Chapter Seventy-Three
ADRIAN
Adrian walked into the kitchen to find Merissa cleaning the plates. He felt self-conscious wearing a smart overcoat in mourning black, but he knew he had to speak to Merissa before leaving. She offered him a small smile while continuing with her task.
‘I never got to thank you,’ he said ‘for what you did. For saving Santi’s body. I’m taking him to be buried back home now.’
Merissa slowed her scrubbing. ‘You don’t need to thank me,’ she said softly. ‘Anyone else would have in my position.’
‘No,’ Adrian said, shaking his head. ‘They wouldn’t.’ He walked forwards, taking the clean dishes and beginning to dry them. ‘They would have thought of themselves and their own life. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with as kind a heart as yours.’
‘Don’t,’ she whispered.
Adrian paused. ‘What?’
‘I’m not. Kind, that is. Far from it. My magick is awful, one shared with Torra and Lias. How can you call me kind when the very essence of who I am manipulates and deceives, making people feel emotions they wouldn’t without my magick? That’s all you’re feeling, Adrian.’
He couldn’t believe it for a second. He saw the goodness shine out of Merissa—that was not manipulation.
‘You are someone outside of your magick, Merissa. Just like I am.’
She glanced up at him. ‘How does it feel?’ she asked. ‘To be a Celeste?’
‘I hardly feel different at all,’ he admitted. ‘A little more powerful, perhaps. The sea whispers to me. But I can hardly think of it past the grief lodged in my heart.’
Merissa nodded. ‘When the time is right, you’ll open up to your magick. But now, I can imagine it feels like you’re barely keeping your head above water.’
He balked. ‘How do you know?’
‘People drowning can often spot others who are too.’
Adrian brushed her shoulder with his hand, and she gave a nod of appreciation.
‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘you’d best get going. We’re off to Asteria tomorrow, so we can get away from this starsforsaken sea.’
Adrian nodded, then hesitated. ‘Before I go, I wanted to ask you something.’
‘Of course,’ she said.
‘What do you know of hearts? Stars’ hearts?’
She turned to him fully then. ‘Well,’ she began slowly. ‘My mother rarely speaks about her past, but I do know that the Stars are not from this world, but rather other ones.’
‘Eli mentioned the same,’ Adrian affirmed.
She nodded. ‘And, of course, he also said each Star sold their heart for immortality.’
Adrian nodded, turning over Oceanne’s pearl.
‘There’s one other thing I know, that I heard my mother and brother speaking of once.
I didn’t know that it was the Dark, or Piscea, that they’d sold their hearts to, for they’d never dared utter her name.
But I did know that something had happened.
I imagine now, looking back, it was when Piscea was being bound—they stole their hearts back.
They had no need of them, but didn’t want any other Star or mortal to find them and use them against them, so they implored different mythas to guard each one. ’
Adrian paled. ‘Like a giant crab named Karkinos, perhaps?’
Merissa frowned. ‘I don’t know about that. My mother’s is hidden somewhere within the Labyrinth of Roses, where the White Bull resides.’
‘Gods,’ Adrian muttered. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the mythas being more than just a story.’ He paused. ‘Do you think…do you think a Star could ever love?’
Merissa tilted her head, looking at him sadly. ‘You need a heart to love, Adrian. The Stars can’t, even if they try.’
‘So you don’t?’
‘Oh no, I do. I’m only part Star, after all. But my love is a cursed love, a doomed love.’ She looked at his pearl, something seeming to dawn in her eyes. ‘You’re best off staying away from Stars, Adrian. The whole lot of us.’