The Moonborns rush to reconstruct the large tent, but the prior fire has left several cavities in the thick fabric. Despite the holes, Dolion's people begin carrying their injured into the makeshift shelter once it's standing upright again. A separate group of men are hauling off the dead into the forest. Their expressions are somewhat forlorn, but there's a prevalent desensitization among them that tells me this isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Nova and her little sister take me by surprise when they wander back into the clearing. Judging by the twigs and grass clinging to their curls, I imagine they were both well hidden within the woods. I don't think anybody noticed that they fled, but I hardly doubt anyone would blame them. Stella is only eleven, and Nova, who is barely sixteen years old, is even smaller than I am. While Nova and I are nearly at eye level, her limbs are far more thin and frail than mine. Her physique has always reminded me of a gazelle. Nimble, yet fragile. 

Of course, she doesn't have a big brother who practically forced her to learn self-defense. But even with that, I'm not very strong in comparison to others. But much like Nova, being quick and quiet comes easy to me when it's necessary.

"My people know how to get things back in order out here. I'll need your help inside the tent and then we'll talk." Dolion says, beckoning my attention back to him.

I cross my arms and frown. Dolion is a fair example of someone who is noticeably more robust than I am. He's definitely not as broad-shouldered as Atlas or as tall, but he's far more muscled than most. He could kill me if he really wanted to. And he just might if I drop my guard. 

Upon surveying the camp again, I realize that most of the Moonborns here could physically overpower me. I would've been one of the dead bodies being carried off into the woods had I not had a magical advantage over everyone here, and Orion would've been left to fend for himself. I guess I should thank my lucky Moons that I'm a Starborn. I do hope that Orion's infection doesn't leave me alone to fend for myself though.

"Hello? Callie? Are you listening to me?" Dolion asks impatiently, quirking an eyebrow as he waves an exasperated hand in front of my face.

I swat his hand away. "Yes, I heard you," I retort, glancing up at the tree house in concern. 

When our eyes connect, Orion throws me a look that screams I'm fine and motions for me to stay with Dolion. I don't like it— not after seeing his wounds, but there's not much I can do for him right now anyway. He needs antibiotics that I don't have. My face falls. If only Maddox had shown me how to heal people, then I could help everyone here. 

"Well, hurry up then," Dolion murmurs gruffly, turning on his heel.

I throw my brother one last meaningful look before reluctantly falling into step with Dolion. 

The majority of the Moonborns surrounding us reveal that they know who I am because many of them bow as Dolion and I walk past. At first, I think they're bowing out of respect for their leader, Dolion, but I am proven wrong when several of them address me by name. Lady Calypso. I still dislike it when people address me so properly and bow down to me as if I'm the Moon herself.

Hold your head high, Calypso. You are a Van Blake. That's what Dad would be saying right now if he were here with me. Modesty is for the weak. Own who you are. I used to try and carry this kind of pride with me for his sake, but now? Now, I don't want to do anything that would bring my father even a glimmer of joy. Not after he made it clear that he is ready to throw all of his children into the fire for power and lied to me my entire life about who I really am.

Out of spite for my father, and because it won't be safe for anyone if any of the mortals on the island find out who I am, I tell those who choose to bow when I cross their path that there is no need for it. But out of respect for my father, the Moonborns do not dare lift their heads up until I've passed. His power trumps mine— even when he's not here. It is beyond frustrating. 

"See why I didn't kill you?" Dolion says with a snicker. "I've saved everyone here more times than I can count, but that means nothing in comparison to royalty. It's kinda unfair, really, but that's just life, I suppose."

I cross my arms in discomfort. "I'm not royalty," I mutter.

"Might as well be. People think of your dad as a king... or even a god. Your bloodline is of high status."

I roll my eyes. That's a joke. "The Van Blake name meant nothing before my Dad killed O'Helio. My dad built and runs his own country, yes, but that doesn't make us kings, queens or gods. Monarchies consist of royals, not Van Blake's. We're not royalty."

Dolion chuckles incredulously, shaking his head. "Whoo, now I know that humility doesn't come from your father."

