House of Eclipses by Casey L. Bond

11

A woman wearing a dress dotted with uniquely-blue moon diamonds strode gracefully into the room. Her hand lay over the forearm of a handsome young man who could almost pass as Caelum’s twin.

Almost.

There were subtle differences.

As they reached me, I noted that his eyes weren’t the same shade of blue, but a deeper tone. Not only that, but they weren’t as sharp, but were lazily taking in the scene despite the fact he seemed to miss nothing.

His nose wasn’t as straight and perfect, but it had been broken in the past. The woman leaned in to whisper something in his ear. A dimple popped in his cheek as the two glided to our table. Servants scrambled for two additional chairs and we all slid down to make room for them.

When the woman sat down across from me, I went still and every muscle in my body tensed. Wearing her hair in a sleek gray chignon with a few tendrils purposely untucked and a dress made for a queen, was Vada.

“Good evening, Vada,” Father greeted her. “I trust your headache has eased?”

“It has,” she noted. “I’m feeling much better now, thank you.”

Vada is Caelum’s mother? Why did she act as my attendant? Why did she pretend to be a servant?

The only truth I could infer was that she wanted to see how we might treat her, to learn how the two women vying for her son’s hand might act privately and to those beneath their station.

Vada inclined her head, a promise on her face that she would explain eventually.

She didn’t have to. It was like the dancer Kevi told me – she owed me no explanation. Her motives were her own, and if I was being honest, hers weren’t nearly as deceitful as mine. She gestured to her other son as they took their seats. “I don’t believe you’ve met Beron, Caelum’s younger brother.”

Beron glanced from his mother to me and back, then inclined his head to everyone at the table. “Pleased to meet you.”

Father urged them to eat and asked for water and wine to be brought out for them. Beron ate with the speed and intent of a starving crocodile, while Vada politely sawed, chewed, and complimented each dish she sampled. Her posture was impeccable. Her motions poised.

I’d noticed some of that queenly grace even in my rooms, but never imagined…

Beron cleared his throat. “Atena Noor, would you permit me to lead you in a dance since my brother seems indisposed at the moment? A woman as beautiful as you should not be left waiting.”

Smooth as silk and just as charming. I liked him immediately and wholeheartedly agreed with his opinion. I looked to Father who gave a slight nod, then lay my napkin on the table. “I’d love to.”

Vada smiled conspiratorially. Perhaps she still favored me and wanted to allow Beron’s attention to provoke jealousy in Caelum’s heart. Or maybe she wanted me in her family even if Caelum chose Citali. Either ploy could work in my favor. Either scenario brought me one step closer to the crown of moonlight.

As he likely had noted the differences between me and Citali, I compared Beron and Caelum. Beron wasn’t as tall as his older brother, but the two were similarly built with broad shoulders and tapered waists. Beneath Beron’s dark blue tunic were lines defining corded muscle. Caelum certainly was well-built, too. When we were far enough away from the table, he smirked. “Time to see where you stand with my brother.” I laughed incredulously. He cocked his head to the side the way Caelum sometimes did. “Don’t tell me you aren’t wondering how he’ll react.”

“I absolutely am,” I admitted.

He glanced all around us. “You and everyone else in the room. It’s like they’re holding their breath to see what he’ll do. I’ve heard you’re a good dancer,” he punctuated with a wink.

My lips parted.

He continued despite my shock. “These songs, they’re a little boring, though. Would you like to stay in this comfort zone, swaying to these boring rhythms, or do you want to put on a show?”

“I’m a born performer. I only worry my dance partner might not be able to keep up,” I teased, one brow quirked.

He chuckled. “Oh, I think you’ll find that I can. I love a challenge.”

He led me to the musicians who slowly stopped playing. I bent to request a few songs I knew would liven things up a bit. While they prepared, Beron led me to where Caelum and Citali stood. Citali’s frown was as frosty as Caelum’s touch. And Caelum? His gaze burned.

Beron leaned in and whistled. “There’s no love lost between you and your sister, I take it? When I nodded, he asked, “Because of my brother, or due to an older wound?”

“Much older,” I answered.

He nodded knowingly, then clasped my hand and spun me in a circle as the music began. He jerked me forward, snaking a strong arm around my back, then whispered. “Eyes on me. It’ll drive him crazy.”

