Starborn Legacy (A Starborn Series prequel)

Chapter eighteen

After breakfast, Audrey and Connor ventured from the shed to hunt for Emandi.

Knowing that Connor was expected to stay out of sight, they kept to the woods, skirting the small settlement and the druids' camp while they searched. Connor led them back to the clearing where the funeral had been held and Audrey found the exact spot where she and Emandi had surreptitiously watched the whole thing. The grass was still flat from where they had crouched, but nothing else — not even Audrey's pack — remained.

"Damnit, Emandi," Audrey hissed. She turned in place, searching for a clue. "Where are you?"

Connor stood back, his hands in his pockets as he scuffed at the earth with the toe of his boot. "Why is your friend named after the Emandi?" he asked. "Have they ever told you?"

Audrey, who had dropped to her hands and knees to examine what might have been prints in the soft soil of the forest floor, answered without looking up. "They aren't named after the Emandi — they are Emandi." She pointed at the impression in front of her. "Does this look like a paw print to you?"

When Connor didn't answer, Audrey glanced up to find him gaping back at her.

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed excitedly. His eyes were wide and unblinking, as if closing his eyes for even a second might reveal this entire conversation to be a dream. "That's incredible! How did you meet an Emandi? I didn't think there were any left!"

Smirking, Audrey got to her feet. "Yeah, well, you also think all the other Wishes are dead, so that tracks." She dusted the dirt and forest debris from her palms. "Although in your defense, this one is the last of their kind."

"Right," Connor said, folding his arms across his chest. "So it stands to reason that maybe I'm the last of my kind too."

"If you're a glass-half-empty kind of person, then sure."

Connor shook his head and averted his eyes to the still-burning funeral pyre. The man Audrey now assumed to be Rue's father was still there, feeding wood into the fire and fanning the flames with a cedar bough. "Listen, I'm not saying I want to be right about this," Connor insisted. "No one would be happier than me to find out that there are other Wishes out there. But until I know for sure, I'm not taking any chances."

"Fair enough." Audrey conceded. After their little blow-up the night before, she didn't want to push her luck. She motioned for Connor to follow as she pressed onward through the forest. "And to answer your question: my parent is friends with Emandi."

"Your Star parent?"

"Yep."

They walked on for a minute or so without speaking. The sounds of the forest, with its bird calls and rustling flora, was almost serene enough for Audrey to ignore the panic that was slowly mounting in her chest. She couldn't fathom that Emandi had abandoned her here. After all, Welkin had asked them to keep her safe. But if Emandi hadn't left of their own volition, did that mean they were in danger? Audrey's stomach twisted at the thought.

"So, what's it like having a Star for a parent?" Connor asked, cutting through the noise of Audrey's thoughts. The question took her off guard, and she hesitated just long enough to make it awkward. Connor rushed to back-peddal. "Sorry. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine," Audrey insisted. "It's just a tricky question, that's all."

"How come?"

"Well, for starters, parenting doesn't exactly come naturally to them. For a long time after my mom died I even thought they resented me. She was the one who wanted a baby — they just wanted to make her happy."