Chapter 12
Drayven
Death hunts all in the Labyrinth, but it fears the Queen.”
—SCRAWLED IN BLOOD AT KASAROS’S TEMPLE
Glimmering stars are diamonds strewn across black velvet. Flori’s laughter rings out, bright as a bell in the crisp night air scented like blooming roses.
Which is odd because nothing grows here.
Her blue hair shimmers silver in the moonlight as she points out constellations, her other hand entwined with mine. Also odd. She’s too young to show affection like this. She’s more likely to shove me and shout “tag.”
“There, that cluster there—doesn’t it look like a unicorn?” Her finger traces the pattern, and I can almost see it gallop across the sky.
“If you say so.”
“Maybe that’s what I’ll become,” she muses. “A celestial unicorn, free to roam the heavens for eternity.”
I chuckle and squeeze her hand. “I thought you want to be an adventurer. Visiting the Drei to see dragons, charting unexplored lands, discover ancient ruins, maybe even find the lost treasure of Amara…”
“I do, I do! But maybe after that…” She trails off, and her smile falters just a fraction. “What will you become?”
Her question catches me off guard. I swallow hard, my chest tightening. Instead of answering, I ask, “Is that still what you want? To get out of this place and find adventure?”
With me?
She’s quiet for a long moment, eyes fixed on the distant stars. Then, a slow smile curves her lips, starting small but growing brighter until her whole face radiates joy.
“I was born for adventure,” she whispers, “for discovery, for forging my own path. I feel it deep in my bones. It’s my destiny.”
Pride and affection swell in my chest. My brave, bold, beautiful Flori, finally accepting she has the power to do whatever she wants. She always has. “Then that’s what you shall have, my blue star unicorn.” I tap her cute, button nose. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You need dreams, too.” Her smile softens, and she turns her gaze back to the night sky. “They’re so pretty tonight.”
I nod, but my eyes never leave her face. “They are. But their beauty pales next to yours.”
Somewhere distant, I know I wouldn’t say this. I’m too cowardly to tell her how I truly feel. And she’s too young. She wouldn’t understand. Not yet. I barely do.
Flori laughs, a soft, tinkling sound that warms me to my core. “It’s a miracle all the girls in the village aren’t swooning at your feet. You’re such a charmer.”
“Only for you,” I murmur, brushing a stray lock of blue hair from her cheek.
She leans into my touch, eyes drifting shut for a moment. Then they open again, wide and thoughtful. “Do you ever wonder why Amara chose the stars? Why she left our world behind to dwell in the heavens?”
I consider her question, following her gaze upward. “Everyone knows why. She sought peace, a refuge from the chaos and cruelty of mankind.”
“Maybe,” Flori muses.
“Maybe someone broke her heart,” I offer.
She blows a raspberry. “Boys are stupid.”
“Hey!” I punch her shoulder.
“Present company excluded. You’re not really a boy.”
“Again, I’m offended.”
