House of Eclipses by Casey L. Bond

14

The following day was Tuesday, and Beron didn’t wake me to have breakfast with Caelum. Only two more mornings until their ship dragged us south to Lumina.

I rose and quickly washed, dressing in a fuchsia dress that was low cut on top, but draped to the ground beautifully. In the great hall, breakfast was laid out with an array of Luminan foods, declaring it was their turn to host.

I recognized the small bread loaves, the jam Caelum brought to the ship yesterday, even the tart fruit sliced into perfect wedges, but there were still many foods I didn’t recognize. Familiar laughter caught my ear and I turned to see Citali and Caelum sitting with Beron in the corner. Beron saw me and waved me over.

I finished taking a sample of a few of the foods that smelled sweet and made my way to them. “Am I interrupting?” I asked.

Caelum and Beron answered “No,” at the same time Citali smiled sweetly and said, “Yes.”

Citali’s hair was sleek and shiny. Her golden gown was fitted under her breasts, flaring around her hips to accentuate their roundness, and falling to her ankles. She wore no sandals. Rings of gold on her toes winked in the candlelight. They matched those she wore on her fingers and the bangles on her wrists.

“Father wishes to see us after breakfast,” she said, smirking evilly at me.

I sipped from the water that had magically appeared in front of me, searching for who to thank and finding no one hovering nearby. “Very well.”

Caelum looked handsome as ever, cleanly shaven and smelling like the soap Vada had given me. Soap and salts still appeared nightly in my bathing room even though I hadn’t seen Vada since the night of the feast. He wore a dark gray vest over trousers today with another crisp, white shirt tucked underneath. Beron was dressed in all black from his collar to the tips of his boots.

“Did you inherit some of Lumos’s powers, Beron?” I asked.

He sat up straighter, flicking a glance at Caelum.

I spread jam on my bread. “I only ask because Zarina, Citali, and I have the barest touch from Sol. We can withstand her heat without burning or even feeling flushed. Do you have a similar blessing from Lumos?”

Caelum nodded his okay and Beron cleared his throat. “I do. I can see exceptionally well at night and can withstand cold temperatures.”

“And do you have an oracle of sorts in Lumina?”

Caelum used his napkin to wipe his mouth, his attention fixed on me.

“Do you have an oracle in Helios?” Beron returned.

“We do. A Sphinx. A small part of her is woman, human. A greater part is lioness. You don’t want to anger the lioness in her,” I said with a wink.

Citali stomped my foot, so I jabbed her in the thigh with my fork. She scooted away from the table out of my reach, gaping and rubbing her thigh.

“Is there a problem, Citali?” I asked, one brow quirked.

Caelum glanced between us with his head tilted slightly. Beron sat exactly as his older brother did, tilting his head exactly the same way, and also looked from Citali to me, then back.

“We have no Sphinx. In Lumina, there is a Wolven. Part man, part wolf. Before you ask, he does not live in caves or beneath the ground,” Caelum answered with a face of stone. But I saw the shimmer of laughter in his eyes.

“Are your diamonds actually made of Sol’s tears?” Beron asked, a friendly smile on his face. He looked pointedly at Citali.

She told him that? Interesting…

“Her tears?” I laughed. “Why would a goddess cry?”

Citali’s eyes shredded Beron as she sat stiffly at my side.

“Your father said they burn anyone who touches them. He gave one to Caelum.”

“They’re very rare, and yes, they burn anyone but me.”

“Why not you?” Beron pressed.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s because I’ve worn them since I was little. Those who sip a tiny amount of poison over time can become immune to its effects. Perhaps it’s the same with these.” I rattled my bangle playfully and tucked it under the table, dreading the question I knew would come next.

He nudged Citali. “Why don’t you have them?”

Citali slowly froze, anger fusing her bones until she was rigid as a corpse.

“My mother gave them to me the evening before she died,” I interjected.

Citali’s rage bubbled over. “Pray tell, Caelum – is the crown you hide away actually made of moonlight?”

