“I didn’t get to compare.”
Luxuros sighed, softening his stance. “Go on, then.”
Astra debated if she should, if this was over the line of appropriate for him, but she found herself drifting forward with both hands, one tangling into the dark curls on the left side of his face, another into the lighter spiral on the right. She dragged her fingers through the silken strands, brushing them away from his irritated glare. It was harder to sense here, where everything felt a little like being underwater, but her right hand did, indeed, feel colder.
“I’ve always had it,” he whispered as if reading her mind.
“Fascinating,” she mumbled.
Chapter
Eighteen
Ellume’s temple was only a short jaunt from the Crescent Manor, but Daria insisted they take the underground tunnels.
Just in case.
Ameera and Astra left Luxuros with the Nova Rebels, climbing a rickety staircase to the surface of the city. They stood at the entrance to the temple’s thick gardens, wondering what the Nether they thought they were doing.
Ameera released a slow breath. “You still feel good about the plan?”
“No,” Astra laughed, a tangle of scarlet nerves tightening in her chest. “But let’s do it.”
The lavender temple pillars loomed over the desolate street. A decade ago, the park surrounding it teemed with colorful blossoms and gurgling fountains in the Summer. Today, it was quiet. Tangled branches hooked around dormant springs, like skeletal fingers desperately searching for something to hold onto.
“Where is everyone?” Astra asked.
“I’d heard rumors of Ellume’s decline, but never imagined this.”
“Ivonne’s gotten too comfortable here. My mother’s absence has allowed her to bleed the city dry.”
Ameera and Astra approached the temple steps, breaking through the trees and landing at a long hallway, open to the sea breeze. Carved goddesses watched as they quickly walked through the ivy-coated pillars, a few maidens strewn about performing their morning prayers. No one seemed to notice the princess and her maiden as they scooted through a large altar that hadn’t been swept clean in some time.
Labradorite lamps remained unlit along the halls, a few sparking to life as they entered the center of the temple. An oblong table cut from iridescent quartz jutted out at all angles in the middle of the room, punctuated with altars to several Lunar Goddesses. Astra approached the altar and Ameera reflexively reached for the small bag of rosy pink stones she carried. She offered one to Astra who took it and left it at the base of a worn statue of her grandmother, her shoulders sloped in the same heavy disappointment her mother carried.
“May the mothers who came before bless us,” Astra mumbled.
“Within and without,” Ameera answered.
“Princess?” A shocked voice bounced around the table from the hall as a temple maiden approached, her soft slippers swishing against the shiny floors.
“Good morning,” Astra called, seeing the rise of crimson panic in her chest. “Don’t be alarmed! I know this is a surprise.”
“Oh!” The maiden sighed. “I was worried I’d missed a crucial communication.” Her nerves twisted into bundles of flickering reds and oranges as she stood before them, her deep complexion reflecting the rainbows of the quartz, citrine, and flourite pieces on the table.
“What is your name?” Astra asked gently.
“Helena.”
“Helena,” she repeated, making sure to drip the last syllable with a honey sweetness. “So lovely to meet you. Can you do me a favor and let Ivonne know I require an audience with the council?”
Helena’s dark eyes widened. “Of—of course, Princess.” She disappeared into the hallway she came from, her tangled nerves tightening.
I’ll buy you whatever time I can, Astra beamed to Ameera, who slipped away and down the opposite hall, aiming for the temple’s library.
Helena returned with two glasses of water, setting them on the table as she glanced around the room. “My maiden will be back shortly. She wanted to pray in the gardens.”
“Of course, Princess. Ivonne and the council are assembling. You’re welcome to wait here?—”
