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Chapter Forty-Eight

“A meera and I realized that if Luxuros could get into the Lunar Gate, the Rift was no longer warded against Solarians.”

Astra sipped her tea one more time and rounded her shoulders, every eye in the room hanging on her words.

“We started poking around and that led us to Ellume. We broke into Ivonne’s office and learned she was researching Shadow Bargaining—she had that same manual you got from Ehlaria.

She knew something wasn’t right with Selenia—with the Rift—but she wouldn’t admit it to me.

Her notes all but accused you, Mother, of covering her tracks.

We thought perhaps you were in on whatever deal she made with Luciela. ”

“Always hated Ivonne,” Ehlaria scoffed beside Astra.

“I held a council meeting and distracted them long enough for Ameera to seduce a clerk—you know what, maybe not so much detail,” Astra added as Ameera’s eyes widened.

“Anyway, she borrowed Ivonne’s notes and Lux found the passage about Shadow Bargaining.

That tipped us off that Ivonne was on the hunt for dirt on Selenia. ”

Astra was on a roll now, her mother’s eyes widening with every word she dropped before her.

“On our way home, a Solarian soldier attacked us. He almost killed Lux, and something inside me snapped. I immolated him without even touching him. We both know my fire has been an issue when emotions run high, but I’d never purposefully tried to do anything with it before.

So we started training. Lux helped me find my limits when he wasn’t busy flirting with Father,” Astra laughed.

“I needed you not to hate me, Nayson,” Lux sighed. “I knew from the second we touched in Celene it was over for us. It was just a matter of time. I needed Nayson on my side so your mother wouldn’t have me beheaded when she returned.”

Astra grinned. “Fair enough. We visited Ehlaria during the Equinox. I realize now that she was oath-bound not to tell me anything, but she hinted that my fire was actually sunlight, which set us down a whole other path. And then one of us got a little pissy—I won’t name names—and fired a spark at the other, knocking the moonstone amulet off.

And that’s when all Nether broke loose.”

“You both needed a push. I knew the looking glass would set you off.”

A warm smile melted over Ehlaria’s lavender complexion, reflected by her own, she was sure.

Astra chuckled. Passion was predictable when you’d seen it boil over for centuries, she supposed.

“When you came back from Pluto with Arcas, I was floored that you would throw Lunelle to our enemies. I see now that you were feeding a fire you’d been tending for decades.

You needed me to make a final stand, and my sister’s happiness was one thing I’d never risk.

Mirquios and Lux took me to Mercury to see the Sun, and I met Maeve and then Lunelle waltzed in. In pants !”

Oestera released a laugh, a melodic sound she’d been starved of for too long.

“They broke their news to me and that’s when I knew I had to do something drastic. I couldn’t let my sister live her whole life shackled to some pouty prince when she had real, true love on the table. I tried to ask you about The Flare, but you shut me down so quickly.”

Oestera held her wrist up again, the dull scar pale in the morning moonlight. “I knew what you were asking, but I couldn’t get into it. I hoped if I showed you the fear, the genuine anguish, it might motivate you to seek the truth in other avenues.”

Astra nodded, remembering the pain in her words.

“I went within that night and watched Leona and Solan’s last few moments together, which was awful. But it did reveal how little we actually knew of our own history.”

Astra turned toward her mother, reaching for her hands again.

“And I watched you save a little Solarian boy before The Flare could kill you both, but it didn’t register at the time who that might have been.”

Lux’s hand grazed her shoulder, a soft calm from his touch soothing the heavy feelings weighing on her.

“On my way to the Rift, I saw Selenia in Solaris, our eyes locked. I wasn’t sure what was real or just a dream when I was in the Astral. I didn’t expect her to come looking for me.”

Oestera smiled, holding up her hand. “Do you remember that I asked you about that dress you were wearing?”

Astra nodded.

“I thought all these years that Leona’s ghost had screamed at me to run. You just look so much like her. But you were there, you yelled at me.”

“Yes,” Astra gasped. “That was me!”

“A Light Goddess, a Shadow Goddess, an astral traveler… what can’t you do?” Oestera’s eyes warmed as she laughed.

“Wait patiently for anything,” Lux snorted.

Ameera piped up, “She’s not very good at math.”

Astra rolled her eyes, but she laughed despite herself.