Beron’s laughter dried up after I answered his question; now there was a drought of humor at the table. Silence, thick as the jam in the jar in front of me, spread between us. “It is,” Caelum said. “But, as it is sacred, no one has seen the crown except for me and the Lumins who came before me.”

“You mean you haven’t seen it?” Citali sneered at Beron.

There was no anger in his voice when he answered, “Never.”

Citali turned in her chair, snubbing the brothers, and glared at me. “We shouldn’t keep Father waiting. Are you finished?”

I stood to leave.

Caelum’s eyes flicked to my neck, tracing the fading bruises. “See you after?”

“Maybe.”

Citali looked between us sharply and strode away. With a murmured farewell, I followed her to Father’s rooms. I couldn’t accept Caelum’s offer to see him, but frankly, whether I could see him after Father spoke to us would depend greatly on what he wanted, his temper, and whether he directed it at me.

Saric and Kiran were inside Father’s rooms, also waiting.

The Aten’s rooms were floor-to-ceiling gold with golden furniture. Painted or pure, I couldn’t tell. The gray light spilling into the window couldn’t diminish the sunny feeling in here. The gold shone. Even my sun diamonds seemed to hum happily, as if they’d seen a friend they hadn’t seen in far too long.

You could fit five of my large rooms inside his. In addition to an immense bed and a closed door that I imagined led to his bathing room, there was also a long table with chairs askew around it. It looked almost large enough to seat every person both he and Caelum had brought along with them.

Kiran and Saric quietly sat in two of the seats. Father gestured to the chairs across from Sol’s priests. Citali slid into hers, thankfully taking the seat closest to Father, and I took the one beside her.

Her greed for being at his right hand worked in my favor. She became a buffer between us.

Father didn’t waste time. “You’re going to Lumina.”

Citali did not speak up to tell him we knew. I remained quiet, too.

“Who is to go to Lumina, Aten?” Saric gently asked, keeping his eyes averted.

“All four of you. Lumos himself must approve of any union between his Lumin and the one he would like to marry. Not only that, the Lumin fears that you may not acclimate well to the darkness that drenches their kingdom.”

I was certain Caelum had not described it that way.

Kiran sat quietly but grasped the edge of the table anxiously. If he had my abilities, he would have left char marks. I was sure of it.

“So, even if Caelum chooses Noor,” Citali purred, “Lumos might reject her and choose me to marry him instead?” The way she said it made me wonder if she had something planned, a means to exactly that end.

“That’s right,” Father said. “Once in Lumina, I need the four of you to work together toward our common goal.”

“To guide the Atenas to their future paths?” Saric asked, patiently waiting for Father to explain, his weathered hands crossed over his stomach as he sat back in the golden chair. “And remind them of the light?”

Father laughed, though it lacked humor. He glanced at the door, paranoia washing over him like a ship’s wake upon the shore. He crossed the room, pulled the door open, and checked the hallway, then locked it again. When he returned, he braced his hands on the table. “What I’m about to say does not leave this room.”

Saric and Kiran respectfully inclined their heads. Their duty was to Sol. And as Father was her Aten, their duty also extended to him, then to us.

“My daughters have been ordered to do whatever they must to find the crown of moonlight and bring it back to Helios, and to me.”

“What about the marriage arrangement?” Kiran asked, sitting forward. “I imagine it might complicate things for the newly wedded couple if the bride steals something so sacred from her groom.”

“Easily dissolved if I possess both crowns,” Father smirked.

“What if it puts one of your daughters in danger?” Kiran pressed.

“My daughters can fend for themselves, priest.” Father’s tone shifted into one we all recognized as dangerous.

Saric spoke then, the wisest among us. “Do you not fear Lumos, Aten?”

Father laughed. “No more than I fear Sol.”

Her priests gasped, but his admission didn’t surprise me. He’d gotten away with multiple murders and had never even been admonished by the goddess. What did surprise me was his lack of respect, especially in front of her priests. That was new. Father had always at least pretended to be reverent until now.

Father stood up straight. “If one of you finds the crown first, neither of you will have to marry the Lumin.”

