“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.”
