Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Glass Stars
The sound of my door sliding open pulls me from sleep. A loud thunk and a low grumble follow. I crack an eye open to find Dom standing in my doorway, Caius laid out on the ground as if he had been propped in the corner.
“You have your own room, you know,” Dom says.
“Mind your business,” Caius grouses, coming to his feet and pushing past Dom to exit.
Dom hesitates, watching Caius leave, then slips the door closed behind him before coming to sit by my cot.
“What’s he doing in your room?” Dom asks.
“Hells if I know.” I throw an elbow over my eyes. It’s too early for any of this.
As the silence stretches, I finally peek out from under my arm at Dom.
Worry creases his face. “How often does he do that?”
“Can we not?”
Dom gently uncovers my face. “Ollie, he’s dangerous.”
“So you have said.”
“It’s true! And I don’t like how close he’s gotten to you since he was assigned as your guard. What’s his angle?”
I cock an eyebrow. “His angle?”
“Come on, we both know the council was making moves against you when we left. Why is he here? What’s the play?”
Cold rinses through my stomach. What was Caius’ angle? He had invited himself on this journey, and I had just accepted, because what other choice did I have? But Dom’s right, Caius has been acting strange, singling me out, getting close. Why? I force out a long breath.
“You’re right,” I concede.
“What was that?”
I slam my pillow into his chest. “You heard me, and I’m not saying it again.”
Dom wraps his arms around the pillow, pinning my arm in place with it, and laughs. “Fine, but we both know you said it.” Dom winks, and I roll my eyes.
“Don’t let it go to your head.” I reach out with my free hand and smack his tightly shaved sides. “It’s already quite large.”
Dom’s eyes go wide. “Hey—” We devolve into a pathetic spat of trading open-handed blows.
A throat clears from the door, freezing us in place. I turn, heat rushing up my neck, and find Cressida standing in my doorway with her arms crossed.
“Seriously, why does everyone invite themselves to my room?” I groan.
“You were just supposed to collect her for first meal.” Cressida squints daggers at Dom, and I swear there is more to her anger than being a few minutes late to a meal.
Dom comes to his feet, pulling me up with him. “Yeah, well, I found your brother in here, so I had to have a little talk with my best friend.”
Cressida cocks her head to the side, the movement sharp and distinctly predatorial, her eyes scraping over my skin.
“Interesting choice.” She then turns and starts toward the commissary without a second glance in our direction and I’m left wondering if she was talking about her brother or me with that statement.
The walk over to the commissary is eerily quiet.
The few people we see keep their eyes to the ground as they hurry across the hanging bridges.
It feels as if a thick cloud has descended over the entire city.
Guilt weaves its way through my belly. We stayed here too long.
The Below will fall, and I’m now convinced that the only hope we have is to bring back the era of the dragon rider.
With dragons of our own, we can reclaim the lands above.
..Maybe even restore the fading magic. Would Rui understand if he knew what was happening to the magic that made life possible underneath the earth?
Even the commissary is strangely quiet, only half as full as I had seen it any other day, and those who are there focus intently on their meals.
I find Rui at our usual table toward the back, an assortment of pots already waiting.
My eyes catch on his, a slow smile spreads across his lips, and some of my uncertainty melts away.
“I wasn’t sure if you would join us this morning,” Rui says as I slide into my seat across from him.
“Why is that?” I ask.
Rui inclines his head. “After last night, I thought you may want to sleep in.” He looks me over, and I know he notes my puffy face, dirty clothes from yesterday, and messy braid, but there is no judgment in the way he observes me.
It feels more like reverence. “If anyone has earned a rest after what happened yesterday, it’s you. ”
I look him over with the same intent. While his long dark hair is clean and half bound in a neat bun, and he wears a fresh uniform, dark circles rim his eyes, along with a deep purple bruise along his cheek. A thick gash runs the length of his jaw and a myriad of fine cuts cover his hands.
“Perhaps you could take some of your own advice.”
He shakes his head gently. “We have repairs to start, and after what happened yesterday, we have doubled patrols. They shouldn’t have been able to enter the caverns. If they could enter once, it may only be a matter of time before it happens again.”
“I can help. At least half of those duties sound better suited to a tinkerer than a soldier.”
“Rest, you’ve earned it. We owe you a debt of gratitude already for what you’ve done for us.”