Citali squirmed beside me, but she did not tell him what Caelum had said. That no one, not even his brother or Lumos’s priests, had ever set eyes on the crown of moonlight.

His dark gaze slid to me and Citali. “Both of you are to meet with the Sphinx tomorrow, early, before the House of Dusk awakens.”

“The Sphinx is here?” I breathed. I didn’t think she could leave Helios.

Father began to pace in a small space, back and forth. Harried. “She sent word that she would be here in the moments before daybreak, but only for a short time. Prepare yourselves. Be reverent. Listen carefully to her every word and intonation. The Sphinx does not lie, but speaks in riddles.”

“Is she to speak to Noor and I together, Father?” Citali asked.

His footsteps halted. “She will see you separately and privately.” The cold tone in the last word meant he’d insisted on being there and was denied. Interesting.

I’d seen engravings of her image and had seen her fly. Her small shadow drifted over the dunes sometimes when I walked to and from my visits with Mother. I’d heard Father tell of her prophecies but had never seen the Sphinx up close. Beyond that, she’d never asked to speak with me before.

Father looked to Saric and Kiran. “I wanted to let the two of you know so you can prepare for the journey, spiritually as well as physically. You’ll need to pack your things, I’m sure.”

Saric stared at Father and Father’s brows drew together. “Very well, Aten,” the elder priest finally relented, his tone far kinder than his expression.

Without a word, Kiran helped Saric from his chair and led him from the room.

Father pinched the bridge of his nose after they left, muttering, “The old priest likely won’t survive the journey.”

“Why must they go?” Citali asked petulantly.

“You are the Atenas. Your persons and spirits must be guarded. Who better to guard you than Sol’s chosen priests?”

Citali screwed up her nose. “You should send Zuul and some of his men instead. That old priest is nothing but a bag of skin and bones. He couldn’t protect a fly.”

I gripped the golden arm rests with fury pulsing through my veins.

How dare she talk about Saric so callously, so disrespectfully!

My palms heated and a moment later, the armrests began to soften under my grip. Looking down in shock, I realized the gold I’d gripped had melted, leaving indentations of my hands in the once solid metal.

Citali’s mouth hung open at the sight, but it was Father’s haunted, almost frightened look that made me release the molten metal in my hand. It hit the floor, cooling quickly into solidified splatters.

“Get. Out,” he muttered.

My lips fell open.

“Get out!” he shouted, pointing toward the door.

Citali jumped up at the same time I did. When I didn’t move fast enough, he grabbed my hair and flung me across the room, tossing me out into the hallway. Citali ran out a second later and Father’s door slammed behind us, followed by a roar of rage bellowing from within.

“What was that?” Citali panted, a shaky hand on her chest.

“I don’t know why he –”

“Not him, Noor! How did you melt the arms of a chair made of pure gold?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

“Is that the first time something like this has happened?” she asked accusingly.

No, it wasn’t. I recalled the charred table in the garden from my breakfast with Caelum. With a shake of my head, I started back to my rooms. She stepped in front of me, asking again. I shoved her out of the way. Her back hit the wall. Hard. She shook her head, hatred marring her pretty face.

“I’ll find out what secrets you’re withholding from him, Noor. Then I’ll be the only one of us left for Caelum and Lumos to choose.”

Deciding not to go back to my rooms, I found the nearest exit and strode outside.

What is happening to me?

Kiran met me in the garden where the charred table still sat, mocking me. He froze when he saw me, a war raging over his features. “Are you okay?”

I nodded once, refusing to speak.

He walked closer and stood right behind me, closer than what would ever be appropriate.

“You have to stop this, Kiran,” I whispered. “I want you to stop.”

I felt, more than heard, him leave.

I raked my hair back away from my face and craned my neck to the sky. My eyes caught on movement on the second floor. Citali lingered in the window at the landing, her eyes fixed on me.

