Children with Stars in their Veins (Chapter 36)

a/n: hey, thanks for checking out Starry Veins! This is the novel I wrote for Round V of LMS, and it's still a first draft! While I don't discourage any feedback, I prefer not to receive feedback on grammar! I'm not polishing this draft up yet, so I'm not as concerned about editing. I am, of course, open to all feedback, but I ask that you keep this in consideration! Thanks <3

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[Rowan]

brief/vague mentions of physical assault/abuse.

Though it was not terribly cold, despite the common presence of snow that came and went as the warm weather swelled and rescinded, there was a noticeable shift in the air as the season began to change.

The weather smelled richer, if that were possible, and Rowan could almost taste the sweet apples back home, fresh from the tiny orchard in the confines of the village. It wouldn’t be harvest time for some time still, but as the Season of Reaping began, they grew more and more nostalgic for the things they loved and missed of this time of the year. Their birthday had passed, mostly forgotten, though they didn’t mind much.

There was not much in the way of farming here—what with the cold—only a few indoor complexes thick with magic and careful tending, as they attempted to cultivate enough food for themselves. There were some crops that grew in the cold, which fascinated Rowan. They were planted in small bunches right outside the gates, which they had visited a few times, both alone and with Caddy.

Caddy was not only sweet, but a wonderful conversationalist. She spoke of her experiences growing up in the orphanage, and of raising Hypatis mostly by herself. She had expressed interest in learning what Rowan knew of magic, though she was more of the swords and shield type herself.

Ember was restless, sitting now by one of the windows of the storage barn for a stable in the Blessed Gates, and shifting every few seconds. Cassius was lying beside Artemesa, next to a haybale so as to easily hide should anyone come in, who in turn was sleeping with her head on his chest. He kept picking through her feathers, like a monkey cleaning another off, and her ears would flick every so often. He looked… strangely different, though Rowan wasn’t entirely sure how. Alanna was attempting to braid Danica’s hair, though it seemed to be proving difficult for her.

Hypatis, sitting across from Rowan, set down a card onto the floor in front of them, glancing between Rowan’s and his sister’s carefully. Caddy did the same, and Rowan looked at their measly hand.

“I’m bored,” Cassius said, across the way. “There’s nothing to do here, we just sit inside all day and do nothing. I thought we were going to move on to Glacier’s Keep.”

“We’re still waiting for the escort that goes back and forth, don’t you remember?” Ember said and threw something at Cassius from her perch atop a pile of feed sacks. “It’s cheaper.”

The barn door opened and Enoch entered, carrying a pair of wooden, dulled swords in his hand. He threw one in Cassius’ direction, and it skittered to a stop several feet away from him.

“Get up,” Enoch said. “We’re going to train. You need to learn how to use a sword, so getting attacked like the three of you were isn’t as detrimental next time, and I know you’re the one who needs the most work.”

Cassius tilted his head back and wrinkled his nose in Enoch’s direction. “Ew, no. I avoided it every time Stormy and Em tried to convince me back home, I’m not going to up and start learning it now.”

“You are. You need to be able to defend yourself.” Enoch crossed his arms and scowled down at Cassius. “You’ve performed terribly under threat so far, and it will only get worse. Especially if you have mysterious pursuers.”

“Why?” Cassius rolled over, sending Artemesa sprawling onto the ground with a yelp and then an irritated huff. She nipped at him and he swatted her nose away. “I’ve got people all around me who know swords and stuff.”

“And they’re not always going to be there,” Enoch growled. “You’ll find yourself alone, at the end of a blade or an arrow or a fist one day, and suddenly you’ll wish you’d gotten over yourself just now to learn how to get yourself out of a situation like that.”

Alanna undid another braid in Danica’s thick hair, and began anew, this time on the side of her head. “Stormy taught Ember and I. He’s got a point, Raz, we’ve been getting attacked a lot.”

“She’s got sense at least, which is more than I can say about you,” Enoch said, pointedly.

“He knows how to shoot a crossbow,” Rowan pointed out. “Though I don’t disagree it could be useful, if not to hurt anyone, but to defend yourself. It’d be helpful for all of us to practise, anyway.”

Cassius was frowning now. “Everyone’s teaming up against me now?” He glanced towards the window. “Ember?”

She shrugged, kicking her legs out. “We tried to teach you back home,” she said quietly.

“You’re a pretty and little thing,” Enoch said. “Getting pursued or not, you’ll want to keep anyone who doesn’t belong off you for any reason they think they’re allowed. Not everyone is kind, not everyone can control their anger. Get up, Cassius.”

Rowan set down their cards as Cassius’ expression twisted, then fell. Ember leapt down from her haystack as Artemesa shifted beside him, drifting back to sleep. Ember nudged his leg with her foot. “Don’t worry, Rascal, I’ll keep your pretty face safe. Someone wants to poke their fists or swords or arrows were they don’t belong, I’ll find a hammer and stick it where it doesn’t belong.” She bent down to pat his head. “You should still learn though.”

“At least learn how to use Mishal’s dagger,” Rowan said.

Cassius’ face went red. “I just happened to grab it. I would have grabbed a crossbow if I could, but Mum kept putting it back in my room after I tried to throw it away.”