Beron was ornery and apparently loved to see his brother squirm. Or make him angry. Caelum calmly led Citali to the side, then stood at her side watching as Beron led me through several steps. My sister tried to coax him back into a dance, but he held up a hand.

Good. He was intrigued.

“You are an impressive dancer. I may finally have met my match,” Beron admitted with a teasing grin. In a sweeping motion, he dipped me backward, holding my neck and supporting my weight with his arm. His free hand drifted over my sternum, across my bare stomach. I gasped at his boldness. His hand stopped on my waist, then I was up and spinning again.

I laughed as he moved us along with the bolder shift in the music, then he spun me again and I slammed into a hard chest, glancing up into Caelum’s calm but steely face. The Lumin flashed Beron a look that dared him to interrupt and flicked a stern nod toward Citali.

The younger brother moved to ask my sister to dance, but I couldn’t focus on them.

Not while Caelum’s broad hand splayed the bare sliver of my exposed lower back, his cool touch exactly what I needed to soothe my heated flesh. The Lumin seemed to glow from within, his skin cool and pale, like I imagined ice or snow might look, lit by the moon I’d never seen but desperately wanted to. It controlled the tides, strong enough to pull and tug on bodies of water that were unfathomably deep and wide as the earth herself.

“My brother invited you to dance.” It wasn’t a question, but it seemed like he wanted an answer.

“He was kind enough to, yes.”

“Kind? My brother was not being kind. He’s part wolf. To him, you were prey. But you quickly reframed his perception. Now, he considers you his equal.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “You can tell all that from one dance?”

He nodded. “I know Beron.”

I stood tall as he spun me so my back was pressed against his chest. We swayed together, lost in the moment. Citali and Beron danced nearby but her dress and his brazenness made it look almost lewd.

Is that what we’d looked like?

Soon, other couples came to the dance floor. Luminan and Helioan joined by music, spurred on by wine and curiosity. I felt myself relax. Caelum’s tension bled away, too.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

My lips parted. The Lumin apologized to me! Never in my life had my father uttered those words. “For what?”

“For allowing Citali to take up so much of my time.”

“It’s only fair that you spend time with her. You barely know either of us.”

“You’re right. That’s something I’d like to remedy, and in time, I hope to know much more about you.”

Both of us, he meant.

“Is Beron your only brother?”

He nodded. “It’s just the two of us. I assume you met my mother.”

I opened my mouth but stopped myself from telling him I’d gotten to know her rather well. If he didn’t know, it seemed like she didn’t want me to tell him. “She’s lovely.”

He smiled toward the table where Vada raised a golden goblet toward us and drank. He laughed. “She’s not bothering to hide which of you she favors.”

“She doesn’t know me or Citali,” I argued.

He pulled me in tighter. “No, but she knows me. She can see I’m drawn to you, Noor.”

“Did you tell Citali the same thing just now?” I challenged, walking around him to the drumbeat, letting my hand trail over his chest, arm, back, and his other arm, then returning to face him. His crystal eyes flared, a slight glow emanating from them now.

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “Our conversations have been as shallow as the river at its edge.”

“And ours?”

“We’ve barely spoken, but it feels like you’re a siren and have already dragged me into the depths.”

“What’s a siren?” I asked, curious. But he only chuckled. “I hate to interrupt your giggling, but I think you should ask your mother to dance.”

“You wouldn’t mind? You and I haven’t danced for long.”

“It’s obvious her headache still plagues her. She might not stay.”

He looked at her just as she discreetly rubbed her temple. “You’re right. How did you notice that?”

I shrugged. “I notice many things.” I gestured to the musicians. “You should go and get her before it’s too late. We can dance afterward. Would you like a softer song for now?”

He nodded gratefully. “That would be perfect. Thank you, Noor.”

I spoke with the musicians as he went to coax his mother into a dance. He helped her from her seat and led her to the floor as I moved back to the table and took a sip of water. Saric and Kiran paid me no attention. The priests of Lumos averted their eyes, as they seemed to do when I stood before them. Perhaps that was another of their customs.

Father came to stand beside me and bent to speak so only I could hear. “I can’t tell which of you he favors, but how fortuitous that there are two brothers…”

He walked on, mingling with some of Caelum’s guard, waving over Zuul and a few other of his most trusted warriors. They began exchanging stories, boisterous laughter flooding the room with the music.

