Ara sat up with a jerk. It had to be sometime after midnight. The same sense of dread that filled her when Tessa died now overwhelmed her.
"Ara?" Zacar said in alarm.
Ignoring him, she wrapped her hands around her Nightstar. "Tenan," she said urgently. She entered the realm to see his vibrant star floating down to her palm. But before it reached her hand, it blackened and fell into the heaps of little black coals. Desperately, Ara sank to her knees searching frantically. All she found were indiscernible black bits of coal. "No." She cried. Then her voice rose in volume with each repetition. "No! No! No!"
She felt Kodan linking with her mind. Wrenching her soul back from him, she stood and unclasped her Nightstar, throwing it away from her. "NO!"
Bomin immediately scrambled for the necklace, and Zacar leapt from his blanket and tackled her to keep her from bolting. "ARA!" he screamed.
She collapsed in his arms and weakly beat at his chest. "No!" She wailed. "He was supposed to marry Cashelle! They would have lived in Bondell and raised a family!" He held her as she sank to the ground. She pushed him roughly away. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rocked back and forth all the while chanting, "No, no, no, no. . ."
Zacar watched her in horror. His eyes leapt to Bomin for answers. Bomin cradled the Nightstar. Their gaze met, and Zacar saw the tears brimming in his eyes. Then suddenly he remembered a beautiful girl visiting Tenan before—a girl named Cashelle. Suddenly he understood: Tenan was dead. Zacar looked back to Ara, her whole body convulsing in silent sobs. For a time, he watched her helplessly. Then both he and Bomin sat to watch over Ara as she grieved.
Only allowing Kodan anywhere near her, she slept fitfully. When the day broke, Ara refused to eat. Simply mounted Kodan and continued their eastward journey, her shoulders slumped.
That night, she stood before Bomin—her head bowed as if she carried a great burden. Silently, she lifted her hair, turned around, and sat on her heels. Bomin said nothing, simply latched the necklace around her neck and watched as she walked away. Zacar couldn't help but feel how great a load Ara willingly carried.
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