I walked along the meandering garden paths toward the river, then downstream until the looming House of Dusk disappeared, then farther. I didn’t think about the distance I walked or that I was alone in an unfamiliar place. I didn’t think about the gray sky and grass and water and land. The strange light that wasn’t light at all, yet wasn’t darkness, smothering me. The atmosphere was so viscous I could taste the stale flavor of it.

Pretending I was in the dunes, I walked without stopping.

There were areas where the river deepened and twisted so much I couldn’t follow it. I cut through a wooded area, expecting to find it again, but the river never emerged. The trees surrounded me, dull and dead, seeming to thicken somehow despite their brittle, skinny frames.

I turned around to retrace my steps but couldn’t find any impressions in the silvery soil.

I walked in the direction I thought would take me back… and found myself completely lost and utterly hopeless.

Alone.

In the unending, nondescript dunes, I never would have gotten so turned around. I knew each mountain and grain by heart. However, I didn’t know the dusk lands and cursed myself and my temper for fueling my steps so far from what I was familiar with, namely the river and House.

I sat on a boulder to rest and think, twisting the bracelet around my wrist. The diamonds warmed under my touch. Were they to blame for me scorching and melting things? Or were they innocent and I was becoming a monster?

Closing my eyes, I imagined the dunes with the House of Dusk perched in the middle of them. From my wrist, a light shone, pointing me straight to the place I needed to find. I opened my eyes, wishing it were that simple, and found that my diamonds were still casting that light through the wood.

I rushed over a knoll and stopped short, fear squeezing my chest. An enormous black wolf was tracking my progress through the forest with rigid ears. It stopped, snapping its head to the side when a branch snapped underfoot. It sniffed the air and I tucked myself behind a tree as best I could, covering the luminescent diamonds on my wrist and bending so my skirt covered the light beaming from my anklet. I remained still, my heart thrumming, wishing Sol could burn my scent away.

The beast let out a loud howl that made my knees tremble and the hair on the back of my neck spike. A moment later, the wolf left, trotting over the next rolling hill and disappearing. I hoped the beast wasn’t slyly hunting me and that it wouldn’t circle around and snap me from behind.

The light from my bracelet guided me, urging me to follow the dark creature. I listened for a long moment to see if I heard it ahead of me and heard nothing.

The diamond light intensified, as if urging me to move.

I mustered enough courage to weave through the needle-like trees following in the wolf’s path until they thinned and I found the winding river again. Then the light disappeared.

Just then, a worried-looking Caelum and a mussed Beron jogged over a small hill. Caelum rushed to me, taking me in his arms and spinning me around, my feet drifting over the gray grasses. “Thank Lumos!” he breathed into my hair. “Where have you been?”

I held tightly to his shoulders, breathed in his familiar scent that I still couldn’t name, and let myself feel for a moment. “I went walking and got turned around,” I admitted. “I just found the river again.”

“It’s so late. You’ve been missing for hours.”

Chastened, I pulled away and he sat my feet on the ground. “I’m okay. I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just got a little lost.”

He finally smiled. “A little?”

I nodded. “Only a little.”

Beron coughed and spoke at the same time. “Very lost.”

I spun to face him.

His face had the look of wounded innocence. “What? Even Sol’s priests are outside, summoning Sol to help you find your way back.”

My ribcage tightened. Is that what happened? Was it her light that poured from the diamonds?

“I didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

Caelum threaded his hand through mine and refused to let me pull away. “Not now,” he said, nervousness and fear still caught in his voice. “Please.”

I clasped his palm and walked with him back upriver as Beron ran ahead to let everyone know I was safe.

“Did you see the wolf?” I asked.

Caelum’s hand flinched. “We heard it. I was so afraid for you.”

“There are no wolves in Helios. I didn’t know they lived in the dusk lands.”

“How did you recognize what it was?” he asked.

“I’ve spent hours poring over books. Reading has always offered an escape, however brief. We have a book with a few stories from before the Great Divide in our collection.”

