Stars May Fall (Stars May Burn #2)

3. Kasten

KASTEN

I knelt beside Sophie’s bed and clutched her hand. The sedative was working well, preventing her from acting like a violent, tortured halfsoul, and she barely moved except for the occasional muscle twitch. She had always had a pale skin tone, despite her love for the outdoors, but now she looked grey and waxy. The tendons in her neck and wrists stood out as she gradually became more gaunt. She was dying, and I had to rely on that monster to save her.

I had never known a hell like this. Every second was unbearable agony. Power pulsed through my veins, power to raze cities and destroy countries. But it couldn’t save her. All I was capable of was destruction, and the urge to destroy was so strong, I had to hold myself still.

“Sophie,” I whispered, brushing the tangled hair from her face. “Hold on, my love.”

I had been such a fool. I’d had the most precious being in my grasp, and I hadn’t done enough to keep her safe. The thought of her smile, the way she pottered happily in the garden, too distracted to notice she was getting compost on her skirts, her vitality and joy, the passionate way she spoke at dinner when she shared her experiments… Kingdoms, every single memory of her burned my soul with agony.

Meena slouched on the other side of the bed, her elbows on her knees, her sword unsheathed across her lap as if she could fight the haemalcomy away. Or maybe because she never wanted to be too slow to defend Sophie again. She remained silent, her eyes not leaving Sophie’s face, though she didn’t touch her. Her skin was still covered in blood and dirt from the previous night, as was mine. What a useless pair we made, sitting in silent vigil. My fingers twitched with impatience.

The moment I’d returned to Highfair, I’d sent Callum to disperse the rabble as Annabelle had requested to make things safer and easier for Sophie. He still hadn’t returned. What was he up to? I prayed that he was up to something productive that might help her.

I heard the door behind me close softly and turned to see one of Sophie’s personal maids, Beatrice, approaching with a bowl of water and flannels.

I made sure to soften my voice before speaking. “Is he here yet?”

She shook her head, her eyes looking anywhere except at mine. I glanced at the clock. He had nine minutes to show his face, or I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back any more. Annabelle. Had she been overconfident or playing me for time to help Lord Lyrason? It didn’t matter now. Either Sophie would be healed, or I would end everything. There was nowhere he could hide that I wouldn’t find him.

Beatrice rang out a flannel over the bowl of water, the sudden noise making me restless. She dabbed it around Sophie’s hairline and neck.

Eight minutes.

I stood and brushed my consciousness against the power from the starstone. I closed my eyes as I sensed the unfathomable, pulsing energy that would be too easy to become lost in. It beckoned me with a caress.

The door opened again, and I snapped my attention toward it. Sir Luke bowed, his uniform as neat as his closely clipped blond beard though I knew he hadn’t slept since fighting the halfsouls. After Sir Tristan’s death outside Sir Halfield’s house yesterday, he had taken charge of the men currently present in Adenburg. He was young and had a nervous air about him, but I didn’t have time to worry about him right now.

His hesitation annoyed me. “What is it?”

He flicked his eyes up in alarm. “He’s here, General. Lord Lyrason is here. He’s outside.”

“Callum?”

He shifted his feet, polished boots creaking the floorboards. “I don’t know, General.”

I pushed past the guard and took the steps three at a time. What had taken Lord Lyrason so long? The front door was open, a servant talking to the people outside, but she scuttled out the way at my approach. Kingdoms, even my own people were terrified of me right now.

I opened the door wider and stared down at Lord Lyrason, Annabelle, and a strange thin man who was slightly hunched despite only appearing in his forties. He carried two large leather bags.

The three froze when they saw me, but I didn’t speak. I had always been a man of few words, and right now, I just wanted them to get on with it and save her.

Annabelle’s cheeks were flushed. She still wore the large baggy cloak she used to hide her features at night when she was playing at being a vigilante, but her crossbow was gone. I ignored her and concentrated on Lord Lyrason. For once, he wasn’t calm; his eyes were unable to meet mine, and his lips twitched up into a smile that was nervous and placating before falling back down. As I glared at him, he pushed his glasses up his nose and his little finger shook, destroying any remaining veneer of control.

When nobody spoke, Annabelle looked between us in concern. “Kasten, Lord Lyrason is here to cure Sophie. Won’t you let him and his assistant in? I told them I would ensure their safety if they can successfully cure her.”

