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Chapter Twenty-Seven

“N othing for the commander’s passage?”

Loleena Nightlark, Ehlaria’s most trusted advisor, materialized against a tree a few paces from them, her stunning features bearing gold paint across her face, a blush pink gown dripping off her lavender skin.

Astra sighed, plucked the second golden comb from her hair, and laid it down with its twin she’d offered just moments before.

“Well, come on then, you interrupted the party.” Loleena grinned, her pearlescent teeth gleaming under the moonlight.

Four other elves slipped between the trees as they walked, flanking them as Lux’s head stayed on a constant swivel in the forest.

“Fascinating. You make the commander nervous,” Loleena whispered.

“We had a run-in.”

“I heard,” she mused. “I also heard the bastard burned alive for it.”

Astra flinched. “Something like that.”

Loleena’s eyes fixed on her as they climbed over a fallen log.

“If you hadn’t done it, the commander would have ripped him limb from limb. You did the right thing. Besides, it was time he got a break.” Loleena glanced over her shoulder, her starry eyes flashing to Lux. “You must be tired of managing the Solarians in the Midwood single-handedly, hmm?”

Astra stopped. The buzz beside her indicated they’d reached the invisible wall between the Lunar Court and Ehlaria’s hidden city, though the charged energy wasn’t what gave her pause.

Lux grimaced, rubbing the Mercurian emblem across his chest. He could have run, that might have been preferable to the fury he watched bubble across Astra’s eyes.

“How many?” she demanded.

Loleena’s chest tightened into a scarlet spiral. “I’m sorry, I assumed she knew. It’s hard to keep things from the Fire Queen.” Lux did not break Astra’s stare or respond to Loleena as her veins sang with a miserable heat.

“How many ?”

“Some.” He glanced at Loleena who could not fight the wavering within her lungs. He corrected himself. “No more than a dozen.”

“A dozen! ”

Lux reached around his neck, pulling on the cord of the amulet beneath his tunic. “Mirquios brought me here to protect you, and I’ve done my job. They’ve all been one-off assassins, trying to be heroes, we think.”

“There’s that we again–”

“ We as in myself, Loleena, Archera, and Daria. We’ve been working together over the last few weeks to ensure the Midwood and Ellume are thoroughly swept for Solarian activity. There’s been a decrease in spottings since your… encounter. We believe the nature of his death may have sent a message.”

Astra shook her head, baffled at his report. “I’m so tired of being the last to know things, Commander?—”

“Astra,” Loleena interrupted. “This man has intercepted—what number did you say?”

Lux flinched. “A dozen... ish.”

Loleena rolled her eyes. “A dozenish assassination attempts on your life and we only kept it from you so you could focus on figuring out what’s going on with Selenia and the Rift.

We all made the decision. He actually wanted to tell you after last week’s incident, but with how hard you were taking the kill, he didn’t think you needed the blood of dozens of other spies on your hands. ”

Astra turned to Lux. “Dozens? Plural? How many, really?”

He sighed, his eyes squeezing shut. His hand wandered into his pocket, pulling out a long string of gilded beads. He tossed them at her feet.

“That many.” She scooped the chain from the twisted grass and swallowed. Each bead was carved with runes like the ones she’d seen on the Solarian cuffs in the crystal ball. She wondered briefly which bead belonged to the Solarian that used it to locate her in Celene.

There were at least thirty of them. “What are these?”

“Solarian soldiers wear a signet bead braided into their hair to identify their specialties and rank. The one on the end technically belongs to you.” Astra ran her thumb over the most recent bead, the metal absorbing the heat from her hands.

“He was higher ranking than the others we’ve seen.

They’ve been escalating over the last few weeks. ”

“Don’t let it ruin your night,” Loleena cooed. “The Midwood is flooded with sentries from all over the court to protect you and your family, Astra. Not that you seem to need it, these days.”

She sighed, her shoulders much heavier suddenly. She handed the beads back to the commander, a swirl of emotions coalescing into something resolute in her heart.

“I want a full briefing with all of you the second the Equinox is over.”

“Even Daria?” he asked, a slight smile returning to his lips.

She snorted. “Okay, most of you.”

“Done,” he said, stuffing the strand of beads back into his pocket.

