“She’s exhausted from the trip,” Leo said.
“I bet you are as well,” Zwaantie said.
“Not really. We need to talk about what happened with the vipers.”
He pulled her over to his couch, and she sat next to him, but turned so she was facing him. This put some distance between them, but still made it appear as if she was interested in being with him.
“You probably know more than I do. When I woke up, I left Sage’s room, pushed open my door, and found it full of vipers.”
“Did you leave your door open?”
“I don’t think so, but I can’t remember. Surely people leave doors open all the time if they aren’t in the rooms.”
He frowned. “Yeah, they do. Nothing about the vipers is making any sense anymore. I’ll talk to Sage and Ari later. They might’ve noticed something you didn’t.” He gave her a forced smile. “Have you started planning the wedding yet?” Leo asked.
“No. I’m afraid I don’t even know where to start. I’m sure weddings here are different than they are in Sol.”
“Maybe tomorrow we’ll head to the wedding planner and get things going. The wedding will come fast, and we’ll want to make sure we make a good impression on the people.”
“Right,” Zwaantie said. “So the Ticker will say good things?”
“Yeah. I’ll get Viggo to send along a photographer to the wedding planner. It will make a good story.”
Zwaantie rubbed her head. More pictures? No thanks. She needed to change the subject. She hesitated. She wanted to understand the way relationships worked here. Ari and Sage had told her some, but would Leo confirm it or deny it?
“I’m learning a lot about the differences in our kingdoms. Tell me, after we are married, will you be faithful to me?”
He sputtered. “Why would you ask me that?”
She noticed he didn’t say yes.
“Because it seems as though infidelity is common, even expected here.” She almost smiled at his obvious uncomfortableness.
The wall across from Leo lit up, and Candace’s face appeared. “Hey, Zwaantie. Hey Leo.”
Zwaantie jumped. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Just checking if Leo got back okay.”
“No troubles on the way back,” Leo said.
Little Raaf let out a holler, and Candace laughed, holding him up. He’d gained weight and looked as healthy as ever.
“He’s adorable,” Zwaantie said.
“Are you doing okay? Those vipers must’ve been scary.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I missed Leo though,” she added in the hopes that Candace might take a hint. She grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled it into her lap. She didn’t have long until Sage and Ari came, and she wanted answers.
Another woman came into the room carrying a toddler.
“Oh, hey, this is my sister-in-law Portia and her son Castor. We’re planning an epic party for his first birthday. Maybe you two can come.”
“That would be fun.”
Leo nodded. “It would be nice to show Zwaantie more of the kingdom. It depends on where my investigation takes me.”
Candace leaned forward, her nose going large on the screen. “What’s that on your neck?”
Zwaantie’s hands flew to her neck, trying to cover it up. Leo touched her neck gently.
“You’re bruised. What happened?” Leo asked.
“It’s not a big deal. One of the old slaves had a mental break and attacked me. Ari was there, so he protected me.” She had really hoped to keep this a secret from Leo. Ari kept the truth out of the Ticker, which meant only the people involved knew what really happened. Something was wrong with Phoenix, and Zwaantie didn’t want Leo jumping to conclusions. If he made the connection that it was Phoenix, he might be suspicious since she was so insistent on him coming to the castle to be with Luna. Then he might be suspicious of Luna as well. Zwaantie couldn’t have that.
“What do you mean mental break?” Leo asked.
“He went crazy and attacked me. They moved him down to the prison.”
Leo eyed her with concern. “Maybe it had something to do with you being the princess.”
“What do you mean?”
“Being a slave must’ve been traumatic for them. They see you as a threat to their freedom. Just make sure you don’t go anywhere without a guard.”
Zwaantie bit her tongue to prevent herself from arguing. Phoenix’s break had nothing to do with being a slave, but she couldn’t bring that to Leo’s attention. The baby wailed. Candace gave a grimace. “Gotta run. I’m glad you got back okay, Leo. Zwaantie, we’ll talk later.” The wall went blank.
There was an awkward silence for a moment. Zwaantie wanted to continue the conversation that got interrupted but felt weird just bringing it up.
Leo scratched his head. “What were we talking about before Candace popped in to say hi?”
That was the best opening she was going to get. “Infidelity. Will you have other lovers after we are married?”
A deep blush crept across his face. “I don’t plan on it.”
Oh Sol. That wasn’t the answer she was expecting.
She settled into the couch, ready to get a straight answer. “Really? It seems as if everyone here has one. Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because I love you.”
“I get the feeling love has nothing to do with it.”
“Zwaantie, why are you pushing this? I already told you I won’t.”
“No, you said you weren’t planning on it. I’m from a land of black and white. What are the rules concerning lovers in Stella?”
The door opened, and Sage and Ari came in and plopped down on the couch across from them. Stars, she couldn’t get an answer without interruption. Well, Sage and Ari were just going to have to listen to this because she wanted to know.
“What’s up?” Sage asked.
Leo looked away from them, and Sage met Zwaantie’s eyes. “Uh, oh. Did we interrupt something?”
Ari snorted. “No. If we had, they’d be all over each other. Check out the distance.”
