A Thread of Starlight and Bone

1. Raea - Hours Earlier

Raea - Hours Earlier

The emergency launch into space leaves me clinging to Ryker. He is the only thing grounding me. Just sitting, I feel heavy.

My body trembles against Ryker, his arm wrapped around me. He hasn’t let me go since I—

What is it I even did? My magic came from nowhere and everywhere at once. I didn’t even think, it just…was.

All I know is that every second counts. We have to get Kuron to the palace healers.

An unholy, deep growl comes from below, making the hair on my arms stand on edge.

Ryker tenses beside me. We hold our breath when another growl fills the cabin.

Slowly, we peel apart. His shirt is nothing more than charred cobwebs where my heat burned through.

I’m surprised any of the fabric remained—none of the others did.

My mind clings to the ruined shirt, desperate for anything normal while somewhere in my mind, I know we are in more danger.

In my peripheral vision, an onyx mist pours from the vents. It crawls along the floor like a living thing that doesn't want to be seen. Sgya’s energy travels up my spine, but I still haven't figured out how to summon that starlight on command.

I don’t dare shift my gaze from Ryker. His sapphire eyes are swirling with silver specks, darkening as he focuses on the threat. I subtly tilt my head toward the mist. His hand tightens on mine as if to say, “I know.”

We are still seated in the extra seats located in the bay, having been too overwhelmed and exhausted to move further into the living quarters, but now I’m second-guessing myself. We are too far from any weapons or help.

The transport slows as we break free from Zayla's atmosphere, and a low, broken groan echoes from the cabin.

The mist is only two feet away when the stomp of boots sounds from the hallway. Before the guards can reach us, the shadows I didn't see coming devour us from behind, plunging us into eternal, unyielding darkness.

"Ryker," I choke out, "don't listen to anything it says."

My body hums with energy, warding off the chill burrowing into my bones. Within a breath, insidious whispers scrape against the iron dome of my mind.

Ryker pulls me into his lap, his grip around my chest is unrelenting. "Don't listen, Raea," he whispers into my ear. "I'm here."

“Another failed attempt. She won’t be happy, little light,” the mist taunts.

Distantly, I hear screams. I can't tell if they are in my mind or in the transport, but they are the kind of screams that precede a deafening silence.

“You can’t run from us,” a cold voice says. The cabin fills with the skittering, rhythmic click-clack of talons on alloy, followed by the thrashing of a beast.

A cocoon of white swirls surrounds us. I don't know if I summoned it or Ryker did, but the shadows fall away. I lift my head to see Ryker has gone unconscious as the mist creeps back, waiting. Another snarl and the clank of metal proves this isn't in my head—there is a beast aboard.

I kiss Ryker once, praying the gods wake him, and stand. My gown, which usually makes me feel regal and pretty, is now a hindrance. But this is what Trysten trained me for—fighting in gowns, in corsets, while exhausted.

I turn from Ryker, shielding his body with mine, and face the horror.

Shrouded in mist, a humanoid demon crouches across the seating room.

Its eyes are twin crimson beacons. It tilts its head with glee as I realize the source of the screams. Dark blood drips from razor-sharp teeth protruding from a lipless, mutilated mouth that looks as if its teeth have ripped away the skin from its face.

Its pasty grey-blue skin is corpse-like, and four pointed ears sprout from its head.

Two smaller ones near the front, two taller near the back.

Oily strands of onyx hair are slicked back atop its head, or at least what is left of it, with sores and bald spots covering the majority.

Fear, like I have never known, presses down on me. Is this what we will be facing in the war?

It stands, revealing hands that are nothing but exposed bone and black, skittering talons. Dark, wet blood coats its naked form, and when it takes the first step toward me, my breath hitches. Its horrific mouth pulls into an eerie grin.

"Ryker, please wake up," I whisper.

It takes another step toward me—a predator stalking its prey. Despite the panic flowing through me, my fingertips tingle. I can’t tell which magic is rising to the surface.

I don’t have time to figure it out because the creature lunges.

We topple over the seat, rolling into the wall a few feet away.

Its talons snag into the fabric of my gown, and I use it to my advantage.

I lose my slippers as we roll, and when my bare foot connects with its face, I almost gasp at the slimy texture.

Its head rocks back before it snarls, and I hear my gown shred.

Fabric falls away as it reaches for my neck, but I roll, finding myself in a gathering pile of mist.

I’m assaulted by sinister voices immediately, but at least I still have my sight.

The demon turns, its bones sharp and angled and unholy, just before its hand swipes out, catching my corset as its nails screech against the Nakata material.

I grip its arm, screaming as I let the molten heat flow out of the well from deep inside of me.

Screeching, its other arm swipes at me. This time, one of the talons connects with my neck before it shoves my arm away. I stumble back from the force of it, finding myself pinned against the wall, two feet from the ramp.

I do a quick look around, finding one of the discarded Hallo guns, but too far out of reach. Where is everyone? They can’t be dead. Surely this demon didn’t kill them all. I shove that thought aside as it grips my arm and lifts me with terrifying ease.

I’d love to use more of my magic, but without control, I risk killing everyone on this transport.

