Black Moon

by Romina Russell

  “So how did I get through tonight?”

  “You went inside?” When I nod, Hysan’s gaze grows distant, a line forming between his eyebrows. “Interesting.”

  “How’d you get in?”

  “I thought I’d hijacked the code,” he says, shrugging, “but maybe I didn’t.” He falls deep into thought for a few strides before he says, “Maybe the person who sealed off the tower programmed a loophole that allows access to anyone with a Guardian’s astrological fingerprint. But we’d need a third Guardian to test the theory.”

  “Well, while I was in there, I overheard something,” I say, relating Crompton’s conversation with Pollus.

  When I’ve finished, Hysan says, “I’m not surprised there’s dissent. Morscerta came from a traditionalist school of thought, but Crompton is younger and idealistic and far more progressive than anyone who’s held his role in recent history. The past few decades, divisiveness among the six Clans has intensified, so this House has been headed for a political shake-up for a while now. Though I agree it’s bad cosmic timing.”

  “What do you think of the Tomorrow Party?” I don’t mean to barrage him with questions, but there are few things I enjoy more than hearing Hysan’s mind at work.

  “I think Blaze always has a cause,” he says, sounding like he hasn’t committed to an opinion yet. “I don’t know much about the Party, so you can fill me in if you’d like. Mostly I’ve been concerned with what’s happening on Pisces. I sent a team of Knights to work with Stridents on planetoid Naute to study the virus and try reversing its effects. I also sent Miss Trii to help Prophet Marinda, since as an android she can’t contract anything. Neith has been called to attend so many emergency meetings that he’s perpetually running on low charge; I had to take him away from Libra just to apply updates and sync him with ’Nox.”

  He sounds like he’s relieved to be able to share all these things with someone, and it hits me how much harder our period of not speaking must have been on him. At least I had friends by my side—Hysan can only talk this openly with me.

  The heaviness of House Pisces wraps us in sad silence until we round the castle corner, and a whole new vista is revealed. A man-made lake runs the length of the palace, and across its sandy shore is a massive Pegazi habitat with sheltered stables. Dozens of the colorful creatures are sleeping on feathery blankets laid out along the sand, while others are standing around chewing hay.

  I’d love to go find Candor.

  “You like them?” asks Hysan, who’s observing me again.

  “Yeah,” I say, as we walk between the lake and the castle’s waterfall walls. “And you?”

  “They’re my favorite animal of the Zodiac. I bonded with a wild Pegazi five years ago and ever since, any time I visit Primitus, he finds me.” Hysan comes to a stop by one of the waterfalls and sticks his hand into the stream of water.

  “What are you doing?” I blurt, looking around to make sure we’re alone.

  “There are three hundred waterfalls on the palace grounds, but this one is special. I know because I’ve investigated them all.”

  After a moment the water stops running, and we watch the last of it swirl down a drain embedded in the ground. Where the waterfall had been there’s a column with a control panel jutting from a long slab of stone on the floor. Hysan takes my hand and pulls me across the drain onto the stone; even through the glove’s fabric, his touch delays my pulse a few beats.

  He hits a sequence on the control panel, and the sound of rushing water starts again. I look up in awe as the white crystal drops crash around us, blurring the whole world except Hysan.

  We’re standing extra close to keep from getting splashed, and our hands are still interlocked. There’s a wet curl sticking to my forehead, and Hysan reaches up to free it, his touch melting my skin. Then he lets go of my hand and drops to the ground, feeling along the outline of the stone slab.

  “Now what are you doing?” I ask.

  “Showing you my favorite secret I’ve uncovered so far.”

  When he finds what he’s looking for, he digs his fingers in and lifts, sliding half the stone to the side and revealing dark steps that descend underground.

  He blasts light from the Scan in his eye, and I see that the drop isn’t deep. “You should go first, so I can illuminate the way for you.”

  He helps me stuff the folds of my gown into the tunnel’s opening, and then he shines his light on me until I’ve climbed down to the stone floor. He descends next.

  “Where are we?” I ask, pulling the coat tighter around me.

  “Technically the sewers, but this tunnel isn’t functional. It’s a fake.” With his Scan’s light he leads us down an echoing stone passage. “There’s a legend, one of my favorites, about an Aquarian princess who lived during the turn of the first millennium. Her name was Zenith.”

  I see a door looming ahead where the passage comes to a dead end. “Zenith was next in line to be Supreme Guardian, which meant she had to marry someone noble from the Royal Clan to continue the bloodline. After graduating from Zodai University, she returned to the palace and joined the Royal Guard to ready herself for the day the stars called on her to step up. Since the Houses were under galactic rule then, there was an ambassador from every House stationed at the castle, each in a different tower; it’s why the common rooms represent the different constellations.

  “The youngest ambassador was Paloma from Capricorn, and she and Zenith became fast friends. Every week Zenith brought Paloma with her to the royal balls hosted by her father, the Supreme Guardian, who hoped his daughter would find her future spouse among the gathered suitors. But year after year passed, and she never picked anyone.”

