by Ali Winters
“Oriana? Are you coming?” he asked, his tired voice interrupting her train of thought. He was stood in the doorway waiting.
She hurried through, her eyebrows pinching together as he shut the door behind her. “Where are we going?”
“We still need to go to Eris,” he reminded her.
“How do we get there? Haven’t we taken all the doors there are?”
“There’s still one path left. There are eleven paths; Eris has one within our Gateway.”
“Oh.”
She’d forgotten about the thin overgrown path. It felt as though a fog had invaded her mind and slowed her thoughts. For the first time she envied Lucian, he’d learned about communications with the other worlds. Even though her father had just begun teaching her the basics when the attacks happened, it wasn’t enough.
“They have access to both our Inner Ring system as well as the Outer Ring. They are the only planet to have access to all worlds. However, since it’s a bridge world, their gateway works differently than ours,” he explained as they walked toward the center, where the paths met.
Oriana lapsed into silence again, digesting the information. Didn’t all Gateways work the same?
She followed him trying to work it out in her head and failing. She barely understood her own system, trying to understand the bridge was beyond her—at least for the time being. She hoped she would learn how it worked soon enough.
“Lucian…”
He stopped and turned, “Yes?” He shifted the two packages under one arm to the other.
“We’ve almost been everywhere and we still have no idea who is responsible... What if whoever did this made it look like they’d been attacked just to throw us off?”
“If it looks like Eris suffered the same fate, we’ll come up with a new plan then, but there’s no point in doing that before.”
“What about the Outer Planets? The ones we aren’t in contact with?” They turned and headed down the last path. She was careful to avoid catching her foot on the vines that crossed it.
“That is also a possibility. If they have suffered like the rest, we will make use of the Erisian Gateway, and we’ll track down the planet responsible.”
“You don’t think Eris is the one who attacked do you?”
“There is no way of knowing until we check. We don’t have much information about them but their Citinal is small and they’ve been in talks with several planets. It seems unlikely, but it’s not impossible.”
They stopped in front of a door, it was smaller than those of the other planets. Lucian handed her a package from under his arm and he opened the other to reveal a thick coat. He motioned for her to open hers.
Tearing into the thin metallic paper, she pulled out a long, dark grey jacket. It had a high fur collar and a hood and fur peeking out through the long sleeves. The length fell below her hips, covering half of her thighs. Slipping her arms through she wrapped it around her, the fur was soft. Lifting the cuff of one sleeve to her face, she examined it.
It was cotinuium—a fur like metal, so delicate, the fibers were unable to penetrate the skin, but instead had an insulating effect.
“Are you ready?” he asked and shrugged on his coat.
Oriana gulped. This was it. They would find their answers here. They had to.
She looked up at Lucian and met his eyes, nodding before she placed the key in the lock and turned the handle, pulling her own fur-lined jacket tighter around her. She wrapped her arms around her middle and stepped through with Lucian two steps behind her.
Fierce winds whipped at them, flurries of snow and ice pelting their faces. All doors had so far led to the heart of the main palace. This one, however, was in the middle of an empty field.
Next to the door they had stepped through, stood another door. Oriana reached for her key and held it up to the wood. Nothing. Placing the key in the lock, she twisted it, but it refused to turn. Could it really be that simple?
This second door was only accessible through a key designed only for the Outer Gateway.
Shaking her head, she placed the key back in her pocket. She could figure out the mysteries of the Gateways another time.
“That must be the castle over there,” Lucian pointed.
A faint light shone from the palace in the distance and illuminated the snow with its eerie glow. The outline of two arches, side by side, stood towering over the castle.
The Gateway Arches…
The blizzard swirled around them and threatened to steal her breath with the painful burn of the cold, dry, air. The vast emptiness stretched around them as the sun’s light barely made an impact on the surface of the planet.
Lucian stepped up next to her. His grim expression twisted into the lopsided grin that came so naturally to him.
“So, Oriana, do you want to build a snowman?” he asked.
Her black hair whipped around her face, stinging her skin along with the cold, bitter winds.
“What?”
“I said, do you want—”
“I heard what you said.” She stared up at him. Large flakes and ice chips pelted his face, the strong wind blowing the snow at them sideways. “I just can’t tell if you’re serious.”
“Lighten up Oriana, you need to learn to have fun,” he shouted above the wind.
“This isn’t the time for fun, Lucian.”
“There will always be a reason to be serious. You have to take the fun moments anytime you can.”
The wind slowed then stopped as she stood staring at him. Thankful at the timing, she shook her head and stepped away from him, beginning the long trek through the snow toward the light.
THWACK.
A clump of snow hit her in the back of the head.
She spun around to see Lucian looking up at the sky. His hands clasped behind his back—the very picture of innocence—and he’d never looked more guilty.
