“Fuck it,” the crown princess said, ever the diplomat.“Let’s go then.”She kicked her horse’s sides, urging them forward, and the rest of them followed.
Zane held his breath when they crossed, waiting to see if any stars were going to ambush them the minute they set foot in Athusa.When nothing happened, he exhaled shakily, but did not lower his guard.Although there were only a small amount of stars who could teleport, it was enough to cause serious damage to their ranks if they were attacked before they were prepared.
Just before sunset, they spotted Istora’s army on the horizon.They decided to camp where they were for the night and allow the other kingdom to catch up to them.
A waning gibbous moon sat brightly within an inky black sky by the time the armies merged.Zane drew his cloak tighter as a frigid wind blew through their camp; the vestiges of winter clinging to the earth with icy claws.Talon approached him and ran a hand down his spine.
“Halim is here,” Tal said.Zane threaded his fingers through Tal’s and allowed himself to be led to the Istorian prince consort.A gasp left him when he saw what was standing beside the older man.
“Ryunn,” Zane whispered and ran to his horse to bury his face in his mane.The horse nickered and bumped Zane’s side with his nose, like he had missed his master just as much.Tears prickled at his eyes, and Zane took another moment hiding within the horse’s neck to compose himself, inhaling the familiar dusty scent.
“The beast returned to us the same night you boys had left,” Halim said.“We thought something had happened to you, but when we followed you out into the desert, we couldn’t find any trace of where you might have gone.I must say, I’m mighty glad to see both of you alive and hale.”
“It’s a long story,” Tal said.“But suffice it to say the stars captured us as soon as we left Istoria, and Iyana had to come to our rescue.”
Zane finally emerged from behind Ryunn’s mane to see Halim’s eyes wide in disbelief.“Thank you for returning my horse,” Zane croaked.“It means more than you know.”
“It was my pleasure, son.”The two leaders clasped forearms, and then they went to find the others to fill Halim in on their plans.
They all sat within the only tent large enough to accommodate all of them and waited for the elder general’s opinions once they laid everything out in front of him.
“I have to say it’s a decent plan.”Halim scratched at the stubble growing on his cheeks.“I’m more than a little wary about using the artifacts, and we’re hinging a lot of our success on a goddessmaybecoming to our aid, but I understand we’re going up against an army much stronger than us, and the rest of it is sound.”
“Will it work?”Zane asked.
“That depends entirely on Iyana,” answered Halim.They all glanced at Iyana.The Aztia appeared pale in the dim lantern light.Emmeric wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, like he could protect her from her own destiny.
“I’ll do all that I can,” she said, her voice stronger than Zane had ever heard it.
“We could provide some aid, as well,” a deep voice said from a shadowy corner of the tent.Everyone spun towards the voice, weapons halfway out of sheaths and scabbards before Scuti, Okab, and a female star walked into the light.
Halim held onto his sword, eyeing the stars warily.
Okab gestured towards the unknown star.“This is my sister, Tarazed.Or Tara.”
“Tarazed,” Iyana said, the strength in her voice now gone.She was staring at the newcomer, tears swimming in her eyes but not falling.“I am so sorry about Altair.I will do everything in my power to make his death and sacrifice meaningful.”
Tarazed looked at her with an unreadable expression.“You’re the Aztia, then?”she asked.Iyana nodded.“I can see why you’re the one Altair fell for.Let’s give Rigil the day he deserves.”
The three stars seamlessly integrated themselves in with the humans.This was how it should have been—the two species coexisting without one thinking they were above the other.
“You’ll need to pay attention to Rigil, little one,” Scuti said, addressing Iyana.“You’ve seen firsthand what his shadows are capable of.It only takes a small wound for him to push his darkness into you, and from there you’re lost.”
Iyana frowned but nodded.Zane filed the information away as well in case he found himself facing the Alpha.
“How in the nine hells do we kill a star?”Talon asked.“Okab said that Altair slit Hadar’s throat, and it still wasn’t a fatal injury.And the stars we fought against in the desert—Zane landed a dagger into one’s heart and he was able to recover.”
“Our head is really our only weak spot,” Okab said.“A direct shot through the head or decapitation—full or partial—will kill a star.”
Iyana’s face scrunched.“Can you regenerate limbs like a lizard does its tail?”
Tarazed barked out a laugh.“No, Aztia, we cannot grow back limbs.If you cannot get a headshot make sure you maim as badly as you can.Taking out a leg or a star’s dominant arm will eliminate them from the fight even if they aren’t dead.”
The now-expanded Team Save Arinem asked the three stars questions long into the night, trying to gather as much pertinent information as they could, and they didn’t crawl into their bedrolls until the sun was cresting the horizon.
Chapter 65
Emmeric
