by Ali Winters
“What do you think you are doing in here?” she demanded as heat flushed her face.
What if I had walked out here in my towel?
“I came to check on you,” he said, his face a neutral mask.
“I’m fine. Now you can leave.”
“You’re being quite rude.” Lucian folded his arms over his chest, his body language making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“You’re being improper,” Oriana snapped. Why was he leaning against her bed?
“No one knows you’re here; I figured you’d want it that way. There wasn’t anyone to send in here without giving away who you are. I’d think the Princess of Soleis showing up unannounced to visit and spend the night is a bit more improper than me checking on her. Or do you disagree?” The corner of his mouth lifted.
“But, Rosalie knows I’m here,” she tried her luck, knowing it was paper thin reasoning.
“Rosalie thinks you’re some random woman I found in the forest. If she saw you now, she’d figure it out.”
Of course, he was right. Earth hadn’t been attacked and if everyone here found out… she cringed as she realized what it would look like. Lucian’s grin grew larger. He watched her intently, her skin heating as his gaze scanned her. This whole situation was making her more than a little uncomfortable.
Oriana wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the room. Opposite the main door was a large door, leading to a rounded balcony. Seeing a possible escape from his unrelenting scrutiny she marched over and opened the door. The cool breeze brushed against her face, clearing her mind of all unnecessary thoughts as she inhaled a deep breath.
She turned and faced Lucian. “I need to get back to the Gateway. I have to find Jupiter.”
“Find? You mean you don’t know where it is?” His mouth dropped open.
“If I did, I would have been there by now. Why would I come here if I thought you were responsible for the attacks?”
Pinching his lips together he averted his gaze, his shoulders shaking.
He was laughing at her!
“This isn’t funny.”
“No, but finding your way through the Gateway isn’t difficult. Don’t you know how to use your key?”
“I got here didn’t I?” She huffed, and crossed her arms as he walked up to her, stopping in front of her.
“Oh, you are hopeless, Princess. Your key tells you—”
“I need to get to Caelan.” Oriana interrupted, not wanting to hear his patronizing remarks.
“I’m coming with you,” Lucian said matter-of-factly.
Just as quickly as he’d found humor in her problems getting where she wanted to go—it vanished.
“What?” She shook her head. “No, you can’t come with me.”
“I wasn’t asking.” He took a few steps, closing the distance between them until she was forced to look up to meet his gaze.
“It’s one thing for you to be here now, but to go with me unaccompanied…” What would people think if they found out she’d traveled with someone other than Caelan?
“If whoever attacked saw you, they’d kill you on sight without hesitation. You won’t be safe.”
“But what if—”
“I need to clear the name of my Kingdom.” He hesitated before adding. “Besides, I’m not about to let you risk your life.”
“I got here just fine, didn’t I?”
“Did you? Or was that blind luck?”
Oriana narrowed her eyes. He wasn’t going to give up, and he wasn’t leaving her with much of a choice. She had to agree or she’d never get any rest.
“Okay, then we leave at dawn.”
Lucian watched her for a long moment, before giving her a curt nod, and leaving her alone in her room. Oriana sighed. She would get some rest and then leave before he had a chance to follow her. She couldn’t allow him to come with her—not without an escort, and the last thing she was about to do was drag innocent bystanders into this mess. No. Someone wanted her dead, and it was just too dangerous. She’d never be able to live with herself if she put someone else in the middle of this situation.
After several hours of tossing and turning under the silken blankets, Oriana had finally given up the futile effort of an attempt at sleep. She’d wandered down several hallways looking for the way out. Everything looked so different with so little light to guide her.
The wooden floor creaked underneath her feet as Oriana tiptoed down the hall and past a series of wide windows. She stopped and looked out over the tops of the trees and up into the black night sky. Stars twinkled faintly in the distance. The Earth’s moon floated quietly above her, a small, bright globe of white, cold light. It looked so distant and lonely as it made its journey across the endless dark.
A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. Did the loneliness of the moon squeeze at her heart because she could relate, or did it just feel that way because she was projecting her situation—no—her new life, onto it? Could it be happy up there by itself?
She shook her head, clearing it of morose thoughts and continued her way down the hall. This palace was fairly easy to navigate.
Stopping in front of the massive wooden doors of the room that lead to the Gateway. Pressing down on the handle, she pushed, letting it slip through her fingers. The door opened, and she hurried through, closing it behind her. The room was dark, but enough light from the moon filtered in though a thin opening in the curtains, showing her the path to her destination.
I did it. She congratulated herself.
Pulling the key from her pocket, she hurried toward the wall to open the door. Oriana lifted her hand and stopped, the brightness of the moon pulling at her attention.
“Were you really trying to leave without me?” the Prince’s deep voice asked as a light flicked on.
She jumped and spun around.
“You scared me.” She pressed her hand to her heart, her pulse racing.
Squinting into the dark, she let her eyes adjust. Lucian had been sitting in the corner, hidden in shadows.
