Star woke gasping in the dark.
The cottage room was silent except for Elandor's steady breathing beside him. Moonlight striped the quilt through the half-open window. Everything looked normal.
But something was wrong.
He sat up slowly, heart hammering for no reason he could name. His chest felt hollow, like someone had scooped out a piece and left the edges raw. He pressed a hand to his birthmark; it was cold, lifeless.
Elandor stirred, instantly alert. "Star?"
"I don't know," Star whispered. "Something's… missing."
He tried to grab the feeling, pin it down. A warmth that used to live in his chest when he thought of home. A smell. A sound. Gone.
Elandor sat up, pulling him close. "The second moon rose tonight. Cassian."
Star nodded against his shoulder. "He took something. I just don't know what."
They didn't sleep again.
