Riding stars behind the tower.
- What will the Riding Stars bring this time, Brother Fir ? - Padra
- Ask miss Swanfeather ! She know it just as much as me! - Fir
Riding Stars are stars which fly low to the ground, vaguely similar to a meteor shower, besides the noteworthy difference of the Riding Stars tendency to "dance" in the sky, pirouetting and flying on random trajectories. Riding Stars occur almost exclusively on Nights of Riding Stars, events which are frequently foretold weeks in advance by Priests. Mistmantle Islanders make events of these nights, lighting bonfires and staying up late to see the stars.
Riding Stars share a close connection to the Heart, and a Night of Riding Stars always acts as a harbinger for a significant event for Mistmantle, although the event's identity, a good event or a bad event, is frequently not discovered immediately after, and sometimes goes undiscovered for days to years. It is likely the Heart is the source of the Riding Stars, to some degree or another.
Among what has been foretold by Riding Stars, some of the most significant have been Urchin's birth, Tumble's murder, Urchin and Crispin's return to Mistmantle in the first book, Urchin and Juniper's return to Mistmantle in the second book, and Catkin's rescue in the third book.