“For now. She’s nothing more than a desperate rogue.”
I felt the hurt behind his words as much as he meant them. Drystan had come to care for Nadia, and the fact that she’d lured him in just made me want to extract vengeance on her all the more.
Aquilo and Katerina became still statues while the liquid silver rippled over their bodies. I hoped they would retain their faces so I knew who to hunt for, and who to hide from.
I hated the thought of hiding at all, but there was no predicting what powers the gods might harness in their mortal forms.
Astraea would be devastated to learn of her friend’s fate, and I left that temple with my anger subdued under the weight of my failure to stop my father, for if what he said was true, he would awaken from a broken neck, and my failure to save Katerina Luna.
I wouldn’t know liberation until I killed my father, somehow, once and for all.
Auster Nova was dead. Our war was with the gods now.
PARTTHREE
AWrath ofGods
26Astraea—Past
Today she would tell Auster about her bond to Nyte. Astraea flew to the Nova province with nerves eating away at her insides the whole way. She didn’t expect him to take it well at first, and she was ready to do what it took to heal the pain the news would cause. It was inevitable. But Astraea remained dedicated to him as a dear friend. She couldn’t lose him over this, and that was what had kept it a terrible secret to harbor for weeks.
Auster wasn’t in his castle, and Astraea followed the direction of a few guards informing her he was in the heart of the city at a small orphanage. It was unexpected to hear he was there.
Inside, she was guided to a room laid out for the children’s school hours. The sight of Auster sitting in the middle of a reading area with the attention of over a dozen young celestials on him stole her heart. He read to them with the voice of a compelling storyteller. She didn’t know how she’d never seen this side to him before. He was a natural with children, making them laugh and marvel. The room went delicately silent to hear his tale as he flipped pages, but it was bright with the imagination he pulled from the texts.
When his eyes flicked up to her, he faltered his next page turn.
“Don’t stop on my account,” she mused. “You’re getting to the best part.”
But story time was over when the children caught sight of her.
“It’s the star-maiden!” one gushed, scrambling to their feet, which set off the rest. They bounded over, some more timid while others approached confidently.
She cast a wince at Auster as she stole the attention, but he grinned brightly, setting his book aside and joining them.
“Can you make it rain stars?” A young boy asked her.
“Hmm, let me see,” she said, reaching for the key staff that was transformed to a compact baton strapped at her hip. “You’ll need to make a little space.”
They pushed their small circle around her back a few giddy steps, giving her room to twist the key between her hands as it became its legendary staff form. The childrenooo’d andahhh’d, but when she tapped the staff to the ground, their joy erupted as a silver flare shot high toward the roof before exploding into a shower of stardust. The children ran toward the center, giggling and trying to catch the dissolving glitter.
“Sorry to steal the show,” she said as Auster came up beside her.
He chuckled. “I’m used to it. Your performances always outshine the rest of us.”
Astraea sent up another flare of stardust for the children, which kept them happily occupied.
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” she said.
“I visit from time to time, making sure they have what they need,” he answered.
“That’s generous of you.”
“It’s the least I can do. These children have no parents, some by tragic circumstances. They don’t deserve to suffer any more hardship.”
As she watched the precious children, her heart ached for them. While she appreciated Auster’s efforts, she couldn’t help but wonder how many were orphaned because their parents had been outcasted by Auster for losing their wings.
Just then a woman came bounding in, carrying a toddler. She looked flustered, searching for another adult, and her eyes bulged when they landed on Astraea. She came over, attempting to bow, but Astraea insisted against it, instinctively reaching her arms out, like the toddler might slip from the cradle against the woman’s hip. Somehow, the tiny celestial ended up in Astraea’s arms, and she was stunned still, realizing she’d never held a baby before.
