Chapter 44
Iyana
Despite the risks, they decided to camp where they’d stopped for lunch. The information that Emmeric and Altair had both dropped on them within the span of thirty minutes was too much to deal with. Iyana needed to process her thoughts and emotions on the subject to determine what she believed. Not long after Emmeric had stormed off, his anger hot within her chest, she’d excused herself as well.
The woods were thinning the closer they got to the ocean, and with her magic to warm her, Iyana appreciated the beauty in this part of the world. She walked through the stunning landscape, boots crunching in the snow. Sounds of life followed her, creating a beautiful harmony—finches cheeping, the loud chip from a cardinal, a rabbit scurrying underneath the snow to return to its warm burrow. Hearty evergreen trees were prevalent with snow heavy on their boughs. Hanging icicles caught the light, making it dance over the sparkling, wintry ground. She had always loved the colors of the desert—the red stones, the green cacti with beautiful blooming pink flowers, the lizards and animals with various shades of black, yellow, orange, and brown. And the sunsets…she hadn’t seen any in her adventure so far to rival the ones back home.
Homesickness struck her like an arrow through her heart. She missed her little hut, the sounds of the children running through the village, her friends… but most of all she missed her grandmother. Iyana wished for nothing more at the moment than to be curled up in front of Imo’s hearth, the scent of herbal tea in the air, her grandmother teaching her an important lesson whilst mixing medications at her workstation. Grandmother’s advice would have been infinitely useful the past few weeks.
But her grandmother would never give her opinions ever again. She’d never yell at Iyana to look away from the stars or scold her for breaking a glass jar.
Iyana fell to her knees with an anguished wail tearing from her lungs, the snow immediately soaking through her pants. The bite of cold didn’t affect her as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
This crazy ‘chosen one’ business had cut the grieving process for Imo short, and she had attempted to bury her feelings by focusing on the task at hand. Then she had been captured, tortured, and subsequently rescued from an evil emperor. Instead of dealing with that trauma, she dove into Altair. Now Iyana was questioning if that was short-sighted of her. Maybe she should have been more wary of the star who had fallen to the earth and literally swept her off her feet. She had fallen for him, fast and hard. She loved him.
If all of what he’d done so far had been a lie, then Iyana didn’t think she’d be able to put herself back together. Not when he was currently the only thing holding her broken pieces in place.
Iyana didn’t know how long she’d been kneeling in the snow when Altair found her, but her knees and toes were numb, and her tears had frozen to her eyelashes. He wordlessly picked her up and sat on the ground, cradling her in his lap. His magic coursed through her to warm her and dry her clothing. She was grateful for the gesture as her own magic had disappeared, as it always seemed to when her emotions were high.
Regardless of what she had just learned, Altair felt safe. Sweet petrichor smelled like home, and she curled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Clenching his shirt in her fist, she fought back another round of tears. Altair sat there silently, not judging her and not defending himself. He let her feel her emotions and offered silent support by rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles.
“I don’t know what to do,” she finally said, her voice quiet.
“I know, my star,” was all Altair offered in response. He tangled his fingers in her hair and held her closer. Tilting her head back to look at him, she saw him gazing off into the distance.
“Altair…” Iyana paused, needing to ask, but she didn’t want to know the answer. Altair hummed when she didn’t continue. “Why did you not come for me before Athusia?”
Altairs bright eyes looked away from her, guilt shining through. “I wanted to, astalle, but I couldn’t.”
“Why, though?”
He heaved a sigh. “I tried, but something was interfering with my magic, and I couldn’t catch up to you.”
Iyana sat with his reasoning for several moments. She wanted to believe him, and he did seem guilty. At least for now, she could afford him the benefit of the doubt. But now that she had asked one question, so many others sprang forth.
“What are we doing?” she asked. “You and me. What is this? Is it real or are you playing me?”
Altair eventually turned to her after a long silence that was about to drive Iyana crazy. Long enough she began to think she truly meant nothing to him and Emmeric had been right. His brows furrowed, eyes appearing sad. She buried the innate desire to smooth his stress away.
“What I feel for you is real.”
Iyana’s insides lightened. A small voice told her he might simply be telling her what she wanted to hear in order to keep her complacent, but her heart ached for him. His expression made her want to believe he was telling the truth. But then she plummeted back to the earth as another thought occurred to her. One that had haunted her for weeks.
