I turn to him, raise my voice so he’s able to hear me, though I don’t dare raise my eyes to his. ‘I need your answer, Blayze. If we’re doing this, we should do it now.’
He braces, as if guarding against a physical blow. For a moment, there’s silence. Delphine stops splashing in the water. Maris and Astrophel go very still. We all hold our breath.
‘Very well.’ The words fall from his lips, biting as drops of vinegar on an open wound.
Tansy places a hand on his arm. ‘Would you like me to do it?’
Blayze shrugs away from her. ‘No. It has to be me.’
Slowly, he lifts Serafine from his shoulder and cradles her in one arm, his movements so gentle it pains my chest. With his other hand, he reaches for the last of her tail-feathers. Serafine lies still, staring up at him.
‘You agree to this?’
Serafine blinks her assent.
Blayze shuts his eyes, heaves a heavy sigh and wrenches the feather from her body in one swift, brutal motion. A screech, more piercing than any sound I’ve ever heard, splits the air.
‘I’ve got you, Fifi. I’ve got you,’ Blayze croons, his face wracked as she falls limp in his arms.
Maris rushes to his side, slips an arm around his waist. He doesn’t acknowledge her, doesn’t lift his eyes from Serafine.
My chest’s a vice. I can’t move either, can’t wrest my eyes from Serafine’s lifeless body. It’s only when she finally stirs in his arms, I’m able to breathe again.
Blayze steps towards me, thrusts the fire-feather in my direction. It glows brighter now, illuminating the entire cave with a wash of golden light much bolder than the milky luminescence of the scattered starstones.
‘Shouldn’t you hold it?’ I ask, still not daring to meet his eye. Afraid of what I’ll find there, if I do. The memory of the Husks swirls to the surface of my mind. The Sistertouched mustn’t dabble with Aethers we’ve no affinity for, and when Serafine calls upon the feather, it will flare. I can’t wield Flame-Aether.
He dips his head towards me, warm breath tickling my ear, my throat. Hope flickers in my chest. Perhaps he’s going to forgive me, after all?
‘I’ve no mastery over my curse. I can’t fireweave – I won’t be able to control it,’ he whispers. ‘But you might. Like in Galtair, when I shielded myself from your starshine. With your affinity for Star-Aether, I think you’ll be able to blunt its power – temper the force of the flare so you can use the feather against the night- birds, without reducing the rest of us to ashes. You won’t be wielding Flame-Aether, only containing it.’
My tiny spark of hope gutters out.
His words contain no forgiveness, no warmth. Just cold tactics.
I reach for the feather, flinching as our fingers brush. It’s warm to the touch but doesn’t burn – not yet, anyway.
Blayze draws back, putting distance between us. I look at him properly. His eyes aren’t filled with hate, as I feared – it’s worse. His stare is vacant, as if he doesn’t see me at all.
I swallow the hurt. I don’t have time to wallow in it. I need to focus all my energy, all my attention, on the task in front of me.
‘Does everyone remember the steps to enact the blood rite?’
The others nod.
I clear my throat. ‘Astrophel, Delphine, this is your last chance. We don’t need you for this; you can still turn back, save your—’
‘Over my dead, scaled body.’ Delphine scowls up at me from the edge of the pool. She and Maris share a lingering look, linking hands.
‘And I swore to protect you,’ Astrophel says. ‘I’m not leaving. I’ll never…’ He bites his lip. ‘A member of The Nine never goes back on their word.’ His eyes darken, but his aura flares so sunshine-bright it bleeds into my second-sight without my having to scry for it.
Something inside me relaxes. The part that didn’t want to admit how much I’ve come to depend on Astrophel’s quiet steadying presence. The part that hoped he’d stay.
I pat the stiletto tucked safe at my waist. ‘I have the blade. Tansy, you’ve brought the vessel?’
She gestures to her pocket.
‘The Elemagi drew their offerings from their brands…’ Instinctively, my gaze drifts to Blayze. He looks away, scowling. ‘Noelani’s letter didn’t specify where your offerings should be collected from.’
