Page 24 of Fire to the Stars

“Most people spend the night taking shelter in their fire cellars. Not just to prepare for the Ignition, but to hide from the full moon,” he explains. “The Tale of Starsis clear: A full moon precedes every Ignition Day for a reason. That’s when Noctu’s magic shines the strongest and is most likely to harm us. You might as well have started a tradition of stepping in front of his freshly loaded musket.”

I laugh. “What a dramatic interpretation of a few extra prayers.”

“I just don’t see the benefit,” he retorts. “Noctu governs the lunar domain of the celestial realm. That’s half of all creation. You don’t want that kind of power directed at you next. You should focus on Diu and thanking him for his protection.”

The fire pops as if demanding my worship. I stare into it until my eyes sting.

“Remind me how slayers get their weapons, Abel,” I say.

“They’re forged from fallen meteorites.”

“Ah, yes. Noctu’s weapon of choice againsthumans.” I smile bitterly. “You don’t think the availability of meteorites undermines the reliability of Diu’s ‘protection’?”

He visibly tenses. “The majority of meteors burn up before they ever touch the ground. Impact only happens once in a decade or so. That’s why moonmetal is so expensive. In fact, strikes are so rare that I’d say Diuallowsa handful of them to slip through his defenses in order to equip slayers. He’s likely delaying his final victory until we prove our worthiness tohim.”

“That’s a slayer’s interpretation of the state of the Gods’ War. In Sellecastel, we saw it differently.”

“Then how did you see it?”

“Every tradition the Church promotes revolves around preventing Diu’s curse. Be grateful. Be generous.Behave,” I say. “But Papa believed that as long as the Gods’ War continued, even a realm without the dragon curse wouldn’t be safe. He started his stargazing tradition to prove to Noctu that even though he’s forsaken humankind, we haven’t forsakenhim.”

“So you prayed to Noctu in hopes that he’d change his mind about destroying us?”

I nod. “War can end in surrender, too.”

“I doubt Noctu would stand down. Not after seventeen centuries.”

“I told Papa the same thing.” A tear edges my lashes. “But he was compassionate. He didn’t like to give up on people’s ability to change. A god was no exception.”

Abel’s stare falls to the dragon-skull helmet, jaw shifting as if he wants to say more but can’t for fear of divine retribution.

“I don’t need you to act out the tradition with me,” I say. “I don’t even believe in it anymore. It’s just a memory.”

I close my eyes and imagine my last night behind the farmhouse. All the neighbors sat blanket-wrapped around the firepit, teacups in hand, and took turns sharing their latest sources ofgratitude: Jean-Pierre for his new wooden dentures. Eugénie for her healthy rhubarb patch. Little Édouard for finally memorizing the alphabet. Papa kept the warmth alive with hay as kindling. It was my favorite smell in the world.

“Maybe our arrangement wasn’t a good idea,” Abel says finally. “This hunt is becoming too dangerous.”

Oh, no. He willnotsuggest we part ways after all I did to find him. And after I saved his life.

“We had a deal,” I fire back.

“This job is safer for you if I track the dragon by myself.”

My fingers clench the scaly overcoat. “You think I care about danger?”

“No, I don’t. That’s the problem.”

“I know how criminals think. I saved your pack.”

He exhales fog. “Let’s just survive the night,” he says, dragging his feet underneath him. “I’ll make the fire larger. We won’t get warm enough like this.”

“Those people might be looking for us. Thicker smoke could give away our location.”

“It’s that or death.”

I open my mouth.

“Don’t argue. Like you said, I’m the camping expert,” he interrupts. “That includes survival skills you clearly haven’t learned.”