"I'm getting really tired of everyone acting like they know my dad," I grumble. I hardly know the guy myself, and I'm his daughter. People just hear a good rumor and pretend it's factual.

"Hmm," Dolion grunts but says nothing after that. His usual smirk has vanished. He's deep in thought about something, but someone else catches my attention before I can pry.

Stella, Nova's little sister, waves shyly at me when my sharp stare locks onto her and Nova's intertwined hands. I nod in acknowledgment and soften my gaze when her doe eyes blink at me. 

The Marble sisters stride past Dolion and I in silence, and they don't stop to bow like the others in the camp. They never do unless my father is around because they know that I don't like it. But Nova does throw me a soft, reassuring smile in passing, and my shoulders become less tense when I realize she and Stella are heading over to the tree house. At least my brother will have some company while I'm away.

"What do you need my help with?" I inquire as I turn my attention back to the wily Moonborn beside me.

The corner of his gray eyes watch me as he asks, "Do you know how to dress a wound?"

"I mean... I've patched up my brothers a time or two, but those were mostly just scrapes. Not stab wounds."

He clears his throat. "Well, you know more than some others did when they first got here. You'll pick it up soon enough."

"Pick what up?"

He doesn't answer me. Instead, he unfurls the entrance to the tent and holds it open for me to follow him inside. My nose scrunches up in disgust as soon as I enter. The place smells of sweat, blood, and other various foul scents. I do my best not to gag, and my churned stomach jumps to my throat when I take in the sight before me.

There isn't much light, but from what I can see, I don't want a clearer vision. There are a few sections of the tent that are divided off to provide some privacy, but the central area of the shelter is just one big bed of misery. Anyone who's injured or sick is sprawled out on the ground and suffering. Sobs, shouts, and coughs swirl around me as the uninjured Moons scurry around frantically to help the injured ones.

Blankets must be scarce because most here don't have one. And nobody has a cot like Orion's back at the tree house. My brother is clearly getting special treatment. He has his own shelter, bed, and blanket, while everyone else is left with the scraps. 

Almost everyone here is lying in a pool of blood that has seeped into the makeshift beds made of pine leaves and fabric. My heart sinks when I notice some of the bloodied Moonborns have succumbed to their wounds. A few men begin towing the dead bodies out of the tent while anyone else who can walk scrambles around with buckets, bandages, and water.

Out of respect for everyone here, I ignore the smell and twist my expression back into one of indifference.

I don't even realize that Dolion left my side until he's in front of me with a bucket full of warm water and towels. He forces the handle of the bucket into my hand, then turns to point to a small pile of crates. "You can find bandages and fabric in those boxes. Only use fabric if the wound is serious enough, but do not use the bandages unless the wound is really serious. And don't waste fabric or a bandage if they're a lost cause." His face is resolute and cold.

I blink at him. A lost cause? That's... harsh. 

He turns his back on me before I can reply and rushes to his people's aid.

I observe his people's system for a moment before proceeding. Moons put pressure on others' wounds that need it to help stop the bleeding, and if the victim doesn't bleed out, more Moons run in to clean the lacerations and punctures with soap and water. The Moons from outside continue to come and go from the tent. Some of them are removing the dead to give everyone more space to work, while others are taking and refilling the buckets with hot, clean water.

My chest constricts with guilt. I almost abandoned these people.

I take an uncertain step forward. Most of these people are hurt because I wasted so much time arguing with Orion. Some are probably even dead because of it. No amount of help I give now will make up for that, but I have to at least try. 

'I want to at least do all the right things while I can.' Orion's earlier words feel so much heavier now. 

My eyes flicker around the room, squinting past the crowd until I spot a barely conscious Moonborn that isn't being tended to. I make a beeline for him and begin going through the motions, then I move on to the next Moonborn and repeat the process. 

Pressure, rag, bandage, repeat. Pressure, rag, bandage, repeat.

Clean water, new rags. Another dead body. Repeat. 

