The Dragon King and His Fallen Star novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Blood and Stardust

KIERYGAN’S POV

I kept my mind occupied with an endless tide of kingdom affairs–matters of Altierra, Vargheim, and everything in between.

I didn’t know how many hours had passed when a sharp, deliberate knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. My head snapped up, and I set down the quill I’d been absently turning in my

hand.

“Enter,” I said.

The door swung open, revealing Ulyanna. Her face was calm, but there was a glint in her eyes that told me she had found something in Silverpine Valley. She stepped inside and closed the door

behind her.

“Took you long enough,” I said, gesturing to the seat across from me.

She took it without hesitation, her hands folding neatly in her lap. “I went straight to Ashteryn,” she said. “I assumed Eirlys would still be there.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying her. “What did you need from her?” I asked.

Ulyanna shifted slightly in her seat, her expression intent. “I needed to confirm a theory, and I think I have something,” she said, a flicker of excitement in her voice. “The blight and Eirlys‘ bracelet… they don’t just feed on light and magic.”

I narrowed my eyes and leaned in, silently urging her to continue.

“They feed on stardust,” she said.

I leaned back in my chair, her words echoing through the stillness of the study. “Stardust?” I repeated, my brow furrowing.

“Yes,” Ulyanna said, her voice steady, unwavering. The spark from the star fragment, Eirlys‘ light…. they’re both concentrated stardust. And when I examined the blight in Silverpine, I found that the stardust had been drained out of it, as if it had been consumed.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. “Drained out the stardust? The very essence of all life forms?” | asked, my tone measured but threaded with suspicion, “What could possibly do that?”

Ulyanna shook her head. “That’s the question, isn’t it?” She leaned forward, her eyes glinting with intensity. “I don’t believe this plague is merely an accident or the result of some natural imbalance.” A chill prickled at the back of my neck. “You think it was crafted deliberately?” I asked.

Ulyanna nodded. “It’s too much of a coincidence, top precise to be natural,” she said. “I don’t yet

<Chapter 25 Blood and Stardust

know the role Eirlys plays in all of this, but I believe she, her bracelet, and the blight are all

connected.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us. “What witch wields concentrated stardust?” I asked

quietly.

She met my gaze without flinching. “A rare kind,” she said, then paused. “Or maybe Eirlys isn’t a witch at all. Maybe she’s something far more powerful… something with ancient magic that predates us all.”

I looked at her slowly. There was only one kind of being with magic more potent than witches.”

You think… she’s a fae?” I asked.

Ulyanna let out a slow breath and nodded. “It’s only suspicion for now,” she said. “But all the clues point in that direction.”

I frowned. “She doesn’t look like one,” I said. “And weren’t they wiped out long before the dragons?”

“That’s the story we’ve been told,” she said. “There was a time when the plague was just a small void in Val Thirael, and non–fae could still enter. But ever since the kingdom was engulfed by the blight, no one has dared to go there again. We can’t truly know what happened. Only that eventually, they all succumbed to pestilence.”

My fingers tightened around the armrest of my chair. “She might be fae, or she might not,” I said. ” But you and I can both agree there’s something else at work here.”

She nodded. “This goes beyond Malric and Morwenna,” she said. “Though I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that they’re involved.”

Ulyanna rose from her chair and smoothed her robes. “I’ll keep you informed once I know more,” she said calmly.

I gave her a short nod. “Good. Thank you.”

She swept out of the study, her footsteps fading into the hush of the hall beyond. Left alone, I leaned back in my chair, the low crackle of the hearth filling the room with a dim glow. The moonlight that spilled across the floor told me it was already late–far later than I’d realized.

With a weary sigh, I stood and left the study, my thoughts churning with everything Ulyanna had uncovered. Once again, every answer about Eirlys seemed to birth more questions. When would her mystery ever end?

I reached the staircase that led to my wing, my hand trailing along the cold banister. As I climbed, a distant sound sliced through the quiet.

A scream.

I froze, every muscle tensing. It was coming from Eirlys room.

Chapter 25 Blood and Stardust

Without thinking, I broke into a run, the echo of my boots loud against the stone. The scream had

been faint, but it carried an unmistakable edge of terror that set my blood to ice.

I kicked the door open, the wood slamming against the wall with a resounding crack. My eyes. swept the room, and I found her crumpled against the wall, pale and shivering in the flickering candlelight.

It was like seeing her again in that tower–small, broken, cornered.

There was no crackle of light this time, no surge of power. Just her, trembling.

I scanned the room. Her bedsheets were smeared with blood, stark against the pale linen. My

heart slammed against my ribs as I ran to her, dropping to my knees at her side.

“Eirlys, what happened?” My voice was sharper than I intended, but I couldn’t hide the fear that

coursed through me. “Are you hurt?

She looked up at me, her face white as snow. “I… I’m bleeding,” she whispered, her voice small.

“Where?” I demanded, my hands already reaching to find the wound.

She swallowed, her gaze flicking away. “Here,” she said softly, her hand trembling as she reached

to hike up the hem of her skirt, revealing the pale skin of her legs.

I caught her hand in mine, just in time to stop her from revealing something I wasn’t meant to see… yet. “Stop,” I said, my voice gentle as the realization dawned on me. “You don’t have to show me.”

She looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes, confusion clouding her delicate features. “Why? | thought… I thought you wanted to see,” she said, frowning slightly.

A flush rose up my neck, and I forced myself to look away, my jaw tightening. “No,” I said, my voice

rougher than I intended. “You didn’t need to show me. You don’t show it to anyone, do you

understand?”

Her confusion only deepened, brows knitting together. But she didn’t press further, merely nodding

as if she sensed something else in my tone.

I drew in a ragged breath, struggling to steady the storm inside me. She had no idea how close she was to unraveling my control, how she was pulling at the darkest parts of me–parts she wasn’t

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