Before I can protest further, he slides one of the baskets of food closer and takes off the lid. Sweet smelling steam wafts into the air, revealing fluffy yellow pastries made to look like short, fat corn cobs.
“These are one of my favorites,” Rui says.
“They look amazing.” I take one, then Rui reveals the rest of the dishes he selected for our group today.
I take one of each, passing the baskets to Dom, who serves both himself and Cressida.
We eat in silence, whether it’s because everyone is famished or consumed with their own thoughts about the events that unfolded last night, I couldn’t say.
“I better get over to the northern cavern.” Rui stands, but lingers. “Meet me for the last meal?” he asks.
I bite my lower lip, and against my better judgment, nod.
He offers a soft smile. “Good, now rest. I’ll see you later.”
Cressida watches Rui until he slips out the commissary door then mumbles, “Interesting.”
“Why is everything so interesting to you today?” I snap.
Cressida drops her head to the side, her sharp eyes locking onto me with a half-feral grin. “You are playing an interesting game.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I am not—”
“This is not what’s important right now.” Dom gives each of us a stern look, dropping his voice to a low whisper. “The Below is dying, and we have overstayed our welcome.”
Even knowing Dom is right, I refuse to give up on the only place that has felt like home so quickly. “What if we tell them? Maybe they can help. There is so much knowledge here—”
Dom’s face falls. “I’ve spent the last half phase in the gardens. They don’t have any resources beyond what we have at Bǎodela.”
I push out a long breath, then set my jaw. It’s decided. “Then there is only one way forward.”
“How are we going to get out? It was going to be hard enough before they doubled patrols.” Cressida winds a strand of her red hair idly around her finger.
“Maybe if we ask Rui—”
A dark shadow hovers over me.
“You are not telling him anything.” I peer up at Caius. He’s changed into a fresh tunic. His hair is still damp from the pools, and much like myself, he looks worse for wear.
“But if they knew what was going on, I’m sure they would help.”
Caius takes a seat beside me, propping an elbow on the low table, the leather of his bracer creaking as he leans closer.
“I heard the legend Rui shared with you last night.”
My skin burns under his gaze.
“His people destroyed the dragon riders and were tasked with ensuring that they never rose again.”
“It’s just a legend,” I counter.
“Legends stem from truths.”
I snort. “So you also believe that we fell from the sky?”
Something sparks in Caius’s eyes. “I believe you may have, Izarrīa.”
That word again, it itches at the corner of my mind.
Dom clears his throat. “I hate to agree with our good captain here,” Caius glares at Dom, who continues without acknowledging him. “But he’s right. We don’t know these people. Not really. We can’t risk what would happen if they stood against us.”
“I don’t like any of this,” I say.
“We do what has to be done,” Caius responds.
I let the tension stretch between us, my mind racing for another alternative, one that doesn’t leave me feeling like I’ve betrayed the first place that has welcomed me, but there is nothing, and Caius is right.
We will do what has to be done.
“Fine,” I finally concede. “What’s the plan?”
***
The day passes by like a strange dream. The people I run into bow their heads in respect, offer me thanks, children smile and wave; it’s a reception I’ve never received from my own people, leaving a bittersweet taste on my tongue.
It’s everything I’ve never been willing to admit to myself that I wanted: to fit in, to belong, and now that I’ve found somewhere where I do, I’m about to betray them.
My gut twists at the thought. Perhaps it’s just who I am.
My rational brain tries to argue with me.
This quest is the only hope for all of us, but still, the way we will leave doesn’t sit right with me.
I bathe and pack and nap. There is little else for me to do until it’s time for us to leave.
“You’re still meeting him?” Dom asks.
I idly pick at the straw-woven mat in his room, intently studying the weave and decidedly not engaging with Dom. Long red curls spill into my vision, and I can’t help but look up to find Cressida with her head hanging upside down off Dom’s cot, studying me.
“You should cancel,” Dom says.
“I can’t cancel.”
“It’s not going to make you feel better,” Dom counters.
“I’ll feel worse if I cancel,” I mumble.
“He’s right,” Cressida chimes in. “You won’t feel better, but you will sure as hell piss off my brother.” A grin spreads across her face. “And I think I would very much like to see that.” She folds her arms across her chest and turns her gaze up to the ceiling.
“Don’t encourage her,” Dom snaps.
“First, you want me to stay away from Rui. Then you want me to get closer to him. Which is it, Cress?” I fume.