by Ali Winters
Oriana nodded. “I just wish I knew why this happened…”
“There’s no point in asking questions we may never get the answers to.” Caelan said, stopping her thought process. He was right; it was pointless to ask such questions until they knew who was responsible.
“Caelan? There were explosions that night… what was that?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. We have never seen anything like that before.”
“Oh.” She’d been expecting a different answer. She was inexperienced in weapons and war, the limited history she’d been taught had next to nothing about the fighting and more about the outcome.
“When do we leave?” Lucian asked impatiently.
“Now, I want to get this over with.” Oriana folded up the map, shoving it in the small bag slung over her shoulder that rested on her hip, and stood.
“Oriana,” Caelan’s questioning voice stopped her. “May I please have a word with you before you go?”
Oriana nodded and moved across the room with him. She bit the inside of her cheek, eager to get going.
“I can’t let you go… especially not with him.”
“Caelan, we’ve already been over this. I’m going. I have to—”
“No, you don’t. Let me gather my Citinal. It will only take a few days,” he pleaded with her.
“If we wait a few days then it might be too late.” She placed a hand on his arm and gave it a light squeeze. “Who knows how many people could die in that time. We need to move now. The sooner we find out who is behind this, the sooner we can stop this. Lives are on the line, and I can’t abandon them…”
“You don’t know if there are any more lives to abandon.” His gaze dropped to her hand, a frown deepening on his face.
She dropped her chin. “It doesn’t matter. I have to know for sure.”
“Oriana…” His face softened and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I want you to take a weapon.”
A weapon? She had never trained with any weapon, and now wasn’t the time to learn.
“We are just going to gather information. There isn’t a need for one. It will only slow me down by having to carry it.” She rested her hand on his arm, hoping it would reassure him.
Prince Caelan grunted, making it known that he wasn’t pleased with her decision but knowing it wasn’t his to make—not yet anyway.
The three of them walked in silence to the study.
Caelan gripped Oriana’s hand and pulled her into him. “Come back to me,” he said as he stroked her hair. “You are the ray of sunlight that brightens my day.”
Lucian snorted and stepped through the doorway.
Oriana felt her face flush, “I will…” she mumbled and stepped back out of his embrace.
Hesitating, she wanted Caelan to join them. But what could she say that would convince him? Nothing. There was nothing she could say, just as there was nothing he could say that would keep her here. She turned and hurried through the door to find Lucian standing there, waiting, his lips pressed together as he attempted to stifle a laugh.
“Shall we?” she asked, walking past him hurriedly. Whatever comments he had, he could keep them to himself.
Lucian placed his hand on her arm, stopping her. She looked over her shoulder, surprised to find that he had a tender look on his face. “The sooner we find out who did this, the sooner we find out why. Things will turn out all right in the end, Oriana, you’ll see.”
She nodded once, her mouth set in determination. He dropped his hand, freeing her, as they continued walking, in silence, down the worn path to the center of the Gateway.
Lucian
Oriana dragged her feet on the ground, scraping a path behind her. Lucian shook his head and followed her, clearing their trail. Leaving a trail for the enemy to find them would only cause more problems than they already had. She’d been moping since the second they stepped foot into the Gateway from Jupiter.
“Maybe we should sit and rest,” he offered. They had spent several hours in silence since their departure, but she definitely needed to talk about something.
This should be fun…
“Sure, okay,” she mumbled.
Lucian took her arm, ignoring the half-hearted protests and demands to let go. She couldn’t even bring herself to care enough to fight him.
He guided her away from the walkways that led to the various Gateways and moved through the brush, pushing branches away from their faces until he found a spot for them to talk without being consumed by the trees and various plants.
Guiding her to a flat area that had the least amount of debris he let go. Oriana slumped down with a heavy sigh.
There wasn’t time to stop and rest, but they couldn’t continue into unfamiliar territory with her acting as though she’d suddenly lost the will to live. He leaned against a tree and waited for her to speak. She reached into the bag at her side and pulled out an apple, held it out to him, and grunted.
“Thanks,” he reached out and took her offering, watching as she pulled another out for herself.
Lucian observed Oriana as she sat, cross-legged, on the ground. Her hands rolled the apple around in her palm, but she didn’t eat. Her fingers twisted the stem until it broke, and she let it fall between her fingers. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden melancholia.
“What’s going through that head of yours?” Lucian asked, taking a bite of his apple and wiping his chin.
“I can’t believe Caelan didn’t come with us. I thought for sure…” she let her voice trail off.
Oh great, the guy had hurt her feelings. Lucian sighed inwardly.
They had enough issues to deal with, without having to nurse a bruised ego. He knelt down in front of her and lifted her chin with his knuckle.
“With his parents missing, he has his own world to look after now.”
“I know, but wouldn’t it benefit everyone if we could all take care of the threat together?”