I didn’t move, my caution outweighing my impatience as I eyed the sickly-looking companion. “What are you going to do with her?”

Lord Lyrason straightened and gestured at his companion, but didn’t lose his nervous air. “This is Tyler Gregane. He is gifted at kryalcomy using…emotions and vitality.”

“Haemalcomy, you mean,” I corrected, not bothering to hide my disgust.

Lord Lyrason inclined his head ever so slightly. “He will attempt to replace what has been taken.”

A distant part of me was roused with questions. What emotions? What was the reason behind all of this? How did it work? But that part was buried behind the fact that right now, I really didn’t care. I just wanted Sophie back.

“And that will cure her?”

Lord Lyrason shrugged and licked his lips with a nervous twitch. “I’ve never tried before. But the only way to bring her back to the way she was is to return her emotions and human characteristics.”

My stomach twisted and I felt sick. “There’s no other way but to experiment?”

Lord Lyrason shook his head.

I stepped to one side, my hatred thick. “You had better hope this works.”

The two men scurried inside, and I couldn’t help a swell of satisfaction at Lord Lyrason finally fearing me and doing as I said. Annabelle lingered at my side.

I was about to follow the two men when Callum sauntered up the drive with his hands in his pockets. His walk was casual, but I could see worry in the tightness around his eyes. He always liked to pretend he was nonchalant, and only escalated his acting the more nervous he truly was.

“Where have you been?” I growled.

He smiled at me though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Supervising.”

I didn’t have the patience for this. I half wished he had stayed in Kasomere when I had rushed back for the starstone instead of following behind. “Supervising what?”

“All those people out there who are ready to fight. You know, just in case you start a war or Lord Lyrason tries to escape. Best to be prepared for these things.”

I frowned. “I told you to disperse that rabble.”

He cocked his head with a wince. “I’m afraid that most of them won’t go. Some of them seem rather eager to overthrow the current king, though many are more focused on Lord Lyrason’s downfall. I traveled from Kasomere with Sir Chase and some of your first battalion who I’ve now asked to keep these civilians in check. Now, I am rather keen to supervise what those maniacs are about to do with Sophie.”

My chest clenched with worry at his choice of words, and I waved him in. I followed him slowly up the stairs, dreading what was about to happen. Would she be in pain? What if the only idea to cure her failed?

I couldn’t lose her. I just couldn’t. She was everything.

I entered Sophie’s room and loomed behind Lord Lyrason and Gregane whose shoulders hunched under my glare as he unpacked numerous strange instruments from his bags. Some looked like metalwork instruments, but he also had needles, syringes, and bandages. My blood ran cold. I didn’t want to know what he was about to do. But I also knew I didn’t have a choice but to allow him to do it. Annabelle watched in silence from the corner of the room.

Gregane took out a dark leather collar similar to those worn by the halfsoul dogs, and started to put it around Sophie’s neck. I lunged forward and caught his wrist. “What are you doing!”

He flinched and took a step back. His mouth moved wordlessly.

Annabelle took a step forward. “Kasten, please calm down.”

Lord Lyrason sighed. “By the kingdoms, Kasten. Do you want us to help her or not? That collar will stop any more of her vitality being taken. It blocks haemalcomy and will give us more time. Or do you want her to weaken by the second?”

I considered his words for a couple of heartbeats before releasing the lanky man’s wrist. Nausea made my stomach tighten as he fastened the collar around Sophie’s pale neck. I hated that he was touching her when he was part of what was killing her.

I shifted, folding my arms to prevent me from yanking him away from my wife. “How long is this going to take?”

Lord Lyrason wiped his forehead. “A few hours, I suspect. In truth, I know little about this. Gregane here does my private kryalcomy. Honestly, there isn’t much point in me being here. I might as well return to…”

I stepped up to him. “You will not leave this room until Sophie is back to normal. If she dies, you die here.”

He looked away with a small shiver. “Yes, yes. You’ve already made yourself clear.”

Annabelle laid a hand on my sleeve. “Kasten…”

A clatter resounded as Gregane accidentally dropped half his instruments on the floor. Annabelle startled, and Gregane winced, glancing back at me with fearful eyes as he rushed to pick them up.