Outside the House of Dusk, a crowd had gathered. Beron had delivered the news, but they still cheered when Caelum and I appeared. He held our clasped hands in the air victoriously. Glancing over the crowd, Citali’s calm demeanor set me on edge. Then she smiled. She didn’t seem to mind that Caelum and I were holding hands. She seemed genuinely happy that I had been found. I wasn’t foolish to believe that either of those things were true, so I wondered what she was up to.

She rushed to us. “Noor!” she said to me, her dark eyes glittering with unshed tears. “You’re okay.”

Caelum dropped my hand to comfort her, patting her back and offering a hug.

Nicely played, Citali. Her dark eyes flashed my way as she hugged him a final time, winking over his shoulder.

Insufferable bitch.

“I’ll have dinner brought to your rooms. And water. You must be famished, sister,” she prattled, dragging me away from Caelum, through the crowd and past Father, who looked completely annoyed, and into the House of Dusk.

“Nice acting,” I bit at her as we entered.

“Thank you,” she said, pursing her lips into a heart. I wanted to peel them off. “Though I should be complimenting you. Your little lost sheep routine drew Caelum straight to you.”

I tore my arm from her grasp. “You think it was a ploy?”

“Everything is a ploy, Noor. You’re more naïve than I thought if you think otherwise.”

She left my side to head toward the kitchens. “Caelum will check on you soon. I’d better get that food I promised.” She grinned over her shoulder. “Or will the handsome priest beat him there?”

I growled at her and her tinkling laughter trailed down the hall.

Once in my rooms, I changed out of my ruined dress. The hem had been irreparably shredded by the underbrush and thorns, still sharp and thickly twined among the bases of the trees. Citali arrived a few moments later, carrying a tray with a crust of bread, a jelly I didn’t recognize, a few pieces of meat left over from the dinner I’d missed, and a glass of water.

“Why didn’t you have a servant bring this?” I asked, leery of her poisoning my food.

She scoffed, “Because they’re all still outside. Besides, Caelum will be so excited to see that I care so much for my sister that I would lower myself to serve her.”

I gave a disgusted snort. “He’ll see right through you eventually, Citali. You’re as sheer and shallow as the dresses you wear to beg for the attention of men in Helios and out of it.”

She sat the tray down hard, the jelly knife clattering on the tray. “At least I can hold their attention. You can’t even keep hold of his hand!”

She was utterly ridiculous. “Get out.”

Citali didn’t fuss or fight. She held her hands up in supplication, feigning innocence and defeat before turning and leaving my room.

A knock came at the door just before Caelum entered. He left it ajar so that anyone approaching would be able to see in, to keep my integrity and reputation intact. He noticed my destroyed gown lying over the back of a chair, catching onto every rip and tear, as he strode inside. He glanced at the food for a moment, a pleased look sliding over his face. Then his eyes caught on the jam and he stopped short.

“What sort of jam is that?” he asked.

“I thought it was from Lumina. Citali brought it a moment ago.”

He strode to the tray and used the knife to scoop out a dollop of the jam. It was bluish-purple with a hint of green. His crystalline eyes flicked to mine. “Did you eat any of this?”

I shook my head, swallowing thickly.

“The nightthorn berry grows wild in Lumina. Someone’s made it into a crude jam.”

“Is it sweet?” I asked.

“It’s poisonous,” he answered. I waited for him to smile or laugh. For him to admit he was only teasing. But he didn’t. And I knew in that moment that Citali had once again tried to remove me from this race we were running.

She’d warned me that everything was a ploy. This was no different.

I’ll be the only one of us left for Caelum and Lumos to choose.

Maybe she decided she didn’t care about learning my secrets and had skipped that part of the plan and moved on to eliminate me altogether. If she removed me, she’d have no other obstacle keeping her from Caelum, his secret crown, and ultimately, his kingdom.

“I’m going to go ask her where she got this,” he said, taking the glass jar with him as he turned away.

“She’ll deny it. She’ll say she didn’t know what it was.”

“But you believe she did?” he asked, turning to face me.

I hugged myself at the waist. “She absolutely did.”

He walked back to the tray and sat the jar back down. “I came to tell you the treaty is drafted, ready to sign tomorrow. The ball preparations are underway.”