“This can’t last though,” she whispered. “You’re immortal, and I’m still a mere human. Imagine the scandal it would cause when I’m old and wrinkled, and you still look like this.” Iyana attempted a laugh, but it died in her throat. Altair’s expression never changed. He stroked her lower lip with his thumb.
“If it were up to me, Iyana, I’d stay with you forever. You’re my astalle.” She heard what he wasn’t saying.
“But I’m mortal.” Her heart sank. She always knew it was going to be temporary, but she’d allowed herself to hope.
“Astalle, no,” he said, turning her face towards him. She dropped her gaze. “Look at me.”
Iyana didn’t want to. She didn’t know if she could watch his mouth form the words that would break them apart.
“Look at me,” he growled. Tentatively, she peered into his eyes. “I would love you forever, wrinkles and all. And when you die and Altea takes you into her arms, welcoming you to the Everlands, I would follow right behind. There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t follow. If my sins sent me to the nine hells, I would battle my way back to you for an eternity. I would battle Phaedros himself to free myself of his pit, and I need you to believe me. Please trust me, even if it’s only this vow—death would never be a barrier for us. But that may not be necessary.”
His declaration stunned Iyana. Nobody before had loved her so intensely. She almost missed his last sentence.
“Wait. What may not be necessary?”
Altair turned again to the horizon, where the sun setting.
“Altair?”
He sighed. “I found some interesting things of my own in Elena’s library, and I think I understand what Uther wants me for.”
Iyana’s interest was fully piqued. “Well, don’t leave me in suspense.”
“On the night of the winter solstice, there’s a spell that can be performed. If a star and human exchange blood exactly at midnight, then the star shares their immortality. The human would then no longer age, nor die of disease. Of course, they could still be killed, like a star can, but it would be more difficult, and their healing would be quicker. Uther wants to be immortal.”
“Then we can’t let him have you.” She placed a gentle palm against his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “How does that work exactly? This could happen on accident if there was a battle or if a human ambushed a star to make themselves immortal. How are there not a bunch of immortal humans from the time of the stars?”
“There were probably a few, but in order for the blood to be exchanged, it must be ingested.”
“So…”
Altair nodded. “They must drink of each other’s blood. The ritual then ties the star’s life to the human’s. Were one to die, so would the other. Which I’m sure was a deterrent for many.”
Iyana scrunched her face. Gross. Something dawned on her. “You want me to do this.” Altair said nothing. “You want to make me immortal?”
“It’s the only way,” he murmured.
“The winter solstice is only one moon away.”
“I would need your decision before then.” He stroked a finger down her face, but she pulled away from him.
“Altair, that’s a big decision with not a lot of time. Besides, I’m kind of busy with trying to save all of Arinem; there’s not exactly going to be a lot of opportunities to think about it. Can’t it wait? There will be another winter solstice next year.”
He rested his brow against hers and sighed. “You’re right, my star. With all the dangers you’re bound to face, I only want you to be as safe as possible. It would be easier if you were immortal. I wouldn’t worry so much, and I want our forever to start now.”
Iyana’s face softened. She brushed back Altair’s bright blonde hair. “I understand. I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. Iyana wanted to touch and kiss him, but she also knew they needed to have another serious conversation. So she slid off his lap to sit next to him. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than him while their bodies were connected. A flash of hurt passed over Altair’s face, but he schooled his expression quickly.
“Altair…” she started, but then the words died in her mouth. She sighed. “I need to know the truth. Emmeric and the others brought up excellent points, and it would make sense for you to want revenge against humans.”
The setting sun created a glowing corona around the star. He really was beautiful. Iyana recognized that was part of his danger.
“Everything I said was true. Yes, I wanted revenge at first, but I’ve been stuck in the sky orbiting without direction for hundreds of years. I simply wanted to be back here, even if it meant I was the only one of my kind in Arinem. I never meant to get caught up in this business with Uther, and there would be nothing the other stars could do about it. Without you, none of the others would fall, and I was content to let your magic stay buried. Now I’m invested in you and your survival, so here I am.”
They sat side by side, watching the sun sink behind the earth, the moon beginning to brighten in the sky. The temperature dropped, but Iyana wasn’t ready to head back to the others yet, knowing they’d have questions. Shit, she still had questions. Instead, she formed a small ball of fire and set it on the ground at her feet. It sparked yellow and orange against the white backdrop, creating a cozy atmosphere.
“Can I beat him?” she asked, her voice small.
“Of course you can, astalle.”
“Even though he has the astmina?” Iyana rested her head on her knees to see Altair next to her. He frowned, which didn’t exactly instill confidence in herself.
