Tella had half expected to see Caspar or Nigel or another of Legendโs players, but this young man was foreign to her. It felt like further confirmation the game had turned very real, or that Tella was on the wrong path. She believed that to win Caraval all she needed to do was find her motherโs Deck of Destinyโbut believing something didnโt make it true.
Doubt nipped at her as she stepped inside the Temple of the Stars.
The man who opened the door really could have been a carving come to life. His arms and legs, and the parts of him that Tella could see peeking out from all the leathers covering his chest and thighs, looked more like stone than muscle. Maybe he didnโt tower quite so high as the statues outside the sanctuary, but he was taller than Dante. The sort of tall that made Tella tilt her neck to fully see his face.
She swallowed a gasp as she caught sight of his cheek.
The right half of his face was almost too flawless, from his square jaw to his aquiline nose and the dark kohl around his upswept eyes. But all Tella saw when she looked at the left half was the brand burned into his cheekโa brutal eight-pointed star with a symbol in the center made of intricate knots that Tella didnโt recognize.
She tried to avert her eyes, but she was certain he caught her staring. As if to taunt her, he traced the ruthless lines of the star with the tip of one finger.
But though his face was branded, a silver circlet crowned his brow, and a royal-blue cloak draped from his right shoulder held in place by a silver pin that matched the signet ring on the finger heโd used to trace his cheek. He
must have been in a position of power, which only made her more nervous. If the temple was as wicked as everyone said, this severe young man must have done unspeakable things to rise to the top of it.
โIโm Theron.โ With one simple bend of his wrist, as if used to having others follow his commands, he bade Tella and Dante walk deeper into the foyer.
The ceiling arched above them like a series of interconnected wings, all black with pinpricks of gold clustered together like constellations. Below, the octagonal space was primarily filled by a triple-tiered fountain that dripped candlelight. The floors were white soapstone; shiny enough to reflect the glowing gate covering the double doors at the back wall.
It felt like the sort of place a person was meant to whisper. Tella had the sudden urge to take off her slippers, as if they might soil the spotless floors. Though for all its glimmer and shimmer, there was something insidious about the place. More stone statues lined the walls, as lifelike as the ones in the front, only these were all frozen with expressions of shock, horror, and pain.
โOur temple is fueled by ancient magic from the stars,โ Theron said. โThe vaults beneath are more secure than any in the world but occasionally fools think they can break in and steal from them.โ
โGood thing weโre not planning on stealing anything,โ said Tella.
Theron didnโt so much as crack a smile. โWhat exactly do you want here?โ
โI have a question aboutโโ
โIf youโre here for the game, we do not possess any clues,โ Theron cut in. โWe are also not a tourist attraction like many of the other basilicas. To move beyond this hall and have your questions answered, youโll have to prove your motives arenโt tainted and that you truly seek the stars.โ He led Tella and Dante farther in to a lone ivory pedestal topped off by a hammered copper bowl, old and battered compared to everything else. โFor our examination, we require one drop of blood.โ
Dante side-eyed Tella.
But she didnโt need him to remind her how powerful a drop of blood could be. Dante and Julian had used blood to heal her after the Undead
Queen and Her Handmaidens had attacked her, but blood could also be used to steal things, like days.
โI only need a prick of one finger.โ Theron held out his right hand, revealing a black-banded starburst-shaped opal ring, sharp enough to slice skin, and bitingly familiar.
It looked remarkably like her motherโs.
Elantine was right.
Tellaโs eyes shot down to her hand. Both ringsโ stones were raw and starburst shaped. But the color of Theronโs was different. His stone was black, with embers of pulsing blue and threads of green. Tellaโs was fiery, glowing lavender surrounded by a center of burning cherry with a thin line of gold down the middle that made it look like a spark about to catch flame. But even before it had shifted colors after her motherโs disappearance, it had been much lighter than Theronโs.
โYour ring,โ Tella asked, โis it just for pricking fingers, or does it represent something else?โ
โYou havenโt earned the answer to that question.โ โWhat if I have a similar ring?โ Tella held out her hand. Danteโs gaze narrowed and landed on Tellaโs finger.
A crease formed between Theronโs kohl-lined eyes. โHow did that come into your possession?โ
โIt was my motherโs.โ โIs she dead?โ
โNo.โ
โShe should not have given that to you.โ โWhy not? What does it mean?โ
โIt means she owes a debt to us that has not been paid.โ Dante tensed beside Tella.
This wasnโt good news, but it was better than no information at all.