“It would,” Lucian agreed. She needed to understand that there wasn’t a right or wrong answer here. Something or someone would suffer regardless of any decision made. They could only do what they each felt was best.
“What if I can’t do it alone?”
Ouch.
He was silent for a moment before he spoke. “You’re not alone, Oriana. I’m with you.”
“I—I know. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. And you’re right, having a Citinal at our backs would make this easier, but we will just have to make do with what we have.” He tried to smile reassuringly at her. “We can do this, and we will.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “Thank you. I’m glad you decided to come with me.” She dropped her head and fidgeted with the apple again. “I know you came because you need to clear your Kingdom’s name… but I’m glad you’re here.” She looked up at him with a weak smile.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. In truth, he still would have followed her, even if Earth hadn’t been framed. No one in their right mind would let a sheltered princess do something as dangerous as this alone. He could never live with himself if he’d let her leave without him last night.
When he’d met Oriana in her room, he’d known he was pushing the boundaries of decency, but he needed to know what she was planning. To top it off, her refusal, and then sudden cooperation to his demand to come along had been painfully obvious she was up to something. The full night’s sleep would have been nice, but the glint in her eye told him that he could kiss his bed goodbye, so he waited for her in the shadows. It wasn’t long before she showed up.
He regarded her as she continued to sit, lost in thought. As far as he could tell, she had absolutely no experience beyond her castle and the cushy life she’d led up until a few days ago. There wasn’t another princess he could think of who would be sitting here and attempting to solve this mystery with such calm demeanor. The fact she wasn’t crying or throwing a tantrum impressed him. Not that his opinion mattered to her—or anyone else.
He was just here to help.
Though, if he were being honest with himself, he had seen something in her at her party—a spark—and it was worth protecting. Caelan was lucky to have been paired with someone who could stand strong when she was needed to, and while his decision to stay on Jupiter was understandable, Lucian knew that if their roles were reversed, he wouldn’t have hesitated to go with her.
It worried him that he felt the need to protect another man’s betrothed.
It’s the right thing to do. Anyone in my position would have done the same, he told himself.
“I’ve just been through so much to find him. I was sure he’d help,” her breath caught in her throat.
Lucian crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It will all work out. He didn’t refuse, he just can’t leave Jupiter right now, not without knowing who’s responsible. There are too many men to command and drag along for this mission. We will find out what we need to know, and then we will go back and get him. He’s offered the assistance of the best Citinal in the universe. He just needs intel before he can move them.” Oriana looked up and gave him a weak smile. “I’m here. I’ll make sure you succeed.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes shone up at him, sparkling and bright as though they had trapped the light from the moon on Earth.
Back at his palace, the way she’d said “lonely” as she stood in the room, took him by surprise. Her voice held so much sadness and pain in that one word alone.
Eventually, she placed her apple back in the bag. The bag… something about it prickled at the back of his mind.
Then it hit him. It matched her outfit, the outfit he’d picked out and brought her personally. That bag wasn’t part of it.
“Where did you get that bag?” he asked.
“This?” she asked fingering the strap. “One of the servants brought it to me when we were on Jupiter. Why?”
He lurched forward and grabbed the strap, pulling her closer to him. “Your clothes came from Earth, not Jupiter. It shouldn’t match.”
Her face paled. She shoved his hand away and removed the bag, throwing it to the ground. “I—I—”
“Who gave it to you?” He gripped her shoulders tightly.
“I don’t know, just one of the servants. He said it was a gift, made for me. The knife and the apples…”
Lucian’s hands dropped. “That’s where you got the apples?” he asked in disbelief.
She nodded.
“What if it was poisoned?” Lucian grabbed the bag and dumped the contents on the ground. Her untouched apple rolled out, a small crystal hand knife, the map, and a piece of red paper lay on the ground.
The apple was from earth, the knife was from Soleis, and the paper from Mars. Lucian picked up the paper and turned it over in his hands. One word scrawled in ornate lettering was written. He looked up at her in surprise.
“What does it say?” Oriana asked, wringing her hands together.
“’Run.’” His stomach dropped.
Oriana
Oriana’s brows furrowed. “Run? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. It could be a warning, or it could be a threat.” Lucian’s eyes met hers as ice filled her veins.
“What do we do?” her voice trembled. She’d assumed anyone not directly trying to kill her would be on their side. Deceit had never crossed her mind.
Lucian swallowed thickly. “We wait.”
“Wait? Wait for what?” Fear edged its way into her voice.
“To see if I live or die.”
Her jaw dropped. “Wha—that’s it? Just wait?” She narrowed her eyes. If there was poison, it might not be in his blood yet. That could mean there was a chance to take action before it got into his system. Oriana took a step toward him. It would be messy, but if it saved his life… she took another step forward and readied herself to do what needed to be done.
“Yes,” he said taking a step back. “And whatever it is that’s going on in that head of yours, you can stop thinking it, right now.”
