Lachlan doesn’t tell us what’s going on. He doesn’t even say a word to me once we reach the balcony; he only gazes at the night sky with childlike fascination. The crowd eventually falls silent, and we wait.

“I suppose we’re about to see why you’ve been up in that attic for months,” Teddy smiles. Lach beams at her.

A squeal zips through the air. My heartbeat quickens, and I clutch the railing.

“Are we under attack?” I snap, my eyes darting in every direction. No one answers. I spot a trail of fire zooming high into the sky from the corner of my eye. My neck whips towards the burning ball, and my eyes widen in panic. Have the terrors of The Wood followed me here? Do they seek to destroy Aeradian’s capitol to flush me out? Where is Braizen? Without warning, the flame disappears, and all is still.

Bam! Across the night’s canvas, multiple streams of colored fire disperse from all angles. An involuntary laugh leaps from my throat as I watch the fiery lights form what looks like an opening palm made of stars. A crackling follows, and then another fireball whizzes to greet its predecessor. Again, it explodes; only this time, warm honey-colored lights fall like the limbs of a weeping willow. A thousand lightning bugs fly in formation, twinkling like individual tiny suns.

Another launches, and then another. At least fifty tiny missiles impale the air, only to burst into multicolored shapes stretching across the heavens like a cosmic root system. Their embers drift to the ground, vanishing before reaching the crowd’s outstretched hands. Children’s delighted laughter and astonished exclamations soon fill the square.

So many flares fire at once that I can’t contain my joy and giddiness. I move to Lachlan’s side and rest my head on his shoulder. “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I say excitedly.

“It’s all for her. She loved the stars,” he whispers.

I remove my head and tilt my face to watch him.

“Sera?”

He nods. “My father always said that when Kings die, they become stars. Legend further states that only a righteous man can become one, king or not. But I like to think that anyone can become a star if they’re kind and good enough,” he says. He points a finger. “That’s where I think she is. Up there, shining brightly over our darkest times. I pray she knows that I look to the sky each night, searching for her in every constellation.”

His voice catches on a slight sob. “All of this is so that hopefully, she can see me too. I want her to know the world still burns bright for her. That I still…” His voice drifts, and his green eyes lock onto the sky—onto her.