  We reach the door, which is crudely crafted from stone, untouched by modernity. Hysan doesn’t have to unlock anything; he just shoves it, and the stone scrapes open, revealing a cave-like space that’s covered in carvings.

  He removes a metal grate in the floor and uses a lighter to stoke a low fire. When he puts the grate back in place, light flickers through its ridges and plays on the stone walls, bringing the drawings to life. Hysan shuts off his Scan.

  The only piece of furniture in the room is a large, feathered bed in the back. I’m awestruck as I take in all of the art around me; colorful canvases hang over some of the carvings, creating a collage effect that gives the place a sacred feel, like we’re touring a person’s mind. Or heart.

  “Zenith was an artist, so the walls tell her story.”

  Hysan stands before the depiction of a small girl with charcoal eyes wearing a crown too big for her head. The design beside it shows a slightly older version of the same girl, and while her classmates leap through the air, unburdened, she lags behind, bent beneath the weight of the Aquarian constellation she carries on her back.

  “Zenith couldn’t give her heart to any of her suitors because she’d already given it to someone—Paloma, the Capricorn ambassador.” On canvas are a series of semi-nude portraits of a dark-skinned woman with sand-colored eyes who must be Paloma.

  “But the Supreme Guardian grew impatient and gave his daughter an ultimatum: She must choose a husband by the end of the year, or he’d choose one for her.” Beneath the canvas is a carving of a man bearing an Aquarian crown, his eyes as dark as night.

  Hysan turns from the flickering designs to me, and in the cave’s warm glow he looks like he’s made of gold. “Zenith knew she couldn’t put off her duty to her House any longer, but before succumbing to her fate, she first ordered her servants to build her this secret chamber, swearing them to a lifelong secrecy they never broke. It’s said that even after she married and gave birth to a line of heirs and became Supreme Guardian, she and Paloma never stopped meeting here.”

  “How . . . how do you know about this place?” I ask, my heart pounding against my ribcage.

  “It’s hard to keep something this big hidden fore
ver when you’re in the spotlight.” Firelight dances in Hysan’s eyes. “Whispers followed Zenith, which became rumors that got handed down over time, until they became part of the historical canon about the royal line. These stories get mostly dismissed as myths because it’s hard to come by tangible proof about people who lived millennia ago. But when I was nine, I was fascinated by everything to do with Aquarius, and I loved reading about this castle and the line of royals that graced its halls. Zenith’s story in particular stayed with me, so when I became Guardian, I used every visit to the palace to search for signs of this chamber. I found it two years ago.”

  His voice loses some of its sunniness, and I recognize the tone as the one he adopts whenever he shares something about himself. “Seeing a myth come to life changed something about the way I look at the universe. It made me curious about what other stories we’ve lost to time.” Regaining his charm he adds, “Of course, none of my discoveries have been quite as exciting as a Thirteenth House.”

  My stomach tickles from the way he’s looking at me, so I fill the air with more words. “Are you the only person who knows about this place?”

  He shakes his head. “It’s definitely been found; otherwise it’d be in disrepair by now. I’m betting plenty of Royal Guard regimes have located it through the ages, but why would they publicize a discovery confirming a sensational story about the royal line? They’d probably prefer no one ever finds it.” His mouth curves into a sad smile that’s shyer than his usual one. “But I hope other star-crossed lovers have found this place over the centuries. It’d be nice to think there’s a corner of our galaxy where love has always prevailed over prejudice.”

  He stares at Zenith’s carvings, and his ears look a little pink. But that could just be from the firelight.

  It takes every ounce of self-control to refrain from reaching out to him. At least now that he’s facing away, I finally feel brave enough to ask about his date. “How did you meet Skarlet Thorne?”

  “She and I have known each other for years. I wasn’t going to attend this event, but she asked me to escort her. I guess I needed a break from everything.” My skin tingles as he turns to me again. “And I couldn’t come up with a good reason to say no.”

  I nod, suddenly eager to move on. “Neith wouldn’t say what you were up to whenever we’d talk. Have you found something on the Marad?”

  He takes a long moment to answer. “No, not yet. But I might have more news soon.” I want to ask him for details, but rather than display distrust, I decide not to press him. He’s more than earned my faith.

  Only now I’ve run out of words to stack between us, and in the absence of conversation, the room’s fire seems to burn hotter. I slip the black coat off and turn away to lay it on the mattress.

  I don’t know how to be around Hysan without touching him.

  His mind seems to be in the same place, because when he’s in front of me again, he takes my hand. I wish I’d removed the gloves so I could feel his skin. “When Nishi pulled you away in the ballroom, it was only out of consideration for Skarlet that I didn’t run after you.”

  I’m not sure I heard him correctly.

  “That’s why I went to see her before meeting you tonight. To tell her I just want to stay friends.”

  “You did?”

  His eyes flicker with light. “I told you on Centaurion, Rho. You’re the only person I’ve ever loved.”

  Something splits open inside me, filling my body with so many feelings that there’s no room left for the oxygen I need to breathe.

  “I’m not going to ask you for a date,” he goes on, “since that hasn’t worked so well for me in the past. All I’m going to ask you for is tonight.”

