Star Dust (Force Of Gravity Book 1)

by Ali Winters

  He was a mess.

  Quickly, he scrubbed his face in the water and patted his face dry. Not perfect, but it was a vast improvement.

  Lucian’s eyes shot to the door. Seconds ticked by and nothing happened.

  What are you expecting? Oriana to rush through and demand you rejoin her?

  An unease settled over him, urging him to stop what he was doing and go do… something. He wasn’t sure what he needed to do.

  Shaking off the feeling as best he could, he quickly stripped and bathed off the grime of several day’s travel. He dressed again, in a similar style—still haunted by the strange desire that he wasn’t in the right place. It tugged at him.

  It’s a normal feeling, he told himself. It’s natural to feel this way when a mission ends abruptly.

  Lucian pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, certain a ride through the forest would clear his head.

  He rubbed his thick brown hair with his towel once more before tossing it aside. Seconds later he was halfway down the grand staircase. Across the open area, the Queen walked gracefully down the steps toward the garden that bordered the castle grounds. Lucian jogged down the rest of the steps and hurried after her. Catching up to her he walked in sync with her casual pace in silence.

  “I was wondering when you’d be back,” Raina said as she paused to examine a rose.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t give you more notice.” His hand reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.

  “I’d dare say you didn’t give us any notice that you left.” The hint of a smile sparkled in her eyes.

  “You’re right. Forgive me, I had an urgent matter to attend to.”

  She nodded and navigated her way to a bench carved from a single block of wood. Graceful curves and lines of the wood flowed with the artist’s design. Raina patted the space next to her. Lucian joined her and waited for her to speak.

  Birds chirped in the distance as Lucian looked out into the gardens. His mother knew something had happened. She’d seen the remnants of the bruises and cuts.

  “How was your journey?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call it a ’journey.’” Feeling the weight of her gaze, he contemplated telling her everything. The suspicion the planets of the Inner Ring had and how he’d gone to them with Oriana to clear his Kingdom’s name.

  “Oh?” Her brows shot up. “Then, what would you call it?”

  “I was… helping a friend.”

  Raina contemplated him for a moment, her eyes searching his face.

  “Ah, helping a friend,” she nodded. “Lucian, why do I have a feeling you aren’t telling me everything?”

  She knew him too well.

  “Princess Oriana needed help.” He dropped his eyes and focused on a small white pebble. “But, I left…”

  “Because, she is promised to Prince Caelan?” Queen Raina said knowingly.

  He wanted to deny it, to say no, but what would be the point? After a moment’s hesitation, he answered, “Yes.”

  “What was so pressing that the Princess of Soleis would come to you, rather than her intended? That is certainly not orthodox.”

  “She needed help and protection visiting the other planets.”

  The light smile she wore faded, the humor was gone. “Lucian, tell me what’s going on. It’s not like you to disappear for days without saying anything,” her words were slow and measured.

  There was no way around it. It was his duty to tell her, but he needed to pick his words carefully. She needed to know what happened and that everything was sorted out, at least as far as their world was concerned.

  “Her Kingdom was attacked. King Orion and Queen Vega are dead, the royal court is dead. Oriana believes that whoever is responsible thinks she’s also dead.” The words rushed out.

  So much for breaking it to her gently.

  Queen Raina shot to her feet. “Who is responsible for this, we must prepare the Citinal. We will assist in the defense of Soleis to the best of our ability.”

  “It’s not so simple, Mother. We have gone to every other planet and the result is the same. All have been attacked, Royals are either missing or killed. And…” he trailed off.

  “We must prepare for an assault.” She started to rush toward the castle. Lucian reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

  “We won’t be attacked,” he pulled out one of the buttons he’d collected from his journey. “One of these was found, out in the open after each attack. It’s our Kingdom that was framed for these acts.”

  “No,” Raina breathed, the blood draining from her face.

  “I have spoken with the other planets. They know the truth, now.”

  The Queen’s body visibly relaxed. Her hand reaching up to touch the yellowed skin under his left eye. “Is that what happened here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who is responsible? We must lend what force we can to the other Kingdoms. The offender will not get away with this.”

  “We were unable to find out.” He looked beyond the Queen, avoiding her piercing stare.

  “I trust you have cleared our name and promised our allegiance?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” she nodded sharply. “Did you complete your commitment to her?”

  Lucian knew he didn’t. He’d promised to help her. They’d made plans. Yes, they were near the end of their planetary visits, but he’d left her sooner than he’d agreed.

  “No,” his tone came out weak and filled with shame.

  “You know better than to leave a promise unfulfilled. Why did you think you needed to leave?”

  “I…” he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. She already knew the answer to her question, but she would force him to say it out loud. Something he wasn’t sure he was ready to do. “I don’t know,” he muttered.

  “Lucian, this is not how you were brought up. You were taught to follow through with every commitment you make, and not to make promises lightly.”

  “I know. She’s promised to Prince Caelan and I if had stayed… I would have overstepped.” Admitting that much made his stomach churn.