Callum cleared his throat and patted me on the arm. He spoke quietly. “You know, Kasten, Sophie is unaware of what is going on right now. I think it might be best if you stepped outside the room and let the man work. I will keep a close eye on things. I understand kryalcomy better than you. Annabelle can assist too if needed. Why don’t you leave Lord Lyrason with a guard outside the room too? I suspect this will be complicated and Gregane would appreciate a more calm working environment.”

I dragged a hand down my face and glanced at Sophie’s pathetic frame. Callum was right. I was no use to anyone here. I grunted, grabbed Lord Lyrason by his coat’s collar, and hauled him out of the room with me.

Two guards were already stationed at Sophie’s door, and I shoved the man between them. I glared at him. “You’re not to move from this spot.”

He licked his lips. “Perhaps a chair…”

I hardened my stare.

He looked down. A placating smile reappearing on his lips before his nerves stole it away. He dropped his voice. “Will you really let me live if she survives? Annabelle said she could guarantee my safety in that instance…”

I met his eyes. “You’ll walk out alive, and none of my soldiers will follow you. I just want Sophie back.”

He gave a hurried nod. “Yes, yes, of course.”

At that moment, Annabelle came out of Sophie’s room, closing the door softly behind her. I turned my back to them all and walked down the stairs toward the dining room. I needed a strong drink.

Annabelle caught up to me on swift feet. She started talking as soon as the door had shut to give us privacy. “You were right, Kasten. It was Lord Lyrason. I find it hard to believe he would do something like this.”

I grunted. I didn’t care. I couldn’t even be bothered to work out if she was playing both sides.

She continued despite my lack of interest. “When I sent a letter to Father, he just sent a letter back to Lord Lyrason saying to ‘deal with it and not involve him.’” I glanced at her, wondering where she was going with this. She was chewing her lip, her eyebrows lowered in concern. “Why would he say that? Does it mean that he already knew about the halfsouls or that he didn’t care?”

I reached the serving table and poured myself a whiskey, not bothering to offer anything to Annabelle. “Well, the king will be forced to act against Lord Lyrason now. Even if he heals Sophie, his guilt will be plain for all to see. The king will have to punish him.”

She frowned as she continued to worry her lip. “Yes. Of course. But still…”

I downed my glass and studied her again. Maybe she was finally realizing her precious father wasn’t so perfect after all and that there was a good reason why I didn’t acknowledge him as mine. I paced the room. My fingers itched. Lord Lyrason had said this could take hours. Hours! What if Sophie couldn’t survive that long? What was I meant to do with myself? Maybe I should go back into the room. But no, Callum was right, I would get in the way, and I trusted him to know if anything was amiss. But I had to do something…

Annabelle helped herself to a glass of water and sat down at the table. Her shoulders sagged, and she seemed smaller. A servant brought a platter of fruit, cheese, and crackers, but neither of us touched it. After countless minutes passed in intolerable silence, she made a pillow with her cloak and rested her head on the table.

At last, I could bear it no longer. I strode back up the stairs, past a bored Lord Lyrason who sat cross-legged on the floor between the guards and crept into Sophie’s room. Callum was restraining Sophie as Gregane poured something down her throat. My friend frowned at me. “Out, Kasten. I will send for you if something happens.”

I folded my arms as I watched my unconscious wife, fighting the instinct to pull them away from her. “Is she improving?”

Callum grunted as Sophie jerked beneath him. “Not the best time, Kasten. Out.”

I obeyed and left the room, returning to pace the dining room.

A nervous messenger, wearing the royal livery, was brought in by servants. Annabelle stood up, expecting the letter to be addressed to her, but the messenger bowed and presented it to me.

“General Kasten, you are summoned to the palace immediately.”

I scoffed. “With my wife at death’s door? You have to be joking.”

Annabelle looked back and forth between us. She turned to the messenger. “Tell my father I am here. Say I agree that Kasten has a right to stay. Tell him I am keeping the situation under control.”

I scoffed again. “I don’t need you to speak on my behalf. I don’t care what the king thinks.”

The messenger looked between us with a worried expression, bowed again, and hurried out.

I turned fully to the princess. “You’re tired. You can barely keep awake. Just go home.”

She glared back with a stubborn fierceness. “Not until this situation is resolved. I’ve seen too much. I’m part of this now. And I’m a valuable witness.”

I downed another glass of whiskey. The power of the starstone throbbed, and I ignored it.

