Autumn had faded to winter, and final exams had crept upon me like a Minningen wildcat stalking its prey. Even skimming the texts didn't help me keep up with all my required reading. With a groan, I slammed my Wizardry book shut and shoved it away from me, scattering my notes.
"I'm never going to understand astronomy."
Peter cocked his head and reached out for my hand. "How about an academically approved break? I know the perfect place to observe stars and planets."
"Where?"
"The Astronomy Tower," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "It'll be cold, but the sky is clear tonight, so it is the perfect time to observe. I specialized in the subject, and I can answer any questions you have."
Impressed, I exhaled a puff of air. "Is there anything you can't do?"
"Yes," he said. "I have weaknesses like any man."
"Such as?"
He smirked as he packed his bag. "I'm going to revel in this godlike perfection you think I have for a little while longer."
I gave him a pointed look until we both began to chuckle, and I gave him a playful jab in the ribs. "Come on, Peter. Let's go watch the stars."
Because it was cold, we jogged across campus on the gravel path. I slipped on some ice, and Peter caught me by the arm. We laughed, our breath ascending in white plumes.
"One moment," he said.
Peter unclasped his black leather jacket, shrugged it off, and draped it over my shoulders. After I put my arms through the sleeves, he gazed at me with a critical eye.
"Why does it look better on you?" he asked, cocking his head.
"You're crazy," I replied, staring at the sleeves. My hands didn't even reach the ends. "It's three sizes too big."
When we had approached the wrought iron door, Peter pulled out an old rusty key from his back pocket and unbolted the massive door. It swung open with a loud creak and for a second, I was sure that the noise would have reached the ears of security guards patrolling nearby. To my great relief, we snuck inside without them noticing, and Peter sealed the door shut behind us.
"Ignite," he whispered, and a flame flickered to life inside his palm.
Peter and I ascended the narrow circular staircase until we reached the uppermost level. Twelve large metal scopes peered through twelve arched viewing areas covering three hundred and sixty degrees of the stone dome.
Racing to one of the telescopes, I gasped in astonishment when I saw a star cluster. "My gods, Peter, why don't they teach Astronomy here?"
"You can see the rings of Thalia," he replied, adjusting the telescope. "Just look through the eyepiece."
Resting on my haunches, I stared through the lens. It transformed a tiny pinpoint of light into a giant blue sphere with white and gray rings.
"It looks like it's dancing," I said, astonished.
"It's atmospheric interference," he replied. "It makes stars look like they're twinkling."
"Is there a logical explanation for everything in the universe?"
"Rational laws explain the behavior of stars, planets, suns, and moons and almost everything else in the universe." Peter pursed his lips as he stared into the starry night. "But even our best Wizards can't explain the hearts and minds of men."
His face fell, and his melancholy rolled off of him in waves. When I reached out to him, Peter took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, interlacing his fingers with mine.
"The stars make you sad, don't they?" I asked.
"Stars are a bittersweet memory," came his cryptic reply. "They remind me of a time long past. My father had an observatory at his castle."
"You lived in a castle?"
"Yes, Castle Eismark."
"I've never heard of it." I paused. "I didn't know you were royalty."
"I've completed all the ribbons, remember?"
"Oh...right."
He sighed as he leaned against the stone ledge. "Father was Baron Dahlroth von Kratvach, and my mother was a Risan Sorceress called Stefánia de Grazia. He loved her so much that he gave her an immortal soul. Together, they ruled Kratvach until the Gatál invasion forty years ago."
"Oh, yes. I remember reading about that in my Paxan History class. What was Kratvach like before the Gatál?"
"Our land was a haven for anyone fleeing from Gatál oppression. We were fair rulers. Unlike other districts, no one ever starved because we didn't overtax the villagers. We shared wealth and knowledge rather than hoarding it for ourselves. Everyone had work and a decent, if modest, home. Children had places to play and learn."
A pang of regret writhed inside my stomach like a snake. I'd read how the Gatál had destroyed the entire village, killing every person, animal, and plant until only dust and rubble had remained.
"You said that I had no weaknesses." Peter gave a wry chuckle. "One day a Wraith attacked the castle, and it was my duty to defend it. I failed, and the dark spirit destroyed my father in a way worse than death."
"Worse?"
"The enemy took control of his body and captured his soul. Now he's naught but a vessel in Lord Darius' possession, used to convert people to the darkness." He stared at the stars. "All because I couldn't face the truth: he was neither dead nor alive, and I couldn't bring myself to kill him."
I gave his forearm a gentle squeeze. "And your mother?"
Peter sighed and gripped the wooden banister. "It's a long story. She's out of the picture. All I have now is my sister, Seraphina."
"Like me," I whispered. I could write a book on complicated families. "Bragda is my only family, too."
With a forced smile, Peter shrugged off his solemn mien. "There are plenty of good memories, though. My father was a brilliant scientist. He was the one who taught me all about the stars."
"Can you show me?"
Peter covered my hand with his and traced a constellation. "That's Asteria. The Starfish. She watches over the sailors at night and guides them."
"I've heard about her," I replied, my tone laced with excitement. "The tip is the Star of the East."
"Follow her, and you'll never get lost."
To my pleasant surprise, a gentle heat spread from his manual receptors to mine, enveloping me in its embrace. I nestled against his chest to stave off the cold.
