Chapter Two
Buttery-orange light dances over Henry’s face, and his throat bobs as he flicks a glance at the blade pressed to his neck.
“You know, if you didn’t like my cooking, you could have just said so.” His eyes glint with mischief, but his voice is quiet, gentle, as if he were attempting to calm a wild animal.
I glance over my shoulder at the fog, now illuminated with lantern light, before looking past Henry to where the crew gathers near the center of the deck once more, resuming their supper as if we hadn’t been under threat just seconds ago.
My sister Margaret and the Castor’s stable boy, Jack, huddle close together, while Lewis whispers something in Lady Eliza Cooper’s ear and she giggles, swatting him playfully on the arm.
Charlie sits atop a barrel, watching our brother flirt with the dark-haired elf, shaking his head even as a grin tugs at his lips.
Safe. They’re all safe.
My fist loosens as I lower my cutlass.
Henry’s brow furrows, his expression somewhat strained. “You’ve been standing here for over half an hour,” he says, as if sensing my confusion. “You said, ‘It’s gone,’ but you wanted to be left alone. I just worried—”
“Right.” I nod, even though I don’t remember saying anything of the sort. All I remember is the serpent, and the darkness, and that voice.… “Nothing to worry about. Go,” I tell him, sheathing my cutlass. “Enjoy your supper. I’m sure it’s… edible.”
He grins, but I note the dark circles under his eyes. “I’ll save you some.”
I clap Henry on the shoulder, stepping past him. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
I move swiftly toward the companionway, heading belowdecks, praying to the Stars my siblings don’t watch me go—praying they don’t see my hands tremble as I shove them into my pockets.
You don’t know what it takes to lead. How would my siblings feel if they knew I was hearing voices? What would they think if I told them one of those voices had suggested I jump overboard, and I was almost unable to stop myself from obeying its command?
My fingers brush the cool metal of the compass. It seems to hum at my touch, and as I withdraw the small golden disc from my pocket, I think, for just a moment, it appears to glow.
I halt halfway down the companionway, my thumb tracing the rough grooves where my father engraved the words There is still time to chase another star.
A frown tugs at my lips as I flick open the lid, squinting at the fixed needle pointing west—toward the entrance to Morana’s kingdom in the Burning Lands, toward the only cure for Will’s and my curse.
At the prospect of Mother discovering I absconded with the compass, a ship, and a crew, setting off to track down Morana without the Order’s help—despite her lies, her lack of faith in me—satisfaction floods my chest. But the thought of Father learning about our departure deflates any sense of pride I feel.
I glance at the timepiece, opposite the compass dial, my heart beating faster with every tick of the clock.
As difficult as it was to leave Father behind so soon after reuniting with him, I knew I couldn’t wait for the Order to act.
Somewhere, Titus is still compelled by Morana—Owen is still bound to her service.
Every day wasted is another day they’re forced to do unspeakable things in the name of the Underling queen.
They don’t have the luxury of waiting to be rescued—not when Titus’s stepmother, Calantha, can torture him freely now, harvesting his blood to amplify her power.
And then there’s Will. We’ll need his knowledge of the border that separates the kingdom of Hellion from Morana’s stronghold in the Burning Lands.
He’s the only one of us who’s spent time fighting on the front lines—he’ll know how to sneak past the League of Seven’s troops and navigate the treacherous wasteland that lies beyond the barricades.
From there, the enchantment the Order placed on the compass is supposed to lead us to Morana.
Only, the compass won’t do us much good if Will turns before we reach the Burning Lands.
He might not have turned fully into a Shifter on Holy Winter’s Day, but the transformation has begun, and he’s running out of time.
Unless I find Morana and obtain a drop of her blood to cure him, he’ll be victim to the Shifter curse, and we’ll have lost the only person who can successfully guide us past the barricades.
The Underling general could have taken me at any moment while I resided at Castle Grim—he could have used his influence over his venom pumping through my veins to force me to go with him.
Now that the enchantment around my heart is broken, I fear I have no choice but to obey him.
Still, for whatever reason—perhaps the same reason as Morana—he needs me willing.
By journeying to the Burning Lands, am I giving him exactly what he wants?
I want you, Aster, the voice said. Not your family. I can’t crew the Starchaser by myself, but I’ve put my siblings and friends at risk by allowing them to join me.
