Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Forty

♕ Fire and Brimstone ♕

Dorian guided her through the fog and the warmth of it all that seemed to increase as they got closer to one of the creaks on the ground. Dorian stopped, letting go of her hand, turning to search for something on his back.

The tips of his fingers traced her wrist as he wrapped a tiny golden thread around it, too delicate for her to feel it against her skin. Her breath got stuck on her lungs. She did not speak as he took a step backwards.

"What's that?"

Dorian almost blushed. "Insurance. Its kind of hard for first timers" his eyes looked down to the ground, to the gap between where they were and the next piece of land. A nervous laugh burst out go her throat. "You were not wrong about us jumping" he shrugged. Aubrette turned around, looking down into the hole beside them, it was dark enough that she could not see the end, so dark and warmth it felt like the darkest smoke of a fire.

Dorians hands grabbed her waist. Aubrette held her breath as she felt him get closer. "Ready?" He whispered, and Aubrette could only nod. Before Aubrette could do or say anything else he pushed both of them to the deepness end of the precipice.

They were falling, but it didn't feel like falling at all. She knew this feeling, weird, new, strange, familiar, beautiful.

They were portaling.

If she could make a sound she would've screamed of joy. A rush wind of cold touching every spot of her skin. She opened her eyes, darkness, endless, bright, but not hers, distant, like something that did not come from inside her but from around her. Dorian did not seem to notice any of it. She felt it closing in, felt the usual rush in the back of her head that usually warned her of the landing and then they were on the entrance of another place, another darkness that shattered around them and let them see the light again. Dorian let go of her and caught his breath, looking around like he was trying to place himself. Aubrette laughed, a rush of adrenaline rippling through her whole body in waves. She looked around, an archway of stone stood instead, a physical portal, one she could go through and land back where they had come from, her eyes almost glowed at the sight.

"Oh come one" he said. "How did you not feel that?" Dorian said, pushing his hair out of his eyes, his cheeks red.

Aubrette smiled, truly smiled. "Can we go through again?" She asked, and her voice sounded light and soft. She blushed at the sound.

Dorian's eyes seemed to glow at her. "Later" he said, and it felt like a promise.

Aubrette cleared her throat and walked around, the air was colder, the wind stronger, she could see nothing expect for the grand manor before her, which she assumed was Dorians home. The world was black, truly no sight of anything except for what seemed an ocean of clouds around them.

"What is this place?" She asked him.

"Infernum" he said and any previous emotion that had been shown on his face disappeared. "Otherwise known as my home" he said walking towards the door.

The manor resembled one of the old temples her mother had painted under Exilium, dark black marble columns holding the entrance roof, black chandeliers adorning the front, black carpets covering the front steps, and barely enough light to tell everything apart.

She felt far more comfortable there standing in the middle of the darkness than she had since she'd arrived at Luxem. Aubrette looked down on her clothes. White and gold, Starhaven's colors, her hair way too light. Her soul felt as if it had belonged there forever, but her outside could not be more distinct. The wave of nostalgia for her old blessing hit her in the chest. Her hair had shifted many times this past month, far too many for her to recognize herself in a mirror. For once, she wished she was able to choose, who she'd be, what she wanted.