Pressure, rag, bandage, repeat. Pressure, rag, bandage, repeat. 

Repeat, repeat, repeat. 

After all is said and done, there are a total of seventeen Moonborns fighting to stay alive as the uninjured do their best to nurse them back to health. Eight members of the camp died in total, and their bodies are being put to rest elsewhere on the island. There will likely be more deaths in a day or two, simply because we don't have the necessary medical supplies to save everyone.

For now, all of the Moons are taken care of. The injured are bandaged and getting some much-needed rest inside of the tent, and the rest of us are decompressing as we watch the Moon and the stars outside.

I stay far away from the large bonfire in the clearing. It's hot enough as it is, but the Moonborns need the fire to cook their meals for the night. What we have for dinner isn't a big surprise— more fish and lukewarm water to wash it down with, but I'm certainly not complaining. Dirt would taste like heaven if I went on much longer without eating.

When I find a seat in the moist grass next to Dolion, my stomach is full, the burns on my leg have been treated, and I've already said goodnight to Nova and her baby sister. I would've spoken with Orion, but he was fast asleep when I finally got the chance to check up on him. 

Dolion is the first to say something when we make eye contact. "Thank you for your help back there," he starts, offering me a smile. His gratitude is authentic. He's not teasing or toying with me this time. There's genuine respect in his eyes. "You seem like the type that would run and save your own skin, so it was a pleasant surprise," he says, sounding impressed.

I give a small shrug. "I almost did run. You should thank Orion."

He arches a skeptical brow. "Noted." I didn't notice it before, but there's an ex-shaped scar on his right eyebrow that blends into his golden-toned skin. I wonder if he got that scar before or after he woke up on the island.

"Anyways, you said you'll tell me everything... so, I want to know about the island. How did you get here? What happened between you, Maddox, and Cyrus? And why—"

"Whoa, there," he chastises gently with a laugh, "You get what you give, Callie-bear."

"Stop calling me that," I snap. "And what do you mean?"

He cracks his knuckles slowly, eyeing me dubiously. "I mean, you have a lot to explain too. If you want the truth, then you need to give it," he explains while narrowing his eyes. "And don't lie. I'll know if you do."

"You pretty much already know everything that I wouldn't want you to know about," I say, looking away from his scrutinizing stare. He knows I'm a Van Blake, but he doesn't know that I'm a Starborn. Should I tell him the truth about that? No, I shouldn't... but he's probably going to ask, and I can't think of a good lie. "What do you want to know first?"

He doesn't speak until I meet his gray gaze again. "Why don't you want people to know that you're a Van Blake?"

I blink at him, slightly taken off guard. "What?" I ask dumbly.

"You didn't want Maddox to know that you're a Van Blake. And the fact that everyone here knows who you are bothers you. Why?"

I clear my throat, shifting my sitting position. "I wouldn't say that it bothers me..."

He snorts, shaking his head. "Callie, you look like you want to rip someone's arm off every time someone calls you 'Lady Calypso'. It definitely bothers you," he says with a laugh.

I sigh. "Isn't it obvious? The mortals may hate us Moonborns, but they all hate my dad even more. All it would take is one loudmouthed Moonborn to spill the beans, and then my siblings and I would be in even more danger than we already are. Do you know how many people would jump at the chance to kill one of Alberich Van Blake's children?"

"Do you really think people are that vengeful?"

I nod. "Yes, I do. He's the reason so many people have lost their own children. Killing one of us would be an eye for an eye to some people. That, and the humans blame my family for the war between us and the Starborns. It isn't safe for my family here."

"Hmm. Yes, I've heard the mortals bicker about him a time or two. How he sent out troops to murder innocent humans and Starborns alike—"

"I know what he's done," I interject curtly. 

His face softens. "I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a second," he starts, cocking his head to the side in contemplation. "When you really, really think about it... did he really kill anyone innocent?"

