“I don’t want to distress anyone,” Luxuros said.
Just me, Astra groaned internally.
Cam waved a hand. “These women know Astra would sooner fling herself off the cliffs than endanger them. Her word is good. Though you may want to watch out for your own sake. They aren’t too happy that your king is taking her away from us.”
Astra sighed, a purple pang of guilt tightening around her wrists.
“I’ll take you to the docks, Lux,” Ameera offered. “We’ll check on Riv, too. Cam says he’s in rougher shape than we thought.”
“We can send him home in a few days, but I wouldn’t ride him for a while, As. His wing took some damage when you landed.”
“Perfect,” Astra whispered. Ameera and Luxuros were hardly out of the door before Cam slid closer to Astra, aware that every wall in Celene had ears.
“Ameera showed me the Shadow Bargaining manual. I pulled a few texts to send back to the palace with you. It’s not an exact match, but there’s a book of Saturnian mythology. Their patron goddess, Saturnia, promised the Nether Queen a black diamond ring if she granted her the ability to see auras. Saturnia went back on their deal and the Nether Queen blew her soul into a billion shards of black diamond, forming a ring around Saturn so her people would never forget her betrayal. There are a few other similar exchanges between ancient gods and the Nether Queen. They may not be speaking of Shadow Bargaining, but it’s a start.”
“Thank you,” Astra said, a chill crossing her arms.
“I also pulled some texts on the Ascension process. If Selenia truly made her full Ascent, which she would have had to in order to take the Lunar Throne in the Court Above, she would have reunited with her Shadow and Soul in the Court Below. If she did trade her Shadow, it had to have been recently.”
Astra shook her head. “I’m not sure about the timeline. We have records in the library of the palace, but I think she Ascended before I was born. I don’t have many memories of her, but she was already on the Lunar Throne Above when I was old enough to form memories.”
“Whenever it happened, it’s not good. That kind of power has to be up to something nefarious. The Court Above is not the end-all-be-all, Astra. There are powers even the gods fear.”
“So it never ends, then?” She smiled weakly. “Thank you for compiling all of that. I know there’s a common thread somewhere. I just need more information. But Solan,” Astra whispered his name as if the crests of the rivulets below might be spies. “He’s moving, Cam. We need to be ready.”
“I was born for this, Astra,” Cam grinned. “As were you.”
After lunch with the Celenian council, Astra mounted her horse with a long list of needed supplies in hand.
She wasn’t sure when war was coming, but she knew Celene would be ready. She’d managed a quick visit with Riverion before taking the pulley cart back up the cliffside and darting through the village as woman after woman stopped her to speak.
“Add some pigments for Seph to our list,” Astra said to Ameera, her mind a steel trap for Astra’s scattered thoughts.
“What for?” Lux asked. It was the first thing he’d said to her since breakfast.
“She’s a gifted painter. Whatever happens, someone needs to document it. She reminds me of my father, quietly absorbing everything happening around her to capture it permanently.”
The commander considered this as Ameera galloped ahead of them, her eyes scanning the perimeter of the forest for any strangers.
“You love them so deeply,” Luxuros finally said.
She only nodded, surprised by the tears that sprang so freely to her eyes. Leaving the first time had felt like a temporary mission.
Leaving now felt like the last time before everything changed.
She did her best to swallow the feelings. She’d been vulnerable enough with him that morning, even if it was against her will. Now, she couldn’t stop spiraling into memories of the dreams she’d had since he first appeared in the court. All the times her mind had painted a softer portrait of him after arguing all day. All the times his warmth had reached out to touch her.
Mother above, she was blushing again.
“Celene is the only place in the world where no one recoils when I express a strong opinion,” Astra said, desperate to cover the shaking feeling inside her. “No one rolls their eyes or sighs when I pose an idea. And better, if it’s a bad one, they tell me without fear. They don’t eye my fingertips because I’m not a monster to them. I’m passionate. No one manipulates or plots to shape my will. They trust me to be the leader they know I am.”
Luxuros kept pace beside her, smiling as he replied. “The little girls down by the bridge this morning were using berries to stain their hair red. They called one another ‘Fire Queen.’”
If she hadn’t been blushing before, she certainly was now. “We need to move faster, Lux. We have to figure out what’s happening before they get hurt. I can’t let them down.”
“You won’t,” he assured her.
She smiled, the ease of it sending another blaring reminder of last night’s dream to the forefront of her mind.