  He cups my face in his hand, and the feel of his skin on mine gives my pulse a sudden burst of speed. “I know our heads have to be elsewhere these days, but for a few hours, let’s let this place be what it was always meant to be . . . a haven for the star-crossed.”

  I wrap my arms around him, and when his lips touch mine, nothing in the universe has ever been as right as this kiss.

  Just as I’ve let go of my fear, I feel Hysan giving up his control. Unlike the measured kisses I remember, this one is free and unrestrained, powered by an irrepressible force, as if for tonight at least, neither of us is willing to let anything come between us.

  His fingers dig into my curls, and I tug down on his collar, pulling his suit jacket off. I peel off my gloves and toss them onto the mattress, but before I can wrap my hands around him again, Hysan takes my left arm in his hands and stares at the twelve red scars.

  When he looks up again, there’s so much tenderness in his green eyes that I know he’s traveled back to the scene on ’Nox, to the way I must have looked when he found me.

  “So how many girls have you brought down here?” I tease, trying to distract him.

  “You’ll be number one hundred and four,” he says, flashing his dimples.

  “Ha. Hilarious—”

  “What is that?” He frowns as he notices the black bangle on my left wrist.

  “New bracelet,” I say dismissively, freeing my hand from his and circling my arms around his neck again. “You know, I’ve been wondering about that night you came to my bedroom at the Libran embassy.”

  “I already like where this is going. . . .”

  I hold him closer so he can’t see my face. “Were you—did you bring protection with you because you knew what was going to happen between us?”

  He laughs softly in my ear, and mortification singes my skin. “Are you asking if I consulted the stars to See if you’d sleep with me?”

  “No—that’s not—” But I can’t think of any justification for my idiotic question, so I bury my face deeper into his dress shirt, my cheeks burning like coals.

  Hysan kisses the top of my head, and I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I didn’t know what would happen, Rho; I only knew what I wanted to happen.” His voice huskier, he whispers, “And, since you’ve brought that up. . . .”

  “Unfortunately this dress will require the assistance of a lady’s maid to remove,” I say through still-flushed cheeks.

  “Well, since they’re all asleep by now . . . .” He pulls away, and when I see the hungry look in his eyes, my blood buzzes in anticipation. “I insist you allow me to serve you in their stead.”

  My mouth dry, I swallow.

  Then I gather my curls to one side and turn around.

  Hysan stands so close behind me that his breath nestles into the crook of my shoulder. I feel his fingers working deftly down my spine, patiently undoing every diamond button, until at last air brushes across my exposed back.

  His hand skates along my skin, tickling every nerve ending, and I turn around to face him. His gaze has this way of taking in everything about me, as if he can see how my pieces puzzle together.

  “Helios, you’re beautiful,” he breathes, his lips temptingly close to mine. He kisses my jawline and traces his way down my neck, while his fingers hook into my dress’s heart-shaped neckline and slowly slide it down. The bodice dips beneath my breasts and hangs around my waist.

  Hysan drops to his knees, still feeling his way down my curves with his mouth. He keeps sliding my dress lower, until it crumples around my ankles, and goose bumps ripple across my skin.

  I gasp as he kisses my hipbone, and his green eyes dart up to meet mine as he pulls gently on the band of my underwear, lowering it slowly.

  My eyelids close as my muscles yield to Hysan’s touch, and my mind grows floaty, like I’m Centered. I’ve never felt my body more intensely than in this moment; it’s like I can sense everything happening to me on a microscopic level, down to the oxygen atoms’ whispery brush against my skin.

  The world tips sideways, and now I’m lying on a constellation of clouds, every part of me pulsing with pleasure. The exhilaration builds i
nside me like a rising rhythm that makes my bones quiver, the feeling sweeping through my blood so swiftly it takes my breath away. My heart pumps blissful music through my veins, its drumroll beat growing louder and louder with every rising breath, until—

  Until my chest bursts open and my soul soars free and I touch the stars.

  20

  WE LEAVE OUR HIDEOUT BEFORE sunrise, using the cover of darkness to surreptitiously shut off the waterfall.

  The castle doors are still closed, but Hysan unlocks them with his Scan, and we slip into the deserted entrance hall. He takes my hand as we dart past dim drawing rooms, and when we pass through a thought tunnel, he pulls me into him, and we make out in the mist.

  We might as well be walking in the clouds because I don’t remember life on the ground ever feeling this good.

  “There’s something I want to tell you,” I say once the white smoke dissipates. “A couple of months ago, I saw a vision of my mom.”

  Hysan turns to me, shock written all over his face. “What was it?”

  “It was her face . . . morphing into an Aquarian.” I don’t look at him as I say it, and I realize I’m ashamed she’s a Riser. And the realization shames me even further.

  “Was there any indication of where she might be?” he asks, and I shake my head. He tips my chin up. “You’ll find her.” His eyes seem so sure. “I promise you.”

  We turn down the hall with the undulating burgundy-and-blue carpet, and Hysan halts mid-stride. I turn to see why he’s stopped, and I notice his expression has hardened into a frown.

  “What is it?”

  “Neith,” he says, the green of his gaze growing distant. “Rho, I’ll fill you in later—but right now I have to go.”