“I understand, As,” Luxuros said, a softness in his tone she hadn’t heard before.
“I still don’t think Cam will appreciate the surprise,” Ameera said, looking out over the cliffs for signs of life.
She was right. Cameren would be worried on behalf of the women she’d sworn to protect. It would take more than just his word to make them feel safe.
“A blood oath,” Astra barked, her eyes falling to his hands. She reached for the sharp pin in her hair, releasing the knot at her neck into a waterfall of curls. She held her hand in front of his face, pressing the blade into her palm. The same blade that had been in his neck not so long ago.
It was reckless—would he even care if she tied her life to his honor? But it was the insurance she needed. Celene needed.
Ameera balked as Luxuros stared at her, taken aback by her swift movement. He folded his arms as he eyed her.
“That seems a tad dramatic, Astra, even for you.”
“These women deserve to feel safe, Commander. They need to be certain.” She held his gaze, drawn into the intensity behind his eyes as she stepped closer, toe to toe with his worn leather boots. “If you’re squeamish?—”
A dark laugh rippled through him as he glared at her and shoved his sleeve up his arm, the pink hatchling scars already sealing themselves over.
“Please, Princess. I’ve bled for you before, I’ve no problem doing it again.”
She didn’t notice his right hand wrap around the handle of the dagger he kept on his hip, slicing the flesh of his palm open in a rapid movement that startled her. His jaw hardly twitched as he shoved his bleeding palm forward and flipped the dagger in his other hand, sheathing it before Astra could let out the breath she held.
Astra carved a shallow line into her flesh, extending her hand to meet his. “You will never speak of Celene or anything you see within her walls. You will protect them like your own, as long as we both breathe.”
The commander nodded, wrapping his large hand over hers as a searing pain gripped their nerves. As they touched, a sizzle and pop made them both jump, as if a bolt of lightning struck between the wounds. Just as quickly, a soft warmth spread over her hand, easing the sharp pull of the raw wound as she pulled away. Astra’s brows furrowed, her mouth falling open to ask a dozen questions, but she paused when she saw the same confusion settle over his jaw.
“Well, then,” Ameera huffed, rolling her eyes. “If that doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will.”
Astra rubbed at her palm, marveling at the way the skin fused back together as Ameera charged ahead through the silent village. They wove beyond the dilapidated homes, no fires warming them, and traced a path Astra knew well even in the dark.
Her boots gripped the cliff’s loose gravel as she stared out over the Somnia slipping away into the sea.
“Where is everyone?” Luxuros asked, his eyes narrowing in the night.
Astra smirked. He was looking the wrong way, exactly as they hoped. The river’s sweeping beauty made for a sparkling distraction, leaving the city built into the cliffs below to slumber peacefully unnoticed. Astra pointed to a small wooden cart tucked into the edge of the cliff, just a short hop from the ledge. She dropped onto the platform, followed by Ameera, but the commander hesitated.
“I’m not getting on that thing.”
“It’s fine,” Astra insisted. “We just had it built last Summer. It beats repelling.”
He eyed her skeptically but dropped over the cliff’s edge onto the platform. Astra did not wait for him to stabilize before pulling the rope overhead and ringing the bell on the ground, laughing quietly as the cart lurched to life and the commander cursed under his breath.
The platform descended several stories, dust from the cliffs crumbling over the handrails as they sank into the canyon. Astra turned to watch the commander’s face as Celene’s sapphire and jade tower homes came into view, carved into the cliffside. They descended over the Somnia River and her many rivulets that wandered through the city, carved bridges dotting gardens that sang with the sweet petals of late Summer, early Autumn blooms.
“Unbelievable,” he whispered.
“The Forgotten City used to be a wasteland,” Ameera informed him. “But after decades of neglect, the restoration is quite something.”
“You did this?” Luxuros asked, watching Astra’s face as she scanned the rapidly approaching transfer station.
“I paid for it,” Astra said, shrugging. “The women did the work.”
“She’s being modest,” Sephone chimed as she stepped onto the platform and tied off the cart with a thick rope, extending her arms to wrap Astra into a warm embrace. “We had no pulley system before she got here, and the crystal bridges were her idea. Built from a tower that fell some decades ago.”
“Seph,” Astra mumbled into her hair.
“You brought a friend,” she said tentatively.
“He’s oath-bound,” Astra assured her, holding her palm up, though the wound didn’t appear as fresh as she’d intended. “You can trust him, but we don’t want to cause any upset. Can you bring Cameren here?”
