Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Fifty-Seven

♕ Red Eyes ♕

She could only see red around her. There was red in Zander light hair, there was red on the white covers of her bed. There was red dripping from the snow. There was red on the water of the lake. Red sky. Red blood.

She had not been able to see Aubrette make it out, but Dorian had reassured her he'd made sure she'd gone to the portal first. So at least that was one less thing to worry about. One less thing to make her eyes keep shifting.

Zander did not seem to mind, and if he did he made sure she could not tell. He was more silent now. More silent watching as Stella was dragged out from underneath mountain rocks, bone shattered all over her body. Her face almost unrecognizable.

He had been quiet, as Cora had rushed to her, made sure she was still breathing. He had been quiet as Favian pulled Cora away, tried to convince her that it was too late. Even for her. He had been quiet as everyone had left, leaving her there. Cora's hands on her chest, keeping her heart beating. For as long as she could.

And all Sybilla could do was see red, holding so tightly to her moonstone, the one piece she had left from Luna Bay, her skin almost broke too. A part of her wished that it did. Wished that she could tell something was truly there, that she could feel the sting of the blood as it came out, as it turned black on the floor.

But there was already blood staining the halls of his home. And he didn't need her to be another thing on his mind. Another thing that did not allow him to breathe.

Everything had gone wrong. The necklace was gone. No one knew were Stella had hidden it. Morte had escaped. Belial had disappeared. Aubrette and Dorian were apparently wanted by the crown guard, because as soon as Aubrette had let her blessing roam freely, everyone had assumed it'd been that what made the mountain crumble down on them. But she knew the truth. She knew that light had not come freely, and that it had stopped things from getting worse.

And she had not seen it. Any of it. All she could see was red.

"Maybe you should try to sleep" Zander said, sitting on the floor in front of Stella's bedroom door.

Sybilla closed her eyes, took a deep breath, tried to make her eyes shift back. But most of all tried to repress the pain that had appeared on her chest as soon as Zander had spoken. He was scared, and no one could spare him from the pain that would most likely come before morning.

"I'm not leaving you here alone" she said, kneeling in front of him, placing both her hands on his knees. Zander looked down. His eyebrows coming closer together as he tried to suppress himself from crying. "Stella is strong, she might pull through, we don't..."

"Being queen is all she ever cared about you know?" He interrupted her. "My mother and her that's all they ever were good at talking about, how to rule, when to rule, how to stand, talk, smile, love, forgive." He shook his head. "I resented them for it. I resented my mother for not giving me even a chance. Not ever did she ask what I wanted. So I convinced myself that I didn't. That some people where just born to rule, and I was not one of them." Sybilla grabbed his hands, knowing that at least she could bring him comfort. "But when Aubrette said... when she asked me to rule, after Stella, it felt like I'd been waiting to hear someone giving me that chance all my life. It felt like my life had been leading up to that. I didn't care if Stella had no other thing she loved as much and I did. I didn't care because I knew I would be better. I will be better."

"Its not your fault" Sybilla said, trying to make him look at her. "Zander. What happened tonight its not your fault"

"If I had not been so selfish maybe we wouldn't have.."