

  Inside our hut I found my costume hanging on the rack with all the others, next to the large wooden crate that held all the weapons. My costume was like white wisps of angel cloud, floating on the rack. I searched for Luke, hoping I’d see him among the dancers, and when Natalie walked past, patting her dark hair into place, I hailed her: “Hey, have you seen Luke?”

  “Nope, and Seth is getting cranky about it.” She pointed to where Seth was directing the group of dancers who were scheduled to perform before Luke and me.

  Luke wasn’t with him after all.

  I chewed my lip as I wondered what do to. I didn’t want to go near Seth after what had happened the last time I saw him. I was sure Luke would show up, so I waited my turn for a cubicle to change into my costume, made my way over to the mirrors to fix my hair into a bun, and then found a quiet corner and set about stretching and running through the dance moves in my mind.

  Ten minutes later, Seth called everyone together. Luke still hadn’t shown up and my nerves jangled. He should’ve been there.

  “Show’s starting in five minutes,” Seth said. “You all know your parts. Make me proud.”

  Natalie was beside me and leaned in. “Keeps his speeches short and sweet, like always.”

  As everyone dispersed, quietly now, Seth headed straight for me. Back straight. Shoulders squared. “Luke’s not here,” he said. “You’ll be dancing with me instead. Same dance. Pretend I’m him.”

  No, not possible.

  I shrank inside. I couldn’t dance with Seth. Before I could protest, he pushed past me, giving orders to the other dancers. Everyone was silent, allowing the sounds from outside to filter in. Ruth was speaking through some kind of microphone, and I caught snatches of a welcome speech. Her voice was followed by several others, and I wondered how many of the other Councilors would be there. The downside of dancing in the day would be seeing the faces in the crowd.

  Let alone dancing with Seth.

  I inhaled. Exhaled. Focused on my breathing.

  I could do it.

  But my thoughts kept turning to Luke. He wouldn’t leave me in the lurch like that. I stared at the open door until my eyes watered, thinking he’d rush in at any moment, apologize for being late, and join me in my place in the line-up.

  Suddenly I wished I was outside in the crowd. I could look for Clara and see if she’d found him after all. I could ask Michael to find him. I’d give anything for a phone right then. Even a text message would’ve been like magic.

  I can’t dance with Seth.

  Natalie and Leah were the first to dance and had already left to kick off the performances. When they returned, they breezed past me, smiling broadly. Trailing behind them were the ribbons tied to their knives, a decorative touch that added sparkle to the otherwise glistening steel. Another group went out and came back.

  New music started, the dance before mine. The dancers who’d finished filed into the hut, depositing their now-sheathed swords into the weapons crate, and headed to the cubicles to change.

  I felt Seth’s presence before I saw him.

  He was wearing brown pants and a cream shirt, both fitted, with bare feet like mine. “Sorry we aren’t opposites,” he said, his breath tickling the back of my exposed neck. “Luke’s sun costume doesn’t fit me.”

  I stared straight ahead. “Wouldn’t it be better to cancel my performance?”

  “When you’ve worked so hard on it? Don’t worry, I choreographed this piece. I know all the steps.”

  That wasn’t what I was concerned about. Too soon, the stage coordinator signaled us forward and I followed, staying ahead of Seth, blocking him out of my mind. He was just another dance partner. Nobody to be scared of.

  But that was the thing. He was so unpredictable. I’d seen the darkness behind his eyes, and I wondered if he’d be willing to sabotage the performance to embarrass me, make me fall, make it look as if I was incompetent.

  It would be the easiest way to get rid of me.

  For the first time in weeks, I thought of Officer Reid, how he’d killed and locked his classmates in lockers on graduation day, stuffing them in there like so much rubbish. I wondered if Seth would be willing to do something like that to Luke to get rid of me.

  But if he did, that would be his choice, and as I waited behind the curtain for our turn, there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t control him any more than I could control my parents and their decision to choose sleep over life. Or Josh who’d chosen to stay in Evereach when he could have escaped to Starsgard with Arachne. I hadn’t chosen any of those things. All I could do was make my own choices.

  With that thought, I stepped onto the stage and took my position. I searched for Michael in the crowd and placed him in the seventh row, caught his smile, and it was enough for me.

  I blanked my mind to everything but the dance.

  We started the dance standing very still, with Seth a foot behind me. He brushed the sides of my neck with his two hands—not part of the dance—and I almost lost my nerve, but then the music started and his hands went to my waist where they were supposed to be, lifting me and setting me down.

  The moves were fluid like the cycle of the moon and the sun, one after the other, each position flowing into the next. Each time he lifted me, he crouched, supporting me, allowing me to rise across his back, and each time he rose I would sink, stretching my body out in lines. We danced in oppo
site but complementary movements, neither able to exist without the other, and always connected.

  In the middle of the piece, he flung me away from him and we spiraled apart, believing that we didn’t need each other to survive, spinning and dancing in our own spaces, until we slowed, unable to continue without the pull of the other, desperate to make it back to each other before we perished.

  I threw myself through the air toward Seth and sensed the audience hold its breath.

  He caught me—a move of strength—and as I prepared for the next instant, when he was supposed to spin me away, his arms closed around me, yanking me close instead. My heart stopped as he pressed up behind me, wiry arms tight, capturing me.

  This wasn’t right. It wasn’t part of the dance.

  Before I could draw breath, cold steel pressed against my throat.

  There was a single shout from the audience, but everyone else seemed frozen in place. It was Michael. He was already running. His face was pale, tight, muscles bunched, arms pumping, leaping over people to get to me.

  The knife whispered across my throat.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I DROPPED to my knees, my hands around my neck.

  There was no breath in my mouth, none in my lungs. My hands, my arms, all of me washed with warmth and my white dress wasn’t white anymore.

  The edges of my vision blurred, bubbling inward, drawing closed.

  The crowd was on its feet. People were shouting. Others were running. I didn’t know where Seth was—behind me or running away. He wasn’t close, I knew that much, but it didn’t matter now.

  Michael was twenty feet away. Ten.

  I wanted to hold on in time for him to reach me.

  Please let me hold on long enough to say goodbye…

  A filmy, flashy, glimmering thing streaked through the darkness closing over my eyes. The hair on the back of my neck lifted, my dress puffed. A streak of light raced toward me fast, faster than Michael. So very fast it upset the air around me.

  There was a sharp pain in my leg and I tried to see what it was.