They followed her through her decimated village, dodging burnt-out husks of homes, and debris littered across the ground.As the huts became fewer and more spread out, Altair realized where they were headed.At the edge of the village, two huts stood next to each other.They were blackened but remained standing.Iyana went to hers first.
Inside was destroyed completely.There was a hole in the roof, which had allowed the burning thatch to fall in, scorching everything in Iyana’s home.Tears ran freely down her face, but she silently left her hut and headed next door to Imo’s.Altair went to follow her inside there as well, wanting to see if anything of her grandmother’s had survived.Iyana would be devastated if there was nothing left.But a hand on his chest stopped him before he could enter.
Sullane stood blocking the doorway, and Altair glared down at his hand.If he didn’t remove it soon, Altair would do it for him.
“You’re not going in there,” said the Kanaliza.
“And why the fuck not?”Altair growled.
Sullane looked over his shoulder into the hut, then nodded at Altair, motioning him to move back.The star did so reluctantly, but only because he knew if he got into it with Sullane, then Okab and Iyana would both be angry with him.
“Not that many moons ago,” Sullane said in a clipped tone, “you stood in that exact hut and murdered Iyana’s grandmother.Do you really think she wants you in there right now?”
Altair stayed quiet, unwilling to admit the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.
“You didn’t forget, did you?”he asked, frowning deeply.
“No,” Altair grunted.“I just…I wanted to make sure she was okay.”Even that small admission to a man he despised made Altair want to crawl into a hole.And he hated small spaces.
“That’s not your job anymore.”Sullane snorted.“In fact, I’m not quite sure it was ever your job, was it?”
Altair was about to sayfuck itand punch the other man in the jaw when Sullane’s eyes glassed over for a second, then he turned to jog back towards the hut.Kaz had told Okab about the Aztia and Kanaliza’s ‘special connection’ and how they were able to communicate silently now.Really, she had been complaining about it because she thought it was rude they could have conversations that she wasn’t allowed to be a part of.When Altair had heard about this new development, the jealousy that consumed him threatened to boil over.He’d had to walk away from the group to cool down.
Sullane turned around and pointed at Altair.“Stay out here.”Then he disappeared into the hut.
Knowing it was immature, Altair threw a rude gesture at his back.Okab approached him.
“Hadar went back to Athusia.He’s with Rigil.”
Altair nodded stiffly.“And Tara?”
“With a small company of stars at the border between Athusa and Istora.She’s safe.”
“For now.”
“I’ll go check on her.”Okab teleported away, leaving Altair alone.His twin’s ability to sense magical signatures was extremely useful, and Altair was thankful he was on his side.
With nothing else to do, the disgraced general sat in the ashes of an innocent village.This was the stars’ ultimate goal—mindless destruction of anything human.And Altair could finally see how wrong he’d been in his past actions.Of course, it wasn’t his brother or his cousin who had opened his eyes to the truth, but a small human woman with bare feet.
Eventually, Iyana and Sullane exited her grandmother’s hut with a few jars cradled in their arms.They were most likely filled with rare and expensive medicinal items and had been spelled to withstand fire.
Imo had been powerful.Altair had sensed it when he first met the old healer, and she was an obstacle to his goals.So he’d eliminated her without a second thought.Now, in hindsight, he regretted his choices deeply.
The two humans also sat a short distance away from him.They weren’t touching, but the intimacy between them was still obvious.Okab returned after about an hour and sat with Altair.He only gave a nod, not saying anything.Tara was safe, then.In the darkness, the four of them awaited Kaz’s return.
It was close to dawn when the shifter finally reappeared.Iyana sprang to her feet and rushed to meet Kaz as she shifted back into her human form.She had a huge grin on her face.
“Everyone is fine,” Kaz said excitedly.“They said that Scuti had shown up and warned the village that Hadar was on his way.It gave them enough time to evacuate.”
Both of their grins widened until they began laughing and embraced each other tightly.Altair marveled at the human reaction.The stars never felt joy or relief—or any emotion, really—with such vigor.Their immortality had dulled them to the experience of life.The thought that he hadn’t really beenlivingand was simply existing suddenly left a bitter taste in Altair’s mouth.
“They wanted me to tell you to go do what you need to,” Kaz continued.“They love you and miss you, and they’ll see you when this is over, Mata Iyana.”
Iyana dashed a tear away from her eye before it could fall.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
They began gathering their supplies and loading them onto the horses.When Sullane had wandered off to go do something, Altair approached Iyana with trepidation and laid a gentle hand on her forearm.She glanced down at the touch, and he removed it immediately.
