Chapter 17: Antares

Antares slowly opened his eyes, the starry night sky greeting him with small winks of light as the leaves of a tree swayed in and out of the view above him. The smell of smoke matched the sound of crackling wood, and he slowly sat up, his eyes straining to adjust to the night. His throat was painfully dry, and he felt a faint ache thrumming through his head. A dark grey cloak lay across his body, sliding off as he lifted himself up.

What…where am I?

“You’re awake. Here, have some water.”

Startled, Antares whipped his head to the direction of the voice, a small headache throbbing from his burnout. The fire sat between him and the mysterious person. Still half asleep, he squinted to get a better look.

In an instant, it all came rushing back to him. His arrest, Rigel, burning out his Gift, the stranger. A sudden panic began to creep up on him, and he nervously began to rake his fingers through his unruly hair. He had run from the Guard. How was he going to get back? How was he going to prove that he had nothing to do with the Silmorite they found?

His eyes slowly brought things into focus, and he stared at the woman in front of him.

“I’m serious, you passed out after we ran. You looked nearly dead. Take some water.”

She was undoubtedly pretty, beautiful even, but something about her held a vaguely threatening aura. Her long, silvery white hair was tied up high on her head, the hood of her cloak resting on her shoulders. With her face exposed, shadows played against her sharp jaw and lips, and gave a warm glow to her smooth skin. Antares could spot a clean, tightly fit shirt hidden under her cloak and a few blades perched at her hip. She held one of them in her hand, using it to carve pieces out of an apple.

The girl looked up at him, her striking blue eyes lighting up in the light of glowing fire as it danced against her inhumanly pale complexion. A flask of water sat next to her, and she nudged it with her foot towards him. Instinct overtook all feelings of caution, and Antares quickly shuffled over to grab it.

The cool water was a relief, and he had to stop himself before drinking it all, knowing he would only throw it back up. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he shot a suspicious glance at the woman, who was lifting a slice of apple to her mouth. She looked youthful, yet experienced, maybe only a few years older than himself.

“Who are you?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

She stretched her hand out, holding the slice she was about to eat. “Apple?”

Noticing the pile of the fruit near them, he reached over to grab a whole one instead, groaning as his body protested.

She popped the piece in her mouth. “You really knocked yourself out, you know. You might as well have teleported, going at that speed.”

“Why did you help me?” he immediately asked, taking a bite of his fruit. Antares wasn’t going to trust her so easily.

“You clearly needed help,” she said with a shrug, throwing a core into the fire in front of them. “Can’t I be kind enough to offer my assistance?”

“Says the woman hanging around that part of Aldebaran? No way.”

She didn’t say anything in return, and they both fell quiet as they ate from their fruit. Antares looked around him, taking the final bites of his apple. They seemed to be in a farmland, no doubt at the outskirts of Aldebaran, with a forest past the field. He could see a road in the distance from the log on which he sat, its path barren in the darkness of the night. The apple tree stood near the edges of a grove, and its leaves lightly rustled in the cool breeze. In the distance, Antares could make out the shape of the tall mountains, his home nestled somewhere in its folds.

Anatres shivered, inching slightly closer to the fire. He was still clothed in his Guard uniform, carrying nothing but his boots and a small blade.

My poetry book! I left it behind, he thought with a pang of despair, despite his current circumstances.

“My name is Astrid,” said the girl, breaking the silence.

Antares didn’t respond. He only stared into the dancing fire.

“So…what is a guard doing running away?”

“That’s none of your business,” Antares answered coldly.

“Judging by the green of your uniform, you seem to be a Terris Court guard. I assume you were deployed in the mountains? Or maybe Aldebaran.”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t.”

Astrid met his eyes, a slight look of annoyance on her face. “All right, Soldier Boy. Don’t tell me. We have more important things to discuss. I’m going to need your skills for something.”

Antares raised an eyebrow. “My skills?”

A nod. “You seem smart and resourceful enough to pull it off with me. Besides, I don’t think you have much of a choice anyway.”

“Oh, really? I could just get up and leave, you know.”

“You’re a runaway, smartass. You clearly can’t be caught in public. Let’s not forget I saved you from that captain running after you. It’s pretty clear that you’re not going to get far on your own—your body is exhausted. You’re indebted to me now, whether you like it or not, and I’m going to use that debt in exchange for your help.” Astrid’s frown was accentuated by the firelight, giving her a strangely ghostly look.

Antares frowned, his mind churning. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Astrid was right. He knew his father, and there was no way he could waltz up to his home without getting arrested. He had no evidence to prove he was innocent.

“What’s the job?” he asked, an idea stirring in his head.

“So you’ll help?”

Antares paused. “It comes with a price.”

“You’re in no position to bargain.”

“You may be right, but I’d be much more inclined to do a job well if I get something more in return.” He tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips.

I can play this bartering game too.

She looked back at him blankly. “What is it?”

“Afterwards, you have to help me clear my name.”

A pause. “Of what, exactly?”

“If we succeed in whatever illegal thing you want me to do, then I’ll tell you all about it.”

Astrid pursed her lips, her eyes calculating. “Fine. Deal.”

“Not so fast, what is it exactly that you need help with?”

Leaning back on her hands, Astrid looked over him dourly, as though she was reconsidering her options. Antares was acutely aware of the weapons she had on her. He stared right back, waiting for an answer.

“The summer solstice is tomorrow.”

Antares nodded. Through all that had happened, he had forgotten about the holiday. “Yes, and?”

“I need to infiltrate a ball tomorrow night. One taking place in the Ash Court.” She slid the blade back into its sheath as she spoke.

“A ball?” he asked, confusion spread across his face. “You want to sneak into a ball?”

“That’s right.”

“I was expecting something a little more…risky.”

“We can’t all be fugitives. Your Gift is going to be incredibly helpful. I saw how fast you dashed into that alleyway.”

Antares sighed. “All right. What are we sneaking in for?”

“You help me get in. That’s all you need to know.”

Antares rolled his eyes. “So I’m going in blind?”

Astrid grinned, showing a row of clean, well-kept teeth. “That’s right, pretty boy.”

The fire was beginning to slowly die out, finishing up the last of the wood. Antares looked up at the sky, searching for any signs of dawn. He could tell that it would be a couple more hours before the sun would begin to show.

He pondered his options. He could easily get up, walk away, and figure out how to get home on his own, but he knew that it wasn’t realistic. He had no money nor supplies, and he couldn’t step foot into any major market without being recognized. And besides, even if he did manage to find his way back, it would all be for nothing. Did he really think his father would welcome him back home, forgetting everything that had happened? His mind flashed back to his father, and the grim expression he wore when he had declared Antares’ arrest. All that was waiting for Antares was prison at best.

“We’ll need to stop at a market for supplies then. You’ll have to pay for me.”

“So is that a yes?”

His eyes drifted to the white horse grazing in the quiet background, its reins tied to a tree. That must have been how they had gotten there so quickly. “And a horse. I need my own horse.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Deal?” Astrid stretched her hand out, waiting.

“You’ll help me afterwards?”

Astrid huffed and nodded, waving her hand impatiently.

After a moment, Antares returned the handshake, gripping her cool fingers as he eyed her suspiciously.

“We’ll leave at dawn,” she said, getting up to stretch. “I’ll go find some firewood. You can keep that cloak, by the way. I think you’ll need it more than me.”

She began to walk towards the forest, but paused after a few steps. “You know, you never told me your name.”

He hesitated. “It’s Antares.”

Astrid tilted her head and smirked. “Glad to be working with you, Antares.”

She left him alone with the fire, Antares wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.