I whip my head around in surprise. "What? Attacking someone who isn't trying to fight back is—"

"Clever," he says suddenly, cutting me off. "Humans ruled this world before we Celestials took over, which makes them a potential threat. Van Blake may be harsh, but he's effective. And he's smart because he doesn't underestimate anything or anyone— not even humans. Like it or not, his mentality is what keeps him in power," he explains as he gazes up at the field of stars in the sky. 

It's morbid, but Dolin's right. Mortals once ruled before our kind, so my dad can't allow them to overpopulate us and risk losing his country. That's why he makes sure the human death rate stays where it needs to be. I understand the logic, I do, but people can only tolerate so much before they finally start fighting back. That's why we're at war with the Starborns now. And it's only a matter of time before the humans get involved if they haven't already. 

Dolion continues. "And Starborns... well, they're just mutated Sunborns in the eyes of our people. And you know how dangerous Suns were... that's why us Moonborns had to wipe out their kind. They would've destroyed everything."

"No, Henrik O'Helio would've destroyed everything," I argue, throwing him a pointed look. "It just seems a bit unnecessary to wipe out two factions because of one bad guy."

Dolion stifles a laugh. "O'Helio wasn't just some guy though. He ruled the entire world with Sun magic. Nearly burned it all too. He did a lot of unspeakable things to anyone who looked at him the wrong way, and a lot of his people followed suit. Your dad is a teddy bear in comparison to that psychopath."

My teeth dig into my lower lip in agitation. What he's saying is making me feel worse for some reason.

But Dolion's recount of our history is accurate. Sun magic is the most volatile and destructive form of magic. O'Helio, the most powerful Sunborn to ever exist, quite literally went mad with power and had to be put down. But not all of the Sunborns that were killed did anything wrong. 

At least not yet. 

Sun magic is completely uncontrollable when a Sunborn loses their temper or their mind. Their very existence was a risk, so my father and his followers killed off all of the Sunborns to protect the Moons and mortals. That's why the people of Lunaria see my father as a hero. He saved everyone that wasn't a Sunborn— no matter what it took.

This was supposed to have been the end of Sun magic, but the war between the Moons and the Suns before my father emerged victorious was so violent and so severe that it left behind giant clouds of mysterious magic in the war zones. My father told me that anyone who was exposed to the clouds of magic had strange reactions to it, but nobody anticipated that it would cause the unheard-of birth defect that is now known as Star Magic.

Everything was fine until the Moonborns realized that their Starborn children possessed Sun magic. That's when being a Starborn became illegal. That's when Moonborns with Star children fled our country. And that's when my father sent soldiers to track everyone down and wipe out this new species that could somehow harness the most dangerous and forbidden form of magic.

Until I woke up on this island, I believed that the Starborns were about to be extinct like the Sunborns. Come to find out, the Stars have more numbers than almost anyone realized, and they aren't going down without a fight.

"I, uh... I didn't mean to upset you," Dolion murmurs, pulling me from my intense thoughts. "It's just... being Van Blake's daughter has to be confusing. I wouldn't know if I should love or hate the guy if he was my dad, so I was just trying to help, I guess."

I don't need Dolion's input on any of this. I know how my father thinks. And I know the logic behind his actions. But it all stops making sense when I think about myself. I'm a Starborn and there's no way he doesn't know this, which means he willingly broke his own law when he and my mother kept me. Like Atlas said, 'You shouldn't have been born, Calypso.' It would be unfair of me to agree with my father's motives while I'm still breathing.

"Well, I don't need your help." My tone is icy and short. "I answered your question, now it's my turn."

He rolls his eyes. "Touchy, touchy," he says with a tsk. "Fine. What do you want to know?" he asks nonchalantly as he plucks a blade of grass from the ground. He mindlessly twirls it between two fingers and yawns.

"What happened between you and Maddox when you came to the island?"

He sucks his teeth sharply, suppressing a smile. "Damn, right to the good stuff, huh? I thought maybe you'd ask me about Juniper and Atlas, but I guess you don't even care about them, huh?"

I narrow my eyes. "You said they came through the blue tree before me, but Nova already told me they aren't here. I assume Atlas didn't trust you and went off on his own with Juniper. It's what I would've done if Orion wasn't here."

