AnnaGrey and the Constellation, page 12
I hope she doesn’t want to take it back when I don’t heed her warning to not return.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AS THE REST of the palace is bustling around preparing for the journey, I walk around the palace alone. I wanted to sleep, but I’m anxious, and my mind is full of what-ifs. It’s much too crowded and noisy in the halls for my mind to be quieted. When I was overwhelmed with questions about my night vision, Connelly and I would go to the library and research. I haven’t been to the library here at the palace, so I head toward it, figuring there won’t be anything in there a king might need for a quick journey. My thoughts are spinning like snowflakes in a blizzard.
I’m successfully sidetracked from my thoughts when I enter the library. It’s beautiful. Shelves stretch floor to ceiling, housing hundreds of rows of books on every wall of the room, including the outside one that also has a window half the size of the wall itself. I pause at the window’s purple-cushioned seat, taking in the view of the main entrance to the palace. Farther past the walls of the palace and the city, I can see a thundercloud forming low on the horizon, hovering over what I imagine is the path to the Laéthline, the Arbregate, and home.
Hoping to derail my thoughts from that track, I browse the bookshelves, tracing my finger along the gold-stamped titles on the spines of old volumes. I select different books from various shelves and turn the pages, reading some stories, and wishing I could take some home. I come across a section of science books, and the title of one catches my eye—Astronomy for the Aeobanach.
I slip the book off the shelf, a plume of dust coming with it. Is astronomy different here? My fingers land on a definition for Constellation. “A Constellation is a group of at least three Stars that make up a meaningful pattern in the night sky, usually representing a mythological aeobanach. The aeobanach ancestors thought of the Constellations as gods who guided their government leaders to provide peaceful and prosperous lives.”
The words imprint themselves on my mind, and I can still read them on the backs of my eyelids when I close them. A group of at least three Stars.
I should ask Iris to tell me what the constellations are on this side of the Arbregate. Is Sirius an aeobanach instead of a dog? Is Orion a warrior from their legends? Who is their chained maiden, their Andromeda?
“AnnaGrey,” a croaky voice says behind me.
I spin around, almost dropping the book. Sage is behind me, his back so curved he appears to be bowing to me. He’s clutching something in his gnarled hands. He limps toward me and hands me a vial of what looks like black glitter.
“Thank you,” I reply, even though I have no idea what it is or what to do with it. I put the book back on the shelf and take the vial from him.
“Sprinkle this over your head when you get to where you’re from.”
“What will it do?”
“It is time,” Sage says. “Think of the moment you left, and it will take you back to that exact time. Your parents will never know you’ve been gone.”
“Time travel? Will that change time here too? Do I need to come back… when? How do I—”
“You must return the same moment that you leave. Otherwise, you risk having two of you here. Do you understand?”
“Not really,” I admit.
Sage nods like he expected as much. “Just do as I say. Keep that time only to yourself. It can be dangerous in the wrong hands.” He waits for me to nod, then says, “Onyx sent me to fetch you. It’s time to leave.”
I
ris is waiting outside the palace stables with Blayde and Coyote. She nuzzles my head again.
Thank you, Grey. I can never repay you.
“Thank me when I’ve managed to do this little task. The odds are against me.”
I have faith in you.
I give a small laugh and pat Iris. I’ll need her faith because I sorely lack much of my own.
“Iris,” Onyx says, “lead the way.”
I pull the cloak tight. The mason jar of water I’ve put into the small, hidden pocket grazes my hip. I glance at Lilac, who is standing on the palace steps. Pala is on the step above her, his white hand on her shoulder. She nods at me, and I give her a small wave goodbye.
During our trek out of the palace grounds and the capital city, all I can think about is how this time glitter is going to work. By the time we’ve left the outer villages, my mind is back on Cross and how I’m going to convince a boy who hates me to come back to the Wildwood, where he used to hide out but where he encountered a nightmare. I’m still warring with myself about my motivation for bringing him back—is it to get him out of my life, or do I really believe he’s Onyx’s son? And if he is, why would I help reunite him with his true family? Because I could never forgive him for how awful he’s been to me.