Shock, disbelief, then the need for payback, ran through her. She bent down, scooped up a fist full of snow and tossed it at him. The ball of snow hit his face and exploded in a cloud of white powder.
Lucian’s eyes narrowed and his smirk grew. Oriana took several steps back and held her hands in front of her in an attempt to shield herself.
“Lucian… we are here on—” But before she could finish, he crashed into her, knocking her into the thick layer of snow.
Lucian
Their bodies collided and they went rolling through the snow. Oriana wiggled underneath him, scooping handfuls of snow up and smashing them into his face as her laughter surrounded them. They took turns dousing each other with white, cold powder. It was good to hear her laugh. She’d been hiding the pain she was feeling for days now. The permanent frown, that had been part of her face since he’d found her running through his forest, didn’t suit her.
His numb fingers lost their grip and she rolled away. Before she could get far, he grabbed a fist full of snow, and pulled on the back of her shirt, scooping it in. She flipped over onto her back, eyes wide with shock as she squealed, tugging at her jacket to free the snow trapped against her skin. Laughing, Lucian got to his feet and dusted himself off as she continued to scramble around.
The second he turned his back on her, he found himself face first in the snow with her still rolling around uncontrollably on top of him. Lucian turned underneath her, rolled over and pinned her down. Her erratic squirming from the cold assault halted as their eyes locked.
Oriana looked up at him with large gray eyes that pierced all the way through to his very core. The longer she looked at him, the more he could swear she was scanning his being, learning every minute detail there was to know about him. Every thought he’d ever had.
Of its own accord, his hand reached up and brushed an errant strand of hair from her face, pushing it behind her ear. His fingers grazed her cheek as he brought his hand down and the smile faded from his face as he stared into her eyes, trapped by their flecks of gold. Lucian held himself over her, his arms on either side of hers
. Oriana’s cheeks were flushed pink from the cold, matching the dark pink of her lips. Her breath grew rapid as his chest pressed against hers. Lowering his face, he rested his forehead against hers.
She’d saved his life back on Venus. There had been no telling what would have happened if she hadn’t taken charge. What kind of personal pain did she face in order to bring enough evidence to light that would save him? She’d been through more than he could imagine, and she still had the ability to laugh. Awe washed over him at the grace she possessed in dealing with everything—doing what was needed regardless of anyone who tried to change her mind.
His chest tightened. He owed her his life, and even now he was only realizing how much he’d given to her for it.
“Lucian…” she whispered. His eyes locked onto her lips as she said his name and her warm breath fluttered across his cheek, making him close his eyes. The thin string that held his control in check was quickly fraying. Her small hands fisted the material of his coat at his shoulders, somewhere between pushing him away and pulling him closer. Lucian averted his gaze, unable to stand the way she looked at him—and unsure how he looked at her in return.
He wanted her to be his—in a way he knew was impossible—for her to know it and to feel the same in return. Though he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her, he forced himself to push away.
Sitting back on his heels, he created as much space between them as he could. She quickly sat up and busied herself with brushing snow off her clothes.
She is intended for another. She is off limits.
He reminded himself.
“He thinks of you as the sun, you know,” he said, his voice was harsher than he’d intended.
“I know…” she answered timidly, then after a moment she added, “The thought of being the center of someone’s life like that is intimidating.”
“Do you love him?”
“Not yet,” she turned her face away, avoiding his gaze.
“Not yet? What does that mean?” Lucian had no idea why her answer sent a stab of anger through him, or why he was asking these questions. Questions he didn’t want to hear the answers to… but he couldn’t stop himself.
“It means, I don’t love him now, but I think I’ll love him someday.” The grimace on her face made it clear that she was more uncertain of the words she spoke than she realized. “Love was never part of the arrangement, but it is bound to happen after a few years,” she lifted her eyes to meet his, “Right?”
She was genuinely asking him; it wasn’t a rhetorical question. The uncertainty in her eyes twisted his heart. Oriana wanted him to reassure her, and as much as he wished he could, his mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
“And you’re okay with never knowing if you’ll actually fall in love with this guy or not?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
By the pain in her voice he knew she honestly believed her words. Even after everything that had happened. “Everyone has a choice, Oriana.”
“I don’t…” she spoke so softly that he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.
“Oriana—” his hoarse words caught in his throat. He looked at the woman in front of him. Her dark hair, a tangled mess covered in snow, fell around her shoulders. “Sef…” he cursed himself.
What am I doing?
If he stayed with her any longer, the thin shred of control holding him back would shatter. How had this happened? He should have been more careful, kept his distance. He was here to prove his innocence and keep her from getting herself killed—nothing more. Lucian knew he couldn’t continue forward with her. Staying would mean to put her future at risk.
After everything she’d done for her world, for their solar system, and him. She deserved better.
Lucian jumped to his feet and turned back the way they had come.