Caelum still danced with Vada, and Beron was slowly guiding Citali around the floor. While they were occupied, I made my way from the room and slipped outside into a small garden, stepping into the drenching gray light. A few moments later, the door opened behind me. Music and smoke escaped from the door as Caelum emerged.

“My mother noticed you left,” he explained. “She’s going to retire for the evening to ease her aching head.”

Vada missed nothing. “I hope she’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“After some rest, I’m sure she will.” He put his hands in his pockets. “My mother is amazing. I don’t know how much you know of how the Lumin is chosen…”

“I only know how Sol chooses her Aten.”

“Sol’s choice follows a particular bloodline… a lineage, right?”

“Yes.”

“Lumos chooses his Lumin from among the people. Male or female. Old or young. Rich or poor. He doesn’t care. He only cares about the person’s heart and whether it aligns with his, and whether the person’s ambition is strong enough to carry out his will.”

My mouth gaped, thinking about how different it was for Sol.

“My mother was a ladies’ maid to a wealthy Luminan family when I was chosen. She came from little, but even though she has much now, she helps everyone she can. She’s an advocate for those less fortunate. She’s seen the best and worst of people. Her opinion is important to me. Not only because she’s my mother, but because of her upbringing and experience. Mother’s impression of people isn’t formed lightly, and under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t form one so quickly. Though, our circumstances require swiftness, don’t they?”

I could do nothing but agree with him. “Yes, they do.”

“She spent the last couple of years searching for anyone she thought might be a good match for me, and for Beron. A moment ago was the first time she’s ever mentioned a woman by name.” I took in a slow, deep breath. He took my hands in his and brushed his chilly thumbs over the backs of my fingers. “It was your name she spoke for me, Noor.”

The phoenix in my stomach stirred, lifted her proud head, and let her fire grow. But his expression wasn’t one of joy. It was wary.

“Yet you’re hesitant,” I remarked quietly.

“I am. I’ve heard rumors…”

“What sort of rumors?”

His eyes glittered in the gray, somehow alive when everything surrounding us was dead and dull. “Play a game with me?”

I tilted my head. “How do you play this game?”

“You tell me a rumor you’ve heard about me, then I’ll do the same, and we’ll go back and forth until all the rumors are dispelled or confirmed.”

“Citali will be looking for you,” I tested.

He squeezed my hands and looked down at them. “I don’t want to think about Citali right now. But if you don’t want to spend time with me, I–”

“I do!” I interrupted quickly. “I want to. I’m just jealous.”

It was hard to admit, but it was the truth. I’d never needed anything more than to play his game and learn why he was reticent to accept his mother’s advice. Beyond that, I wanted this for me. Not because of the crown or the expectations or hopes that lay with it.

Kevi had remarked that I hadn’t had time to just be a girl. And now… with Caelum in this garden, for the first time, I finally felt like one. What was even better was this time, I didn’t need to dance or disguise myself. With him, I could be me for a time.

Perhaps that was why my voice shook, or why my knees felt like they might buckle. Caelum was a balm of sorts, the cool to my warm, and I desperately craved his attention. Maybe that made me more like Citali than I’d like to admit, but I didn’t care. When Caelum focused on me and I focused on him, it was like nothing else existed. The gray landscape suddenly burst into colors, some of which I couldn’t even name.

He grinned and led me to a bench overlooking a stagnant pond. Someone had tried to add river reeds to it, but they’d died and now laid over the pond’s edge like stiff hair.

“Who will begin this game of ours?” he teased.

“I will,” I volunteered.

His eyes lit. “Very well. What do they say of me, or of my kingdom, in Helios?”

“One rumor that was dispelled by this trip was that Luminans had difficulty seeing in any sort of light and lived in the ground like moles. You don’t seem to have trouble with your vision, so that rumor – in part, at least – was false. I’m not sure about your living arrangements, so I can’t verify that portion.”

He snorted. “We don’t live in the ground.” He shook his head. “Moles.”

When I was little, I overheard Zarina tell Citali that story and for many years I believed her. I envisioned Caelum as a mole, with a little mole nose, and a laugh bubbled from my chest.

