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Chapter Thirty-One

L ux was at least gracious enough to stay quiet on the walk back.

He left Astra in the safety of the palace gardens, one last devastating look before disappearing into the halls.

Except he didn’ t disappear.

She felt every one of his movements from the warm waters of her bathtub. Every line he paced back and forth, every circle he wore into the floor of the Andromeda wing, the cord in her chest pulling and releasing.

The amulet might have dulled the physical sensation, but her heart knew all the same. It was agony.

She leaned her head against the curved edge of the pool, the water now uncomfortably cold. She’d been hiding in here too long. She knew it, but she could hardly get her head around what happened, let alone what to do about it.

Not that there was anything to do about it.

He’d made himself clear.

And he was right. Centuries of bloodshed couldn’t be wrong. She attempted a deep breath, but the Tether tightened and suffocated her.

“As?” Ameera was in her bedroom, looking for her. If she sank under the water now, she’d hear the bubbles, surely. “They’re back from Pluto!”

As if this day couldn’t get any worse.

“I’m in here!”

“Your mother and the king are in the Celestial Hall.”

She nodded, making no movement.

“You’re being requested,” she said hesitantly, appearing at the edge of the pool. “For obvious reasons.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Whoa,” she breathed, her eyes landing on Astra’s fallen face. A river of orange alarm slithered up her arms. She eyed her, clearly distressed by what she saw. “What happened?”

“Elf wine.”

She faded into the dressing room across the way, a faint blossom of anxious orange crawling her shoulders.

“Shake it off, Fire Queen. It’s showtime.”

It took a good ten minutes to find the strength to leave her dressing room, shoulders rolled back as if her entire world hadn’t just changed. As if she couldn’t feel the very center of that world walking quickly along the Andromeda halls, probably beside Mirquios.

Naturally, her mother was irritated with her the moment she entered the Celestial Hall.

A distraction she welcomed, frankly. “Good of you to welcome us home with such enthusiasm,” Oestera huffed between instructions to her maidens.

“I was in the middle of something.” Astra shrugged, her heart simply not up for another battle today. “My apologies. How were your travels?”

Oestera ignored her question, bustling past her as the room filled in. The palace was a flurry of activity in the wake of their return. Tula spoke quietly with Archera as councilwomen took their seats.

“Where is Lunelle?” Astra asked Archera first. Her eyes widened, but she shrugged. She felt the wave of nerves in the room as dozens of eyes set upon her. “Is she harmed?” She tried to search for her sister within the walls of the palace, coming up empty. “Did she not return?”

No one answered.

She stomped her foot. “Mother, where is Lunelle?” Oestera’s head whipped toward Astra, disrupting her conversation with another councilwoman.

“She’s tired from the journey. Don’t be hysterical.” She turned back to her conversation, but Astra didn’t feel any better.

“Astra,” a low, velvet tone rang out against the hall. Mirquios crossed the onyx floor, his hands extended to greet her.

“You’re home!” She forced a smile, but her heart felt like a stone tossed into a lake. How was she supposed to even look at him after what happened?

“Are you well?”

“Of course,” he said, placing a quick kiss on her cheek, but as he pulled away, she couldn’t feel a thing from him. He read the confusion on her face immediately. “It’s been a long, hard trip. I didn’t want to burden you all at once.”

“Of course.”

“I need to debrief with my advisors. Can we catch up this evening?”

“I’ll see you then.”

He squeezed her hand and marched away, taking his stone wall with him. She waited for a spark, a longing to follow him, anything. But it did not come.

“Ladies,” Oestera announced, every head in the room turning toward her.

Astra found her seat, wondering where her father was as the queen addressed them.

“As you all know, Pluto has declared their intentions to join the Lunar Court and Inner Courts as tensions build with Solaris. Solan’s armies are gathering in the rings of Saturn and Neptune’s seas.

We cannot hesitate to send a message of unity. ”

As Oestera spoke, a body settled into the seat next to Astra, Lunelle’s silvery hair pulled into a gentle braid, her eyes tired from the long journey.

There you are!

She didn’t so much as glance at her sister. Sorry. I needed to freshen up.

Are you okay? I couldn’t even sense you.

“In an effort to show our firm support for Pluto’s wise decision to join in our fight against the oppression and tyranny of Solaris...”

She shrugged. I’m fine. Just tired. It’s a long trip.

Everyone is being weird. What are you hiding?

“It is my honor to announce to you that Arcas, the Prince of Pluto, has joined us along with his court for Lunelle’s trial. He’ll be the sole Lunar champion, signifying?—”

“What?” Astra barked, unable to stop herself.

