Starrlings 1: House of Fire

chapter 38

A R I

"What are you going to do?" Bell asked.

"I'd better tell Katja," Ari said. She was starting to feel a nagging sense of worry. She'd been so focussed on the princess that she'd almost ignored the prince. Lumiko hadn't laid a toe out of line since arriving at Hilverton, but what if her brother had? What did he do in the evenings, when he left the house without his sister and his followers? Where did he go? What had Ari missed, while she'd been staked out on the cemetery wall?

Ari led Bell up around the Old Building and towards the House of Winter, only to find Tom outside. He was adjusting the saddle straps on the wolf's back, between his wings, but as Ari approached he dropped from Kobuk's back and onto the ground.

"The very wards of winter and water I was looking for," Tom said. "Isabella Domez, your sister informs me you have an interest in dragons."

"I love dragons," Bell said with a grin.

"Then I'd say it's in your best interest to join me at the new charging pitch today. Take the train straight to Falcon Junction, and you'll be able to walk from there."

Ari opened her mouth.

"You don't have money for a train ticket?" Tom asked with a grin. He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Ari. "I just so happen to have two tickets spare."

Tom pulled himself onto the back of his black wolf. Ari noticed that today he was wearing charging gear - thick black clothes woven with estellaine fibre, which provided protection against fire.

"I'll see you there," he said cheerfully, as he settled into the saddle, just as Kobuk released his wings. "Don't miss the train!"

Kobuk started off at a galloping run down the street, and then took off into the air with the momentum. Ari and Bell watched the black wolf soar into the sky.

Bell snatched the envelope from Ari's hand and pulled out the train tickets. "Ari," she said, big brown eyes staring at Ari with excitement. "It's not just train tickets... these are tickets to the ceremony! The train leaves in less than an hour!"

Ari stared after Tom as he disappeared over the mountains. "But I need to tell Katja about Taikku! She needs to know that the fire prince is up to something."

"I swear, if you make me miss the train because of the fire prince..."

Ari managed to convince Bell that they had time, as she rushed through the House of Winter, looking for Katja. She wasn't in the grand hall, with the long dining table, or in the drawing room with the comfortable armchairs. Neither was she upstairs in her own chamber, and Sanna's chamber was empty.

Ari even dragged Bell to the kinnhouses, where, trying to contain her fear, Ari forced herself to look inside to see if Katja was around. The winter princess was nowhere to be found.

"Ari, if we don't go now we're going to miss that train!" Bell said.

Ari was torn. She knew she'd missed something vital - Taikku was acting suspiciously, and it was her duty to report it to Katja - but if they missed this train, she knew her sister would never forgive her.

She had to choose her sister.

The walk to the village took them up through woodland, and then through fields of sheep, and then finally they arrived at Arbury town, where the steam train was already waiting.

The two of them ran to meet the train, showed their tickets, and found a seat just as the train rumbled to a start.

"You can tell Katja about the fire prince tonight," Bell reasoned.

It was easy to forget about the fire prince as Arbury disappeared behind them. Their train took them through the industrial outskirts of the city - factories that spewed towers of smoke into the air, and warehouses loading crates of goods onto train carriages, ready to be delivered into the city.

And then into the heart of New Hamilton, and to its very edge, where the city dipped off the side of the cliff and down towards the ocean below. Falcon Junction was nestled at the top of the white cliffs. The station was the busiest in the city, combining platforms for the regional rail trains that travelled to Arbury and beyond, as well as trams that traversed the overground of the city, and the subway cars that took travellers deep below the surface.

Outside the train station, they were almost blown away by icy winds coming in from the ocean. It was the last day of autumn, and the freezing winds from the Dorth were already heralding the arrival of the wind and winter seasons.

From the train station there was a freshly-constructed passageway connecting travellers to the brand new charging pitch - the Falcon Nest. Ari and Bell followed signs - and hundreds of people - down the winding white stone path. As they rounded a corner in their steep descent they were afforded their first look at the Falcon Nest.

It was carved into the white rock of the cliff, a feat of spring starrling strength that had taken the last three years to build. As long as Ari had lived in New Hamilton she had only known the Falcon Nest to be a mess of construction work that had closed streets and caused diversions. But now it was finally opening.

The grandstands for the audience were set into the cliffs, and looked out across the ocean. It would fit thousands of charging fans who would pack the seats, wearing the colours of their favourite charger, and watch the spectacle below. Jutting out from the stands was the pitch, shining fresh-polished stone. It was far longer than it was wide, traversing the length of the cliff. Charging competitors would start at either side of the pitch and charge toward each other, into battle.

The girls joined the queue of ticket holders to be let down through the gates and into the stadium. The ticket officer punched holes in their tickets - Bell insisted on keeping them as a souvenir - and then they found seats in the grandstand, looking down over the pitch.

"I've completely changed my mind," Bell said. "You need to do everything in your power to remain friends with Katja and Tom."

Ari grinned. She knew then that she would work as hard for Katja as she had worked for anything, so that she remained in the favour of the winter starrlings at least until they left school at the end of spring. Then her life would go back to normal.

• Author's Note •

Thanks for reading!

see you next chapter!

elle xx