An hour passed. A member of my battalion came to report on the armed men and women gathering in the street. Many had ties to Kasomere or the Red Men, the rebel group who had long been trying to prove Lord Lyrason guilty of illegal haemalcomy. So far nothing had escalated. I nodded but did nothing, trusting Sir Chase with his vast experience and level head to keep things under control. I would deal with that problem once Sophie had survived and was safe. I hadn’t expected support from anybody.

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed another hour. More food was brought in and left untouched. I sat in my chair, my hands on my knees to stop me going upstairs to Sophie.

One of the doormen entered. “What now?” I snapped.

He bowed again. “We have guests, General. Sent by the king. They’ve come to speak to you and”—he nodded awkwardly to Annabelle—“to retrieve Her Royal Highness.”

Annabelle sat up sharply. “What?”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with. “Who is it?”

“Duke James, head of the Adenburg city guard, has come to speak with you, and Lord Venerick has come to escort Princess Annabelle.”

I briefly imagined what would happen if I cut off Duke James’s head right now. Unfortunately, that would likely lead to war before Lord Lyrason had a chance to fix what he had done to Sophie. Shame.

I sighed. I needed to keep my wits sharp. “Bring them in.”

Duke James and Lord Venerick entered with serious expressions. They moved closely together, clearly comfortable in each other’s presence, which increased my wariness. A servant offered them wine, but I didn’t stand to welcome them. Instead, I merely stretched out my legs, slouching back in my seat. Both the newcomers bowed to Annabelle, who was standing behind her chair as if using it as a barrier.

She shook her head as she looked between the two newcomers. “This combination of people isn’t going to work. Duke James is too close to Lord Lyrason to be a good mediator between him and General Kasten. He’s biased and not on good terms with the general. He can’t replace me.” A thread of panic entered her voice.

Lord Venerick slicked his dark brown hair back with one hand in a nervous gesture. It bounced straight back up again. I was suspicious the central piece was a wig by the strange way it lay, but I had never seen him with anything different. He held out a hand to his betrothed. “Come, Annabelle, your father has requested you return to the palace. He is worried about you.” He slid a suspicious glance my way.

I scoffed. “Is he frightened that I’ll take her hostage if things turn violent?”

Annabelle stared at me as if the thought had only just crossed her mind, but she didn’t go to Lord Venerick, ignoring the hand he held suspended in the air.

Duke James squared his shoulders toward me in a strangely professional stance. “Where is Lord Lyrason?”

I glanced at the doorman and flicked my fingers to signal for him to fetch the man.

Duke James kept his expression blank. “The king is aware of the current situation. He understands that your wife has been hurt by a kryalcomy experiment and orders Lord Lyrason to save her as quickly as possible. He holds him at fault.”

I tilted my head with a grimace and spread my hands to show how little those words were helping.

Duke James continued without reacting. “He understands your anger, but requests you disperse the rabble. If you don’t, I will be forced to muster the city guard around them. Many are speaking treasonous slanders against the king. He is worried things could get out of control.”

I shrugged. “They have nothing to do with me. I ordered them to disperse, but they are not my soldiers. They didn’t follow my order, so some of my battalion from Kasomere are keeping them under control for now, since you seem to doubt the ability of your city guard.”

Duke James stepped forward, smoothing one side of his straight black hair. “You don’t seem to understand the situation, General. These people may incite others to try to overthrow the king. The unrest is spreading. We could end up with riots.”

I didn’t move but crossed my ankles. “That sounds like a problem between the king and his people. Not me.”

Duke James tried to loom over my chair. “Not if they are saying they want you on the throne. They will rise up in your name.”

Behind Duke James, Annabelle gave me a nervous, warning look.

I cocked my head. “I don’t want the throne. And I am not leaving my house and my dying wife to sort out your mess if you can’t control your city.”

Duke James lifted an eyebrow. “And if she dies?”

I stood then, struggling to control my temper. “Then I will kill every last person responsible for her death—everyone who has helped Lord Lyrason.” He didn’t step back. There were now only inches between our faces.

Duke James would know I included him as culpable, but his eyes remained unflinching as steel. He spoke slowly and dangerously. “And does that include the king?”

I forced a cold smile. “I would be intrigued to find out.”

Duke James’s lips twitched slightly. “Then it wouldn’t just be the people outside who are considering treason, would it?”

I was sick of this. So sick of this. The power built and thrummed within me, and I let a little trickle enter my limbs, causing my weariness to vanish. I could kill this man with just a flick of my wrist, this man who had arranged the city guard to be absent when the halfsouls were released. He was as guilty of the deaths caused by halfsouls as Lord Lyrason.

