Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Author:Tara Sim
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2020-01-06T16:00:00+00:00

The sun and the moon play an eternal game,

A celestial chase, one after another,

Never knowing the tricks they play,

Never knowing each fools the other.

—FROM “THE LIGHTS OF THE NORTH,” A REHANESE POEM

The garden was still littered with party debris. The hanging lanterns waved gently in the sea breeze, some having fallen into bushes or onto the ground. Glasses had been left on tables, several only half-drunk, and an errant garland had drifted into the pool to float forlorn and forgotten.

If the estate had been properly staffed, Amaya supposed that all this would have been taken care of already. As it was, she only had a small detail of spies and a crew of children at her disposal. She herself had been too preoccupied to do any cleaning, especially since meeting with Cayo Mercado a couple of days ago at Laelia’s.

He had mentioned something about confronting the past to prevent history from repeating itself. Since then, she had become obsessed with the list of debt collectors taken from Zharo’s apartment, now her only link to figure out what had truly happened.

She looked to the list she had brought out here with her, weighted down with a rock so it wouldn’t fly away. The inked words glared up at her, almost taunting her.

Amaya had had Liesl reach out to all the listed debt collectors under the guise that the countess had an important, undisclosed job that needed doing, and she was searching for the right candidate. In reality, Amaya would use the countess’s influence in order to get at the heart of what she wanted: information about why she had been sold all those years ago.

She had to move forward with Boon’s plan. But first, she had personal business to settle.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Her hand drifted to her knife by instinct, her shoulders stiff.

But it was only Cicada. She relaxed as he gave her one of his infectious grins, a flash of white against the striking darkness of his skin. It crinkled the corners of his eyes and stretched the white tattoos on his upper cheeks. Amaya tried to return it, but it sat weak on her face.

“You only picked at your breakfast, so I figured you might be wanting for something else,” he said, placing a silver tray on the glass table beside her. It contained a small teapot, a cup, a plate of fried plantains, and a bowl of colorful fruit.

Unexpectedly, Amaya’s eyes began to sting. It may have been a small kindness, but it felt so much bigger. It reminded her of all the times he snuck her a bit of what Zharo ate—always better than what the Bugs got—and how that, to them, was only one method of survival.

This, though—it wasn’t survival. Not really. It was merely kindness and friendship, and Amaya had no idea what to do with either.

The Brackish had taught her that such things were practically nonexistent; that the world was cruel, and it forged cruel people to inhabit it. It had been a miracle that she had had Roach, considering how many of the older Bugs grew to turn on each other.

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