I nodded, unsure of his point. I already knew as much.

“I want you to come to Lumina. Your father insists that Citali and Sol’s priests go with you, but what do you want, Noor? Do you want me to reject her and send her back to Helios? If what you say is true and she just tried to poison you, how can I even consider marrying her? It’s just… very hard to reconcile what I’ve experienced while spending time with her, and… this.” He gestured to the jar.

“Only because you don’t know her,” I rasped.

“Do I know you? Which of you is lying? Or are both of you? I keep hearing whispers that you and she only want the crown of moonlight. If that’s your goal and you’re not interested in my heart or hand, I suggest you return home now, because I vow that you will never see it or find it. Never take its power into your hands. Not that you need it. You have fire in your palms, in your spirit – even in your eyes.”

I could tell he could see that glow as he spoke.

I pinched my brows and walked to the bathing room where the only mirror in my rooms hung from the black and gold wall. I looked and looked, but never saw the glow of which he spoke. There was no gold in my eyes, aside from the flecks of amber that had always been divided among the chocolate shade.

Cool air slid over my skin as Caelum stepped behind me. He pointed to the reflection. “It’s not visible in the mirror,” he croaked. I turned to face him. “But when I look you in the eye, it’s all I can see. I don’t understand.”

Neither could I.

“I believe you, even though I can’t see it,” I told him. I desperately wished he could see Citali for what she truly was. “You asked me what I want. I wish you would believe me when I tell you of my sister’s true nature. Citali is a snake. If something happens to me, or if I decide not to go with you, remember that.”

He tipped up my chin, his cool fingers steady on my skin. “And are you any less serpent?”

“Oh, I am also a viper. The difference between me and Citali is that I don’t hide my fangs. I have never lied to you, Caelum. Every word I’ve spoken to you has been truth. I would pledge my life that Citali cannot make that same statement without a tick beneath her left eye. It’s her tell.”

His dark brows kissed. Had he seen her face flinch before? What was he thinking?

“Every word?”

I nodded.

I could almost see him recalling the conversations we’d had. How he’d asked if I was searching for, coveting, the crown of moonlight, and I told him I was. I’d told him the truth and he thought I was teasing.

“What did your father want with the two of you today?”

“He finally told us that we’re going to Lumina and instructed our priests to go with us as escorts and protectors. And… Citali and I are to meet with the Sphinx before we leave. She’s coming here for us.”

He swallowed thickly. “How well do you know the lioness?”

“I don’t.”

His hand ghosted over my throat. His eyes dipped to the skin there. “He didn’t hurt you?”

“No. I think he was frightened of me.”

“What made him fear you?” he asked.

I glanced up to see his reaction. “I melted a golden chair.”

He blinked rapidly, then recovered. “That would do it.”

I nodded once.

“Do you fear him?”

I didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to be honest. But I had never lied to him and for whatever reason, didn’t want to. I couldn’t even stomach the thought of it. I’d told countless lies to my father, the Aten. I’d lied to myself. I’d lied to Sol’s priests, including Kiran. I’d even lied to Vada, Caelum’s mother. But never him. Meeting his eye, I steeled my spine and breathed the truth – something for which I hated myself. “Yes.”

Yes, I feared my father.

Yes, I feared one day I would anger him and he wouldn’t restrain his fury. Or that he’d kill me for no other reason but that I existed, that I lived and breathed when he wished I didn’t.

I feared the vessels in my eyes would spill and spark and that Sol would reject me entirely, even as he pulled her down to burn me out of his life.

“There is such light in you, Noor. And such darkness.”

“I know,” I rasped as his hand fell away.

“I’m not sure which part of you to believe.”

“Both parts are me, Caelum,” I admitted softly. “Believe it all.”

He swallowed thickly, stepped backward, then turned and left the bathing room. My door closed a moment later.

My heart felt cold as I realized I was torn, stretched between Caelum and his beautiful, kind heart, and what I knew in mine had to be done for the fate of us all.