โThe ring on your finger is a key,โ Theron said. โIf it truly belonged to your mother, she must have placed something in our vaults that can only be retrieved with the ring. However, the color of it signifies itโs been cursed.โ
โHow do I break the curse?โ
โThe only way is to fulfill her debt,โ Theron answered flatly. โUntil that payment is made, the key on your finger will not work to open her vault.โ
โTellaโโ Danteโs tone hinted at a warning.
But whatever it was, Tella didnโt want to hear it. Her mother had not only been here but something of hers was in the vaults. Maybe it was the Deck of Destiny Tella needed to find. Or maybe it was something else that would tell Tella more about who her mother had been.
โWhat does she owe?โ Tella asked. โWhat did she place in your vaults?โ โI cannot answer those questions,โ said Theron. โBut the ring can. It has
a memory, activated by blood. If it truly was your motherโs, your blood should bring forth a vision of what she promised us. All you need to do is prick your finger with one of its tips and drop the blood in the bowl.โ
โTellaโโ Dante growled. โI donโt think you shouldโโ
But Tella was already pressing the tip of her finger to her motherโs old ring. Red pooled, rose-petal bright, before falling into the copper basin and turning white.
Tella held her breath as the milky drop of blood transformed into a fog that reflected the image of a woman standing in front of a bowl exactly like the one before Tella. But it wasnโt just any woman. It was Tellaโs mother, Paloma. She was older than sheโd looked in the picture Tella had seen in Elantineโs Most Wantedโshe appeared to be around the same age as when sheโd disappeared from Trisda. But she looked so much harsher than Tella remembered. There were no hints of her enigmatic smile, no sparkle in her dark eyes. This was a callous version of her mother that Tella was unfamiliar with.
In the vision, Paloma wasnโt dressed in a sheet like Tella, or if she was, it was concealed by the dark blue cloak she wore. She appeared to be speaking with someone, but whoever she spoke with was merely a shadow.
โParadise the Lost,โ said the shadow. Its voice sounded like smoke come life. Thick and heavy and stifling. โI thought you swore to never make another bargain with us.โ
โVows are made to broken,โ Paloma said. โApparently spells are, too, because the one you placed on my cards to conceal them grew weak.โ
โThatโs why we suggested putting them in our temple vaults, with the other items weโre holding for you.โ
โSuggested?โ Paloma snorted. โI thought you said I couldnโt put them in my vault.โ
โNo, we said you would need to pay an extra price.โ Paloma stiffened.
โSo you do remember,โ said the voice. โAnd since we are generous, the offer still stands.โ
โFor the same price as before?โ
โYes. Be grateful we are not requiring more to protect such a terrible item.โ
โWhat more could you ask from a mother than to give up her firstborn child?โ
โWe could ask for your second-born as well.โ
โIโd never give them both to you,โ Paloma said. โBut you can have my second-born.โ
โWhat use to us is your second child,โ asked the shadow, โaside from being a pretty ornament?โ
โIโve seen the future. Sheโll possess great power. If you donโt believe me, I have the cards to prove it. Though I think weโre all better off if I never use them again.โ Paloma lifted her chin stubbornly. โThe curse imprisoning the Fates is losing power. It weakens every time the cards are used.โ
โThatโs not our concern.โ
โIt should be. More Fates will escape. Let me use your vaults to hide these cards while I search for a way to destroy them. Unless you want this place of worship to become the Temple of the Fallen Starโbecause I guarantee that if the Fates return, they will only allow people to worshipย them.โ
The shadowy figured appeared to darken, turning from smoky gray to almost black.
โVery well,โ it said at last. โGive us your second-born daughter and we will let you use our vaults to hold your accursed cards.โ
โDone.โ Paloma used a knife to slice her palm. โMy daughterโโ
โNo!โ Tella knocked the copper bowl from the pedestal, destroying the image before it could show her any more awful things. โMy mother had no right to do that!โ Tella shook her head, ripping her fingers through her curls as she backed away. โEven if that image is real, Iโm not hers to give away.โ
โAnd yet,โ Theron said, โshe already has. Itโs been pledged in blood.
Once youโโ
Tella started running before Theron could finish. He saidย once you, which made it sound as if Tella had to do something before they could take her, and she didnโt plan on allowing that to happen, ever. Tella would never belong to anyone.
Theron didnโt follow. Maybe that meant it had been a test and that what sheโd seen wasnโt real, or maybe he didnโt have to follow, because people only chased after things they didnโt already possess.
From the sound of it Dante did not pursue her either, though Tella didnโt spare so much as a look behind her as she raced down the Temple of the Starsโs steps. Her worthless sheet nearly ripped in her haste, but she didnโt stop running.