He grins. "Yes, but he did ask me to tell you something if you happened to come through the tree too."

My eyebrows raise. "Wait, what is it? What did he say?" I press curiously. 

"He said he was sorry and to follow the rocks. Not really sure what he meant by that though. He was pretty cryptic about it."

Confusion washes through me. The rocks? My eyes widen after a moment. Juniper left a trail of colored rocks out to find her way back to Orion. Does this mean that she and Atlas leave a path for me to find them?

I nod in acknowledgment. "Okay, thank you for telling me. Now, answer the question about you and Maddox."

He smiles mischievously. "Actually, it's my turn. How do you use magic during the day, and why didn't you lose your magic in the other dimension?"

I cross my arms. "No, you didn't answer my question, Dolion."

He feigns innocence. "But I did answer your question. You asked what Atlas said to me."

"You—" I stop myself and slam my hands down to my sides in exasperation. My bandaged hand stings in defiance, but I ignore it. "Fine. My father is Alberich Van Blake, and my mother is Luna Warrior. They're both powerful Celestials, as you should know, and I inherited a lot of their power. That's why I'm able to use magic while the Sun is out."

His expression is skeptical. "Yes, powerful Moonborns can still harness some magic and put it into an object to use during the day, but not enough to use a force spell more than ten times in a row. I'd believe you if you made something float for three seconds, or lit a candle, but the spell you were using takes a lot more power."

Technically, I am telling the truth. Children do inherit their parents' power if they're born a Celestial. And yes, those rare few who are able to use Moon magic during the day aren't able to do anything that requires too much energy, but my family is arguably the most powerful family among Moonborns. It would make sense that I could do more than just light a candle. 

And even if this does count as lying, I don't care. Dolion will probably lie to me at some point or another, and he will be doing it just for fun. I'm lying to protect myself and my family.

I purse my lips. "Did you not hear the part about my parents being extremely powerful?" 

"Yes, and I don't believe you."

"And I don't care," I retort, giving him a cold stare. "It's my turn. What happened between you and Maddox? And I don't want some vague answer that sidesteps the question. I want a straight answer, Dolion," I order fervently. He stays silent. "With details," I add as an afterthought. 

He almost smirks. "Fair enough, but you didn't finish answering my question."

"Yes, I did," I say impatiently.

He shakes his head and wags a finger at me. "Not quite. I asked 'How do you use magic during the day, and why didn't you lose your magic in the other dimension'?"

I click my tongue in annoyance. "I should've known you wouldn't take this seriously. Forget it." I start to push up from the ground, but he jerks me back down to the wet grass. His sudden roughness startles me. When I hit the ground, I turn to tug my arm out of his grasp. "Stop—"

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," he hisses. The amusement in his eyes has run away. All that remains is irritation and malice. "I told you that I would know if you lie to me, and you did it anyway. Like I said, you get what you give, Calypso. You want me to take this seriously? You do the same."

That's rich. Was he not the one that tricked me into asking a different question when I asked about Maddox? I guess Dolion can't take what he dishes out.

I sit up so that we're at eye level and lean in. "Grab me like that again, and I'll kill you."

And just like that, his strange humor has returned. Dolion's personality is so jarring. He's laughing and joking one moment, then the next he's throwing out death glares. Something isn't right with him in the head. He's too capricious. He laughs in my face and leans back. "I bet you've never killed anyone before in your life, girl." I frown at his words.

He's right, I haven't. And I don't plan to either. Not in the Moon Gathering and not on this island. Not ever. But that's a topic I don't want to delve into right now.

"I'm telling the truth, Dolion. I'm not lying," I say solemnly, keeping my eyes fixed on his gray ones. "And you asked me two questions. I answered the first one. If you want me to answer the second, then you need to answer mine."

He smiles coyly for a moment, then chuckles. "I like you, Calypso. You're not easily rattled."

"What happened between you and Maddox?" I ask again, unblinking.

