by Ali Winters
A bright spot of red caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Vashti descended the stairs, her head down. She narrowed her eyes at the traitor. It was not enough the girl had turned against her, but now she had come to witness her humiliation.
The tempo of the music changed, slowing, and with it the pace of their dance. He pulled her closer to him. She tried to resist, but the strength of his arm was more than she could fend off without making a scene. Something Oriana knew would bring a result she wanted to avoid.
“Oriana,” Erik leaned in close, his warmth of his cheek brushing against hers. “That was quite a risk you took.”
She stiffened in his arms, her breath hitching.
Risk? He can’t mean…
Her thoughts trailed off as she forced herself to relax, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You shouldn’t try to lie. You’re are terrible at it. I could take it from you right now if I wanted to, and you would be powerless to stop me. Your dress is thin and almost any man would notice.”
Leaning back, Oriana tilted her head. “What—” Her heart rate skyrocketed, pounding furiously in her chest. She tugged on her arm to try and cover her chest, but he held on tight.
He grinned down at her as though he hadn’t just threatened her. “It is good you have given up fighting me,” his voice was light as he changed topics.
What was he talking about? “You’re not making any sense,” Oriana frowned.
“It’s a beautiful night, don’t you agree? I am glad the doors are open. The fresh air feels good.”
Oriana’s gaze shot to the doors. All of them wide open, and not a single Citali anywhere near. How had she missed that in her initial sweep of the room? They were all clustered as far inside as they could get, guarding only the inner palace doors. She turned her eyes back to him in confusion.
“I don’t—” The man was teasing her, taunting her, with the freedom she would never again experience.
“You should learn to listen better.” He gave her the relaxed, broad smile she remembered from the day they’d met.
“I heard you just fine, but you aren’t making any sense,” she snapped. He was talking nonsense and expected her to keep up. How far gone were the minds of the Erisians to think this could count as an actual conversation?
“You heard me, Princess,” he corrected. “But you didn’t listen.”
The song changed again, and Prince Erik led her closer to the open doors, further past the edge of the crowd. His face turned serious as he lowered his voice. “Do you know what it does?”
“What?” she hissed. Her temper rose at the back and forth of his words, trying to understand.
“Oriana, please, pay attention,” he sighed, as though he were trying to explain the secrets of the universe to a child. “The Lumeria—do you know the power it possesses?”
She gaped up at him, shock temporarily numbing her vocal cords. Instinct told her to deny having it, but he already knew, he’d made that much clear already. He knew exactly where it was, and he would take it from her at the moment of his choosing. Playing dumb would only anger him.
“No,” she said, dropping her head in shame.
“I see.”
He spun her under his arm, turned her out, and back in, with a light tug of his hand. She landed against him, catching herself with her hand against his chest. They were too close for her comfort, but he held in her place, not letting her push away. “It has the ability to create and destroy black holes in an instant. Controlling every aspect of their size and power.”
Oriana shuddered.
That’s the unlimited power?
“You didn’t attempt to unlock it, did you?” Worry creased his brow.
Heat rose up her neck as she dropped her gaze. His range of emotions confused and flustered her. One minute he was threatening, the next he seemed to be telling her more than she was sure King Mobius would appreciate, and now his concern was evident. It unnerved her.
“What happened?” he asked concerned.
Unconsciously, his hand gripped hers tighter, and his arm pulled her closer.
“N—nothing, happened. It glowed, but I couldn’t unlock it,” she murmured, still refusing to meet his gaze. “I didn’t even know what it was before…”
“It glows when unlocked,” he paused thoughtfully, “Perhaps, it didn’t work since you didn’t have a destination in mind… or did you?”
“No,” she said quickly.
At least, she didn’t remember trying to direct her thoughts toward anything but the crystal itself. The idea of opening a black hole on an unsuspecting solar system terrified her.
He let out a heavy sigh as the tension left his body. “That is good. Unlocking the crystal without knowing how to control it would bring destruction to the entire Galaxy.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Something like this, in the wrong hands, could destroy worlds, suns, and even other galaxies. It would be a shame if it were destroyed before my father got his hands on it.”
Her mouth dropped open, her head spinning with confusion. He was unexpected. Could she trust what he was saying? Or was it a trap, designed to gain her trust in the hope she would hand over the crystal to him?
Destroy the crystal.
The underlying words of what he was saying rang loudly in her mind.
Heart racing, Oriana looked over the Prince’s shoulder at the King and Queen standing at the top of the dais in front of her parent’s thrones. King Mobius raised his hand toward the orchestra. It was small and unimpressive compared to the one that used to play for the true Soleisan people.
The music halted abruptly, and the Prince’s steps glided to a stop. Erik dropped her hand but kept an arm firmly around her waist.
“Trust me, Oriana. Not everyone wishes to fall,” he murmured under his breath.
Oriana’s mind raced. Lucian was… gone, Caelan had no idea where she was or what happened and her enemy was asking for her trust. There were no words he could say that would ever gain her trust, but trust or no trust, it wouldn’t change the direction of events of the night. She allowed Erik to lead her toward the dais, toward the future she had no say in.