“You’re picturing me as a mole, aren’t you?”

“Never,” I tried to vow, trying desperately to smother my laughter.

“Well, Atena Noor, I was told that the Atenas glowed. That Sol’s rays radiated from you at all times.”

I held my arm out and shook my head. “Not even a little.”

“It’s not wholly untrue,” he said seriously. “Your eyes have a golden glow to them in certain lights. Citali’s don’t, though.”

“It’s probably a trick of the light. The candelabras—”

“No, it’s not,” he interrupted. “I see it even now.”

I blinked rapidly, breaking his stare.

“I thought you knew,” he said softly.

“Sol’s priests… and even Citali mentioned it on the ship. That was the first time… I’m still not convinced it’s not due to the gray light here.” I glanced at the sky. “Another rumor I heard when I was a child was that Luminan skin could not survive the sun. That it was so pale, it would flake away like ash.”

He half-smiled. “That remains to be seen. I’ve never felt the sun on my skin. Now my turn. I’ve heard your priests sacrifice people to Sol.” He watched me carefully for my answer.

“Never. Sol loves her subjects. All of them. But I heard something along the same lines about Luminans,” I turned the tables on him. “When we were little, my eldest sister told me that you didn’t eat food, but instead had fangs and drank blood like bats. She said you lived in caves. Then there were concerns of you only feasting upon raw meat.”

He opened his mouth, then snapped it closed like he didn’t know which part to address first before his eyes began to twinkle. “Caves?” He smiled. “It’s an upgrade from mole hills, I suppose. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we love cooked food and abhor blood. Did this same sister tell you the story about us being moles as well?”

I nodded.

“How could both be true?”

“Children do not rely on the tenets of logic.”

“Ah.” He nodded, then his smile fell away. “Someone told me that you and your sister are only entertaining the thought of marrying me to get to the crown of moonlight.”

My breath seized. For a second, I wondered how to answer. He valued bluntness and humor… “Of course we are.” I let a smile stretch over my lips.

He shook his head. “Do you think marrying me would mean that you would wear its match?”

“Its match in appearance, you mean, not in power.”

“What do you know about its power?” he asked, watching me carefully.

“My father can draw Sol close to earth or lift her into the heavens, but he cannot move her across the sky. I’ve heard that the crown of moonlight allows the wearer to move the moon wherever he likes.”

“What else?” His voice wasn’t sharp, but it lacked the warmth to which I’d become accustomed.

“The tides. The wearer of the crown can calm or raise the tides.”

He nodded. “That’s all you’ve heard?”

“Perhaps it makes blood taste like honey?” I teased.

He grinned. “Seriously?”

“I made that one up. That’s all I’ve heard.”

“Do you know where to find the crown you seek?” he asked, half-playfully.

“Do you know where to find sun diamonds?” I volleyed.

He grinned. “I don’t.”

I sat back a little, satisfied. “Then we both have our secrets.”

“You won’t find the crown, Noor. If that’s what you’re after, I should warn you before you waste your time, and mine, searching.”

I met his stare. “Nor will you find the source of Sol’s tears.”

“Sol’s tears?” He gently took my hand and lifted it to see my wrist and the tiny diamonds hanging from the bracelet there.

“Sol’s tears. That’s what Citali says they look like,” I told him. “I wear more than Father has in the treasury. The fact that he gave you one is significant.”

“He gave you these?”

I shook my head. “My mother had my bracelet and anklet made for me.” Sun diamonds, and the knowledge about them was a secret, but I’d given it in exchange for an ounce of his trust.

“Why can only you wear them?”

“When we were girls, Citali said that my mother cursed them before she clasped them on.”

He pursed his lips together. “What do you think?”

I smiled. “I think I don’t care if she did because I miss her every day and this is how I carry her with me.”

He turned my palm up and gently kissed the center of it. Instead of pulling away, I scooted closer. “You’ve kissed my jaw and palm,” I said. “But never my lips. They’re jealous.”

His eyes hooded, dark lashes fanning as he stared at my mouth. Slowly, he leaned in until his lips hovered just over mine. Our mouths brushed together. I lifted a hand to his jaw and ran my thumb over the stubble there as his hand found the back of my neck and raked up into my hair. He pressed his lips to mine, his tongue sweeping over them, and I forgot myself, every silly rumor I’d ever heard, the crown, and even my father’s threats.