I’m not going to be able to do this, and Iris is going to take the punishment for my failure. And how am I going to not tell my parents about this? The idea that maybe this is still a side effect of a concussion from falling out of the tree makes me laugh out loud. This is reality—weirder than I thought it’d be, but at least it’s the truth.
Blayde must’ve heard my laugh because he detaches himself from Onyx’s side and waits for me to catch up. “You doing okay?” he asks.
I shrug. Speaking of my parents, now that they’ll never know I’ve been gone, at least I can stop worrying about being in trouble. No, the only thing I have to worry about is convincing Cross Silverstone he’s an aeobanach prince and needs to come back to this magical world.
“Grey?” Blayde asks.
“Sorry,” I say. “Just thinking.”
“Listen,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “When you get home, talk to your dad, okay?”
I rub my eyes with the tips of my fingers. At first, it was to help Iris get the potion, and I’d find answers. Now, I’m on my way to bring Cross here, and then I’ll get answers. And Blayde wants me to talk to my dad. And I’m battling with myself because in reality, talking to Dad and Mom is the best answer.
But the truth about me is not what’s at stake here. It’s Iris’s life.
We ride in silence for a bit, and then I tap Blayde’s leg with my foot.
“My dad knows Silverstone,” I whisper.
“Is that strange? That he knows him?”
“Well, yeah, it’s kind of odd he would know a kid I go to school with when my dad isn’t a teacher at the school. It’s a small town but not that small.”
It’s quiet again. Only the soft hush of leaves in trees and the rhythmic plodding of the horses’ hooves make any sound.
But then Blayde shatters everything when he says, “Grey. I think your dad may have taken Silverstone.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I CAN’T COME up with a single reason why my dad would need to steal an aeobanach prince. Not. A. Single. One.
What about those things he told me when I was younger? That he knew aeobanach? What if he meant Cross Silverstone?
But my dad can’t be the bad guy. He can’t be the big bad wolf.
And why would Mom go along with it? They don’t love each other, that much has always been clear. Why would she cover for him?
My thoughts are spinning so badly I’m nauseated. I’m glad when we finally stop for a rest. Onyx is going to allow us to sleep for a few hours before we continue on the road, which I’m thankful for.
I avoid Blayde when we make our campsite. It’s not his fault, and it’s a legit theory. But I can’t talk about it. Not tonight.
I curl up next to Iris and fall asleep, and when we’re awoken in the gray dawn, I still have nothing to say.
We reach the Laéthline Forest, and Iris leads us into its depths. We pause at a glen to rest the horses and get a drink at a small pool of water. The edges of the pond are touched with the smallest bit of ice. Fires are made and food is cooked, but I keep my back to it all, looking toward the stars I can see through the treetops, hoping to discern some sort of clue as to how to bring Cross Silverstone into the Laéth Realm.
Onyx approaches and folds his arms across his chest as he stands by me. “You lied to me, AnnaGrey.”
My heart jolts. “About what, Your Majesty?”
“You don’t care about finding this so-called true heir to the throne. You told me so the first time we met. Your motives are not for the Galaxia.”
Before I came to the realm, I would have cowered at an accusation, even if it was true. I glance at Iris, who’s dozing near Coyote. I tilt my jaw up. “Then why did you agree to look for the true heir?”
“It seemed the fastest way to get to where Silverstone might be.”
Lilac said many of the Istreyan citizens were frustrated with Onyx as their leader because he cared more about finding his lost son than about the throne. It might be a flaw to put aside his duty for something else, but that something else is his only son, and I have a hard time faulting him for it.
“I don’t make idle threats. You know if you don’t come back, I’ll make your friend pay.”
I stare at him, his purple irises edged with coal, smoldering. But I understand this, too. He has to threaten. It’s the only way he knows how to deal with things he can’t control.