  Raising an eyebrow, Raina spoke sternly, “You must complete what you set out to do. You will control yourself. I do not need to press upon you how important it is for our new relationship with the other planets to remain in good standing, but you know better than to abandon anyone in need.”

  “I know,” Lucian cringed. She hadn’t used that tone on him since he was a child.

  “Then you know what you need to do.” She placed her hand on his upper arm and squeezed. It was a squeeze he’d come to know as comforting, knowing she believed in him, but also threatening, just to ensure he would make the right decision.

  “There is a war coming, and we will be there to help defend any who need it. Our Citinal will be ready. Send word as soon as it is time.”

  “Yes, mother,” Lucian bowed his head.

  Lucian paced in front of the open door. If he walked through that door, his willpower would be tested to the breaking point. If he didn’t… there was no way of knowing if she was safe or not.

  Before he could change his mind, Lucian steeled himself and walked through to the Gateway. He would wait for her there—just to make sure she made it back through the door safely and gone back to Jupiter. The thought of having missed her didn’t even cross his mind.

  She’s stubborn, she would never give up just like that.

  Pacing the clearing, Lucian waited. Minutes ticked by, then hours and still he saw no sign of her.

  There were no new tracks after his. His last pass through the Gateway, he’d been so determined to get away from her, and the feelings she brought to the surface, he hadn’t bothered to cover the signs he’d left. The reason was simple; she continued her journey without him. Oriana wouldn’t let anyone change her mind, doing what she thought needed to be done, regardless of the danger it put her in. He let out an exasperated breath.

  “Sef,” he swore, scrubbing his face with his hands. She w
ould keep going, regardless of the danger and it was time for a new plan. She was going to get herself killed. He’d have go back and bring her through the door and take her to Jupiter—where she belonged.

  Then he could go back to Earth, where he wouldn’t be tortured by her proximity.

  Oriana

  Oriana lay on her back, half submerged in the fluffy snow. Her eyes stared up at the endless black above her. The darkness stretched out, growing larger and engulfing the universe around her until the white at the edges of her vision began to fade and darken. With her fingertips dug into the ground, she held on for her life as though if she let go, she would fall from the surface of the planet and into the vast void above her. Lifting her hand, she scrubbed at her eyes, rubbing the dried salt from her skin.

  Her skin burned from the cold, the only sign she could still feel anything. She pushed herself up, her muscles protesting the movements. Oriana blinked and took in her surroundings.

  The door to the Gateway lay some distance behind her, the castle an equal distance ahead of her.

  Might as well get this over with.

  Ignoring the pain in her frozen joints, she stretched, then walked toward the castle.

  Climbing the stairs to the entrance and walking in through the open doors, she stopped as an eerie silence filled the air. No voices echoed, no sign of movement and not a single footprint in the snow—other than hers. She shivered, and not completely from the cold.

  The main doors were open, allowing the wind to blow drifts of snow inside.

  Something was wrong.

  Quietly, she pushed forward, her eyes darting about, looking for any sign of life or damage. Other than the snow littering the entryway, it was in pristine condition.

  She walked through the halls, entering every room on the main floor. The stillness was eerie.

  Reaching out, she grasped for a hand that wasn’t there. The emptiness of this castle sent a type of fear through her that was different. It wasn’t the same as running for her life. This fear threatened to take everything. The void of life suffocated her as if she were floating in the vast nothingness of space, gasping for air… falling into nothing.

  Oriana shook her head, chasing away the thought.

  A castle in the middle of this frozen planet with no trace of any of its people. No food left untouched, no clothes left in any closet. It was as though built, but never lived in. No sign of attack. Everyone just vanished into thin air, taking all traces of their lives with them. They hadn’t been attacked but had abandoned their Kingdom. Why did they leave?

  It doesn’t make any sense. Why did they leave? Where did they go? What happened here?

  Walking into the foyer, she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. There wasn’t a trace of anyone in the palace and there was nothing for her to learn here.

  Eris was known to have had people, but the lack of evidence felt wrong. If they weren’t attacked and they had time to disappear… What did it all mean? Were they paying attention to what was happening on all the other worlds? Their observation must have given them enough time to escape with what they needed.

  A gleaming object caught her eye. She crossed the room and bent down to pick it up. A gold button with jade inlay, representing earth. Oriana knew that was wrong, with some Outer planet was targeting Earth.

  Lucian had to know why an Outer would want to turn the worlds of the Inner Ring against them. Earth must have done something sinister to elicit such a reaction, but why were all the other planets dragged into it?

  She thought about the possibilities, but could not come up with anything that would warrant such retaliation. There was only one way to find out, ask him… biting the inside of her cheek, she realized she couldn’t. He’d left her. Alone. Here on this cold, desolate planet, without answers.

  Had he been on the verge of confessing? Is that why he left?

