“Why didn’t you speak to me sooner?” I hastily try to recall all of the things I may have said in front of Heru.
You needed space, Heru answers simply.
I think of what Garrot said to me before the battle, that it’s rare for rocs to choose human riders. I touch the white feather now tucked into my bodice. “You chose me. Why?”
You are a brave warrior, but in your soul, I sense something far greater. A heart burning of a million stars.
“You flatter me, Heru,” I say, unsure of how the roc can sense that about me, a Prentice Teller turned warrior, though at best I feel like an imposter, at worst, a nuisance. I add, “I am deeply grateful you chose me. But what will happen to you when I return to the Watch? Where will you go?”
I will return north until I am of need to you, Starheart. Call to me on the winds, and I shall come,Heru says.Now rest before the Soul Eater comes once more.
Clearly Heru could only mean Atlys. We agreed to meet again tonight, before I leave tomorrow for the Watch, so he can train me in the arts of Source magic. After a restless nap, I watch as the sun sinks below the horizon, casting a warm glaze over the snow tipped trees. I don’t realize I am humming until Atlys strides in the front door of the cabin, interrupting me mid-song.
“A knock would be nice! What if I was changing?”
His eyes darken. “Apologies for startling you. Though I am not sure I would be sorry if I walked in on you changing.”
I feel the edges of my lips turn upward and try my best to ignore the vivid picture in my mind of Atlys walking in on me naked—no. Not thinking of this now.
“Why did we have to wait until dusk to meet?” I ask. “We could have been training all day.”
“I am not permitted on the Surface during the day,” he says flatly.
Wait, what?This didn’t make sense. I had seen him during the daytime before, right? During the Summit Presentation and the second task.
Atlys sees the question on my face. “Do you want the short answer or the long answer?”
I consider the limited time we have to train until he leaves, but my curiosity wins. I can sense that he is opening up to me more than he would others at this moment. I hate how that makes my pulse flutter. “The long answer.”
“For the past one hundred years, the treaty has included clauses to ban me, and the rest of Terraguard, from the Surface during the day, with the exception of the Summit every 25 years. During the day, I must remain within the Terraguard layer of the core. It is the same reason why I could not fight with you at Redrock. It is not my people attacking, Akemi. It’s the Jord.” He fiddles around in the breast pocket of his jacket and pulls out a rolled cigroot.
I cock my head, speechless for a moment until the questions flood out. That’s awful. Old prejudices against Terraguard serve as a baseline for a treaty, refusing all of his people to the surface. Suddenly, his unnaturally pale skin makes more sense. As for the attacks, I had suspected the Jord, but figured the Underworld Courts were more aligned than they actually are. But something still didn’t quite match up. “The battle at Redrock went well into the evening. Why didn’t you come then?”
He sucks in air through his teeth, looking pained. My anger flares, waiting for the excuse that can somehow justify his actions. “I knew with the Elven forces joining, Redrock would be supported enough to withstand the attack. I…” he hesitates. “I tried seeking reason with Lord Rollo, to force him to call off these Underlings. Punish them for their disregard of the Peace Treaty. Yet he claims he does not sanction the attacks. Claims they are rogue mountain clans and outcasts outside his control. I don’t believe it. He is up to something, and whatever it is, it isn’t good. I cannot make a single misstep, Akemi, or my people will suffer.”
I ponder his argument, knowing full well that Lord Rollo himself was at Goldenpine during the attack. These are no rogue groups attacking. There is a reason, but what could that be?
Atlys lights his cigroot, turns, and pauses in the door frame, looking furious from whatever memory he seemed to be recalling. “By the time I was donetalkingwith the Jord Lord, the battle was won.” Then he walks outside.
“Where are you going?” I call, but follow him regardless.
Atlys is lying on a pile of furs he undoubtedly just conjured. He taps the space next to him expectantly.
“Lay back,” he says. As I lay down, our shoulders brush, and I shiver at the contact. He mistakes my movements for a chill and throws a heavy blanket over me. “Let’s test your Starwatcher abilities. I may not know how to do this myself, but I know the basic concept to get us started.” He turns to look at me. “This might take a while for us to get your abilities under control. You cannot have another outburst accidentally, otherwise your true nature will be discovered and you’ll be a target for all of these royal courts wandering the Watch. Hels, the Watch itself has been known to overuse Starwatchers of the past. Forcing them into spying or other dangerous situations.” He turns away from me and looks toward the sky, his sharp profile outlined by starlight. “Now look up.”
Above us, the stars wink and pulse with energy, coaxing me to stare endlessly and close my eyes at the same time.
“Now open your senses, and imagine that right here”—he lightly traces a circle in the center of my forehead—“is the center of your being. Pull away all of your thoughts as they gain consciousness until you are left with only this.” He taps my forehead once more.
I close my eyes and start removing my thoughts, one by one.
“Good,” Atlys murmurs. “Now extend your awareness outward. Past your physical body and into the sky.”
“Okay,” I say more confidently than I feel. Attempting to cast all of my thoughts away is proving to be more challenging than I initially had thought. Atlys is laying so close to me, I can hear his deep breathing, feel the warmth radiating off of his body from under the furs.
Focus!I eventually pluck away all of my thoughts but… nothing is happening. I’m stuck just looking at the blue-black space behind my eyelids. I let out a groan. “I thought we would be training, not meditating.”
“Much of a Starwatcher’s powers lie with your connection to the stars. Try to reach out to them. Feel them. Listen.”