“I have no idea how he managed to activate or link himself to the relic. I don’t know how it was even forged, or which star it may have come from. There must be something within it calling to him.”
“The shadows…” Iyana shivered. Altair raised an eyebrow. “When I stopped him from killing Emmeric, I saw shadows pulsing out of the astmina and into his sword. And when I—” She stopped, the words sticking. Altair lay his hand on her knee to tell her he was there for support. “When I was in Azazel’s room, he gave me drugs one day. Uther was there too, and he…grew. The clasp enlarged also, and then the shadows pulsed out of it before they speared their way into my chest. I thought it was a hallucination until I saw them again.”
Altair’s hand had tightened on her knee, almost to the point of pain, as she recounted one of her days in Azazel’s chambers. Iyana hadn’t told anyone about most of her time there. It was too hard, and she honestly didn’t want to think about any of it.
“I wish I could bring that bastard back so I can kill him myself,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. A different type of shiver raced down her spine, settling low in her stomach.
Altair relaxed his grip on Iyana’s knee and put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her into his side. He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. Her eyes fluttered closed until she heard him speaking to her, the rumble in his chest a warm sound in her ear. “Hmm?” she asked, sleepily.
“You’re stronger than he is. Even with the astmina. Once you get the amulet, you’ll be even stronger. I have full faith in you, my love.”
Fortunately, the sun continued to shine as Team Save Arinem traveled east toward the Aptua Ocean. When Iyana and Altair returned to the camp, she had informed them all that in no uncertain terms she trusted Altair, and he would still be part of the group. He had valuable information, and a skill set none of them possessed. Iyana chose to believe he did not want to bring any other stars back to the earth. Altair had done his best to convince them he was all in with them, but the star was not used to talking to humans and Iyana thought he might have put more effort in. Probably could have said something better than believe me or don’t, I don’t care. Emmeric was anything but appeased.
Over the next few days, Emmeric and Iyana reluctantly trained together. The brief battle with Uther showed there was still plenty of room for improvement, and they needed to ensure they wouldn’t tire during a longer fight. They extended their sessions, pushing themselves harder than before. Iyana pulled more and more magic from Emmeric as he spared with Talon. The training was good for Tal also—it was a great outlet for his anger and frustration.
Iyana had attempted to talk with her friend multiple times, and he’d eventually joined the conversations again. But it wasn’t the same as before, and any time someone mentioned Zane he shut down again. She’d known something was happening between the two of them but hadn’t realized it was already so serious. She finally cornered Talon one day while the others were busy.
“We’ll get him back,” Iyana said, squeezing his hand. Tears and worry limned Talon’s normally bright blue eyes.
“You don’t know that,” he whispered.
“I promise I will do everything in my power to bring him to you.”
“Thank you, Smalls,” he said with a sad smile. “I just hope he comes back the same.” Then he had walked off and refused to speak of Zane again.
It took them six days after leaving the library to reach the ocean. The cries of gulls was the first clue they were getting close. Not long after, the air smelled of salt, and they heard the distant roaring of waves. Despite being travel-weary, Iyana perked up; she’d never seen the ocean before. The largest bodies of water near her were the oases. She was expecting something similar, only on a larger scale—trees surrounding the water, greenery everywhere you looked, and animals wandering throughout, living in peace with the humans. The oasis was a neutral zone, and hunting there was forbidden. So when they finally reached the water’s edge, she was filled with awe. There were no trees and no plants, and snow covered the beach in scattered patches. Colossal waves crested with white crashed into the sand, droplets flying into Iyana’s face even though they were far from the tide line, as Altair explained it. The water here was gray, volatile, and never-ending. Beyond the waves, the ocean seemed to last forever, blending with the sky on the horizon. Dark depths promised a swift death either from the anger of the ocean or from what lurked beneath. It was the opposite of the water at the oasis, which was so clear the small fish swimming at the bottom could be seen from the shore.
They lingered only for a moment. The wind on the beach was faster and more intense, with no hills or trees to break it apart. Retracing their steps, they headed away from the unrelenting gale until the wind calmed, but they could still hear the sounds of the ocean. Then they turned south to find a port city. They needed to find someone willing to cross the Aptua and deliver them to the Dead Lands. Iyana hoped the promise of coin would be enough to tempt someone, but she had heard the legends of those wastes on the other end of the ocean, and it might be a taller task than they had time for. Worry gnawed at her. Uther was on their trail, and it would only be a matter of time before he caught them.