“You don’t need to make deals on the stars,” I said anxiously.
“Don’t worry, he’s not at risk of breaking the deal, Darcy. Look at him. He’d find a way to lasso the sun out of the sky and bring ruin on us all if it saved you from Lavinia’s curse,” Tory said, smiling darkly at him.
“That’s the problem,” I muttered, but no one listened to me as Orion grabbed my hand and Gabriel took a pouch of stardust from his pocket. I knew we couldn’t spare it, but the look on his face said we were going to use it whether I liked it or not. And I looked between these three powerful members of my family, my heart warming at having them around me, the bond between us so strong I knew nothing would ever break it.
“She’s waiting for you,” Gabriel said then took a pinch of stardust from a pouch and passed the half empty bag to Orion.
Gabriel blew the stardust over us, guiding us to our destination as we tumbled away into a sparkling sea of light.
We landed under a dark, cloudy sky, standing before a wide black lake with a small island in the middle of it. The ground was green and lush and as I gazed around, I realised we were on the rolling moors of a place that reminded me of photographs I’d once seen of Ireland. A heavy mist swept across the land, the chill in the air cutting right down to my bones, and I willed fire magic into my veins, offering it to Orion too through the point where our palms connected.
A series of rocky steps were cut into the ground beneath our feet, leading down to the lake’s edge and disappearing into the perfectly still water.
“Princess Darcy?” a soft female voice came from behind us and we both turned, finding a pretty woman there with short cropped hair and dark skin. She wore a denim dress with a book tucked into a pocket on the front of it, a Skylarks Pitball team pin on her chest.
“Hi,” I said, still struggling to get used to being addressed like that.
“I’m Laini,” she said, dropping into a curtsy, her eyes falling to the ground before darting back up to look at me. “You’re very beautiful.”
“Oh…thanks,” I said awkwardly, tucking a lock of blue hair behind my ear.
“We need access to the Library of the Lost,” Orion said abruptly and Laini’s eyes shifted to the brooding guardian at my side.
“You’re Lance Orion,” she whispered and Orion sighed.
“Let’s skip the retching and the disgust at my Power Shaming,” he growled. “We need to get into the library.”
“Oh, I’m not disgusted by you. I mean, the shaming does make my stomach turn a bit, but I can push through it,” she said brightly. “A few of us are quite in awe of you here actually.”
“What? Why?” he balked and I smiled in surprise.
“Me and my friends figured it out,” she said with a hint of pride in her voice. “For starters, I don’t believe a single word of the drivel printed in The Celestial Times. So I did my own digging, I read every article about the court case and have spoken with Gabriel and his wife too. I know what you did for one of the Vega Princesses.” She pointed to me. “She wouldn’t be standing beside you now if what everyone else believes is true.”
Relief washed through me and I immediately liked this girl as she looked to Orion with the admiration he deserved.
“Thank you. I wish more people would realise that,” I said heavily and she nodded sadly.
“I mean, most people here don’t get it. But I’ll introduce you to the ones who do,” she said brightly.
“How many are there who feel the same as you?” I asked hopefully.
“Um, four. Including me,” she said.
“Well stars be damned, my fate will surely turn by midnight with that kind of backing,” Orion said dryly and I jabbed him in the side.
“Would you like to go inside now?” she asked, ignoring his tone and I looked around, unsure what she meant by that.
“Yes,” Orion growled in frustration at being kept waiting, his manners apparently left behind with his smiles.
She stepped past us, heading down the steps towards the dark lake and I frowned in confusion.
As she reached the bottom of the steps, I gasped as she walked straight onto the water and a narrow stone bridge rose from beneath the lake. I walked after her and Orion stayed at my back as we crossed over the water, ripples spreading out across the surface from the emergence of the bridge.
We made it to the island at the centre of the lake and as Laini led us onto the mossy ground, I realised we were standing inside an ancient zodiac wheel. The star signs were all carved into the ground around us and as Laini dropped down to a crouch and brushed some moss aside from something at the centre of the circle, I saw a sun symbol etched there. She placed her hand against it and golden light shone under her palm a second before a heavy thunk sounded beneath our feet.