The Celestial Hall glittered in oranges and crimson. Gold cords tied off curtains at the archways over the sea, letting the crisp Autumn air circulate over the heads of the Lunar and Mercurian courtiers.
The room lacked a certain tension that lingered when Oestera’s eyes scanned the crowd, but it also lacked her gravitas. Her flare.
Astra touched the delicate fabric of the wide ballgown Ameera had kept tucked away, designed for a much more significant event by her mother.
A wedding, surely.
Gilded twigs constructed the bodice, woven over and under to create a shimmering lattice from shoulder to hip, flaring out slightly as the golden twigs faded into gossamer wisps.
The bodice gave way to a thousand layers of fine-spun silk, a pale golden hue just kissing the layers, the subtle warmth to the fabric highlighting her fiery tones. The same silk, hardly visible in a single layer, spilled over the shoulders, creating a sloping cape that caught the moonlight perfectly.
Crystal flutes of moonshine flitted around the room as the quartet staged at the center played on, their hands painted with golden flames as they pulled their bows across their instruments.
“You’ll have to open the dancing,” Nayson said from beside her, his brows lifted.
“Only if you’ll join me.” She smiled, holding out her hand. His dark eyes lit up with the chance to spin about the room with her, like they had when she was a girl. Astra pulled him out onto the floor, her dress swishing against the polished onyx tile as they turned.
“That’s quite the gown,” Nayson thought aloud.
“Your wife picked it.”
“Seems she knows her daughter somewhat, then,” he said.
She’d hurt him by coming after her mother earlier.
“I know I could try harder with her,” she said, the hem of her skirt brushing against the stage and the feet of the courtiers waiting along the edge of the floor. As they glided, the onlookers’ assessments rose in plumes of red and blue, setting her nerves on edge.
“I will implore her to do the same,” he smirked, twirling Astra out and under his arm, bringing her back in and touching her shoulder. The short song ended with a sweet whine of the violin. As she bowed to him, she glimpsed a tall, dark, and grumpy commander circling the edge of the room, eyes trained on every entry point as he scanned over the heads of spectators.
She’d worried about seeing him most of the day, embarrassed after pulling him into another dream, but she hadn’t done it on purpose.
She just needed to break the tension.
Astra plucked two glasses of moonshine off a maiden’s tray and slipped into the crowd, weaving between courtiers until she came to one of the dozen arches lining the walls of the hall. She dipped into the evening through the arches, the slight chill forcing her forward until she saw him again.
She counted the archways between them, trying to stay silent as she tracked toward his broad shoulders, his deep crimson tunic glowing against the pale moonstone pillar he leaned on.
Setting her back against the opposite side of the pillar, she held her breath as she prepared to strike. Astra stretched her back around the pillar, hoping to catch him off guard, but he was gone. Her shoulders fell in disappointment as she scanned the ballroom.
She closed her eyes, the hum of the room hitting a pitch she couldn’t hold off. It snapped at her skin, biting her heels and running talons over her shoulders.
“Looking for someone?”
“Shit!” She jumped, spilling liquid from both flutes over the rims and splashing on her dress.
“Oh no,” Lux chuckled. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s my own damn fault,” she huffed as he took the half-full glasses from her dripping hands. She ran her fingers over her dress, flicking the moonshine away from the dozens of metallic twigs.
He watched her for a second too long, shaking his head as he spoke. “Bet if you were careful enough, you could use a little bit of heat to dry that up.”
Astra shook her head. “I don’t trust myself in a room so packed, the heightened anxiety is already making me crazy. I can hardly breathe, let alone control myself.” She leaned against the archway, stilling a breath that threatened to choke her as she lifted her hand, showing the commander her jittering fingers. “Everyone is on edge without my mother here.”
His eyes dropped to her other hand, clenched in the ruffles of her skirt, trying desperately to relax in the crowded space.
Lux leaned close, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “I’ve heard the Lunar elves throw a damned good Equinox party.”
She glanced up, half-expecting him to be joking, but the smile across his lips was genuine, a rare beam of light from the stoic soldier. She should have known he’d meant it. He was probably just as miserable as she was in a room full of courtiers who could be anyone, with any intention. At least in Ehlaria’s realm, they knew they’d be safe. She would never let anyone through the barrier that didn’t belong.