“I’ll do everything I can to bring Silverstone back,” I say, “but what if he doesn’t believe me? What if he flat-out says no?”
“I trust you to find a way.”
“I’m not even sure I can open the Arbregate again without Iris. She’s the one who opened it with her antlers.”
Onyx furrows his brow and is quiet for a few long moments. Finally, he says, “We’ll wait here. You say the Arbregate moves when the autumn equinox passes. She’ll open it the night of the harvest moon. So, you better make sure you’re back. And don’t forget the reward I promised you. Information.”
Onyx returns to his fire. I go to where Iris and Coyote are sitting, but I nearly turn around when Blayde approaches at the same time. I’m not ready to talk about Dad with Blayde. And I’m not sure how I feel about Coyote. He’s agreed to apprentice with Blayde so he’s free of Onyx’s jail cells while Jai sits in the deepest and darkest one. He must feel me staring at him because he looks at me and furrows his brow.
“What?” he asks.
“It’s just—you’re out of jail, and Jai….”
“You think I abandoned him?”
“No. I just don’t understand why you gave up being Galaxia. Iris gives up everything for them.”
Coyote pushes a log over in the fire with a stick. Rather than smothering the flames, its other side sparks, and the flames rage for a moment before slowly dying down.
Blayde clears his throat. “Rowan can serve what his heart believes in a better way outside a cell.”
It takes me a minute for Blayde’s words to sink in.
“Wait. Are you Galaxia?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“I’m not,” Blayde replies, “but I have no problem with peaceful protests.”
I sit for a moment, letting the fire heat my face. A low, far-off howl reaches our ears, and I glance around, looking from Blayde to Coyote.
“What was that?” I ask.
“The ghost,” Coyote says.
I laugh, but it’s small and tentative. “The ghost of a wolf? Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Coyote says. “A Stranded warsol.”
“Stranded?”
“A warsol stuck in animal form. She’s said to be the companion of the Red Wraith, and she still looks for her in the woods where the Wraith died.”
“Who’s the Red Wraith?” I ask.
“A legend in the realm,” Coyote says. “The Red Wraith and the Black Wolf. It’s been rumored that the wolf waits in here, hiding, waiting for her beloved, the woman in the red cape. She’s said to have taken down unsuspecting travelers. In fact, many of Miadien’s soldiers reported strange occurrences here.”
Blayde clears his throat. “It’s a story that has been muddled over the years. Although,” he concedes, “I don’t deny the different versions are compelling.”
“Have you seen it?” Coyote asks.
Blayde hesitates, but he shrugs rather than answering.
“What?” Coyote asks.
Blayde just shakes his head. I wonder why he’s reluctant to talk about it. I take the conversation in a slightly different direction, hoping it’ll loosen his tongue.
“It’s a Miadien legend,” I say slowly, “but the ghost haunts an Istreyan forest. That’s odd.” I ruin my own plan to get him talking by interrupting myself. “By the way, that makes me wonder why you two are even in Istreya, anyway. You’re warsol. Why do you care about Istreya at all?”
“Small realm, close contact.” Coyote shrugs.
“What happens in Istreya affects what happens in Miadien,” Blayde says. “And vice versa. For example, ever since the Star disappeared, it’s been in everyone’s best interest to keep Onyx on the throne and a certain brother-in-law off it. The Miadien queen doesn’t like the idea of ripping off the antlers of Unchanged aeobanach.”
“Blayde and I are on different missions,” Coyote says. “My mother left Miadien after my father died and I was born. She joined with them because they took her in as a refugee during the Moon Throne War. That’s what the Galaxia told me, anyway. They knew I had a brother, and they searched for him and were told he’d been killed during the war. My mother is gone now, too. The Galaxia is all I have left, so I support their cause to dethrone Onyx. Obviously Pala is not a great second choice, so keeping him off the throne is a subgoal.”
“But you turned your back on the Galaxia to get out of prison.”