Scarlett had been right. Her mother had been worse than her father. At least heโd waited until Scarlett was of age before selling her off like a goat. Tellaโs chest had never felt so hollow. Sheโd sacrificed everything for her mother, risked her freedom and her life, believing her mother still loved her and needed her. But the truth was sheโd never cared. Not only had she left Tella, sheโd given her away like a used dress.
Tella could have kept running, but her slippers were starting to tear, and the roads had turned unfamiliar.
Uneven grass, made dark by the night, rubbed against her shoes. Rather than incense and oils, the air smelled of thick beers and tart berry ciders. With a quick sweep of her eyes Tella saw temporary stages, and theatrical curtains hanging from trees.
Sheโd stumbled into a park. But Tella had no idea to what part of the city it belonged.
Not the Spice Quarter. Everything was far too pretty. From the street vendorsโ deep-fried confections dusted with crushed violets and sugar to the bejeweled dresses worn by the women and the shining weapon-belts
ornamenting the men. Only the swords on the belts did not look real, and neither did the womenโs jewels.
It seemed sheโd run right into the middle of a small festival made of park-plays, or some sort of fair to celebrate the empressโs upcoming birthdayโperhaps for all of the Valendans not participating in Caraval. Curious gazes were moving in her direction. But Tella doubted anyone would mistake her for one of the performers. Unless these particular plays involved a female sacrifice, Tella was dressed entirely wrong. The women here were all covered up by bell-sleeved gowns with flowing skirts, while Tella had naked legs and exposed arms. Suddenly she was freezing. Now that sheโd stopped, fatigue hit her like a wave of ice, leaving her shaken and out of breath, without a properly working heart to warm her up.
Spying a vendor selling cloaks, Tella snatched a dark one that looked about her size.
โThief!โ screamed the vendor. Tella started to sprint.
โGive that back!โ A heavy set of arms knocked her into the ground, and a weighty chest pressed her into the rough grass.
โGetoffame!โ She tried to wriggle free. โYoucanhaveyourfilthyfabricback!โ
The vendor rolled off her, and yanked the cloak from her shoulders. But he left a hand on her neck, and squeezed. Hard and tight. Until Tella felt the cords of her throat rub together. โDirty thief.โ He kept her face pinned to the ground. โThis will teach you not toโโ
โLet go of her!โ roared a voice.
The hand was ripped from Tellaโs neck. Then arms were scooping Tella up, pulling her tight to a pounding chest that smelled of ink and sweat and fury.
โI believe itโs against the law to kill someone for borrowing a cloak,โ Dante snarled at the vendor.
Splotches of angry red colored the manโs bearded face. โShe wasnโt borrowing it. She stole it!โ
โThatโs not what it looked like to me,โ Dante said. โThe cloakโs in your hands now. I never saw it in hers. But I did see you trying to kill her.โ
The vendor sputtered a string of curses.
โGive us the garment and I wonโt have you arrested,โ Dante said.
Tella could only see his chest from this angle, but she imagined he looked like a warriorโstanding there without a shirt in all his godlike splendor and dressed like a vengeful star just fallen from the heavens.
โFine,โ grumbled the man. โI donโt want the soiled thing anymore.โ โAnd Iโll take one for myself, in black.โ Danteโs voice was merciless, a
tone Tella had never heard cross his lips, yet everything he did with her was gentle. He tenderly tucked the cape around her bare shoulders and shaking legs.
โAre you all right?โ he asked.
Tella wished she could have nodded or laughed and teased him for being so concerned. But when she tried to laugh it sounded strangled, and when she attempted to nod her head fell pathetically onto his chest.
She didnโt want to cry. Neither the filthy vendor nor her mother was worthy of a single tear. But while Tella could easily shake off the feel of the vendorโs rough hands, she couldnโt do the same with the words her mother had said. Not only had her mother left her, sheโd sold Tella off. Not Scarlett; that hadnโt even been a consideration. It seemed her mother hadnโt been without love. She just hadnโt loved Tella.
More tears fell from Tellaโs eyes.
โI hope she dies!โ Tella didnโt know if sheโd muttered it, or raged it. โFor years I prayed to any saint who might be listening to please keep her alive until I was able to find her. I wasted all my prayers on her, and she gave me away like a stained rag. But I take it all back!โ Tella did shout then. โI take it all back! You can let her die or rot in her paper prison. I donโt care anymore. I donโt care anymore.โฆโ
Tella didnโt know how many times she muttered those last four words.
Dante just kept stroking her hair and her back with strong, comforting fingers as he continued to carry her. Occasionally heโd press something that felt like a kiss to the top of her head. But it wasnโt until she fell silent that he finally asked, โWhere do you want me to take you?โ
โSomewhere to forget.โ