There was only Caelum and his perfect, perfect lips.

We parted too soon, and his hand tightened on my nape as if he didn’t want to let go. As if he wanted to hold me in the garden for an eternity.

I did, too.

Just then, the door behind us opened.

Citali emerged, wearing an innocent expression I immediately recognized as fake. “Father is looking for you, Noor.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

Caelum stood with me and offered to escort me inside. “It’s okay,” I told him. “I’ll be right back.”

“If you’re sure.”

I nodded and walked around him toward the door where I let my shoulder check Citali’s. She huffed and rubbed the spot as I kept walking. She, of course, joined Caelum in the garden. I would’ve done the same.

I wondered how long she’d been behind the door. If she heard the kiss and the secret I’d given him. If she’d run to Father with it if she had. Would Father care if it meant I got close enough to steal the precious crown of moonlight? Admittedly, a crown Caelum warned I would never find.

Who told him what we were after? It didn’t take a genius to come to that conclusion, but neither of us had blatantly mentioned the crown… unless Citali did at lunch or during their dance tonight. Did she prematurely arouse his suspicions?

Back in the great hall, Father was still standing with Zuul and the other men. They parted when I drew close, not bothering to conceal their lustful glances now that the strong wine had turned their eyes to glass. “You wished to see me?”

His mottled face exposed just how much wine he’d imbibed. His dark brows furrowed angrily. “I did not ask for you, Noor.” He turned his back and his men waited until I left. I felt their eyes clinging to me as I walked away.

That lying minx!

Beron caught up with me in the hallway. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Hi,” I bit out.

“Where are you going? You look… angry.”

“I’m going to kill my sister.”

He barked a laugh but stopped when he saw I was serious.

“She lied to get you away from my brother?” His brows rose appreciatively. “Can’t say I haven’t used that trick before.”

“How many women have you and your brother played for fools?” I asked.

Because now I realized that was what this was. Citali and I thought the game board was ours, but they’d laid it down before we stepped off the ship.

“Before we were men, yet worlds away from childhood, one girl caught both our eyes. We came to blows over her before she turned her sights to another.”

“You fought over her?”

He nodded with a shrug. “So, I get what you’re going through with Citali. My brother gets to choose, but who knows what happens to the one he doesn’t ask to marry him?”

“Assuming he likes either of us enough for that,” I remarked dryly.

He stopped just outside the door that led to the garden. “Trust me. He does.”

“One day. He’s known us one day, Beron.”

“The same length of time you’ve known him, yet look how worked up you are, Noor.” He pushed the door open and I stepped outside, only to see Caelum’s lips pressed to Citali’s. My heart squeezed uncomfortably. “Oh, shit,” Beron muttered.

I pivoted and walked back inside, Beron lingering in the doorway. My ears were thrumming so loudly I couldn’t hear if the Lumin said anything more. I just wanted… away.

“Noor?” Caelum’s urgent tone called out. Beron stopped him at the door. “It’s not what it looked like!” he shouted from the garden.

I stopped and whirled around. “It’s only fair, right? Enjoy the rest of your evening, Caelum.” Dismissing him, I walked to the grand staircase and made my way upstairs. Seven flights later, I pushed the key into the lock of my door and twisted.

My stomach was in knots as I walked inside, but I didn’t get a chance to process everything I was feeling because seated at the desk was Vada.

“I owe you an explanation.”

I shook my head slightly, pushing the door closed behind me. “You don’t. I understand completely. You wanted to see which of the Atenas would be the best match for your son.”

“I wanted to see how you treated everyone, even behind closed doors and to those below your station.”

“He told me how he was chosen, and that you help a lot of your people now that you have the means,” I revealed.

She stood to face me, her dress glittering in the muted gray light filtering in from outside. “Did he also tell you of my suspicions?”

Ah. It all adds up now.“About the crown?” I asked.

She nodded.

“He did.”

“And is that all you’re after?” she asked, her lips pursed.

“No.” It was true. I wanted that crown, but not the crown alone. If I was being honest with myself, seeing Caelum kissing Citali felt like Sol flung a lava-like rope of fire down and lashed me with it. I wondered if there was a charred scar across my back, and if I only imagined the smell of burnt hair and flesh.