Each step forward wilted another piece of her heart. A slow death, with no way to save even a sliver. Everything she’d done, everything she’d been through—had been for nothing. She ended up in the exact spot she’d spent all that time trying to avoid since the attack on her home had woken her and changed her life. It had only been days but had felt as though decades had past.
Oriana choked back a sob, her body shook with tears she couldn’t cry—tears she refused to let loose in front of these murderers.
Erik’s hand rubbed the small of her back in a comforting gesture, but regardless of whatever his motivations were, it only served to remind her that she had no one left.
All too soon, they reached the bottom of the steps that led up the dais.
King Mobius raised his hands, silencing the murmur of voices that filled the room. Sendrik stood next to him, his hands clasped behind his back and a pleased sneer on his angular face.
“Loyal subjects, we have defeated our oppressors,” his voice boomed, echoing off the walls.
Oppressors? Please…
Oriana resisted the urge to scoff at the man.
He’s unhinged. All those centuries away from the sun must have gotten to him.
“But we have won—” The King choked on his next words as he froze, his face drained of color. Sendrik went ridged next to his master.
“Have you?”
A voice, so familiar, it sent chills down her spine, called out from behind her.
Erik released his hold around her waist, allowing her to turn and look.
Tall figures lined the opens doors, their cream and red uniforms stark against the night. Their drawn swords gleamed in the candlelight, appearing to be made of fire. In front, stood Caelan, his presence commanding the
attention of everyone in the room and…
Lucian!
Her heart leaped at the sight of him. He was alive… But how?
He stood to the side, silent, still wearing the bloodied clothes she’d last seen him in. Behind him stood the Earthen Citinal and the look in his eyes as he watched the King was one of danger. She had never seen that expression on his face before and it filled her with comfort edged with a hint of fear.
“Not everyone wishes to fall, Oriana,” Erik murmured again.
The deathly silence ended.
Screams filled the room as the Erisian court scattered in every direction. Footsteps rushed past her. She stumbled, shoved by the stampeding troops that ran to the King’s side. Erik’s arms shot out and grabbed her, pulling her to his side.
An explosion boomed shaking the room. Dust rose all around, clouding her vision. She couldn’t see Lucian or Caelan anymore.
She turned into Erik shielding her face, as a shower of dust and rubble rained down on her head.
“What is that?” she asked, horrified.
Erik grabbed her shoulders pushing her away, “Run.”
“I don’t…” she stammered.
“Run, Oriana. You have to get the crystal away from here.”
He was freeing her!
Not giving him a chance to change his mind, she turned and ran into the crowd of people, trying to lose herself in it’s enormity as she followed them out of the ballroom. The Erisian guards continued to surround the monarchs.
Close. She was feet away from the freedom the hallway provided, then she could disappear. A few more steps and… an arm wrapped around her, catching her and pulling her back. Her head hit the wall with a crack, the impact caused black spots to flicker across her vision.
“And, where do you think you are going?” Sendrik’s voice grated against her ears.
“Let go of me!” Oriana swung her arms but failed to get the leverage she needed to land a hit. He dragged her back toward the fray, and to the King as his fingers bit into her sides, bruising her still tender skin.
She clawed at his arm, kicking her legs wildly, but her efforts were useless. He carried her like she was nothing more than a doll.
Pushing past the soldiers defending King Mobius, Sendrik set her down before him.
“Your Majesty,” he said.
Oriana pushed away from him and turned to run. Sendrik’s hand jerked out and tangled itself in her hair once more. With a rough tug, he wrangled her back to his side. “I have something you might be interested in,” his voice was slime against her skin as he pulled her even closer to him, lifting her up, so she was forced to stand on her toes. The King leered at her as he eagerly awaited.
Sendrik reached down the front of her dress and pulled out the crystal.
“No!”
Oriana stumbled as he let go of her hair, her arms covering her chest protectively. Ice filled her veins as panic set in.
No, no, no, no, no…
“May I present to you… the Lumeria.” He held his hand out flat, displaying the crystal.
Oriana gaped helplessly. A grey blur catching her attention as a guard fell, his body crumpling against Sendrik.
The weight of the Citali’s body pushed him forward, Sendrik stumbled and the crystal dropped to the ground. His head hit the ground with a crack and his body lay still.
Oriana caught the King’s eye for a split second, anger and shock distorting his features as she rushed forward.
With every ounce of her strength, she stomped her foot down on the crystal.
It cracked.
She stomped her foot down again—shattering it into a pile of tiny shards.
Red-faced, Mobius’s expression twisted as he unsheathed his sword, lifting it high into the air and charging at her.
“You will pay for that, you tezza!”
You must sacrifice one, to save another. The words of the Oracle echoed in her mind. One life, to save another…
She would give her life, to save the life of the only one that filled her heart.
Surrounded by Citali guards, she was trapped with nowhere to go.