"See what I mean?" he exclaims with a grin. His smile soon drops when I don't say anything or give him a reaction. I wait patiently for him to answer me, and to my surprise, he finally does. "Maddox and Cyrus were on this island before me, so Maddox had already lost his magic. I had never heard of an Autolycus Cage before I woke up here, so I didn't know using my magic would screw me over."

"Okay..." I trail off in anticipation.

He scratches the back of his neck and sighs. "Anyway, before we all split off into two separate groups, we were one large group. Moonborns and mortals working together. I warned Maddox from day one that it wouldn't work out. Moons and mortals hate each other, so there was constant fighting and bickering," he says as he picks up another blade of grass for his fingers to play with. "And as you know, Cyrus hates Moons and I don't care for mortals, so he and I inevitably got into it one day. I didn't believe Maddox when he said I'd lose my magic if I used it, so I tried to attack Cyrus with magic after he swung at me... I'm sure you know what happened after that." I nod. He woke up in the other dimension and lost his magic as Juniper and Atlas did.

"You lost your magic," I say slowly as my mind wanders. A thought pops into my head suddenly, making my eyes widen. "Wait, Maddox told you not to use your magic? In front of Cyrus? Does this mean that Cyrus knows that Maddox is a Moonborn like us?" I ask, giving him an urgent look.

Dolion smiles at me. "That's more than one question, Callie. Do you want me to finish answering the first one, or not?" he asks teasingly. 

"I... yes, but..."

He laughs. "I'm just giving you a hard time. I'll give you some freebies since this is a really complex question to answer," he offers, softening his gaze. He's so mercurial, it's giving me whiplash, but I nod understandingly. "Maddox warned me not to use my magic. And yes, Cyrus is very aware of what Maddox is."

I gawk at him. "Really?" I nearly whisper. He tried to kill Juniper and I when he suspected we were Moonborns. And he doesn't even try to hide his blatant hatred for our kind. Not even in front of Maddox.

"Yep. Maddox gets a pass, but the rest of us are 'a bunch of twits'." He mocks Cyrus and Maddox's peculiar accent when quoting Cyrus.

I shake my head in disbelief. "Why? Why doesn't he hate Maddox?" I don't voice the other questions stirring around in my head. Like, why did Maddox make it seem like Cyrus didn't know the truth? Why would he keep that from me? What else is he hiding? My fists tighten. I knew he was keeping secrets. To think that I was actually starting to trust him.

Dolion shrugs and says, "Who knows. They always left me out of the loop on everything. But anyway, I did lose my magic like Maddox said I would, and when I woke up by the blue tree, Cyrus was there. Alone. Everyone else was apparently back at camp trying to salvage what they could from the storm. Oh, and fun fact: intense storms occur when a Moonborn gets sucked into the weird dimension. So, I found out a few people died while I was away, and Cyrus blamed me for it," he says with a frown. His eyes darken at the memory. "So, back at the tree, he told me that I can't come back to camp. Said that I had been causing a divide between the group before I left and that my magic caused the storm that killed a bunch of our people too. I got irritated and he attacked me, so I defended myself."

My stomach flips. Dolion defending himself doesn't sound like it'd be a harmless thing. "What did you do?" I ask warily.

His lips twitch, but he doesn't fully smile. "Let's just say that Cyrus should've died that day. I honestly don't know how he survived. I know Maddox has a decent amount of experience in the medical field, but he shouldn't have been able to save him. It's annoying, honestly."

Anxiously, I bite the inside of my cheek. Maddox must have asked a Moonborn to use magic on purpose so that he could cross to the other side and heal Cyrus with magic. This confirms that Cyrus definitely knows that Maddox is a Moonborn. Could this be why he doesn't despise him like the rest of us? Because Maddox saved his life?

"So, long story short, Maddox saved his idiot friend and they kicked me out of the group. I was pissed though... because back then, it wasn't just Maddox's people. Maddox, Cyrus, and I looked out for everyone. Maddox wouldn't even hear me out after what happened to Cyrus. He didn't even care that Cyrus tried to kill me too."

My brows knit together with worry. "What happened next?" I ask cautiously, earning another grin from the dark-haired man.