“So it seems,” he replies.
“So you have a plan to help them?”
“I’m working on it.”
I pause. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust your decisions. And I’m sorry about your family.”
He shrugs. He hunches forward, his eyes unblinking at the fire. The movement makes me feel something for him. Something… human, I guess.
“Were they coyotes, too?” I ask.
“Mama was. My papi and Redford were wolves.”
“Redford?” Blayde and I say the name at the same time.
“My brother,” Coyote says, glancing between us.
“Redford is my mom’s last name,” I explain. “Anna. Anna Redford.”
“Anna was married to Redford,” Blayde says. “Before… well, everything. The war, their disappearance….”
“My brother wasn’t married,” Coyote says.
“Neither was my mom,” I say. “Not even to my dad.”
“Then again, I never met my brother,” Coyote continues. “So maybe he was.”
“Your dad was married,” Blayde says in a rushed whisper. I wonder why he’s talking so fast, but I see Onyx making his way toward us. “Not to Anna. But you have to believe me that his heart was hers, always.”
My dad and mom have never acted like they were in love. But—my dad’s heart was hers? His songs come to mind—the ones he sang of his lost love. Why didn’t Mom love him back? Why did she choose Redford?
“AnnaGrey. Say your goodbyes,” Onyx says, looming over us.
I gulp down the fear trying to crawl its way up my throat from my gut. “Okay,” I whisper.
I touch Coyote on the shoulder. He nods, and I catch the word luck. Blayde looks like he wants to hug me, but Onyx is still hanging above us like a thundercloud, so Blayde shakes my small hand with his paw-like one.
“Good luck,” he says. And then a whisper, “Daughter of Greyson.”
I follow Onyx to Iris, and, surprisingly, he gives us a bit more privacy than he allowed me with the warsol. I throw my arms around her neck and bury my face in her soft white coat.
“What if I fail?”
She nuzzles my shoulder with her nose. I lean my head back so our eyes meet.
You won’t.
“At least one of us believes in me.”
And you’ll come back. I’m not worried. I’ve never once been worried any of this would end in my death.
I wish she could come through with me. Something about this funny aeobanach makes me braver.
“Iris.” Onyx’s voice shatters the quiet of the glen. “Take us to the gate.”
She leads us away from the campsite through the taller trees and thicker vegetation. As when we came to the Laéth Realm, she doesn’t follow a particular path. But there isn’t a star path trailing behind her like it did when she ran. Maybe it happened only when she ran. Maybe I imagined it. Or, says a tiny voice in the back of my mind, maybe that’s another sign of the true Constellation. Because if I watch her long enough, her coat reflects the starlight streaming from the sky like it did in the Wildwood.
Iris stops in front of two trees that mirror those on the other side of the Arbregate. They are arched over, limbs intertwined at the top, like a parent cradling their child.
I suddenly can’t wait to see Mom and Dad. Despite everything, I’ve missed them so much.
Iris places an antler against the trunk of one of the trees, and the bark shimmers into silver and gold. I chance a glance at Onyx. His eyes have widened slightly. Just beyond him, I swear I see the eyes of the gigantic black wolf again. The gold and silver illuminate the area, the light stretching into the glen, blinding me to everything else.
I walk through, and the gate closes behind me, the gold and silver fading into the light-brown, almost-white bark of the aspen trees. As the brightness fades, the rogue paison comes into view. Before she can move, I pull the cork out of the bottle that holds Sage’s black glitter. I pour it in my hand and sprinkle it over my head. It falls as softly as snowflakes.
The paison fades into the distance as if I’m walking away from her, but it’s time that is moving. When she’s completely gone, I take that as my cue that time is now back to the night I left.
I run out of the Wildwood and through the field, hardly believing magic could turn back time—but then again, I didn’t believe magic existed until Iris. Iris and I must have just gone through the Arbregate. I shudder, thinking about two of me walking around, wondering what would happen if I ran into myself.