“But…”
“No,” he said firmly, sitting down with his back against a nearby tree.
“You have to get it out before it’s in your blood,” she protested, lifting her hand toward his mouth.
“I said no, Oriana.” He shook his head and pressed his lips tightly together.
Her shoulders slumped.
They sat in silence across from each other in the never-ending night of the strange forest. After a while, Lucian removed his jacket, rolling it up as he lay down, and placed it under his head. Oriana’s eyelids grew heavy, as she fought to keep them open. She couldn’t rest until she knew.
“Lay down, get some rest, Oriana. I feel fine,” he said, closing his eyes. “I don’t think it was poisoned.”
Bunching up the bag under her head, she positioned herself on her side, facing him and continuing to monitor him for any sign of change.
“I can’t sleep if you are going to keep staring at me,” he said.
Oriana’s face heated. “I—I just want…”
“I know. I’ll be okay.” He peeled one eye open and peered at her.
The warm brown of his iris appeared almost black in the dim light.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Light fluttering swarmed her stomach. He closed his eye again and rolled over on his back. Her gaze traced the outline of his forehead, down the slope of his nose, to his lips… Oriana squeezed her eyes tight and bit down hard on her lip.
Stop it.
She shouldn’t be looking at him like that, shouldn’t be looking at his lips like that—or in any way for that matter. He was just here with her to help—nothing more, nothing less.
Lucian shifted and folded his arms over his chest.
“Go to sleep, Oriana. I’m all right, I promise.”
Oriana rolled to her back and stared at the navy blue sky through the canopy of sparkling leaves. The man who’d given her the satchel had seemed familiar.
Her brows furrowed as she racked her memory for his face and came up empty. His eyes, though kind, were dull and flat and struck her as interesting—very different from Caelan’s bright tan eyes with orange flecks. His hair was tied in a low ponytail and was typical of Jupiter with its brown and tan colors with orange highlights. The color was dusty as if the natural shine had been muted. Or… maybe she’d been imagining it.
Oriana sighed and turned back onto her side. Lucian’s breath was slow and even with sleep. She blinked, the weight of her eyelids growing heavier by the second. Her eyes closed as she blinked again, and stayed closed.
Oriana shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her. Her eyes shot open. She sat up and looked around.
The Gateway, that’s right.
She looked down; Lucian was laying on his back in the same position he’d fallen asleep in. Slowly, she crawled on her hands and knees over to him. Was he breathing?
Her heart dropped. He hasn’t moved all night. She leaned her head down and pressed her ear against his chest.
“If you wanted to snuggle, all you had to do was ask,” Lucian’s deep voice rumbled in his chest.
Jerking away, she landed on her rear with a soft thud.
I really need to stop doing that. I won’t be able to sit if it keeps happening.
Heat rushed up her neck. “I—I—I just,” she stumbled over her words. “I didn’t know if you were breathing or not,” she admitted as she folded her legs under her.
“You could have shaken me.” The corner of his lips lifted into a crooked grin as he sat up on his elbows.
“You’re alive,” she said feeling lame.
“Yes, we’ve established this. Are you feeling all right? You look a little piqued.”
Oriana ducked her head, chewing furiously on the inside of her cheek. She wanted to say something before it got more awkward, but her mind refused to cooperate and remained blank, until anything she could have said would make things weird.
&nb
sp; Her hand reached out, grabbed her bag and shifted through the contents. The knife, the apple, the map, and the note—nothing changed. Everything was still there.
Lucian cleared his throat. “Anything new?”
She shoved the flap closed and bunched it up under her hands. “No, I was just thinking…
Go on, tell him what you were “thinking.”
“Maybe there was something in here that could help, but there isn’t.” Brilliant… She stood quickly slinging the strap over her shoulder and busied herself with brushing the loose leaves and dirt off her clothes. When she was finished, she looked up, catching Lucian’s gaze, his expression unreadable.
“Thank you, Oriana,” he said standing up.
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“For worrying about me, and making sure that I was okay.”
“Oh, that? It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same.” She waved her hand and stepped past him, waving off his comments, and moved toward the paths.
“It wasn’t nothing, Oriana,” he said, catching her wrist and turning her to face him. “Just accept my thanks, please.”
She dropped her eyes and nodded. His fingers loosened and let her wrist slide out of his grasp.
The sincerity of his thanks hung heavy in the air between them as they stood still for several minutes.
“Neptune?” he asked breaking the strained silence.
“Neptune,” she confirmed.
Lucian
“Here it is,” Oriana announced, confirming the location was correct with her key. Lucian stood behind her as she fidgeted. He cleared his throat, urging her to continue.
Not wasting a second she placed the key into the lock, turning it and reaching for the knob she swung the door open.
“Maybe we should—”
Oriana stepped through as she glanced back over her shoulder.
SPLASH!
What?