“No!” I kick and flail, my shoulder screaming as it threatens to pop from the socket. My heel connects with its nose—a sickening crunch. It drops me, then seizes my ankle, dragging me toward the cabins. I reach out and grab the metal foot of a bolted-down sofa. “Ryker!”

Shadows swallow me whole a moment later as my fingers begin to slip. I swallow the sob that threatens to come out. I’m on Sgya all over again, holding onto that root. The difference is this time—I have more to lose, but I will not give in easily.

I kick my free leg, connecting with nothing as I flail.

There are only seconds left before my grip falters. I reach inside to that well of energy. I need to see. I let the molten starlight flow freely, to every corner of my being, willing the radiance to seep into my skin.

There’s a growl and then a screech.

I open my eyes to blinding light.

The demon recoils, covering its eyes. Through the glare, I see Ryker. The light dims as Ryker raises his Hallo. The plasma hits the demon’s hideous face, black blood spraying through the air.

Sound returns to me as I hear the echo of the shot, just as its body lands in a crumpled pile of blood.

“Raea.” Ryker gasps, rushing to my side. He doesn’t waste a single second scooping me into his grasp. It’s only when he presses me against him do I remember the blood trickling down my neck.

I hiss, clutching my neck.

“I know. We have to get behind the door,” he says.

I don’t catch what else he says until we are locked in the safe room and he hits the ramp button.

Alarms sound as every door in the transport slams shut with a loud clang.

All rooms are sealed off except for the one we were just in.

The demon's body is coated with ice in an instant, the blood frozen wherever it landed.

I’m placed on the table. Ryker searches my body frantically for more injuries.

“Just my neck,” I rasp.

He shakes his head, still searching like he doesn’t believe me. Honestly, I can’t believe it either.

From the other side of the room, I hear a slicing noise, and then the escape door opens. Our guards—Ezra and Aksel—enter, coated in thick layers of black blood.

“Are you alright?” Ezra asks.

I nod, wincing when I pull myself into a seated position.

“There were five of them. By our count, we have ten dead, and three injured. We were clearing rooms when everything was sealed off,” Ezra says.

My breath hitches. “Who didn’t make it?”

“Staff mostly. Two Regils, a few maids, the cooks—” Aksel says, words drifting off.

Horror and sadness fill my chest. Then Ezra speaks the name that shatters me the most. “—Kuron.”

“No.” It’s not possible. “No, he’s not—” I can’t even say the word. “It’s just a sword wound. We can get him to the palace healers and—”

“Princess.” Ezra sighs. “It wasn’t the wound. The creature found him first. We didn’t see it coming until it was too late.”

The air is sucked from the room in an instant. Each inhale becomes harder than the last.

Kuron can’t be dead. He’s one of the strongest warriors I know. He’s my family. I never told him that, but he is. He’s always been my guard, even as a child.

I shake my head. Ryker holds me close to his chest, but my tears never come. My chest feels tight, words impossible, anger hot and ugly. They took him from me.

She took him from me.

“Raea,” Ryker warns, his magic countering mine, cooling the white-hot heat surging through me. “Calm down, love. You’ll rip a hole in the ship. Breathe with me.” He steps into my field of vision, gripping my face a little harder than I’m used to.

I want to lash out. I want to scream and shove him away, but he’s right.

“There we go,” he whispers as the heat filters back into the well and his cooling water magic floods my system, quickly healing my singed veins.

I inhale once, twice, and exhale slowly.

Ryker’s sapphire gaze meets mine, and his grip on my chin becomes tender, softly stroking my jaw. My lip wobbles, but I bite down hard enough that it's painful.

I glance over Ryker’s shoulder at Ezra. “And my ladies? Our media team?”

Ezra exchanges a knowing look with Aksel.

“They’re…recovering, Princess. Just a few injuries. I reached them in time,” Aksel says.

“Rune?” Ryker asks.

Aksel sighs. “Staying with all of them, guarding them on the deck. We tried to reach you first—”

Ryker holds up a hand, his gaze still locked on mine.

“What’s done is done. Thank you both. You saved a lot of lives today.

” The authority in his voice almost shocks me.

It’s the future king talking, not Ryker.

His hand settles on my shoulder, brushing down my arm.

“We can’t go to Kyrr. They could be tracking us. ”

A different sort of nausea swirls in my stomach. The idea of those creatures getting into the palace makes me shudder. “Cidal’s moon, Droskana. It's a storage facility.”

It’s Ezra who replies. “It’s too toxic. We need supplies and clean water.”

Ryker holds my gaze for a moment longer before he says, “Latva. In the southern Dalbriand forest, there’s a lake. There are no colonies or villages for hundreds of miles. We’d be alone. We could hide the transport in the trees. Gather ourselves.”

“I’ll take one of the pods to a village and gather supplies,” Aksel chimes in.

Ryker brushes my bloodied strands away from my face. “Let’s get you to the medical bay, bind your legs, and clean your neck. Ezra, inform Rune and the pilot. Aksel, you’ll come with me. We need to discard the creatures. We’ll drop them off the ramp.”

“The shadows and mist,” I whisper, gripping Ryker. “What if—”

"We will deal with it." His voice is final as he lifts me into his arms.