Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Twenty-Three

♕ Azure Flame ♕

"No Deirdre today?" He asked her. Nerezza looked up from the corner of the room where she usually stayed sitting with a book on her hands. Silently learning about fighting in more ways than they would ever do. Mason looked at her waiting for an answer. It was not usual for him to speak to her directly, not since Aubrette realized how deeply she disliked her, and the wretch she'd chosen for a friend.

"She's busy" Nerezza replied. Mason just nodded, placing his coat on the side and starting to warm up. Nerezza looked away. He laughed. Knowing perfectly well how she felt. Even if neither had ever acknowledged it. "Do you have to start even if Aubrette is not here?"

"Aubrette will already be warmed up when she comes, and I'll just be behind" he shrugged.

Nerezza stared at him. It was not unusual for the princess to be late for things, but this was simply pathetic.

"It's been half an hour already" She said, closing her book. She had much more interesting things to do than wait and watch a training session, but it had been a direct order of the queen to sit here, watch, learn, practice on her own time, report about her daughter's process.

"Do you want to train with me?" He offered, looking at her with that same look he'd had on his face the day they met.

Nerezza narrowed her eyes. "Not funny."

"I'm serious, come on"

Nerezza looked at him, his hand reaching for hers, and she knew he meant it, he would help her learn if she asked. She opened her mouth to speak. Her hand reaching up to touch his.

"Sorry I'm late" the voice echoed through the mountain. Nerezza jumped back, leaning further onto the corner of the room, opening her book once more. A second later Aubrette appeared through the staircase, her eyes already glowing, a tiny sword on her hand. "Ready?"

Mason smiled. Shifting his attention to her. "You bet"

Nerezza did her best to fade into the background.

☆

The silence rippled through her head as the queen sent them both flying. Deirdre perfectly landing on her knees.

"We've been through this before!" Aleena yelled, shadows curling up both her arms. The queen took a deep breath. "You have to be ready in time or you'll both end up just like your mother. Dead in the middle of rotting mud and covered in the blood of others."

"We'll be ready" Deirdre said, holding her breath more steadily than she could ever do.

Nerezza straightened. Their marking would be done soon, and she was ready to get it over with. It would change their souls the queen had said, in more ways than one. They'd be giving something up, they would have to offer her something in exchange for that power. She had learned the words over and over. Had made sure to memorize the way it would go through her skin. They practiced, a scar already splitting the palm of her hands in two. Empty. The marking would not be completed until the queen poured her own blessing into them and then... then they would be able to mark others. In different ways. Three main ones. The first, residuam. The one the queen had forced them to learn better than they knew the constellations of the sky above them. Once marked they would need to drain blessing from others to stay afloat or the darkness would be too much for them to bare as neither had a blessing of their own. The second, ascendancy, keeping the bodies with enough blood that they could still function, but their mind would not be their own, their actions would be what the one who'd marked them said. Absolute control. And the last one, extendere. Offer a piece of themselves so that someone could be marked as well, so that others could freely serve the queen. Only those of true desire would be able to go through the process. Only those willing to serve the dark.