They left the Cairn at dawn, riding hard, putting miles between them and the place where Cassian had laughed at their pain.
No one spoke for the first day.
Star rode in the middle of the column, face pale, eyes fixed on nothing. The new hollow inside him was the worst yet: the moment he had chosen to die for Elandor. Without it, every time he looked at the king he felt a flicker of confusion—why am I here? Why does this hurt so much?—before love rushed in to fill the gap. But the rush came slower each time, like water trying to refill a cracked cup.
Elandor rode beside him, close enough that their knees brushed with every stride. He hadn't let go of Star's hand since the Cairn, not even to readjust the reins.
On the second night they camped in a ruined village swallowed by vines. The houses were empty, roofs caved, but the well still held clean water. Lila built a small fire. Duchess Calera took first watch.
Star sat apart, staring into the flames.
Elandor settled behind him, pulling Star back against his chest, arms locked around his waist.
"Tell me something you still remember," Elandor said quietly.
Star thought hard. "The way you looked the first time you saw me in the throne room. Like you'd been holding your breath for ten years and finally let it out."
Elandor's arms tightened. "Good. Hold on to that one."
They stayed like that until the fire burned low.
On the third day, Thorne finally spoke.
He rode up beside them, mask catching the weak sunlight.
"The crown is not the only relic Cassian forged," he said. "There was a mirror. The Mirror of Hollow Sky. It shows the truth behind every stolen thing."
Star turned. "Where?"
"Beneath the palace," Thorne answered. "In the sealed vaults my order has guarded for centuries. I did not speak of it before because the price is high. To use the mirror, one must offer a memory willingly—and it takes the one you love most to remember."
Elandor's jaw set. "Then we go back."
Duchess Calera overheard and wheeled her horse. "We are three days from the Cairn. Turning now adds a week. Cassian will take another memory before we reach the capital."
Star met Elandor's eyes.
"We risk it," Star said. "Or we lose another piece of me on the road."
Elandor nodded once.
They turned east.
The ride back was brutal: no rest, double watches, horses pushed to exhaustion. On the night the fourth moon fell, they were still two days from the capital.
Star felt the pull start at dusk.
This time Cassian did not wait for sleep.
The attack came while Star was on watch, sitting on a fallen log sharpening his dagger.
The air shimmered. Cassian stepped out of nothing, ten feet away, smiling.
"Time for number four," he said.
Elandor was already moving, sword drawn, roaring for the others.
But Cassian lifted one hand and the world slowed.
Everyone froze mid-motion: Elandor's sword half-raised, Lila reaching for her bow, Calera's mouth open in a shout.
Only Star could move.
Cassian walked forward slowly.
"This one will be special," he said. "The night in the city inn. The first time you truly gave yourself to each other, body and heart, no titles between you. Do you remember how it felt to be just Eli and Star?"
Star's throat closed. He remembered every second: the narrow bed, the bakery smell rising through the floorboards, Elandor's hands shaking as he undressed him, the way they had laughed and cried and come undone together.
Cassian reached out.
Star swung his dagger desperately.
The blade passed through Cassian like smoke.
Fingers brushed his temple.
The memory tore free.
Laughter in a tiny room. The taste of cheap wine on Elandor's tongue. The first slow, careful thrust and the way Star had whispered "I'm yours" like a vow. The moment they fell asleep tangled, hearts beating the same rhythm.
Gone.
Star screamed, falling to his knees.
Time snapped back.
Elandor caught him as the camp erupted. Cassian was already fading, laughing.
"Three left," his voice echoed. "See you soon."
Elandor held Star as he sobbed, dry, ragged sounds with no tears left.
"I lost… the inn," Star gasped. "Our first real night. Just us."
Elandor rocked him, voice breaking. "I remember. I'll tell you every detail until you feel it again. I swear."
Lila dropped beside them, face fierce. "We ride through the night. No more waiting."
They did.
Horses lathered, riders swaying in saddles, they reached the capital gates as the sun rose on the morning after the fourth moon.
The Mirror waited below.
Three memories left.
Three moons.
And a love that was running out of pieces to lose.