"The Moonborns sided with me when I came to kill Maddox and Cyrus, and the mortals sided with those two." How does he speak about killing people so casually? I rub my temples in frustration. 

"So, you and Maddox turned on each other, which caused your people to turn on each other as well, basically?" I ask for clarity.

He nods. "Yep. Honestly, we were all bound to turn on each other anyway. The mortals couldn't stand living with us Moonborns, and vice versa. The pot was going to boil over one way or another eventually," he says, sounding amused for some reason as he strokes the dark stubble on his chin. "But yeah, much like you saw today, Moons and mortals were at each other's throats. It was our first battle," he jeers with a wistful sigh. "I like to call it the Battle of Twits."

A smile curves my lips before I can stop it. "Twits?" I question.

He laughs. "Yeah. Cyrus likes to call people twits—especially me. Ironic, if you ask me."

"But you and Maddox ended up making a treaty, you said."

He grimaces. "Not right away, but yes. There was more than one battle, I'll tell you that. But finally, Maddox came to me one day, and we were able to come to an agreement. Moons stay to one side, and the mortals keep to the other. Maddox didn't want death to be the consequence for crossing the border, but I insisted on it."

"Why?" I ask in disbelief.

"Because our people would've kept crossing the line to kill each other if we didn't enforce a good punishment for going against the treaty. It worked for a while, but look at us now."

I rake a hand through my tangled locks as I process everything he just told me. His story makes sense, but I suspect that he's leaving out a lot of information. I'm learning that prying doesn't work when it comes to Dolion though. He only tells what he wants to."It sounds like you hate Maddox because he chose Cyrus over you," I say, eyeing him wearily.

He purses his lips. "Yes, but no. I didn't expect him to ditch Cyrus, but he could've at least tried to understand my side of things. But he didn't. He never did. He didn't respect me as a leader because he wanted to lead everyone. And what really ticks me off is how he acts so high and mighty all the time. Take my word for it, his nice guy act is a total joke. You can't trust that guy as far as you can throw him."

My heart hiccups. I barely know Maddox, but hearing that he is a flake is disheartening after everything that we went through together. But then again, Dolion isn't exactly trustworthy either. Maybe it's best that I take what he says with a grain of salt for now.

Dolion continues venting, pulling me from my thoughts. "And you know what? I would've been willing to make peace with the mortals, but they chose their fates. They sided with Maddox when it came down to it because everyone thinks that that idiot can do no wrong." The jealousy dripping from his words is nearly tangible.

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear and shrug. "Why didn't you just tell the mortals that Maddox was a Moonborn? If they knew Maddox was lying to them, then they would've been more likely to side with you, I'm sure."

He smiles wryly. "I never told anyone about Maddox's secret at first because the three of us were good friends for a cool minute there. We all trusted each other." His smile drops, and he lowers his head shamefully. "But after we all turned on each other... I still couldn't tell anyone that he wasn't a mortal. Part of the treaty was that I kept my mouth shut about it, so I did."

I shoot him a doubtful look. "Why would you agree to that?"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," he scolds. "I think I'm due for a question now."

My shoulders sag, but I don't object. He did tell me quite a bit just now. It's only fair that I return the favor, but dread still bubbles up in me. I know what he's going to ask. 

"Okay," I sigh in defeat.

I peek up at the stars in desperation as I try to pick my brain for a good lie. Why didn't I lose my magic? That was his second question. That's what he's going to ask me. I could tell him that I don't know, but I know that he won't buy it. He may be strange as hell, but he's no fool. Maybe I could—

My thoughts cancel out when two of his fingers tug my chin up so that I have to look him in the eye. His gray eyes are dancing with both mischief and curiosity. "I'll make it easier for you so that you're not tempted to lie again," he offers in a low tone. His warm breath tickles my cheek, making me squirm. Can't people just keep their hands to themselves?

I pull away from him with a glower. "Why are you so—"

"Are you a Moonborn, Callie?"

My breath hitches, and my words catch in my throat. Oh, boy...