Come with me and save them all.
I snap the compass shut and slip it into my pocket as I descend the steps that lead to the brig, my heart heavy.
In the guttering lantern light, Gabriel leans against a wooden post, one ankle crossed over the other, peeling an orange.
It’s still difficult, getting used to seeing the Bloodknight without his helmet, especially when he looks so much like Flynn, his late twin—olive skin, hazel eyes, tousled dark hair.
If I hadn’t witnessed Flynn’s death with my own eyes, I might think I’m looking at a ghost. But when Gabriel glances up at me through dark lashes as I descend the last few steps, his expression taciturn, it’s as if I feel his steady, calm presence, and the tension in my shoulders eases, if only a little.
The Cooper siblings had been framed—because of me, Will had taken Flynn’s life, believing him to be the Underling general who haunted me. Yet Eliza and Gabriel still chose to join me—to make me their captain. I’m not sure what I did to earn their loyalty, but I’m determined to honor it.
“How is he?” I whisper, afraid to step past Gabriel and see for myself.
Gabriel scowls and jerks his head to the right, in the direction of the steel bars that separate us from the small cell where Will has chosen to reside. “He’s refusing to eat.”
I grit my teeth, peering around Gabriel’s broad form.
Will slumps against a barrel, looking worse than he had even a few hours ago. The sickly pallor of his nearly translucent skin reveals the network of veins pumping inky black blood through his body. His chest rattles with every ragged breath, his eyes shut tight, sweat beading on his pale face.
I kneel in front of the bars, my stomach twisting at the sight of the Elysian chains that secure his hands—chains he insisted on wearing for the duration of our journey. “Will?” I say softly.
He startles, his eyes flinging wide. The painful, pulsing lesions that had spread from the green-and-black wound in his side seem less inflamed than before, but he still winces as he shifts to back himself against the wall, putting as much distance between us as possible.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he grits out, his jaw clenched.
I note the fear in his eyes, his gaunt cheeks, and my mouth goes dry. “You keep saying that.”
His lips twitch, the hint of a smirk, even as he presses himself close to the wall. “You keep ignoring me.”
I arch a brow at him. “Gabriel says you’re not eating.”
“Gabriel should mind his own business.”
Gabriel grunts.
Will wheezes a laugh, which turns into a cough. I watch as he doubles over, struggling to catch his breath. But when I move as if to grab hold of the iron door, Gabriel takes a step forward, reaching for my arm, and Will holds out a hand to halt us both.
“I’m—fine,” Will says, his body trembling violently.
I look over my shoulder at Gabriel, hovering nearby, his neutral expression giving nothing away even as he balls his hand into a fist at his side. He lifts his shoulder, as if to say, I can’t let you put yourself in harm’s way, and I cock my head at him as if to say, Like you could have stopped me.
Thunder rumbles in the distance, vibrating through the ship as I turn back to face Will, kneeling once more. “You have to eat,” I tell him, jerking my chin at the untouched bowl of stew Henry prepared.
He settles back against the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest. “I’ve tried,” he says, his voice hoarse. He licks his chapped lips, and when he glances at me, his gaze lands on the side of my neck. “It… doesn’t taste right.”
“Henry will be crushed.”
Another small smile. His head rolls to the side as he turns to look at me fully, his eyes glinting with amusement and… something else. Something dark—something hungry. His gaze roves from my lips to my neck, trailing down my long sapphire coat.
“That’s new,” he murmurs.
My heart skips a beat. He didn’t comment on the coat, embellished with silver and gold thread, the night I came to tell him I planned to go to the Burning Lands without the Order’s blessing, and I haven’t worn it since.
“It was a gift,” I say quietly.
Will nods slowly, his grin almost teasing. “From Titus.”
My cheeks flush, and guilt gnaws at my chest. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” he says, his expression suddenly serious. “You’re beautiful.”
I look down, running a hand over the soft blue fabric. “Will?” I ask, my voice hushed, with Gabriel standing only a few feet away. “What Titus said, in the dungeons…”
Will shakes his head, his mouth pressed in a tight line. “I’m sorry, Aster,” he says with a shaky exhale, and ice-cold dread floods my veins. “I don’t remember anything from that night. If I tried to”—his teeth clench—“to hurt you, in any way—”