“No, it’s okay, Leo was just about to explain to me the rules concerning lovers in Stella.”
“Oh, yeah, we should go.” Sage stood up.
“Come on, it’s not like it’s a secret,” Ari said, pulling Sage down.
Leo sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“The rules? Lovers are commonplace. I expect at some point we’ll both have lovers outside of our marriage. I know right now it sounds barbaric and wrong to you, but over time, you’ll change your mind and this won’t seem so wrong.”
She couldn’t face Leo, so she flicked her gaze to Ari. He wiggled his eyebrows, but his eyes were so serious. They bored into her, and she suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable. How could one look be so unsettling?
Their dinner arrived then, interrupting the conversation. Leo talked mostly with Ari and Sage, getting answers about the vipers in Zwaantie’s room and Phoenix’s attack. Nobody said anything about it being Phoenix, for which Zwaantie was grateful.
After dinner, Zwaantie made to follow Sage out of the room, but Leo stopped her and pulled her close.
“Why don’t you stay here tonight? Your room is still a laboratory.”
Zwaantie bit her lip. “I think I’ll stay with Sage.”
Leo’s face fell, and Zwaantie felt like she had to do something. She leaned forward and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry. I’m still not comfortable with this. Breakfast?”
He nodded, but didn’t smile. She felt nothing for him. She couldn’t bring herself to do more than that. She only had three weeks to prepare for her wedding night, and she could barely stand to give him a polite kiss on the lips. This was impossible.
Chapter 21
The Prisoner
The next morning, Zwaantie and Sage made their way to Leo’s room.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Zwaantie said.
“No problem. I understand. You will have to
be alone with him eventually, you know.”
“I know. Baby steps, right?”
Sage shook her head. “I guess. But I’m not coming with on your wedding night.”
Zwaantie groaned. “Maybe I can just stay with you.”
“No way, sister.”
Zwaantie raised her hand to knock, but Sage turned the handle and pushed the door open. Leo rushed around his room, throwing clothes into a bag. He glanced up as the girls entered.
“Oh good, you’re here. I have to go.”
Sage sat on the bed and pulled Zwaantie with her.
“Where are you going?” Zwaantie asked.
He let out a sigh. “There is a village on the ocean in Candace’s kingdom. It’s small, only a hundred or so people. It’s near where the first viper was sighted. A few fisherman went down there to cast off this morning, and all the inhabitants have disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes. They are gone.”
“Do you think it was the vipers?”
“More than likely. We don’t know anything yet. No bodies have been found. I’ll let you know when I find out more. This is getting ridiculous. I’ll be back for the lock-in. Promise.”
“That’s ten days away,” Sage said.
“Yeah. This is serious. I may return if they discover anything about the vipers in Zwaantie’s room, but for now I need to focus on the what’s going on in Deep Sky. Sage, you take care of Zwaantie. I mean it.”
“Hello. What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“Let’s see, her room was filled with vipers and a slave tried to kill her. I’d say you’re slipping.”
Sage stood up and glared at him. “She’s still alive, isn’t she? I’m doing just fine.”
Leo shoved another shirt in the bag and jerked it off the bed. He leaned over and gave Zwaantie a light kiss. “I’m so sorry. I’ll call you tonight.”
He disappeared out of the room with Molly on his heels.
“I thought you were my friend.”
“I am.”
“Then why did Leo make it seem more like you were my guard?”
Sage laughed. “What do you need a guard for? He’s just being paranoid.”
Sage’s disc buzzed. She pulled it out and then shoved it in her pocket. “Let’s go have some breakfast and see what we can find to do this morning. I’ve got plans this afternoon.”
Zwaantie found herself alone for the afternoon. Sage and Ari had both disappeared, promising to be back in time for dinner. Zwaantie didn’t know what to do with herself. She couldn’t get Phoenix out of her mind. His vehemence was completely out of character. Why did he want to kill her?
Maybe he did have a mental break. Something that caused him to go crazy. She needed to see him to understand. She stood from Ari’s couch and looked around the room. She was much more comfortable in here than she was in Sage’s. For one thing, there weren’t a dozen cats running around. Besides, his room was warm and safe.
She slipped out the door and ran right into Luna, who was in tears. Luna flung her arms around Zwaantie. “Why’d they lock him up? It’s not fair.”
Zwaantie rubbed her back. “I know it’s not. Do you want to try to see him?”
Luna pulled away. “You want to see him?”
Zwaantie nodded. “I think something is wrong with him. We should go talk to him and see what happened.”
Luna wiped her tears away. “Yes, let’s go see him.” She looped her arm through Zwaantie’s. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”
“Hanging with Viggo and his friends. They’re so much fun.”
“I bet. Ari and Sage are pretty fun too. Part of me doesn’t want to go home.”
“I can’t go home. I saw a healer yesterday about the baby. He says it’s healthy. I can’t risk going to Sol.”
“I know.” Zwaantie was glad Luna was talking to her. She’d missed her.
“How do you think we’ll find Phoenix?” Luna asked.
“Ari and Sage are both out. Maybe Viggo will take us.”
“No, he’s out too. I think all the princes and princesses had something to do.”
