I sigh and hide a smile behind my hand.
Maybe I’m not as alone as I thought.
2
Lyra
I watch Stella hurry down the stairs, Eldaren beside her. I’m on the landing above them, and I don’t call out.
If last night has taught me anything, it’s that Stella is safer without me.
Stars, some Colonials tried to kill her, there at Journey’s Stop.
I certainly wasn’t given orders to kill my friend, and anyway, there’s no way I would have. I don’t believe in causes that command the killing of innocents.
But I still believe in the Colonials, the Founders, and our vision of freedom. There has to be some kind of misunderstanding—one I intend to figure out. I have to get to the bottom of this.
I wait until Stella and the prince disappear from view, and then I continue my walk downstairs. I’m exhausted from the events of yesterday, and I still have a bump on my head.
One of the elves attacked Stella.
I shiver, feeling cold despite the fact this place is well heated.
Thandin tried to kill Stella. I remember trying to help her, but that’s where my memory goes blank. The next thing I remember is waking up to see Geldyn standing in my room, looking down at me.
I shiver again. Stars, elves give me the creeps. They look so human and yet are so . . . alien.
Geldyn’s words still echo in my head. “Thandin is dead,” he’d told me. “Stella is safe.”
He’d turned to leave after that.
“Wait,” I’d called, pushing my blankets aside and trying to stand. I would have fallen, but Geldyn was suddenly there, helping me sit on the edge of my bed. “Why?” I asked. “Why is everyone trying to kill her?”
Geldyn had looked at me then, his face so close to mine, I noticed little gold flecks in his brown eyes. “There are forces at work in this world. Some are good, some are bad, and some are still unaligned, but remain powerful. Stella has put herself in the middle of it.”
Stars, if that doesn’t sound like something Stella would do.
I hadn’t had a response to that, and after a moment of silence, he’d continued. “You were brave, little Drifter.” A small smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.
“For all the good it did her,” I’d growled.
“It bought Stella the few seconds she needed,” he’d responded.
He’d left after that, and I’d gone back to sleep.
There is no sign of the elf now. He’s probably making the usual guard rounds, or doing something else for Eldaren, probably with no sign of fatigue. Do elves even sleep? I should ask Sol.
But I haven’t seen him since last night. The last time I saw him, he’d been fighting vampires.
My stomach twists into a painful knot. Did he die? I didn’t even think to ask Geldyn.
I see Aleere down the hall, carrying an armful of folded towels and call out to her. “Have you seen Sol?”
The servant girl pauses. “No, I have not. Not since yesterday afternoon.” She continues down the hall and turns down a side corridor.
I huff and continue walking, fear clamping down on my heart like a vice. “If you’re dead, I’m going to give you a what-for!” I mutter. “Blast it, Sol, you’d better not be dead. I’m going to chew you out so bad, that—”
“How about a kiss, instead?” a voice drawls behind me. “I’ve heard Drifters are good at that. Sounds more pleasant than getting . . . chewed.”
I spin around, unable to hide the relief in my voice. “You didn’t die.”
Sol looks the same as he usually does, in uniform, his short blond hair spiked, and his pale blue eyes glittering with secrets. I’ve never been happier to see him. Snap out of it, Lyra.
“No, I don’t have any immediate plans to die.” He smirks at me.
“What about all those vampires?” I ask.
The humor vanishes. “I killed them,” he replies quietly. “I’m not in the habit of letting vampires walk free.”
“So, uh, about last night . . .” I look at the ground between us. “Thanks for helping us. I mean, I think if you hadn’t been there, Stella would have died.”
“That is why I am here,” Sol says, and his voice is almost gentle. “It’s an elf’s duty to provide and protect.”
“Why is everyone out for Stella?” I press. I lift my gaze to meet his. Stars in the sky, he’s hot. I don’t know where he heard Drifters are good kissers, but I’m suddenly tempted to find out right here and now if it’s true. And more importantly, I want to know if he’s a good kisser. I bet he is.
“I don’t know.” Sol sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand it. She’s a human orphan without magic or connections. It makes no sense.” He pauses. “She is Quinn’s adopted sister,” he muses, “but if this was a way to get to Quinn, I don’t see why he wouldn’t just be the target. There’s something about Stella that we’re not seeing. I hope the prince can figure out what it is.”
“Geldyn seems to think there’s something important about her,” I say.
Sol lifts an eyebrow. “Does he?” he says. “Interesting. I’ll have to ask him about it.”
“Why do you hate vampires so much?” It is an innocent question, or so I thought, but I regret it instantly.
Sol’s eyes flash, and his nostrils flare. “Because of what they are.” His words are a hiss. “They murder without thought. They care for nothing except their lust. They are monstrous beasts who will pillage and destroy until there is nothing left. If vampires were to roam unchecked, Lyra, trust me, they would drink until nothing remained in this world. They would kill until nothing was left. That is why I hate them.”
I can’t argue with that.
“Well,