“Well, my buzz is sufficiently dwindled. Might we get back to the celebration?” Loleena did not wait for them to reply before disappearing into the realm between.

Lux did not share Astra’s same hesitation at the shimmering barrier between here and there, fading into the mirage before she could muster up the courage.

She’d always struggled with that first step.

Between what she’d just learned and the gnawing feeling in her gut anytime she passed into the barrier, she needed a moment to breathe.

His hand reached back through the shimmering wall, bronze fingers suspended in the forest air.

Astra held her breath, forcing her mind to still for a moment before she reached for them.

Lux tugged her through the strange mirage and into the glowing trees of the vibrant Elven village.

Every tree was wrapped in golden ribbons and freckled with amber lights.

The branches teemed with elves in their very best.

It was a breathtaking distraction. Loleena cocked her head toward a set of oak stairs lined with gilded moonblossoms. Everything was coated in a fine sparkling dust and music came from all directions in the village, each little pocket filled with its own flavor of jovial sounds—dancers, drinkers, and gamblers.

Children lit paper lanterns and released them from the tops of the trees, letting them fly off into the night, drifting on their giggles.

Astra had never been there during a holiday, and she regretted every single one of them she’d missed.

“Ehlaria thought you might be our guests this evening,” Loleena said, leading them through a swinging moss-covered bridge across the village.

Dancers spun in circles below them on a large central deck.

Astra was too busy watching them to look up at the mighty oak as they drew near, only snapping her attention as she felt the sweet lavender calm of Ehlaria.

The Elven queen lounged on a wooden throne, a series of golden swirls painted across her thighs and arms, painted constellations speckled her face.

A face that smiled softly at the sight of Astra—of both of them, she realized.

“Our honored guests!” She rose from her throne, elves flowing quietly around her, ready for anything she might need.

She reached her long arms out to them, grabbing each of their hands and dragging them into the fray, a jingling percussion pulsing against Astra’s heartbeat.

Behind her, an Elven male ran a worn bow over his fiddle, a female sang a high soprano note to match.

“You need drinks,” Ehlaria purred, two goblets popping out of thin air as she handed them over. “Cheers, my loves, I’m so glad you finally made it,” she sang, clinking their hands together as she fell back onto her throne. “Please! Make yourselves at home. Dance!”

Astra sipped her wine, turning to the dancers in the middle, their feet moving quickly as they spun each other around, so unstructured and free. Her heart was still gripped with anger—what else was whispered about in clandestine meetings on her behalf?

Luxuros drained his goblet and set it on the ground. He extended his hand to her, but she wasn’t sure what to make of the gesture.

She held his gaze as she tossed back another gulp of wine, setting her cup beside his.

“Don’t you hate dancing?”

“I do,” he said, glancing at the crowd as it turned about itself. “But you don’t.”

Astra imitated his best scowl. “Doing something I like will not make me forget you’re plotting behind my back.”

Luxuros sighed, his outstretched hand folding away from her. “Are you going to dance with me, or do I need to find another partner?”

A deep crimson thrill raced through several of the female elves standing within earshot of them.

The right motivation, as always.

He whisked Astra away the moment her hand fell into his. They floated on the breeze alongside the whisper of a chill—Summer was well and truly gone. Lux spun her, gliding them around the bonfire, the flames throwing their warm reflections on her dress.

“Where were you this morning?” she called out over the sound of the fiddle and feet pounding on the wooden deck.

“I wasn’t in the Midwood, if that’s what you’re asking. I was called back to Mercury,” he replied, twisting her the other direction, his fingertips caught on the golden twigs as she twirled.

“Is everything well?”

Lux shook his head. “It was nothing overly interesting,” he insisted. “Mirquios wanted me to check in on a village not far from the city. Nova connections live there. He hadn’t heard from them in a few weeks and got nervous.”

She arched her eyebrows as he passed her under his arm, twisting their hands so they tangled around each other in an elegant knot. “And?”

“All was fine. The Rift’s communication paths may be compromised, however, so we’ll need to figure out a new system.”

She nodded as if she had any idea what they were facing.

She supposed she would soon. Lux spun her again, untangling them and pushing Astra away from him, a buzzing tension stretching between their hands.

He pulled her back sharply, chests colliding as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her other hand away from them.