“I’ll be honest and blunt. You are much different than your sister, Noor. But there’s something about both of you that makes me worry for my son. There’s a bitterness to the two of you, and I’m not sure if it comes from the fact that you are second and third born in a family that inherits in succession, or something far worse.” She was quiet for a moment, then her brows delicately drew in. “Why did you leave the feast? And why are you upset?”

I looked out the window, away from her. “I’m not.”

“Noor. It wasn’t so long ago that I was a young woman.”

“He kissed my sister,” I croaked.

I didn’t know if it was the fact that I could feel the crown of moonlight’s cool exterior slipping through my fingers or if, for once, I thought someone wanted me for me and not for what I could give him. But Caelum wanted things, too, though not a crown or sun diamonds. He wanted a wife whose familial ties would garner what he wanted: trade, cooperation, and peace.

She looked away from me, crestfallen. “It seems very early to begin such physicalities…”

“He kissed me first. Just before her.”

Her brows rose. “Pardon me?”

I made it sound worse than it was. Not that it wasn’t horrible, in any event. “He kissed me in the garden. She came to tell me my father wanted to speak to me, but I later learned that was a lie. When I went back outside, he was kissing her.”

She shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like Caelum. Beron maybe, but not Caelum. He’s loyal. Steadfast and true.”

“He doesn’t have to be right now, I guess. He needs to see with whom he fits best.”

“That is the perfect segue to let you know that negotiations today went far better than expected. Your father is most agreeable and has made many concessions. The formation of the peace and trade agreement should be complete in days. Tomorrow, the treaty will be drafted. Of course, revisions might have to be made, but once it’s finished and signed, likely later this week, you’ll both come to Lumina with us. Do you have any reservations about coming to our kingdom? Any questions?”

This time, my brows rose.

Go to Lumina? Citali and me? “What?”

“The treaty… your father and Caelum have already worked many details out together.”

“No, not that. What did you say about us going to Lumina?”

“You didn’t know?”

I shook my head, mouth agape.

“Your father didn’t tell you?” Vada turned to face the window. “Life in Helios is much different than life in Lumina. The temperature, the ever-present darkness. There are concerns that it might drive a Helioan into a deep depression.”

I couldn’t contain my shocked expression. Why hadn’t Father told us we would be going to Lumina? Was it a detail just ‘worked out’ between them like the other points of the treaty, or did he know in advance of our trip? “This certainly is a surprise. Are we both going because he won’t have time to decide between us?”

She smoothed her hands down her dress. “Not exactly,” she drawled. “I’m guessing your father also failed to mention that my son isn’t the only one who must choose his bride. Lumos must accept her. That’s why he made it clear that both of you must go to Lumina. That way, if one isn’t accepted…”

“Perhaps the other will be,” I finished for her. I took a long, steady breath. Father left that part out of his great speeches, both public and private. He told us to pack our things to last several weeks, not only for the time we’d spend in the dusk lands, but also because we would be traveling to Lumina and staying there until the matter of who would be Caelum’s wife was decided.

“Caelum made everything clear in his correspondences,” Vada added, obviously vexed by being the one to reveal the news. “You’ll both travel to Lumina after negotiations have concluded. Know that you are welcome to stay for as long as you like, but if you or Citali feel it’s not for you, we’ll honor your wishes and return you to Helios.”

“How exactly does Lumos approve of Caelum’s bride?”

She smiled wistfully. “That’s up to the god of night. He never does the same thing twice.” Vada strode toward the door. “I’m sorry to have deceived you,” she said.

I grinned. “You’re not, but I accept your false apology.”

She laughed. “I’ll miss your wit. I’ll send someone else to attend you if you require help.”

I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary.”

A knock came at the door, startling both of us. “Noor?” Caelum said from the other side.

Vada cupped my elbow. “Maybe hear him out? I know my son. He doesn’t make it a habit to toy with others’ feelings.”

“I wouldn’t accuse him of that, necessarily, but of not knowing his own,” I quietly told her.

She pressed her lips together, then let her hand fall away and opened the door.

“Mother?” he asked. “What are you doing in Noor’s room?”

“That’s my business and Atena Noor’s.”