Zwaantie supposed they could just take a carriage like they’d done the other day, but how would they find where he was being kept? They found a guard just as they stepped out of the castle.
“Excuse me,” Zwaantie said. The guard glanced up at her suspiciously. She forged on anyway. “I’m looking for the prison where the Solite slave Phoenix was taken. Can you show us how to find him?”
The guard snorted. “Why would you want to see him?”
“This is his sister. She wishes to visit him.”
“Sorry, can’t help you even if I wanted to. I don’t know where they took him.”
Zwaantie frowned. She thought about arguing but decided to take things into her own hands. She pulled Luna away from the guard and held her hand out like she’d seen Sage do. A horseless carriage stopped right in front of them.
They climbed inside, and Zwaantie said, “Prison.”
Luna settled into her seat. “Well, that was easy.”
“I just hope it’s as easy to see him once we get there.”
Luna ran her hands along the fabric of the seat. “I haven’t been in one of these yet.”
“Ari and Sage took me to the beach in one.”
“I’ll have to ask Viggo to take me. Can you believe how easy it is to do things here? We’ve mostly stayed in the castle. I love watching movies and getting my hair done.”
“You should go to a funhouse. It was pretty wild.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s an illusion house. In one room, I thought I was a mermaid under the sea.”
Luna’s eyes bugged out. “Oh stars, yes. That sounds amazing.” She stared out the window for a moment. “Are you okay, Zwaantie?”
Zwaantie let out a breath. “I don’t know. I spend most of my days confused. Sometimes I just want to go home, and other times I just want to stay here. I feel trapped. Life was easier in Sol. I didn’t have so many decisions to make.”
“You mean when I was your slave and did everything for you?” Luna crossed her arms and looked away.
“Luna, come on. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m so glad you are free now. I wouldn’t take that back, but I don’t know how to make sense of anything right now. I just want life to be simple again.”
Luna relaxed her shoulders but didn’t uncross her arms. “I’ve never been more comfortable. This is my home, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it. Are you going to marry Leo?”
“Yes. I don’t have a choice. Plus, if I didn’t and just went home, who would I marry? Prince Moo-for-me?”
Luna giggled and moved over to sit next to Zwaantie. She laid her head on Zwaantie’s shoulder. “I miss Pieter. Promise me that whatever you do, you’ll get him over here for me. I won’t go back there.”
Zwaantie squeezed her hand. “I promise.”
The carriage jerked to a stop, and they climbed out. Zwaantie blinked at the sight. Bright orange and red buildings rose up around them. Even the road was a blinding shade of yellow. Everything glowed.
Luna gaped at the buildings. “You would expect a prison to be more dreary.”
“You would,” Zwaantie said. The prison in Sol was in the dungeons of the palace and was very well-guarded. Zwaantie strode right in the front doors. The entryway was crisp and clean and solid white. There were no chairs or benches, no pictures on the walls, just a small window on the far side of the room.
Zwaantie approached the window, and a tiny woman with a too wide smile greeted them. “Welcome to Stars Detention Center, how can I help you?”
“We are here to visit a prisoner.”
“Very well. Name of the detainee?”
“Phoenix. He would’ve arrived yesterday.”
The woman pressed her finger to the wall and said, “Phoenix.” Nothing happened.
“Are you
sure he’s here? We have no record of him.”
“We’re sure.”
The woman pursed her lips. “What was his crime?”
Zwaantie shuffled her feet before responding. “Attempted murder.”
The woman brought a hand to her breast. “Excuse me, dear, but we have no such detainees here. If he tried to murder someone, he’ll be down at Capital Dungeons.”
“I’m sorry, my mistake. Just out of curiosity, what sort of prisoners do you have here?”
“Mostly thieves and potion addicts. Most are released in a matter of weeks after we rehabilitate them. It’s rare to see a repeat offender. It’s not that way at Capital.” The woman shivered. “I wouldn’t set foot in there.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“Good luck, girls. Stay safe, and it’s best if you don’t try to visit this Phoenix.”
As soon as they cleared the door, Luna gripped her hand. “We’re still going, right?”
“Of course we are. I’m not afraid of a prison. Come on.”
She flagged down another carriage and said, “Capital Dungeon.”
Several minutes later the carriage jerked to a stop. Zwaantie could hardly see anything when she climbed out. Darkness hung thick in the air with only a few glowing lights. The building was old and made of concrete. A small sign hung crookedly over the door that said Capital Dungeon.
“At least we know we’re in the right place,” Luna said.
She held tight to Zwaantie’s hand as they entered the dim room. The walls were made of metal, and a guard sat behind a desk in front of the only other door in the room. He glanced up from the book he was reading. His face was hard with thick eyebrows and pockmarked cheeks.
“You two are too pretty to be here. I think you’re in the wrong place.”
He intimidated her, but she wouldn’t let him win this one. They were going to see Phoenix. She approached the desk.
“We’re here to see a prisoner.”
The man shook his head. “No visitors allowed. If you want to leave something for a prisoner, we’ll take it to him unless we feel it might endanger others.”
“Please, we need to see him. There has been a misunderstanding.”
Stella and Sol Box Set Page 29