I hated him so much I could taste it.

I opened my mouth but was interrupted by one of the guards escorting Lord Lyrason into the room. The older man took stock of the situation with frantic eyes before sneering at Lord Venerick. The younger man’s arm was still outstretched to Annabelle as if he still hoped she would come to him but had no other idea about how to achieve that. The poor man looked utterly out of his depth.

Lord Lyrason’s eyes widened as he pieced together what was going on. “No, no, if the king has sent Lord Venerick to retrieve his daughter, she can’t go. Princess Annabelle must stay. She can ensure my safe return more than Duke James. Kasten would happily kill him too. We need a royal to negotiate.”

I glared at him. “Shut up.”

Lord Lyrason turned to Duke James with pleading eyes. “Though it would make the most sense for me to leave here while my man works to save Sophie. I am of no use. You have the king’s authority, don’t you? You could escort me to the palace.”

Duke James gave the man a hard look, which surprised me. The two of them were normally so close. “The king said you must fix your mistake or face the consequences yourself.” Duke James’s eyes returned to mine. “Leave the rest of Adenburg out of this private quarrel. Make your battalion disperse the gathered people with force if necessary.”

I shrugged. “Fine. My soldiers will force them to disperse.” I didn’t need a civilian army to kill or destroy anything I wished. Not now. Lord Lyrason slouched against the wall as if from exhaustion.

I wondered if the king had sent Duke James on purpose because he knew the duke worked with Lord Lyrason. If Sophie died, he had neatly presented me with the two culprits and so minimized potential collateral damage. Throw some meat to the wild animal so it leaves you alone. He seemed to want this incident tied up nicely, whichever direction it went. Smart and ruthless.

I summoned Sir Luke and gave orders away from listening ears for him to pass to Sir Chase. The rabble on the street wouldn’t go far. There was too much rage after what Lord Lyrason had done to the Red Men, catching them and releasing them as halfsouls. But I had no intention of leading a rebellion. Instead, I asked them to organize rallying points and meeting places. That way the unhappy civilians would still feel involved and, therefore, be more inclined to follow orders.

Duke James’s expression was still hard. I gave him a small, cruel smile. “You do realize things are over for you, don’t you? Both you and Lord Lyrason. If Sophie dies, you’re dead. If Sophie lives, you’ll be tried by the court. The truth is out now. The king won’t be able to ignore it or cover it up.”

Duke James said nothing, though his eyes darted to Lord Lyrason whose expression alternated between anger, frustration and fear. His anger wasn’t directed at me either. I suspected it was because of the king’s refusal to save him or help, which made me increasingly convinced of the king’s involvement.

A new thought struck me. What if Lord Lyrason had only been doing this on the king’s orders, only to be discarded when found out? What if the king was the instigator all along? If that was the case, this was far from over.

And Lord Venerick was the Lord High Chancellor, and so, in charge of the justice system. I didn’t know him at all, but if he was friends with Lord Lyrason and Duke James, he could influence the courts. He didn’t look like a villain, though. More like a startled mouse surrounded by cats, completely confused by the conversation and insinuated threats. A strange match for Annabelle, who was definitely a cat. But I knew all too well how dangerous it was to judge people on appearances.

Lord Venerick’s soft, whispered voice was loud in the silence. “Annabelle, my dear, please, let’s go.”

Lord Lyrason flashed angry eyes at him, not bothering to hide his scathing dislike. Interesting. I supposed he was angry that he wasn’t the one engaged to Annabelle. Venerick didn’t seem like an impressive competitor to lose to. “She stays. The general won’t hurt his half sister. Nor will the king harm his daughter.”

I paused, following his train of thought. Did he expect the king to attack this house and kill everyone inside to cover up his complicity in the plans? Everyone with knowledge of it was here or in the grounds. But that was ruthlessness to the extreme.

I frowned and looked to Lord Lyrason. “What do you mean?”

Annabelle’s blue doe eyes were wide. Venerick moved a step closer to her as if in protection, one hand on the hilt of his rapier. He didn’t look like much of a fighter.

A series of thumps came from outside as Callum half fell down the stairs and crashed into the room. “Kasten, it worked. Sophie’s awake.”

The relief in the room was tangible. I ignored them all and ran to my wife.