“Is she okay?” he asked softly. She stepped into the hallway and closed the door. They spoke for a moment, Vada’s voice so quiet I couldn’t discern her words, but I heard her tone loud and clear. She wasn’t happy with her son.

The cool timbre of his voice resonated through the wooden door, vibrating through my fingers that were pressed against it and worming its way into my bones. I could feel it thrumming through my sternum.

The two went quiet and then soft footsteps trailed away. Another knock.

“Noor, can I have a moment of your time?” Caelum asked again.

I took a deep, quiet breath and schooled my features before twisting the knob.

Caelum stood there, looking anxious. “I know it’s improper, but may I step inside for a moment?”

I moved aside and opened the door completely. He stepped inside and I closed the door. He was quiet as he took in my room. “It suits you,” he said.

I crossed my arms. “If you wanted to see my rooms, you could have done so before I arrived. I’m not in the mood to provide a tour, especially one of my bed. You should return to Citali if a warm body is what you sought by coming here.”

His eyes widened. “That wasn’t my intention at all. I came to tell you that what you saw wasn’t what it looked like,” he said, echoing what he’d shouted from the garden.

“It looked like your lips were pressed against one another,” I said drily. “It looked like you were kissing her.”

“Well, yes, but I didn’t initiate it. We were talking and all of a sudden, she leaned in and kissed me. I don’t know where it came from. It certainly wasn’t like the kiss I shared with you.”

“And how would you describe the kiss we shared?” I challenged.

He stepped closer and I moved back. The dance continued until my back was against the wall. “Noor, I would describe your kiss as perfect. Blazing and fiery as the light in your eyes, as warm as the heat in your skin. As perfect as Lumos in the midnight sky and as vital as our ancestors winking at us from their eternal homes in the heavens.”

Crisp air wafted from him. Mixed with that comforting scent was something I’d never smelled before. I memorized it quickly, assigning it to him in my mind so that when I came across it again, I would associate it with Caelum.

“The stars are your ancestors?” The notion was beautiful; the thought that one’s loved ones could watch over them from above. In the hereafter, Sol took worthy spirits into her. They were what fueled her fire, so perhaps they looked down on us, too.

“They guide us from above,” he rasped.

The way he spoke of them with such reverence made me want to see them with my own eyes to see if my view of them matched his. And maybe to see if they looked anything like Sol and the spirits of the dead she’d collected, to see if I was right and that our ancestors might all be looking down to guide and push us toward our destinies.

“Did they tell you to come to my room?” I asked quietly.

“No, but I had to explain what happened. I don’t want any deceptions between us, Noor. No secrets. And no lies.”

It was a beautiful sentiment, if only it could be true. If there were no secrets or lies between him and me, would things be different? At times, I felt this pull to him. Indescribable. Urgent. Consuming. I felt it now.

“Your eyes are haloed in gold again.” I pressed them closed. “Don’t hide them from me, please.” There was an ache in his tone I felt in the chasm of my heart.

Slowly, I opened them, staring into his crystal blues. “It hurt seeing you kiss her,” I told him honestly. “And it would hurt her to see you kiss me. No matter what happens, someone will get their heart broken, won’t they?”

Beyond that, someone will lose. The crown, perhaps their life, or at least their life as they knew it.

If he chose Citali, or if Lumos did, I would have to go back to Helios. I could not bear to leave my mother in the sand alone or stay in Lumina and watch as Caelum made Citali his wife. But if I went home, Father would kill me.

What if Caelum chose me, and going with him meant never seeing Mother again? She would remain atop the dune, never weathering away, the sun slowly bleaching but never breaking down what was left.

My heart ached at the thought.

She was all alone now. I’d never gone so long without walking out to visit her.

And Sol. Being so far away from her was almost as agonizing. I missed her heat, her constant watchfulness, the way she shone her light on the good and bad so that nothing could creep through the shadows. The feeling in my chest when she faded from sight is one I would never forget. It was as if she had reached out and taken my hand and the ship dragged our fingers slowly apart until we couldn’t hold on any longer.

Maybe Vada was right and one or both of us might decide that living in darkness with only the scant, silver light of Lumos was something we couldn’t bear after all.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” he said. “But I think you might be right.”

“Your mother just told me we are to go with you to Lumina when negotiations are ended.”

His lips tightened, along with his shoulders. “Your father didn’t tell you that before you left Helios?”

