She wasn’t sure what drew her hazy thoughts in that direction, but it was irresistible. A siren song she followed through misty layers of memory and emotion.
Draining her deep within herself, she spiraled through her mind and into the Midwood until she landed in her favorite clearing.
“Princess,” a silken voice cooed from the treeline. The woods sparkled in this version of the dark woods. Deep amethysts and emeralds hid the unimaginable creatures as they lurked.
Astra turned, her gaze landing on a tall, lithe form, dripping in jewels of all colors. Her lavender-hued skin glistened under the moonlight, and her snow-white hair fell in sheets of thin braids. Golden beads and crystals tangled with the woven threads.
But it was Ehlaria’s startling blue gaze that stood out against all her adornments. She stepped from the trees into the clearing, floating on the breeze as she kneeled before Astra.
“How long has it been, Astra?”
“Too long,” she returned, happy to know that even on this astral plane, the Lunar elf queen smelled of tea leaves and honey.
“We saw that beast of yours last week. I assumed you’d seek me out immediately.”
Astra frowned. “It’s been a busy few days, Ehlaria.”
“Oh, yes. I know.” She sat back on her heels, her dazzling robes pouring over her legs like liquid silver. “The man you met on your birthday—what an interesting little turn of events.”
Astra smiled, the gods may have abandoned her plea, but sometimes she thought Ehlaria was wiser than any ancient god anyway. “The king of Mercury.”
“He did have quite the regal posture in my vision,” Ehlaria nodded. “Very handsome. And kind.”
Astra held up her hand but realized a moment too late that, here, she wore no ring.
“You’re new to astral traveling. The details take many decades of practice,” Ehlaria laughed, tossing her pointed ears and sending a dozen earrings into a jingling hymn.
“Why am I here? Not that I mind the company, of course.”
“Your soul called to me,” Ehlaria said. “I heard it all morning.”
Astra inhaled, holding all the strange fear from the morning in her lungs. She released it, finding the queen’s gentle gaze.
“Pluto has been removed from the Outer Courts. I think war is coming, Ehlaria.”
The queen snorted a rather inelegant sound for all her languid gestures. “When you live long enough, Princess, you realize war is always coming and going.”
“Well, it’s my first time, so be gentle,” Astra huffed, drawing a laugh from the mystical queen.
“We believe you’re right. We’ve felt the rumblings from the Solar King for a while now. Something is off. The air sits heavier in our bones lately.”
“Yes,” Astra breathed. “I think something is wrong with the Rift.”
Ehlaria’s brows tucked toward one another. “What sort of something?”
“I keep running into this insufferable heat in the Midwood. I fear the wards have faltered and Solarians have infiltrated.”
Ehlaria’s eyes glazed over into a milky white, a transition Astra had seen before. “The man you met, the Mercurian. He is the key to your explorations, Astra. It’s hazy, but something you discover together will help you. Help all of us.”
Astra pursed her lips, hesitant to even ask lest she admit her skepticism in her own plan. “The king… is he a good man? Am I stupid to chain myself to him?”
Ehlaria’s eyes stayed locked to another dimension, seeing what Astra could not.
“The gods do not make mistakes, Astra. Be comforted in that.” Her cheeks heated. She’d half-expected Ehlaria to know the Tether was only a ruse, but maybe her all-seeing eyes weren’t flawless. “I have something for you, a book. It contains the origin story of the Rift. It was not always there, you know.”
“What?”
“Our worlds used to exist completely independently from one another.” Ehlaria held a small, black book. The binding was cracked on one end. She handed it over, but here, in whatever space between they sat, the weight of it didn’t quite settle into Astra’s hands. “Start with the Rift. You need to understand how we got here before you set it all ablaze, Fire Queen.”
