She looked at him as if she could scrape out everything that made him who he was until there was nothing left, not even the lies he lived by.
As if a gear had shifted, everyone surrounding them kneeled in a wave, showing their respect to a star god. The fierce murmur of the crowd was like the buzz of insects in Soren’s ears. Vanya moved to stand beside Soren and settled his hand on Soren’s outstretched forearm, pushing down until the pistol pointed at the floor. He leaned in close, breath ghosting over Soren’s ear. “Let’s not shoot my country’s guiding star, hm?”
Soren clicked the safety back on after a moment, feeling the gears shift in the pistol, and holstered it. He never took his eyes off Callisto. She paced forward, a smile playing at her lips and starfire flickering around her fingertips. Vanya bowed because even the star gods outranked an emperor. Soren didn’t bother with manners, remembering all too well his last meeting with the Dawn Star.
“My lady, you honor us with your presence,” Vanya said before straightening up. The calmness with which he greeted the star god made Soren wonder if he, too, had ever been visited by one before now.
“I am not here for honor,” Callisto drawled.
“Then why are you here?”
“To give a blessing.” She came to a stop an arm’s length from them, the edge of her being shimmering like a heat mirage. “The Houses are at a crossroads, and I find my children are in need of a guiding hand.”
Around them all, those belonging to the Houses stiffened at being singled out. Some faces went pale, Artyom among them. The slack-jawed expression on his face would have been amusing at any other time.
Vanya inclined his head regally. “I am at your command.”
Soren said nothing, silent because he had no choice but to be. Callisto knew all his secrets, after all, though she seemed disinclined to share them.
“I hear the prayers sent to me, but not all Houses pray as they should. A pity.” Callisto tilted her head, eyes going half-lidded. “But you pray, House of Sa’Liandel.”
She raised her hand, starfire dripping from her fingers, and touched her thumb to Vanya’s forehead, just beneath the band of the crown he wore. Starfire burned incandescent white as it twisted around the gold, overtaking the shape of it until it looked as if Vanya wore a crown of fire, not one of metal.
“And I have heard your prayers,” Callisto murmured, her voice carrying like a thunderous echo in the Senate building.
The starfire became blinding so suddenly that Soren had to squeeze his eyes shut. When he opened them again, blinking spots out of his vision, the Dawn Star had disappeared, but the starfire on Vanya’s crown remained.
The crowd still knelt, every face turned toward Vanya, and Soren’s skin crawled at the focused attention. He stayed still, stayed his hand, and watched as Vanya closed his eyes, catching the spill of starfire in his palms, the heat of the aether harming him not at all.
As blessings went, the favor of a star god could not be more obvious. Soren could only guess how this would shake the Houses apart.
Eleven
EIMARILLE
“He has the backing of a star god.”
Eimarille frowned into the telephone receiver pressed to her ear. “Are you certain?”
Joelle’s harsh laughter was grating. “Yes. The Dawn Star herself blessed his rule. The Conclave will not end with the support I require now.”
“A pity.”
“You promised me the throne in exchange for aid at the border. If you can’t provide—”
“I have given you every tool to create the outcome you so desire. Your failure isn’t laid at my feet,” Eimarille cut in coldly. “My plans will not change.”
“You need control of myvasilyet’s border. Tell me how this doesn’t change them?”
“Ihavecontrol of yourvasilyet’s border.”
Two battalions of the Daijal army were currently running war games on the southern Daijal border there, preparing to cross the eastern border. Eimarille had confirmation that Meleri had retreated to her bloodline’s ancestral estate in Veran but that Caris was no longer there. The army was well positioned to advance once her hold on Haighmoor was assured. She was due an update from High General Kote within a day or two on that.
“The emperor will use that backing to send legionnaires north. The border will be compromised for our needs. As it is, the wardens are demanding access to myvasilyet.”
“They do so because of the damage done to the quarry. Despite you losing a death-defying machine, perhaps it is for the best at this time. The Legion has already examined the quarry, and they have no proof of what was produced there. The wardens will find the same.”
“I can’t hold them off forever. If I had control of the Imperial throne, I could thwart them. But the Dawn Star gave support to the House of Sa’Liandel and notmine.”