I shook my head, angry. He’d intentionally withheld that important detail. “Do you have any idea when we will leave the dusk lands? She said things are going well.”

He sighed. “Your father is very accommodating and far more receptive than I imagined he’d be. I expected negotiations would take a lot longer, but he’s conceding so much and I’m trying to match his generosity to foster a good relationship, one beneficial for us all. Add to that the fact that he received some sort of missive that he’s needed back in Helios soon, and it seems we’ll be able to sign the treaty of peace and trade on Wednesday. Lumina will host a ball that night, and we’ll depart for Lumina early Thursday morning.”

Father was cooperating because he wanted us as far from Sol and as close to the crown as possible. Caelum had questioned mine and Citali’s motives regarding the crown of moonlight, but never considered Father’s role in seeing our plans come to fruition.

“I’d love to show you my home and spend more time with you. I want…” He struggled for words. “Assuming you’re still open to pursuing a relationship with me, I want to open up to you, Noor. I’ve never considered it before. To be honest, I’ve been too afraid, but you’re different. My heart feels different with you. Lighter. Freer, maybe? Maybe it’s because you understand the responsibilities I have. You understand the duties that come with the yoke of the Aten. Being Lumin cannot be so different. Then again, it may have nothing to do with you being an Atena, and everything to do with your heart and the glow I see spilling out sometimes.” He brushed a thumb near my eye. “I hope you can see that I’m laying my heart bare for you, and I hope you can find it in yours to forgive tonight’s misunderstanding and still consider coming home with me. I want to introduce you to my kingdom and see if you could love it the way you love Helios.”

Sincerity shone in his eyes, though it didn’t ease the ache the image of that traitorous kiss left in my chest. Even so, I felt like Caelum was being honest. Citali would do anything to force herself into his life. I was surprised she hadn’t already tucked herself into his bed. My sister was no stranger to a man’s body and had been very generous with hers to those who could keep their mouths closed about her ‘indiscretions’.

“There are three days between now and Wednesday,” I said. “That means there will be more chances for us to speak and for me to decide. I’ll either board your ship or I won’t.”

The sincerity in his eyes changed to hope again, but it wasn’t unabashed. Caelum wasn’t convinced I would go with him. Not yet.

The balance of power between us had shifted in my favor. Before, he was the one with the choice between me or my sister. Now, he was asking if I’d entertain the idea of going to Lumina with him.

He didn’t know that I had no real choice in the matter. Father had already decided Citali and I were going. We were like seeds and Father the great wind that tore us from our plant and sent us flying according to his will.

I took a measured breath. Citali and I would be traveling into the dark to Luminos in only a few days. We would enter a land where even Sol’s distant light couldn’t touch and make gray. We would be under Lumos’s dominion, subject to his rule, and to the laws we didn’t even know. I didn’t want to consider the danger into which we were being thrust.

If it hurt so badly to be torn from Sol’s view, I couldn’t imagine the pain that might come with completely leaving behind even the remnants her light left in this silvery void.

Caelum said he truly wanted to open up to me. If his words were truthful, this was better than I could’ve planned. I just might be able to learn more about the crown I needed.

For a moment, I’d lost sight of the crown and allowed Caelum’s pretty face and charm to enchant me. His lips on Citali’s reminded me of my target faster than the back of Father’s hand had ever put me in my place. It stung worse, truthfully. A blow to one’s pride cut far deeper than one to the flesh ever could.

“Well,” I said to him, “it’s late and I’d rather not have anyone see you leaving my rooms.”

The apple bobbed in his throat. “Of course,” he answered, offering a polite smile. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

I waited for him to step into the hall. “If there’s time, perhaps.”

“I’ll make time, Noor.”

I gave a wan smile. “Prove it.”

I shut the door behind him and locked it, then exchanged my gown for a night dress. Mechanically, I washed my face and slipped into bed. For a long while, I stared at the bleak, gray light pouring into the window from outside, wishing it was the bright sun I was used to dozing off to.

It wasn’t only the lack of brightness that bothered me. Every time I closed my eyes, it wasn’t a crown I imagined, but my sister’s lips on Caelum’s. I heard Beron’s curse and felt a band tightening around my heart and lungs.

It took hours for me to relax enough to drift off.