“I’m fine,” I repeated. I looked up at Edan and nestled my head in its special nook on his shoulder. I had so many questions for him, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead I said, “You were right. It was the hardest of the three.”
“It’s different for everyone,” he said slowly. “What did you see?”
I rubbed my temple, my fingertips buzzing with heat and my body tingling. Edan would be overly dramatic about it if I told him, so I didn’t. No doubt it was from exhaustion.
“Finlei and Sendo. And my mother. They were still alive, and we were all so happy. Baba was happy too, and he was still sewing. And Keton…he’d never fought in the war.” My voice was choked with emotion, my throat raw and tight. “I didn’t want to leave. I almost forgot…everything.”
Edan wound a stray piece of my hair around his finger and tucked it behind my ear. “Even me?” he asked softly, but with a hint of mischief.
“Even you.”
He touched his forehead to mine. “Then I’ll have to insinuate myself into your life more deeply, Maia Tamarin.”
That made me smile. “I suppose so.”
Edan lifted his head and traced my smile. “There, my fierce tailor is back.”
“No morexitara?”
“I thought you didn’t like it.”
“It grew on me,” I admitted.
Edan’s mouth set into a line; he was about to make a confession. “I didn’t mean it aslittle lamb, you know. You were always too strong and brave for that.”
“But—”
“In Old A’landan, itdoesmeanlittle lamb. But in Narat, what I grew up speaking, it means…brightest one.”
“Brightest one,” I whispered. The words sang in my heart. “You called me that, even when we’d just met?”
“I meant it for your tailoring skills then,” Edan teased. “And now for what you are to me.” The playfulness on his face faded. “The whole time on Lapzur, I was afraid I’d never have a chance to tell you. I was afraid I’d lose you.”
I wanted to hug Edan close and tell him he’d never lose me. But a sudden hollowness overcame me as I remembered the demon’s touch.
Unaware, Edan placed a warm hand on my shoulder. “The magic of those islands is strong, but you did well. It was brilliant, using the sunlight to ward off the ghosts. If not for you, we might both still be there.” He stroked my cheek. “And now you have the blood of stars.”
To my relief, Edan didn’t ask to see it. He simply kissed me on the nose, then left to tend the horses. When he wasn’t looking, I took the demon’s vial from my pocket. Its iridescent contents sparkled in my hand, the colors so rich and infinite it was as if I held a handful of diamonds under a rainbow. But when I held the vial by its stopper and did not touch the glass, everything dulled, becoming dark as slate. It could easily be mistaken for a bottle of ink, not a precious liquid capable of granting immense power. Not the blood of stars.
I closed my fist over the vial, the intensity of its light making my fingers glow.
The hardest part was over. Once we got to the Autumn Palace, I’d have to sew Amana’s children into three dresses: a challenge that had once agonized me, but not anymore. Now I couldn’t wait to thread the magic of the sun and moon and stars through my fingers, to sew it into three magnificent gowns worthy of the gods, and finally be done with this quest.
Edan returned with Opal and Rook, and Opal cantered toward me. I ran to hug my horse. She nuzzled me back, but she was more focused on the wildflowers brushing against my calves. As she bent her head to graze, I stroked her neck fondly. How good it felt to be back among the living.
I reached for my canteen and took a long sip. “It’s very warm here.”
“No, it’s not,” Edan said, frowning.
I exhaled sharply. The tingling in my body hadn’t stopped. Now it rose, creeping up to my neck. How my skin burned there, so hot it hurt just to breathe. Dread curdled in my stomach. “I don’t feel so well. I feel…feverish.”
He touched my forehead and took my hands. My knuckles were pale, almost white. “Maia, look at me,” he demanded. “What happened to you on the isle? Did you…”
“Not the ghosts.” I wavered. “But the demon…touched me…just before I stabbed him.”
Edan pushed aside my hair. Whatever he saw on my neck made his jaw tighten. “Damn it! We need to get you as far from the islands as possible.” He pushed me toward the horses and lifted me onto Rook’s saddle before I could protest.
Dazedly, I leaned forward. “I thought we were out of danger.”
