Page 104 of The Starlight Savior

“You don’t remember?” Eva cocked her head. Her aunt’s skin was blotchy and pale, cheeks sunken.

“Last I remember”—Saige lowered her eyelids—“we were entering the portal…Conor and I…and t-that creature.”

Eva nodded. “You all gave us quite the scare. Do you know how long ago that was?”

Saige shook her head.

“You’ve been asleep for six sunrises.”

Saige exhaled slowly, letting the words sink in. She had been asleep for a week? So much could’ve happened between then and now. Yet it had been wasted, resting in bed, dreaming of her father. Of everything he’d hidden.

“You didn’t listen to me,” Eva muttered. “I told you things must go right. That you need to be safe. Instead you go to the mist?” Her head rested in her hands.

“I-I didn’t know,” Saige said, voice shaky. “Conor said I needed to practice, but I didn’t know what it would mean. The mist…I didn’t think those people would be out there. Alone and—” Her voice cracked, emotion swarming to the surface. Her chest constricted as she thought of Sybil. Of the warrior who had been sliced in half and gone through the portal. Those had been living wielders. Left behind with no inclination on how the mist would impact them.

“Oh Saige,” Eva said with a sigh, taking her hand. “You and Conor are the first living beings to be in the mist and escape. Only because of those portals. There was no one to come back and report how the mist could not just change plant and animal composition, but also mortals and wielders alike.”

“But Conor’s manor is warded. How could he have not noticed all of this?”

“General Zathos arrives, upkeeps the wards, and immediately leaves.”

Saige nodded, letting her head collapse against the bed. “Aunt Eva,” she whispered, “are you okay?”

Eva looked up, red-rimmed eyes startled. “Why would you ask that?”

“I haven’t seen you around the castle since the Tiranos attack. Just at supper,” she said slowly. “And you look…drained.” There were no other words she could think of to describe her aunt over the last few weeks. It was as if she was watching her fade.

Eva waved her hand, but Saige couldn’t ignore the tremor traveling across her fingers. “Galas and festivals aren’t for me, my dear. I’ve always preferred solitude.”

“But you said you gave Tobin my name to reunite with your niece. And yet, I’m here and…” Saige didn’t even know what she wished to share with Eva, but she was beginning to wonder what churned in the depths of her aunt’s mind.

Eva’s face fell until her splintered smile returned, and she reached for Saige’s hands once again. “You’re right. I’ve been so consumed in my own grief I haven’t been there for you. Haven’t even made space in my heart. But you’ve been fitting in quite well with the rest of the court, haven’t you. Especially with the general’s son!”

“Is Conor in trouble now?” Although grateful for her aunt’s company, she was surprised she was missing his comforting presence already.

“At first, of course. But Conor holds all the answers to their questions and more. He’s back to patrolling the borders of the living lands, looking for any signs of such creatures. He said goodbye, but you were still healing.”

Her mind reeled in all different directions. What they discovered changed things. If the mist traveled across the whole land of Opela, was that what they would become? She thought of Sybil. Of the way she had responded to their voices, the anger that flowed through her as she ran at Conor. Was her mind conscious? Did she know what she was doing despite the animalistic instincts?

And it was up to her to somehow use magic to reverse such a thing.

“Don’t worry.” Eva reached a hand over the bed, smoothing a thumb over the line forming between Saige’s brow. Her body froze. It had been over ten years since someone had done that to her.

“Sorry,” Eva murmured. She held her thumb against her chest. “Oscar did that every time I worried too much. He didn’t even have to say anything. You have that same divot between your brows, you know?”

Saige nodded. “He’d do the same.” Anytime she’d come home from school frustrated or be exhausted by assigned chores, her father would sit and listen to her complain. He’d often say nothing. Instead, his thumb would reach out, running between her brow. All her worries would suddenly melt away, back into the crevices of her mind. It almost felt the same with Eva doing it.

“Were you dreaming of him?” Eva said softly.

“More so remembering.”

“You were asking for him. Your father. I regret not being able to oblige the request.” Eva laughed softly under her breath. “Will you tell me about your dream? There are only so many memories I can hold onto still. We were so young…and the letters. They become painful to read when you know they are all you have left.”

“Tell me one of him first,” Saige said slowly, hoping it didn’t come off as too demanding. But she resonated deeply with her aunt’s words. Her only memories of her father existed in her first ten years of life. Everything else came from the very people who saw him grow and become the warlock who transformed into her father.

“Very well.” Eva laughed and rested a hand on her chin. “Did he ever speak of our parents? Your grandparents?”

“Never. He said they were dead.”