Mischief in the Stars

Aisles of Stars

Rory kept her head down as she marched through the long hallways. Her heart beating rapidly against her chest, she made sure to keep her long brown hair in front of her face, giving her a mask to hide behind. Members of the coven were running around. She noticed they were all wearing gowns and tuxedos, clearly dressed for the Pacem Ball. They were so busy with preparations for the ball that they didn't notice Rory walking around freely. Finally making it to the cellar door, she saw a flash of familiar white hair and red streaks from the corner of her eyes.

She froze, locking eyes with Valery.

Please, don't say anything! Please! Rory pleaded desperately in her head.

Rory waited to see what Valery would do. She gave her a look, trying to tell her that she didn't have to be their weapon- that she was more than that. Rory saw into her mind, and she clearly did not want to go with them. She had no choice in the matter, but now she had one. Valery got to choose if Rory had a chance of surviving or if she had none at all.

The girl nodded subtly to her before disappearing down a corridor.

Rory let out a heavy sigh of relief before quickly rushing down the stairs. She checked once to make sure the coast was clear, and she saw the cell the way she left it. The guards remained on the ground while her friends tower over them. She charged into the room confidently as everyone's head turned to her.

"They're all leaving for the Pacem Ball. Not many people are left. Caeler won't be bothering us for the time being."

"Freyr, what did you do?" Channing breathed out, intrigued. Rory almost thought he messed up her name before she remembered that the word seems to be some sort of slang. She made a mental note to ask about it at some other time.

"We had a stimulating conversation with some light coercion, truly did the trick," Rory rushed out smugly.

"Atta' girl!" Aidan shouted excitedly, pumping his fist in the air once. "Threatening people into getting what she wants, I'm both proud and terrified of her!"

His sister let out a quick chuckle before nodding her head towards the door. "Come on, we have to go find Aurora and get out of here! They're all going to the Pacem Ball, and we need to get there to warn the others. Make sure to stagger leaving and keep your head down; if no one gets caught, we all live. See? Simple!"

Rory didn't wait for a response, rushing back to the stairs. She turned for a moment, making sure they were following her. Channing grinned at her, giving her a quick salute as he followed. Feeling a surge of reassurance, she ascended the staircase. Rory vaguely heard Eliphas cast a spell, likely to keep the two guards from escaping. There were only a few members of the coven left, and luckily, none of them were in this hallway. She tried desperately to feel the connection she had with Aurora, but there was nothing there. She wondered if the coven had placed a spell to block it so that Rory wouldn't be able to find her.

Rory wandered through the coven, careful not to draw attention to herself. She made sure to hide her scarred hand against her body. Caeler surely had bragged about what he did to her. If a coven member saw the scar, they may realize she broke out of the cell. She hoped that Aurora was still in this building, Caeler had to have been lying to her when he said Aurora isn't here.

Then... she felt a pull.

But this pull was different. It was not the connection she felt with Aurora- it was the one she had with the stars. Somehow, it was even stronger. Her skin began to prickle slightly, feeling the energy trying to draw her in. She felt a shiver down her spine at the allure of the power. Rory wanted to ignore it, but for some reason, she couldn't walk away from it. Without even realizing it, she started in the direction of the pull.