When we arrived back at the cottage, Altair immediately began complaining.
“I don’t see why we need to act like her lap dogs! We aren’t there to sit and fetch! Why does she have you doing tricks?” He stopped pacing, facing me and twisting his face.“What do the stars think of me?”
“You sound like Celeste,” I said without thinking. My own words startled me, my hand going to my mouth. But hehadsounded like her. In the way he mocked Commander Maitoza, but also the way he so deeply distrusted everything. How he seemed to revolt against the authority around us.
“Well, your sister had something right, then.” There was a familiarity to his tone, one that had me stumbling over my next words.
“I wish the commander would talk about her.” I’d tried again after she had shown us the modest lab the rebels used. While it hadn’t been anything spectacular like what the elites used, it had done the trick, producing more haya than I even realized existed. But when I’d asked Commander Maitoza to tell me about whatCeleste did for the rebellion and her time with them, she’d said she had another meeting. All I got was that Celeste had been eager to join the cause and had worked extremely hard during her time with the rebellion.
“I doubt she will. It’s leverage, N—” His hands reached up, gripping his hair.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” What had he been about to say?
“No, I’m not. But it doesn’t matter. The mission tomorrow is a bad idea. Think about it. What does she stand to gain from having us go? We’re untrained and probably the least dedicated to the cause. I don’t know if we could even be called rebels at this point.”
Groaning, I sat on the sofa, letting my eyes close. My head was pounding. Death’s weight appeared on my leg, her purring loud. Petting her, I said, “Maybe we don’t know why she wants us to do it, but we do at least know what her motivation is now.”
Altair walked my way, plopping down on the cushion next to me so hard that Death slipped off my lap. “Fill me in, I was too busy hating her guts to catch whatever it was.”
A breeze ghosted across my shoulders, and then I felt the pressure of the cushion at my back sinking. Instantly, I knew it was his arm, his still-cool skin barely grazing my neck. It felt good, slightly relieving the pressure from my head. Without thought, I leaned back, sighing. And then, as if I suddenly realized what I was doing, I shifted forward, my eyes wide.
First I let him grab my leg at the meeting, now this? I was getting way too comfortable with Altair.
“Clearly, her focus is on the eadi, but did you hear how she said it?Our priority is strictly eadi.”
Altair’s brows furrowed as he sprawled out further, his thigh nearly touching mine as his fingers tugged on one of my curls.My head was spinning, the smell of vanilla that clung to him invading the space.
“I don’t understand. We knew that already.”
“Maybe I’m overthinking. The stars said something to me the other day that I’m struggling to get out of my head.” Unable to lean back, I let myself fall forward, resting my elbows on my knees and hunching my back.
“My father used to talk to them all day long. It got to the point that we’d be surprised when he spoke directly to us. They seem to speak with you a lot less.”
With a chuckle, I turned my head to the left, facing him. “I annoy them. They’re always there, humming or laughing or just listening, but they don’t talk as often as I imagine they want to. I…well, I’m not very nice to them.”
At first, he said nothing. Then, out of nowhere, he burst into laughter. His head fell back, exposing his pale neck covered in shadow marks and veins. “You of all people would be able to annoy the rulers of the universe, Little Void.”
I laughed along, shaking my head. In my mind, the stars laughed too.
“You are quite annoying, Nova Tershetta.”
And yet you stay.
“Touche.”
Laughter dying down, Altair bent forward too, his eyes meeting mine. “What is it that the almighty darkness above said?”
“They asked me what happens when a winner rises from the ashes of the coming civil war.” The humor was fully gone now, replaced by a grim charge to the air. Altair looked particularly stunned, his jaw so slack it almost appeared round.
“Well, that’s a good question.”
“What would you answer, if they asked you that?” I was curious, maybe even desperate, to hear his answer. Maybe mine had been wrong. Perhaps they were only placating me.
“I guess a new evil takes the throne.”
“Or perhaps he sees the world exactly as you do. As we do, too.”
“Yeah,” I said, looking forward again. “That’s about what I said.”