“What part aren’t you clear on, Astra?” Oestera sighed, her eyes blazing.

Astra shrieked, “The part where you—the Queen of ‘tradition matters, Astra’—are shucking centuries of ritual by only nominating one champion? The part where you’ve invited a court full of people who were our sworn enemies until a month ago, and then promised your successor to them? Have you lost your mind?”

“Astra,” Lunelle warned, but she couldn’t stop.

“Why even put her through a trial if you’re going to dictate the outcome? Just plan a wedding instead!”

“Astra Leona, that is enough!” Oestera’s words cut through Astra’s hysteria, the silence in the hall deafening.

“This is insanity,” she cried, Lunelle’s bright eyes pleading with her to sit back down. “How could you do this to her?”

Oestera heaved a massive sigh. “Your sister is not a child, Astra. She understands the role she plays. This is not the time to be soft. If you were more willing to do what was necessary for your court?—”

She threw her hands up, exasperated, flashing the ring on her hand at her. “I’m more than willing to do what needs to be done to further the well-being of my court, something I would argue you have never done!”

She didn’t need a divine intuition to feel the rage boil in her mother’s heart. Oestera spoke carefully but seethed beneath every syllable.

“Perhaps you should be down the hall with your intended’s court since your allegiance is clearly not to your queen.”

She held her icy stare, unwilling to break as Astra landed a blow she knew she couldn’t take back. “My allegiance is to the people upon whose backs you’ll fight this war. My allegiance is to my sister and the court she’ll have to piece back together after the mess you’re making of it.”

Oestera’s eyes broke from Astra’s, dropping to the floor for the briefest of moments. Decades of conditioning kicked in before her eyes hit the punishing glare of the polished stone beneath her shoes.

“You’re right,” Oestera growled. “What would I know about piecing together a broken court?”

Astra opened her mouth to respond, but Oestera cut her off. “You are dismissed.”

Astra hid in her study for the rest of the evening, flipping through Ivonne’s notes once again. If Oestera was willing to throw Lunelle into the hands of strangers who had, for centuries, sided with their mortal enemies, what else was she willing to do?

What else was she willing to hide?

* * *

She’d felt the soft shift within her ribs several minutes before the commander finally worked up the nerve to knock on her study door.

“Princess?” His voice broke her from a blurry stare at the Shadow Bargaining manual.

“Come in,” she mumbled, unsure she could take seeing him again as her stomach churned. Her heart only beat faster when the door widened and Mirquios joined him, neither of them readable to her.

“Mirquios!” She pasted on a smile, aware it didn’t do enough as he looked over her with a quiet concern. “I’m sorry I missed dinner,” she offered, closing the space between them and blocking his view of her desk. “I started a project this morning without realizing everyone was returning.”

“We didn’t give much of a warning,” he excused her.

Everything inside her screamed, desperate to touch the wrong man. She tamped down the lava flowing beneath her skin. “I suppose we have a bit of catching up to do.”

“That’s why we’re here.” The king smiled softly, a kindness she didn’t deserve. “I was hoping you’d join us on a special mission this evening.”

Astra watched Lux’s lips seal into a tight line. “Mission?”

“The commander has informed me of what happened while I was gone.”

As if her body could burn any hotter, a flare in her chest sent a crimson hue to her face. “He what?—”

The slightest head shake from Luxuros shut her up.

Mirquios continued, “You met the Nova Rebels in Ellume?”

“Oh!” She sighed, hoping for a wave of relief, but it did not come. “Yes. Daria Bloodmoon is an old friend of mine.”

“My time in Pluto allowed me to meet with the captain of their Nova chapter. I learned some key information that I need to get into the hands of Mercury’s captain, but it’s far too dangerous to send written communications through the Rift, as you know. So… how would you like to see Mercury?”

Her lips fell open, shocked at the request. “Mother would never?—”

Mirquios stepped closer. “I imagine your mother and father will be quite distracted this evening, will they not?”

Astra swallowed. “You mean to sneak me out of the Lunar Court?”

“Three hours. Four, tops.” He smirked, a mischief playing in his bright eyes.

“The Rift. It’s incredibly dangerous, now more than ever.”

The king waved a hand. “From what the commander tells me, we have no need to worry about your ability to defend yourself. We’re moving the rest of the Mercurian courtiers back home to avoid clashing with the Plutonians. Luxuros will escort you and I’ll meet you there.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” she protested. “I’m sure I can figure it out?—”

“You’ve never taken the Rift out of your own court,” the commander cut her off. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “Let’s go.”