“When I jumped into the Rift, I got stuck. I couldn’t find my way up, but Lux pulled me out. The Tether disappeared when I went within, so he came looking for me. We were enjoying a pleasant dream in the Earthen Court when I was kidnapped by?—”

“Me.” Nine sets of eyes snapped toward the end of the room, where a pale figure in all black leaned against the wall, silently watching.

“Alastair,” Oestera cooed, holding her hands out to him. He embraced her warmly, her lips brushing against his cheek as he sat beside her. Lux tensed against Astra, his guard immediately up.

Alastair sighed. “Don’t be so sour, Luxuros. We’re just getting to the really fun part.”

“I don’t know if we can take any more fun,” Ameera sighed.

“Anyway, Alastair here took me to the Court Above?—”

“Oh gods,” Oestera cried. “We had a deal!”

“I promised not to take Astra into the Rift. And I didn’t. I took her from the dream, but the prince here took her into the Rift. Many, many times might I add.”

Astra pushed forward, ignoring the tension building in both their chests.

“He took me to the Court Above and Selenia paraded me around. She knew I’d seen her at The Flare and she had to control the narrative.

We struck a deal. I’d go down and get Leona’s soul for her and she’d nominate Mirquios as a champion.

We knew with the lie we’d told about the Tether and our tenuous relations with Pluto that we’d be endangering our courts if we weren’t careful.

A goddess declaring it would give us the out we all needed. ”

“I am the queen of broken engagements. You could have come to me.”

She stared at her mother. She’d wanted Astra to trust her.

“I was afraid of fucking up your plans yet again. I don’t enjoy disappointing you.”

“You’ve never once disappointed me, Astra Leona,” she said. “Not once in your life.”

“Thank you.” Astra tried to suppress the wave of emotions that crashed over her.

“When I spoke with Leona, she told me that Selenia was trying to get her soul to destroy it, so I couldn’t get access to her.

Knowing that I could go within spooked her and put a few puzzle pieces together about Lux, as well.

So I went into the forest and I called to her.

I used the locket she’d given me and I captured her.

I didn’t know if we’d need it or not, but I figured if things went left, the leverage would be crucial.

Luciela... she told me that Selenia had actually been Tethered to Lucian and traded her shadow for that dagger.

“She severed her Tether to Lucian and then he convinced her to do the same with Leona and Solan. There’s an empty throne in the Court Above.

Only one ruler can sit on it, and they have to have both Light and Shadow, but no Solar and Lunar gods have been willing to give up their own power to the other. Leona and Solan got too close.”

Oestera took this in, her lips twisting as she tried to understand her own mother’s plight.

“We’ve all waited a long, long time to be rid of Selenia.

I watched my sister die and my court fall under the tight reins of the Court Above.

I’ve been forced to live a life separated from you, from Lunelle.

You had to end it. I knew you were ready.

Alastair will reshape what the courtiers saw tonight as they sleep, we’ll ensure that everyone is on the same page about Selenia’s attack on you to prevent the truth from spreading.

We can’t stop the Court Above from investigating, but make no mistake, they will come looking into things. We’ll have a plan in place.

“We need to be careful with how we navigate the next few months. We don’t have to decide it all tonight, of course, but I think we need to put some distance between you two until we can formulate a plan for Solan.” Oestera gestured between Luxuros and Astra.

“At the very least, we can’t crown a Solar heir the Lunar King,” Ehlaria said. “It would be declaring war on both Solan and the Court Above.”

A notion rippled in Astra’s gut. Subtle, but hard to deny once she heard it.

“What if we didn’t crown either one of us?”

Oestera shook her head. “I know you never asked for this, but I promise you, it gets better. With your sister on the Mercurian throne?—”

“No, I don’t mean keeping Lunelle here. I mean we crown no one.”

Every ear leaned over the table, waves of muddied reds and oranges blooming across their chests. Oestera pressed again.

“Someone has to lead the court, and I can only stay so much longer. The Lunar Throne Above is now vacant and if I can Ascend to it, Alastair and I can work together to get the Nova chapter in the Court Above whipped into shape. A peaceful transition of power is so important.”

“The gods aren’t going to be satisfied with our secret for long,” Astra said, rising from her seat.

“Selenia’s blood oath may have kept her from ratting the rebellion out to Lucian, but who knows what she told him about Luxuros?

Even with Alastair’s help, how long can we really keep the courtiers at bay? ”