“That we can agree on. How did you get me here from a dream? Aren’t the gates only open on Equinoxes and Solstices?”
Alastair dropped his eyes to hers, his lips tilted into a crooked smile.
“Gods aren’t bound to such silly laws like time. I’m surprised you’ve never tried the Divine Gate yourself. Most don’t, but every so often one of you slips through—it makes for an amusing anecdote at dinner parties. The Nether Queen, on the other hand, keeps a very tight lock on her gate between holidays—she’s not one for surprises.”
He stiffened as Selenia approached, her eerie chill rolling ahead of her like a morning fog.
“I see your mother, at the very least, kept up with your dance instruction,” she tossed.
“Of course.” Astra forced a smile.
“I want you to meet some friends,” Selenia mused, gesturing for them to follow her.
Astra spent the next half hour listening to the Goddess of Mercury preen on and on about how excited they were to have a Lunar Princess inherit the court. She tried her best not to frown every time she mentioned Mirquios. As the goddess started on her third round of stories about her time on the throne centuries ago, someone in an all-white tunic approached and whispered in Alastair’s ear. His lips fell into a tight line.
“Pardon me,” he said, handing Astra to Selenia. “I’ll just be a moment.”
Selenia wrapped her arm around her granddaughter’s and nodded along to the goddess’s tales, stifling a yawn.
Alastair did not return before Selenia grew bored with the party, introducing Astra to several other ancient gods, always beaming as she revealed she was her granddaughter in a way that tugged at Astra’s heart.
In a way her mother never had.
Selenia pulled Astra from the courtyard back to the white room, giving her more time to absorb the fine details she’d missed earlier. On one end was a set of sofas, accented with velvet pillows stitched with the lunar cycle in iridescent thread. Metal frames filled with ethereal portraits hung on the walls, the white tile on the floor reflecting them as they strode across the room. She plopped onto one sofa and gestured to the other, the woman in shades of pink hovering in a corner.
Astra felt a breeze as the doors opened again, Alastair returning with a smug twist of his full lips.
“I did not just bring you here to show you off,” Selenia confessed. “I believe you and I have a shared goal.”
“And what is that?”
“You weren’t revisiting The Flare for fun, Astra. What were you trying to glean?”
“Nothing.” She tucked her lip between her teeth, realizing as her eyes narrowed that was the wrong answer. “I was only trying to understand what happened with Leona. As you know, I am engaged to the Mercurian king. His version of events was quite different from mine. I was hoping to learn the truth.”
“And what truth did you learn?” Her eyes sliced and examined Astra, sinking back into the sofa, her hair blending into the crushed velvet.
Alastair’s lips twitched as his shoulders tensed. It was a trap she’d need to navigate with great caution.
“That it wasn’t the brutal attack I thought. It was mutual destruction. Both of their faults.”
Her pale pink lips dropped into a frown. “Tragic, wasn’t it? A shame your mother couldn’t talk them out of it. Perhaps, if she had tried a little harder in the end.”
Astra flinched. “Perhaps.”
“Then you’d understand,” she said, sitting up straighter. “Why I might have an interest in speaking with Leona again. To clear the air. I thought I could trust the person who gave me the advice about their situation.”
Astra fought the urge to push, to ask her exactly who advised her.
“How would I facilitate something like that? Is she not… here?”
The woman in pink sneered, a wicked grin chasing it.
“Leona has not made her Ascent. I’m afraid my daughter suffers greatly from the guilt of what she caused with her reckless behavior. She’s never been able to look her Shadow in the eye. Which is why I need help.”
Selenia leaned toward her, a dark, cold shift pushing a wave of nausea through Astra’s stomach.
“Your sister’s trial is coming up, yes? The Court Below is open to the Courts Between and the Living Courts on the Solstices…”
