“Who’s there?”Zane suddenly barked, pivoting towards a dark corner.
A large, imposing star with dark hair and eyes stepped into the light, and Iyana saw surprise flicker briefly across Altair’s face.Shadows swirled around the newcomer.There was a jolt of panic upon seeing the shadows, but Iyana quickly realized that they seemed different from Uther’s—softer, somehow.He didn’t appear ready to attack them, but Iyana called forth her magic, just in case.
“Scuti,” Altair said.“What are you doing here?”
“Rigil asked for you,” the new star, Scuti, said to Altair.“He’s heard rumors of the Aztia being spotted within Athusia.”With those words, he looked directly at Iyana.How had Rigil heard they were there?They had been so careful to cover their tracks.
“You need to leave,” Altair said, panicked.“You need to leave Athusianow.”
Iyana shook her head.“We’re here for Talon’s parents.Once they’re safe, we’ll go.”
“Two things,” Altair said, pinching the bridge of his nose.“One, that is idiotic.You need to leave the city before Rigil finds you.Two, how did Talon survive?”
Iyana opened her mouth, but Zane beat her to it.“It doesn’t matter how, only that he did.No thanks to you.”Zane’s face had murder written all over it.
Altair looked to Talon, who paled ever so slightly.“For what it’s worth, I was aiming for Sullane.I’m pleased you aren’t dead.”
“Thank you?”Talon said, furrowing his brow.
“Please, astalle—Iyana,” he said, catching himself.“You need to go.”
“Not without Tal’s parents.”
“Why are you so fucking stubborn?”Altair shouted.
Emmeric’s sword was suddenly at Altair’s throat, his second one digging into the star’s stomach hard enough that some blood soaked into his tunic.“Watch your tone,” her Kanaliza said.His calm demeanor did something to Iyana, and a heat kindled in her core.
Not the time,she told herself.Still, Emmeric’s lip twitched up into a smirk.
“Remove your blades, Sullane, before I am forced to kill you.”
Iyana’s heart soared when Emmeric turned his attention towards her, an eyebrow raised.She gave a slight nod of her head, and he sheathed his swords.
“I will aid them in getting his parents out,” Scuti said, as though nothing had just happened.
Zane narrowed his eyes at him.“I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you.We can manage on our own.”
“It will be easier if you accept my help.”
“You can trust him,” Altair said.“He’s my cousin.”
“That makes me trust him less,” Zane said.
“Your Majesty,” Scuti said, and Zane started.Sometimes he seemed to forget he was emperor, or that others may know who he was.“I understand your hesitancy, but I was a part of the human resistance a millennium ago.I knew your ancestor.Rigil killed my astalle”—his gaze flicked to Iyana —“when he found out about our treason.I would like to aid you and the Aztia in any way possible.”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Talon said.“If it helps my parents…”
Scuti nodded curtly.“I will return at nightfall.”He turned to Altair.“And you need to go to Rigil.He’s furious that you were not at Nyr to intercept the Aztia as she left.”Then he was gone in a swirl of shadows.
Altair walked closer to Iyana and reached up like he was going to touch her face, but he pulled his hand back.“I don’t know if I’ll see you again.Please, Iyana, please stay safe.”He, too, disappeared into thin air before her eyes.
“I hate that they can do that,” Talon grumbled.Kaz shifted back into her human form with the stars gone, and the three of them went off into a corner to rest until Scuti returned.
Emmeric touched Iyana’s arm lightly.“How are you?”
“I’m okay,” Iyana said, surprised to find that she actually meant it.“This whole ‘astalle’ thing with Altair is strange, for sure.I was drawn to him fairly quickly in the beginning, so now I guess I can blame the universe for my poor decisions instead of myself?”She tried to force a laugh, but it wouldn’t come.Iyana sighed.“I’m angry, and confused, but seeing Altair…It kind of gave me a sense of closure, I think.To know that not everything was a lie helps a bit.I still want to punch his face in—”
“Get in line.”