Rowan’s mouth twitched. “I’m sure you did.”

“Can I train against them first?” Cassius asked, scowling.

“No,” Enoch said, and used his sword to point to the one he’d thrown towards Cassius. “Pick it up.”

“Can you use a crossbow?” Danica asked. She turned her head, though was careful not to disrupt Alanna’s work. “It might be worth finding one if you’re already adept with that.”

Cassius picked up the sword like he thought it was going to bite it. He held it in such a way that it drooped towards the floor, tip touching the ground. “I can,” he said, and sounded rather put out about it.

“Danica taught Hypatis and I how to fight,” Caddy said quietly, as she leaned towards Rowan. “Do you know any sword work?”

Rowan turned away from Cassius as he continued to protest his training. “I’m more adept with magic. Understanding how to wield language and ask for magic has always come easier to me than swinging around with a pointy stick. Only occasionally did I practise with Mishal.”

Caddy smiled at pointy stick. “You all have mentioned Mishal and Isadora several times now,” she said. “What happened to them?”

“Our Guildmaster formed an expedition to go to the Marrow Valley ruins.” They frowned. “Isadora and Mishal were the oldest of the six of us. Isa is Alanna’s older sister. The two of them were chosen to go on the expedition.” They inhaled deeply. There were more things to put their energy into, and yet, there was still traces of the lingering frustration at being left behind. “You know, we were left behind because it was supposed to be safer. But that quite clearly did not turn out as such.”

“I’m sorry,” Caddy said. “You still aren’t sure why these Grey Masks are after you guys?”

They glanced over as everyone shuffled outside—save for Artemesa who wasn’t allowed to—to watch Cassius train. Artemesa stood and clamoured over to Rowan, where she flopped beside them and put her head into their lap. They stroked her head and she made a noise not unlike a cat’s purr.

“No.” Possibly. But telling anyone, even Cadelia, what they knew about their own heritage seemed like bad idea. They weren’t even done wrapping their head around it, and telling other people they had trueblood seemed both unbelievable and dangerous. “They knew our names though. That’s been bothering me. And not just our names, but nobody, save for someone she adores back home, calls Ember by her real name, she hates it, so most people actually think her name is Ember. Whoever it is knows of us, well, but I can’t imagine why that would be. We’ve spent our whole lives in the Chronicler’s Guild. And I can’t think of anyone who would have a grudge against the Chronicler’s Guild, or our Guildmaster, either. Unless there’s other things I don’t know.”

Caddy drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin atop them. “The Chronicler’s Guild is well known, it’s one of the more prominent guilds, though I’ve heard that a lot of people discredit you guys and believe you’ll fall away soon since you can’t get into the ruins. But I mean, it wouldn’t be so surprising if someone had made an enemy.”

Rowan itched the base of Artemesa’s stubby horns, which she pushed her head into their hand happily. “No, I guess not. It’s strange to think that way about people I’ve grown up around, but I suppose the worst rivalry I’ve seen is Mishal and Cassius’ constant spats, and those were mostly stupid or childish things.”

“Is that why Cassius doesn’t like anyone mentioning his dagger is Mishal’s?”

“Well, it’s Cassius’ dagger. Mishal gave it to him to try to calm him down once. It went horribly, Cassius said it looked stupid. That was years ago, I can’t believe he still has it.” They shook their head. “He hated when Mishal did anything nice for him more than when Mishal got angry with him.”

Caddy raised an eyebrow. “What an odd thing to be upset about.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Have you ever had any visitors to the guild?”

They contemplated this as they moved to Artemesa’s other horn. “Not many. There’s been travellers that came to the village, and some acquaintances of someone or another who came to the guild, but I don’t remember anyone specifically. One of our guild members travels a lot, establishing connections for Margaretta and looking for any kind of information.”

“Like a spy?” she asked, surprised.

Rowan laughed. “I mean, I’ve never asked, but knowing Jax, probably. He originally worked for the old Guildmaster as something of a personal guard, but he’s always been more loyal to Margaretta. Our current Guildmaster.” Their mouth fell open. “Oh.”

“What?”

“It might be nothing, I was really young when it happened, so I honestly only know about it second-hand, but… Well, the old Guildmaster, he wasn’t a kind man. Supposedly he would employ harsh terms and punishments for anyone he believed stepped out of line. Margaretta succeeded him, she was his scribe, but he didn’t die. I… actually don’t know what happened to him.”

Caddy lifted her head. “But he had to be removed somehow,” she said. “And he would have known who the four of you were.”

“He would have, yes.” Rowan frowned. “A handful of others ‘left’ the guild around the same time. I only have vague memories of them, but I know that.”

And if Ember’s parents— Wait. Even before that. Cassius had said he overhead the whole council discussing the missing trueblood heirs, which meant the council and Margaretta had known too. And Salvador had been Guildmaster before the six of them had even been born, so whatever the Guild had done to acquire them as children…

“Rowan?”

They shook their head to clear it. Artemesa was looking up at them unhappily, as they had stopped petting her. They let out a long breath.

“It’s nothing,” they said. “Just a thought. Let’s go see how Cassius is getting along with his new lessons.”

word count:

1,975