Starsinger

Risks

They gathered in the captain's quarters – Katrina and Neal, Raelyn and her team. A few yards of canvas had been thrown over the bed in the corner. The long table was littered with maps. They shoved the parchment back and forth, debating strategies and plans of attack.

A note of dread underscored their plotting. The full moon was fast approaching, and the Drake could only sail so fast. They had no hawks to send a message to the king or queen. They knew Malcolm and Ezra planned to take Aster from under Crolton's nose, but how? And what if they'd changed the plan since Aaron and Sapphire had found the battle map? Raelyn had spent the nights paging furiously through Gavran's book, but neither she nor Delia could untangle any more clues about the fate that awaited them at the end of the Astral Cycle. Aaron stared at the hopeless shuffle of maps, felt the thrum of dread like his own heartbeat. We're feinting at shadows.

"It's not enough." Raelyn's fist hit the table, jolting them all upright. "We need better information. My father says in battle, you can play strong or you can play smart. The fatemongers already have Ezra and an army of Ravens."

Aaron saw Sapphire cringe almost imperceptibly.

Raelyn's hands tented like spiders, the knuckles turning white as she pressed against the table. "We can't play strong. Not without an awakened Star, since I can't seem to get my shit together. So we need to be smart."

"I have an idea," Delia said quietly. She pulled a shard of amberglass from her pocket. It clinked softly against the table, orange light filtering through like a prism.

Aaron stared. It felt familiar. It felt ominous.

"I only kept one," said Delia. "For research. I've been tracing the spell from the original amberglass, and I think I've figured out how it works."

Raelyn's brows drew together. "You were supposed to be resting."

"I am resting. Tracing doesn't drain me like casting does. Think of it like stretching." Delia picked up the amber, twisting it to redirect the faint grey light streaming in through the castle's windows. "The spell is ancient and Gilded, but I think I understand it now. I think I can replicate the connection."

"You want to reopen the link with Lord Malcolm's amberglass?" Jace asked dubiously.

Delia shook her head. "Better. Using remnants of Ezra's magic, I should be able to open a channel between the object of his spells and him. We can spy on Ezra just like Lord Malcolm spied on us. See what he sees, hear what he hears, feel what he feels. We can find out what they're planning."

"That's brilliant work, Delia," Raelyn said. "But fruitless. You're not strong enough yet to cast a spell that powerful, and we have nothing with Ezra's magic on it."

"Neal can cast it," Delia said. "And as for Ezra's magic—"

"We have me," said Sapphire.

A beat. Aaron's stomach clenched.

"She's overflowing with remnants of his magic," Delia said eagerly. "And the spells are fresh. It's perfect. I can open up a channel with Sapphire as the anchor."

Raelyn glanced between Sapphire and Delia. "You two have talked about this already."

"I didn't want to suggest it if Sapphire wasn't willing," said Delia. "There are certain risks."

"Which I accept," said Sapphire.

"What risks?" Jace and Aaron asked in unison. Jace glanced at him and Aaron leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

Delia bit her lip. "It's a new spell, one I've written myself, which means there could be unforeseen consequences. I could have made a mistake. And connections are inherently unstable things. It's possible that Ezra could use the link to his own advantage."

"To hurt Sapphire," Jace suggested.

Delia glanced at the blue-haired scout. "It's possible."

"Then we can't do it," said Aaron. He didn't realize how vehemently he'd spoken until Katrina raised her eyebrows. He lowered his voice. "We can't take the risk."

"The chances are slim," Delia pressed. "I've done everything I can to build protections into the spell. The connection will be temporary, a few minutes and Neal can pull her out."

"Then why not use me?" Aaron shot back. "Ezra cast an illusion on me, too."

Delia shook her head. "The traces are fresher and stronger with Sapphire. Repeated spells leave more powerful marks. The remnants clinging to you are too faint to sustain the spell."

"But Ezra wanted Sapphire," said Aaron. "We can't just give him what he wants."

"It's the only way we'll find out what he's up to," argued Sapphire.

Jace chewed the inside of his cheek. "The information would be valuable."

"Agreed," said Raelyn. "But we have to think this through. Carefully. Neal, would you even be willing to cast such a spell?"

Neal shrugged his shoulders. "I do whatever the pretty lady tells me," he said. "And if it helps save our skins, so much the better."

"It's too dangerous," said Aaron.

Sapphire glared at him. "That's not your decision to make."

Useless, useless, useless.

"No," said Jace. "It's our decision. We're in uncharted waters now and we need each other. We need our team. Whatever we do, I want us all behind it." He shot a sideways look at Aaron. "And right now, it doesn't look like we are."

Delia exhaled sharply and Raelyn leaned back in frustration. Sapphire stared at Aaron until he met her gaze, then glanced away.

"Well then," said Katrina. "Now that's cleared up, I've got some weapons checks to do." She stood, and all those around the table stood with her.

Aaron held the door as they all filed out of the cabin. He watched Jace heave open the trap door to the undercastle and help Delia down the steps.

Guess they decided not to kill each other after all.

Behind him, Sapphire hadn't moved. She sat still at the empty table, staring at the wall.

Aaron closed the door. "I know what you're doing."

"I'm trying to help," Sapphire growled. "What are you doing?"

"You don't need to prove yourself, Sapphire. You know who you are, and so do we."

Sapphire shoved to her feet. "I've never known who I am. And if you think you do..."

In a flash she was inches from Aaron's face, staring him down. The heat of her closeness sent his heart into his throat.

"You're being naïve," she hissed.