Peter continued to show me the star-studded sky in every detail, shifting among all the telescopes and pointing out several constellations. Just as we were going to explore the sky through the last telescope, I caught sight of another door bolted with bars and chains and stared at it with a puzzled expression.
Peter chuckled. "Ah, yes, the forbidden door."
"What could be so important? It just leads straight down."
"That's what you're supposed to think."
"What's up there?"
"Extra-special telescopes."
"What's so special about them?"
Peter almost responded, but he pursed his lips instead. "If I show you, you must promise not to speak a word about it to anyone."
I gave him a solemn nod.
He extended his hand towards the heavy wooden door. "Freedom."
The chains unraveled like metal snakes, clanging as they fell to the stone floor. The bars vanished, and the door opened with an ominous creak to reveal a precipitous drop. A wave of vertigo swept over me, and I retreated from the doorway.
"Peter, there's nowhere to walk."
"Not taking a leap of faith today?"
"Peter, no!" I shrieked as he stepped out of the door.
To my great relief, he landed on an invisible floor that shimmered light blue with every footfall, illuminating the surface around it.
With tentative steps, I followed him up another flight of an invisible staircase until we reached the uppermost floor. Cloaking magic distorted the air around the hidden scopes, casting faint clues of their presence that were imperceptible at a casual glance.
"What's so secret about them?"
"These are long-range spyglasses," he said. "You can see through mountains and other geographic obstacles."
I furrowed my brow. "Wait a minute. You don't need powerful lenses like these for scientific inquiry or for general observation."
"You're right," he replied. "We use them to spy on the Gatál. I want you to see proof of my claims so that you understand why I asked you to join the Fireborn."
My expression hardened. "Peter, if you're trying to recruit me again ..."
"See for yourself."
When I gazed through the lens, I gasped. Thousands of Dragonborn troops paraded through the streets and marched in perfectly aligned rows. They halted and saluted a giant Shadow Rider standing upon a raised dais.
Moving the spyglass several miles east, I watched as the Gatál amassed their army. They positioned battering rams, legions, and firedrakes near the border of the Neutral Zone.
"Good gods!"
"We expect them to attack within the next few days," Peter whispered. "The Ministry wanted to launch a pre-emptive strike, but the motion was shot down by a single vote."
"We can't attack unless they do first. They might just be reinforcing the border."
"People don't move armies of that magnitude unless they plan to strike," he said. "There hasn't been this much activity along the border in the past two years."
"If we attack first, we're no better than them."
He folded his arms. "We cannot sit idle and wait for destruction to hit first. Can you watch as hundreds of innocent lives fall on the pretext of 'being better' than the enemy?"
"You're making assumptions to justify your actions. You can't kill them when they've done nothing wrong."
"Don't be so stupid! They'll destroy your home if we don't act."
"Hey!" I rose to my feet and shoved him away. "You take that back."
A muscle in Peter's jaw jumped. "Like most Risa, you don't have what it takes to do what's necessary."
"My intuition is almost always right."
"Almost being the operative word."
I stared at him in silence, clenching my teeth and willing myself not to say something I'd regret.
"Every time I show you the truth, you shrink away from it," he said, pacing back and forth.
I stared at him in defiance.
"Will you support Minningen in her hour of need? Will you join the Fireborn?"
"Is that what all this is about?" I yelled. "You drag me out in the moonlight and the snow so that I let my guard down. You pretend to be my friend and try to recruit me for your vengeful quest?"
"You asked to see it."
"I've had it. Take me home."
"Give me your answer first."
My anger boiled inside me until flames engulfed my entire body, dancing along my skin without scorching it. Peter stared at me speechless and backed away with his hands in the air.
"Liselle, please ..."
"You want an answer?" I asked, furious. "Go to Hades, you and your damned Fireborn!"
"Just think about it."
"I finally understand why you offered to help me. Did Father put you up to this?"
"You know I care about you."
"Then stop trying to manipulate me."
Peter stared at me, agape. "I didn't mean--"
"What the Gatál did to your home and to your father is unspeakable," I said, my throat hoarse. "That doesn't justify using me to get your revenge."
"They're going to destroy Halden! You've seen the future with your own eyes." His voice cracked. "I don't want you to lose your home like I did. No one should have to bear that pain."
"You're asking me to break all my oaths to prevent something that may never happen," I insisted. "The future isn't predetermined. Precognition isn't an exact science like Astronomy."
Peter slumped down on an invisible stone bench, shoulders hunched forward. He rubbed his face and sighed in resignation.
"You're right, Liselle. I'm sorry."
The flames around my body slowly began to dissipate until my rage faded. Peter ran a hand through his short, dark hair.
"I ... I care about you, Liselle. I don't always show it the right way, but the Tree of Life would have told you if I were evil."
I sighed in frustration. "After several thousand years of practice, you should know how to treat a friend."
"I spent most of those years on my own by choice."
I balked in surprise.
"Let me take you back," he said in a dejected tone. "I'm sorry I ruined your night. Truly. I just can't stand by and watch your visions become reality."
Peter approached me and touched my shoulder. "Teleport Liselle to the Healer Dorm."
"Wait!" I called out.
It was too late--I'd already materialized in front of my room. When I looked around, Peter was nowhere in sight.