“Right, please forgive me,” he shook his head. “But I believe you owe me an explanation. I thought we were to leave at dawn, and here you are trying to sneak away in the middle of the night, without so much as a goodbye.” He walked closer as he spoke, stopping only a few inches in front of her, placing a hand over his heart and teasing. “I’m hurt.”
“Yes, well… you are probably really busy with…uh… princely things, I’m sure. I didn’t want to bother you.” She tried to sound nonchalant.
“You’re being absurd, you know that, don’t you?” The corner of his mouth lifted in that cocky grin he had.
“I am not,” Oriana huffed. He wasn’t buying it. Lucian had caught her trying to sneak away and she wasn’t fooling him. She didn’t need him to come along, didn’t want him to. This was something she could handle herself.
She turned her gaze to look out the window at the full moon.
“Haven’t you ever seen the moon before?”
“Yes, it’s brighter on your planet but…” she paused and let out a soft sigh, she wasn’t aware that had been pent up inside her heart. “It seems so… sad. The night sky is much prettier on Soleis.”
“Prettier?”
“Yes, the Rainier Nebula is behind it, adding colors to the night sky. Our moon isn’t so small and… lonely.”
Lucian didn’t respond, but she could feel his gaze resting on her face. She cleared her throat and turned back to him. “Why are you lurking about in the shadows this late at night anyway?”
“I had a feeling you’d try and sneak away before dawn. You aren’t very adept at hiding your thoughts.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” she mumbled.
“I have something for you,” he said.
“Thank you, but I’m fine, you should give it to a lady you’re interested in. You know I’m betrothed. It wouldn’t be proper to accept a gift—”
“It’s not a g
ift, Oriana,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “You dropped this the night of your ball, and I haven’t had a chance to return it to you.” Oriana looked down, her crystal pendant on its silver chain glimmered in the dim light. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to give it back to you.”
“You found it?” she asked. She’d thought it was lost forever. “And you kept it?”
“Don’t misunderstand, Oriana. I found it and figured it had to be important to you. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.” His tone was dismissive as he dropped it into her outstretched palm.
She was being rude. He’d helped her more than any one in his position could have been expected to.
“Thank you, Lucian. This means a lot to me.”
“It’s just a pendant.”
“Not just for this—but for helping me. I know you didn’t have to.”
“Don’t make a bigger deal out of it than it is.”
Oriana nodded and fastened the clasp around her neck.
“I just—”
“Shall we go now?” he asked, interrupting her.
“You don’t want to wait?”
“We are both here and I don’t want to give you another chance to sneak away. We might as well leave now.”
“All right then… but I—”
“I’ll show you how to use the key,” he cut her off and opened the door to the Gateway. “You really are hopeless.”
Oriana
“You’re sure that you want to do this?” Oriana asked again, trailing behind Lucian as they walked the path leading to the center of the Gateway.
“It’s fine,” he said through clenched teeth.
His sudden coldness was getting on her nerves.
“I didn’t ask you to join me. You don’t have to do this.” In fact, she still didn’t want him to.
“I don’t need to ask your permission, Princess.” He walked to the center of where all the paths met and stopped.
Oriana grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her. “This isn’t your fight. You weren’t attacked, it was my—”
“You’re mistaken if you honestly believe that. Your planet may have been attacked, but mine is being framed for it. So yes, it is just as much my fight as it is yours.” Fire flashed behind his irises, warning her.
Oriana took a step back.
“Fine. You’re right. You have just as much of a stake in this as I do. The least you could do is stop being so unpleasant. I don’t know what changed—and I don’t care—but if we are going to do this together we should be able to get along.”
Time ticked on as he challenged her with his stare. His hardened features softened as he looked down at her.
After a while, he spoke, his voice was calm, and the sharp edge that had been in his voice was gone.
“There is no excuse for me to have taken my stress out on you. I’m sorry.”
Oriana awkwardly offered her hand, “Friends?”
“Friends,” he said taking her hand in his. “Now, let’s get going.” He moved to walk down a path.
“Where are you going?” she asked, watching as he walked down the first path she’d taken.
“To show you how to work that key,” he called back over his shoulder.
“I’ve already gone down that path. It doesn’t lead to Jupiter.”
“Oh? How can you be sure? All the paths look alike.”
“I marked the paths I’ve taken. That one leads to Pluto.” She pointed at the one next to it, “This one leads to Soleis, and that one,” she pointed to another. “Leads to Mercury.”
His eyes widened in surprise as he walked back toward her.
“Very good, Princess, you are more clever than I gave you credit for. That narrows our search down a bit. Maybe I should let you pick the next path,” he teased.
Oriana scanned the remaining paths. Which one would lead to Jupiter? She stared at each path, willing for some hint to jump out at her.
Straight ahead, she decided.
It didn’t matter. Eventually, they would find the right place. Glancing up at Lucian she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His dark eyes focused intently on her, making butterflies dance around her stomach.