  No… That wasn’t right. She drew her eyebrows together in thought. Lucian had been genuinely surprised about the buttons. Was he capable of lying like that? It seemed unlikely. Sharp pain encircled her head. The more she looked for answers the more questions she came up with. She was cold, her head pounded… she just wanted to go home. The home she remembered, not the destroyed palace and not the pain and heartache that awaited her there. Back to the time when things were good, and her only problem was deciding what to do that day.

  Oriana raced back toward the gateway, stopping in front of the door. There were no more planets left unchecked… and she still needed to go back to Soleis to see what answers she could find.

  Her hand tremored violently as she reached for the door.

  “I can’t do it…” she sobbed.

  The agony of what waited for her on Soleis was too much to bear. Turning, she ran. Away from the door, away from the castle, away from the pain and loss and out into the black night.

  She ran until her breaths came quickly in shallow gasps. Her head spun from the lack of oxygen and she fell to her knees as her shaking legs gave out from under her. Oriana lifted her eyes to the black night. Tears flowed freely, spilling down her face, as a sob ripped through her, coming out as a strangled cry.

  “Why, why did this happen? Who would do this?” She yelled into the empty night sky, her voice cracking as it died on the thin atmosphere.

  Oriana

  Her tears that had long since dried and lines of salt left by tears, streaked the skin of her cheeks. The emotions she’d held in for so long, echoed in the hollow space, now free from the confines of her heart.

  Sorrow and loneliness consuming her, she didn’t hear the crunch of footsteps behind her until they are next to her head.

  Oriana scrambled to sit up as a heavy hand crashed down on her shoulder. She froze. Another hand gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet. Panic filled her as she prepared to run. Her elbow shot back, hitting her would be captor in the stomach. He let out an “oomph,” and his hold on her weakened enough for her to jerk free.

  She ran, not looking back.

  Her breath came in gasps, the cold air burning her lungs and making her cough on the air. She pushed forward, stumbling through the snow, her body weakening fast.

  If I can get to the castle...

  Light shone from its open windows in the far distance.

  Keep moving. Don’t stop. Keep moving.

  She chanted silently, as she pushed herself. Every muscle in her body protested from exhaustion and the bitter temperatures.

  The castle grew closer, looming larger in front of her as she pushed on.

  Just a little further… so close.

  Oriana’s body objected with every motion, but she couldn’t stop to rest, she couldn’t give in to her weakened muscles. Not yet—she had to keep going.

  A hard body crashed into her, knocking her to the ground. A breathless cry of pain escaped her lips. They rolled through the snow, until she landed on her back, the weight of her assailant pinning her down. Her chest heaved as she fought to escape the strong grasp. She kicked with the last of her remaining strength as her arms were pinned down by strong hands.

  “Oriana, open your—ow!”

  Her body stilled, heart pounding in her chest. Her eyes shot open. The strong jaw, the dark hair falling across his forehead, the face marked with recent bruising and cuts from their journey.

  “Lucian!” Oriana cried as she stared into the face she never thought she’d see again. He freed her wrists from his grasp and rolled over onto his side, next to her in the snow.

  He came back.

  Oriana stared over at him in disbelief.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you went home.”

  “I did.” He lifted himself up on his arms. “What were you doing lying in the snow like that?”

  She pushed herself up to her feet.

  “Why do you care? You left me here, or did you forget?” Her fists rested on her hips as she glared down at him.

  “I should have taken you to Jupiter.” He stood and stepped clos
e to her.

  Lifting her chin defiantly, she met his gaze. “I’m not letting you take me back. You can come with me if you want, or you can leave again, but I am going to finish what I started.”

  His dark eyes studied her face, his mouth set in a hard line.

  “That’s not a good idea, Oriana,” he said averting his gaze.

  “What’s not a good idea? Seeing this through, or you coming with me?”

  “Both.”

  Oriana’s forehead creased as she contemplated the man in front of her. The relief she felt when she’d opened her eyes and seen his face was short lived. She was still happy to have him standing next to her again, but the pain and fear she’d felt, as he left her in the snow on this desolate planet, had hit her deeper than she was willing to admit. It still hurt that it took nothing for him to leave without warning.

  “Then go home, Lucian.” The pain and anger she couldn’t let go of, dripped from her words.

  His mouth dropped open, as he stammered. “B—but I…”

  “I don’t need you anymore. Go home, and do whatever it is you want to do. I never asked you to tag along in the first place.”

  He snapped his mouth shut, cleared his throat, then spoke. “I want to be here. I want to make sure you are safe.”

  “That’s a bit late now, isn’t it? You already left.”

  Lucian took another step forward, closing the distance between them. His dark mahogany eyes bored into her.

  “I’m sorry, Oriana, I should never have left you. I—I just…” his voice trailed off. “There’s no reason I could give you that would excuse what I did.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore, Lucian.” Oriana stepped around him. Grabbing her shoulders and spun her to face him.

  “I will never leave you again. I’m so sorry.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off before she could interrupt. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I want you to, but I wouldn’t blame you if you never did. Just let me be there for you now.”