“Lucian?” Oriana called after him. Her voice wavered from the cold but he kept moving one foot in front of the other toward the door, ignoring her questioning calls.
“Lucian,” she said grabbing his arm and pulling hard enough to stop him.
Oriana
“I can’t do this anymore,” he mumbled.
“What?” she asked. Her hands stilled, frozen in mid pull. She’d heard him, but disbelief made her ask again. She needed to hear it loud and clear so there could be no mistake.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, tugging his arm from her grasp. “I’m sorry Oriana,” his tone had a rough edge. “I can’t do this. I can’t keep following you around, I need to prove the innocence—”
“But going to each world is helping to prove your innocence... We will find who’s really responsible, and—” her voice raised in pitch with each word as panic wrapped itself around her heart.
“No.”
“No? I don’t—”
“You need to go back to Jupiter and have Caelan protect you. This isn’t safe for you. If they find you, they will kill you on sight. It’s clear they want something from you and won’t stop until they get it. Why else do you think they attacked every other planet and framed Earth for it? You need to stay safe. And… I—I need to leave,” he said, hanging his head.
“But—”
“I’m sorry.” He turned his back on her and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “Go back to Jupiter, Oriana. Go back to Caelan.”
“Lucian!” she called after him, his step faltered for a second, but he kept walking.
He had to come back... He has to.
Lucian opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind him.
He left… he just… left.
Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry. She took several steps towards the door and stopped.
He left me.
But she still had her mission.
Keep going. I can’t stop now. I have to know.
Turning her back on the door, she walked, blinded by unshed tears. Her chest ached at the sudden abandonment.
Oriana’s feet moved between her destination and no destination, as her heart warred between continuing her mission and not caring any longer. Doubt surrounded her. If he could just leave, how could he give up on their mission so easily? How could she do this without help? Finding Caelan had been one thing, but she’d still had help doing that. What made her think she could save the whole of the Inner Ring alone?
The bitter cold wove its way through the cloth of her clothes, chilling her.
Oriana fell to her knees, her arms hanging limply at her sides. She lifted her face to the endless black of the sky, the sparkling stars of distant Galaxies scattered across her field of vision. Dropping to her back, she let the snow wrap itself around her, creating a frozen wall.
He wasn’t coming back. Lucian was gone, and now she had to find the people responsible for the destruction of so many Kingdoms, the same people who wanted her dead.
Alone.
The word echoed in her mind.
Alone.
Fear squeezed at her heart and she let the tears fall, tracing salty paths down her temples.
Alone.
Lucian
Lucian eyed the door leading to Eris. His hand reached for the handle, but stopped, hovering over it. His fingers curled into his palm as he clenched his fist, dropping his hand to his side.
No, I can’t go back. She’ll be coming through the door any minute now to go back to Jupiter. She’s just waiting for me to be gone first…
Lucian wasn’t sure how much he believed his own thoughts. He could turn around now and go back to her, finish what they’d started—as the friends they had become.
Her face as she lay in the snow, smiling up at him, flashed forward from his memory.
Grey eyes, flecked with gold, sparkled in the dim light. Her black hair haloed out around her head, contrasting against the frozen flakes.
Lucian’s heart squeezed in his chest. He didn’t want to be her friend. He didn’t want more—he wanted everything. If he went back now, he would take everything and it would des
troy her future. Not to mention the future of several worlds—his included. Staying away from her was the best thing he could do for her, for him, for everyone. Oriana was spoken for, and it wasn’t by him.
He backed up and walked toward the path, turning to the door that led back to earth.
The scent of fresh air mixed with recent rainfall greeted him as he stepped through the door and entered the familiar sitting room of his palace. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed as he removed the big bulky coat and laid it over the back of the chaise lounge. The weight of guilt hung heavy over him and he let his head drop, his eyes not seeing anything but her face. Her voice calling his name echoed with the fear and confusion he knew she felt, that he had caused.
He hated himself for leaving her with no explanation, but what could he have said? That he wanted her—to hell with her betrothal? Each and every step had been a stab in the heart and he hoped she could forgive him one day. Hoped that he could forgive himself.
Entering the massive main hallway, Lucian made his way down the main gallery and up the grand staircase, ignoring the surprised stares of the staff milling about. With long strides he made his way down the hall and into his personal chambers, closing the door tightly behind him.
As good as it felt to be home, something was off. It felt different, like it wasn’t quite the same home he’d left days ago. The staff looked at him as though he’d grown horns. His hand reached up and brushed through his hair. No horns.
Lucian made his way to the bathing room and crossed the open space to the mirror near the elevated hand basin. The sight that greeted him explained everything.
The cuts and bruises on his face, while mostly healed, were still prominent. His disheveled hair matted in places where snow had clung before melting. His clothes were wrinkled and splotched with dirt—far from the immaculate condition he usually kept them in.
