Free Wandering Star: A Zodiac Novel by Romina Russell Page B

saves us seats so that I can say a longer goodbye to Stanton. As I look into my brother’s face, I think of the flickering of Thebe in the Ephemeris and how I stayed silent while Stanton was in danger. My mind travels back a decade, and I see the bubbles in the Cancer Sea that foreshadowed the Maw’s attack. I stayed silent then, too.
    “Come with us,” I say, taking his hand.
    He frowns. “This is
your
calling, Rho . . . mine’s here.”
    “I saw Ophiuchus in the Psy yesterday. He told me Capricorn is the true target, not Sagittarius.” I say it real quick so that I don’t have to hear the words or consider their meaning.
    “I know.”
    I blink. “You
know
?”
    “Aryll told me. He also told me his theory about Ochus being an invention, and I think it’s worth considering. I’m happy you can talk to him, Rho.”
    Stanton’s gentle tone sounds like Dad’s again, and I realize how much I wish we still had someone to tell us what to do right now and take care of us and shield us from our fears—a
parent
. Only as I think of the word’s meaning, it’s not Mom or Dad who come to mind.
    Stanton’s right. He’s always been more than a brother—he raised me. And now, to both of our dismays, I’ve outgrown his protection.
    “I love you,” I say, pulling him in for a bone-crushing hug.
    “Love you, too,” he whispers, and then I step up to the shuttle, refusing to look back, so I won’t cry. I feel like I’m twelve years old again, boarding the ship to Elara and deserting the person I love most in the Zodiac.
    Just as I’m stepping through the door, a Chronicler calls my name. “Rhoma Grace! A package for you from Sage Ferez.”
    I accept the small box and step inside the ship, which is a long cylinder lined with reclining levlan seats on both sides. It’s built for speed, not comfort; we’ll get to Sagittarius in under a day.
    I spot Aryll’s red hair and make for the seat next to his, suddenly stricken by how much even he’s reminding me of myself from five years ago, when I left home for the first time. How lonely it felt to leave behind everything I loved. Only in Aryll’s case, everything he loved left him.
    An offer of friendship was the only way I got through that trip to Elara.
    “Aryll,” I say, sitting down beside him, “I know you have an easier time talking to my brother, and that’s totally fine. But I want you to know I’m here for you. I’m going to look out for you like Stanton did. You’re not alone.”
    Aryll’s gaze grows glassy, and he nods at me without speaking. He’s clasping the locket in his fingers again, like it’s for good fortune. I give him some privacy by looking down at my lap and focusing on the box from Sage Ferez.
    When I pop the lid, the first thing I find is a note:
    Until you are reunited with your true Ephemeris, this one is on loan to you from the Zodiax. It is said to have belonged to Vecily Matador of House Taurus before she became Guardian and a member of the Trinary Axis. Should you find time to indulge in the mind’s most sacred act, I Waved you a text on Guardian Matador that I think you will find most illuminating. Safe travels.
    I set the note aside and find a heart-shaped device that looks like it’s been carved from bone. Rolling the Ephemeris around in my hand, I feel the buzzing of the Abyssthe in its core responding to the Abyssthe in my Ring.
    “You really made an impression on him,” says Aryll, reading over my shoulder.
    Since we’re taking off, I put the Ephemeris back in the box and stuff it in my bag. After buckling in, I say, “Aryll . . . if, for whatever reason, I don’t make it—”
    “I’ll return the stone to Ferez,” he says in a low tone. “But only if you never bring that up again.”
    I nod just as an automated voice speaks through the ship.
“This shuttle is now taking off. Please enjoy your trip. We will be landing on Sagittarius in nineteen galactic hours.”
    The engine vibrates across the