Oriana watched as the King swung his blade. She raised her chin defiantly watching the edge of the blade as it loomed closer.
The world tilted from under her as her body was thrust sideways. Crashing to the floor, the wind was violently ripped from her lungs by the impact. The sword had missed her.
Lucian lay across her, his body limp. Oriana moved out from under him and rolled him onto his back.
“Lucian!” she cried.
All thought of the King, his sword, and the fight, was gone as her eyes fell on the long red gash across Lucian’s chest, blood flowing freely from the wound.
Oriana
The blood darkened the white of his shirt.
So much blood… There’s too much.
Oriana pressed her hands against his chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Oriana, get out of here!” Caelan’s voice called, breaking her from her trance.
She glanced around the room. The cloud of dust had grown thicker as the occasional explosion sounded throughout the chamber.
Caelan charged the King, countering his next blow—aiming right for her. The swords clashed with a defining sound. Strike after strike.
Oriana pushed herself up off the floor to standing. An explosion mere feet away rang in her ears, accompanied by a billowing cloud of gray smoke. It burned her eyes, forcing tears to run down her face. She coughed violently. Crystal chunks of the floor pelted her face, neck and arms.
The cloud cleared, revealing several Jupiter Citali converging on the Queen. She reached behind her and threw a small bag into the cluster of men.
Another explosion.
One of the men dodged, as the others fell. He jumped up, and ran at the Queen. The edge of his sword ran her though. The cry that ripped from her throat was lost in the din of shouts and the clamor of weapon against weapon as her limp body fell.
Turning slowly, Oriana took in the scene around her. Time slowed, and she blinked. She felt like she was underwater, unable to move. The ringing in her ears drowned out the intensity of everything around her.
Men fell around her, Erisains and Jovians evenly matched. This fight would go on until the last man fell… Red and orange uniforms, followed by blue flooded into the room. The Venusian and Neptunian Citinals joined the fray.
“Oriana! Stop standing around,” Caelan yelled over the din, his voice bringing time and sound crashing back. “Get away from here!”
“I can’t leave him!”
She dropped down next to Lucian. She wouldn’t leave him like this just to save her own skin. If the situation were reversed, he would never abandon her. She pressed the fabric of her skirt against his wound. She couldn’t let him die. Wouldn’t let him die.
Blood soaked through the material as shouts and the crashing of metal continued to surround her.
“Lucian…” she whispered looking down at his deathly pale face. His chest raised and lowered, with barely perceptible movements. “Don’t die… you promised you’d never leave me. Please don’t—ahh!”
A rough hand grabbed her hair, jerking her head back at a painful angle until her eyes met his. Sendrik’s face hovered above hers, menacing and full of hate.
“I don’t care if Prince Erik wants you. You will die,” he promised through gritted teeth. From the corner of her eye, she watched as his hand raised his sword, the metal gleaming through a mixture of gray and red. With slow movements, he brought the edge to her throat and froze. The blade pressed into her skin. One quick movement is all it would take.
Sendrik’s brow furrowed, his features twisted, then softened. The sword dropped from Sendrik’s hand and clattered to the ground. His eyes rolled up as his body fell away.
Oriana pulled her hair from the man’s grasp and spun.
Edin stood in his place, his sword bloodied.
“Take care of the Prince; he’s at de
ath’s door.”
With that, he stepped around her and moved toward the King. Why had he saved her?
What—?
Her attention was jolted away from the Erisian man. Oriana watched the fight in front of her, using her body to shield Lucian as best she could.
“Edin, what is the meaning of this?” Mobius bellowed, deflecting a blow from a wounded Caelan. Their blades clashed, over and over.
Oriana watched in horror as Mobius used his higher vantage point to slash at Caelan. His red shirt made darker by his blood. The King had been able to catch him, but he moved out of the way before the Mobius could land any fatal blows.
“You must stop this at once, Sire.” Edin dropped his sword to his side holding his arms out. “This is not the way.” The hesitation at attacking his monarch was clear in his demeanor.
He swiped at Edin, the tip of the blade cutting across his shoulder, dropping his sword he grabbed his wound with his hand.
Mobius turned to Caelan, kneeling on the steps, weakened with blood loss.
The King lifted his weapon and swung, the blade, deflected with a clash, striking against Erik’s sword. His body was all that stood between the King and his target.
The King’s face turned bright red with rage.
“What do you think you are doing Erik?” he bellowed.
“This is not the way to rule.” He strained against the weight of his father’s sword. “I can’t let you do this.”
Silence filled the room.
Several Erisian Citali, who’d been guarding the edges of the room, stopped and turned. Moving in, they faced the guards that surrounded their ruler. Their weapons turned toward… the King.
She blinked, not able to understand the sudden change of events in the middle of the fray. The noise that threatened to take her hearing, the frantic movements of so many bodies, it was all too much to focus on at once. Too much to process.
Shaking, Mobius swung at his son.
“You traitor!” he yelled leaping forward.
Strike after strike, Erik deflected the King’s blows.