“Th—that one,” she stammered, pointing off to her right.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he turned to walk down the path. Oriana shook her head and ran to catch up.
As they reached the door, Oriana looked up at Lucian. A lock of hair hung over his eye as he stared ahead with a creased brow, seemingly having an inner debate. When he didn’t move, she pulled her key from her pocket and reached for the lock.
“Wait,” he said, his hand reaching out and grabbing her wrist, stopping her. “I need to show you how it works. Remember?” He lifted his key and held it against the door at eye level. Lucian closed his eyes and focused. The key glowed, a light sapphire blue. “Uranus,” he said. “Let’s find another door, and you can try your key.”
Oriana felt her jaw drop, left speechless by the simplicity of the way the keys worked. She followed Lucian, her head down, her thoughts quickly taking over. Why had she never known of that simple trick before? She had been shown how to open the door from the castle, but neither of her parents had taken her into the Gateway or shown her how the keys worked.
A simple, just focus would have—her train of thought ended with a jolt as she walked, face first, into a hard surface and bounced backward.
Lucian gripped her shoulders and steadied her.
“You should watch where you’re going. This is the second time you’ve run into me like that.”
Her face burned as the memory of bumping into him the night of her Masquerade flashed across her mind. She kept her eyes locked on his chest. From this close she could smell the warm scent of his soap. Too close. Back up, back up. She thought, but her feet remained firmly rooted in place.
“Oriana?” Lucian asked quietly, taking a step back. He ducked his head to look into her eyes. Her gaze darted to the side, avoiding his probing stare.
“Ah, yes, we should try another,” she mumbled looking around him, only to find they were already at another door. The skin burned and prickled from her chest, up her neck, and onto her face.
If I embarrass myself anymore, I’m going to catch on fire.
Oriana stepped around him before he could say anything else and moved towards the door. Lifting her key, she held it against the wood. She waited, and nothing happened.
“Focus on the door,” Lucian’s voice whispered close to her ear. The heat of his breath sent shivers across her skin.
She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out his closeness. Where does this door lead?
“Jupiter.”
“Wha—” her eyes snapped open.
The key glowed light tan with red swirls. They’d found it! Spinning around, she wrapped her arms around Lucian’s neck, jumping up and down. “We did it, Lucian. We found Jupiter!” Freezing, the realization of her actions hit her like a meteorite.
Blinking, she dropped her arms and stepped back. “S—sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” The words rushed out in a hurried mumble.
“Don’t worry about it. I promise not to tell.” He winked, poking the tip of her nose with his finger—and just as if she hadn’t created an utter fool of herself—he moved past her and unlocked the door, holding it open. “After you, my lady,” he said, bowing.
Oriana rushed past him and entered the room on the other side.
The sitting room was neat and clean, the door leading to the main part of the castle left ajar.
“Strange…” she murmured.
Lucian entered after her. “Why are you standing around? I thought you were in a hurry.”
“I am, but… what if he’s not happy to see me?” Was she being too forward with Prince Caelan, and assuming it would be okay for her to come unannounced? In a year, they would be married, but for now, they were still mostly strangers to each other.
Lucian scoffed
and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It won’t matter. We aren’t here to have fun. We are here on business.” He put his hand on her elbow and, leading her across the room, guided her to the door.
“Lead the way, Oriana.”
Trying to look confident in her mission, she scanned the hallway. Both ends looked exactly alike.
Stepping out of the room she turned and walked. It didn’t matter which way she went. She had no idea where she was going. Turning a corner she stopped in her tracks, taking in the scene before her. Chunks of stone were scattered around the room casting shadows throughout, adding to the ominous feeling that stirred in her gut. Chunks of the floor were missing. Other areas had broken slats, tilted up. Their jagged edges reached up toward the ceiling. The destruction was not to the extent to which her Kingdom had been destroyed, but she knew Jupiter suffered the same fate.
Caelan was knelt down next to a guard, laying on the ground, with two more flanking him as he bandaged the man.
Oriana took a step forward. Her foot hit a loose stone, sending it skidding across the room, clattering loudly. She ignored it, and continued to walk forward; head held high.
Caelan looked up from the fallen Citali. His brows furrowed in confusion. Then, recognition set in.
Standing, he scanned her as she approached—followed closely by Lucian. The fury in his narrowed eyes the second he spotted Lucian made her steps falter. His face distorted from surprise, to confusion, to rage. Oriana stopped short as he closed the distance in a few, quick strides.
“What is he doing here?” Caelan demanded. He tugged at Oriana’s arm, swinging her around to his other side and away from Lucian. Even though he towered over the other man, Lucian didn’t back down.
Oriana pushed herself between them and placing a hand on each of their chests, she forced them as far apart as she could.
“Stop Caelan. He’s here to help.”
He looked at her, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. “Why are you wearing Earthen clothes?” he asked as a sneer formed on his face.