The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📕

of wicker, which makes me feel like we should be on a porch drinking iced tea. Instead, Emmett’s legs are tied to the chair with the mysterious water ropes, and his wrists are bound in the same way. I’ve never seen magic like this.

“Riley, are you okay?” Emmett’s eyes are so full of terror that, in that moment, I know we’ve achieved our goal.

We’ve found the Horangi.

“Are you okay?” I ask. His eyes are bloodshot and his lips purple. I wish I could reach out and squeeze his hand. I can only imagine what he’s feeling right now.

He trembles a little, but he nods. “I’m okay.”

I scan his face and body to make sure he isn’t injured. And when I’m sure they haven’t hurt him, I take stock of our surroundings.

From what I can see in front of me, we are sitting smack-bang in the center of a windowless room that is flooded with water up to our ankles. I’m relieved to see Boris is propped up against the wall, next to the door, which is raised slightly above the water. The room isn’t big, and it’s devoid of any furnishings besides our two chairs. The walls and ceiling are completely white—so white, in fact, that it’s hard to see where the wall ends and the ceiling starts. It feels like we’re inside a picnic cooler.

A tall, lean woman my eomma’s age, with a long neck and intelligent eyes, reveals herself from behind us. “Who are you?” she asks, in a deep, authoritative voice. “And how did you know about the boba-tea portal?”

Her hair is swept up into a French twist, and she’s wearing a black turtleneck and jeans. She looks like a Korean female version of Steve Jobs, but with more hair. She’s the first Horangi I’ve ever met. Well, aside from my birth parents, that is, but they don’t count.

A man and boy walk out from behind us, too. The man is wearing jeans and a turtleneck like the woman, but he also has on a leather biker’s jacket studded with metal stars. The boy—who looks about my age—is dressed in bright-red chinos, an orange-checked shirt, and a red bow tie. He stands out like a beacon against the stark white walls.

The woman studies my face, and for a split second, her eyes widen, as if she’s taken by surprise. “You look just like…”

Her reaction makes my insides wobble. Mostly in a bad way, but a little bit in a good way, too. Does she see my biological eomma or appa in me? Do I have any of their characteristics or traits? What kind of people were they? There are so many questions I want to ask.

But then I remember what they did, and the good feeling vanishes. I don’t care who they were. I already know who my real parents are.

The woman shakes her head and clears her throat. “What brings you here?”

“Untie us, and then we’ll talk,” I demand. “Who kidnaps innocent kids, anyway? No wonder you were disowned by your goddess.”

I have no idea where all this bravado is coming from, but thinking of what these cursed witches did to Emmett’s mom is enough to light a fire in my gut.

She scowls at me. “I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you that you’re the one who has trespassed on our property, and you’re the one being held prisoner. Are you sure you want to keep talking to me that way?”

“Riley,” Emmett warns, “be careful. You know what they’re capable of.”

I bite my lip. He’s right. We need their help to find the last fallen star, and we can’t do that if we’re dead.

“Let me ask you again,” the woman says. “Why have you come here?”

When I don’t answer immediately, the man rubs his wrists together until his gifted mark glows red. He holds his hands over the metal stars that adorn his leather jacket. With a flick of his wrists he sends the studs flying like tiny ninja weapons straight toward Emmett’s face. When they’re an arm’s length away, they stop and hover in midair, as if awaiting their final command.

Emmett blanches and I scream, “No!”

The thing is, this scene disturbs me for two reasons. The obvious one being that my best friend is yet again in peril because of me. The other is that this man does not have a Gi on his wrist.

“How are you doing that?” I ask, incredulous. Hasn’t the Mountain Tiger Goddess cursed them never again to wield magic? And what kind of magic is this?

The woman crouches in front of me and looks me square in the eye. “I will not ask you the same question three times. If you do not answer, I will have Austin complete the task he has started.” She looks to Emmett. “And that would be a shame for your poor friend, now, wouldn’t it?”

I nod frantically. “Yes, yes, of course. Please, just lower the blades.”

The woman nods, and the man, Austin, makes a swift cupping motion with his hands. The weapons fly back to him and reattach themselves to his jacket. Judging by the way Austin obeys the woman, I’m guessing she’s some kind of senior figure here.

I stare in awe as I try to find the right words. “The truth is, we’ve come to ask for your help.”

The woman frowns, and both Austin and the boy look curiously at me.

“You just said we were disowned by our goddess and banished from the gifted community,” says the woman. “What makes you think you’re in need of our assistance?”

I feel the hard glass of Hattie’s heart vial next to my skin. Because I have to save my sister. “Because we’re looking for something, and we believe you know where it is.”

“And what might that be?”

I look at Emmett, and he nods at me to continue.

“We are looking for the Godrealm’s last fallen star—what we believe to be the eighth and last artifact. And we need your help in locating it.”

Austin’s eyes widen