by Ali Winters
Lucian pressed his lips into a tight line. There was so much she didn’t know. It was entirely possible this was just one more thing her parents had failed to tell her. “Not knowing puts us at a disadvantage. They obviously know what it is and what it can do…”
“We need to get back to Jupiter and tell Caelan what we found out.” His stomach dropped at the mention of the other man’s name, but he continued on. “It has to be a weapon of some kind—they mentioned needing it for their Citinal.”
“A weapon? Then we need to check the armory.”
“That would have been the first place they would have looked. Whatever it is, they are looking for it, and it seems essential to their cause. We can’t risk them finding it first.”
“Then, let’s get it so we can get out of here.” She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
“It has to be something small, something easily hidden. Otherwise, they would have found it by now. Are there any other hidden places you know about?”
“No, just the room below us and this tunnel leading there, and the one to the Gateway.”
He nodded and brought a leg up, resting an arm on her knee. That made things a little more difficult.
“Okay, then I want you to search the room below us, I’ll search the library outside this wall.”
“No!” Lunging forward, she grabbed his arm. “We can’t split up. You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
“I won’t leave you Oriana, but we need to find whatever it is before they do.” The tension within him that had built up was starting to weaken what little self-control he had left. He needed a space from her right now, being this close to her, it was easy to forget that she would never be his. A point driven home the second the other man’s name had fallen from her lips.
They needed to focus, especially now, after they’d learned that Eris was looking for some object that he could only hope he and Oriana would recognize when they saw it.
Lucian pulled his arm out of her grasp and stood up, lifting her with him.
“We don’t have time, Oriana. We need to search for it—”
“Then we search together. We can search and keep a look out for them,” she spat the last word.
With a heavy sigh, he agreed. Distance from across the room would have to suffice for now.
The sooner this is over, and Prince Caelan does his job, the sooner I can say goodbye.
The thought of leaving her tightened his chest. There was no other way it could be.
Listening with their ears against the crystalline wall, they waited. The room beyond it had been silent for a long time.
“Lucian?” Oriana spoke softly. “I was thinking, if they’ve already searched that room and haven’t found it… It’s probably not in there.”
His jaw ticked as he mulled over that thought. She was right. He’d been so determined to get space between them, he’d stopped thinking rationally. Piercing gray eyes constantly clouded his reasoning, yet another point in his internal argument for why this needed to end sooner rather than later.
Lucian bent down and picked up the flickering candle.
“Let’s go.” He turned and walked down the rounded passageway as her soft footsteps, in sync with his, followed.
“Lucian?” She stopped and grasped his arm, forcing him to face her. “What are you doing?”
“We need to find whatever this Lumeria thing is and get you back to Caelan. We’ve already wasted enough time.”
Her face crumbled at his harsh tone.
“I’m sorry…” Dropping her head she turned her face, letting her raven and gold locks fall over her shoulder to create a curtain between them. “I shouldn’t have reacted so badly to—”
He hadn’t meant to make her feel bad over her anxiety attack. His annoyance over the other Prince was making him careless with his words.
“Oriana, wait.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Letting his hand slide down her arm, he took her hand.
They walked the rest of the way down to the safe room together; her hand clasped tightly in his.
“You look through the desk. I’ll look for any secret passages. Your castle is full of them, so I wouldn’t put it past your father to have the Lumeria hidden in one.”
Oriana nodded and removed her bag, placing it on top of the desk. She searched the drawers, carefully at first, but then began pulling everything out. Her fingers sifted through the contents. Lucian watched her from the corner of his eye as he examined the walls, framework, and statues. Nothing.
Stone scraping against stone caught his attention. Lucian froze and tilted his head to listen. Voices came from the wall they had entered through.
“Oriana?” he whispered harshly.
“I still haven’t found it.” She continued pulling papers from the desk, checking for hidden compartments.
“Stop looking. We’re out of time. They found the passage.”
“Wha—” She stopped and angled her head to the side. The voices moved closer.
“We have to go.” Lucian leapt over the couch and landed next to her. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to the fireplace, and pressed on the hidden notch that opened up to their only means of escape.
The light!
He stepped toward the candelabra as the sound of stone scraping against stone came from the other side of the room. They were already closing in on them.
Halfway across the room, she glanced back. On the desk, sat the brown satchel holding the map.
“My bag, I left it—”
“There’s no time now,” Lucian continued running, bounding down the stairs as he pulled her after him. The table slid into place cutting off shouts of surprise. He raced downward, trying to move faster, but stumbling on the small steps, cursing whoever had designed them.
Was this meant to be a child’s playroom?
Oriana tripped and tumbled forward, knocking him off his feet. Together, they rolled down the stairs. He landed hard at the bottom. Oriana followed shortly as the impact of her small body still managing to take the air out of his lungs.
“That’s one way of doing it,” he grumbled.
Quickly they pulled themselves up and raced down the hall, one hand clasped tightly around hers and the other along the wall to guide them. Voices echoed down the corridor, growing louder by the second.
At the end of the hall, Lucian pulled on the door. It wouldn’t budge.
“You need to unlock it,” Oriana whispered, her hands holding tightly to his arm.
Boots thundered on the floor behind them, closing in.
He fumbled with his key and felt around for the key hole. The door swung open.
One more.
They raced across the dimly lit room.
Lucian pulled her behind him. He stopped to open the last obstacle between them and freedom. She bumped into him, her attention on the soldiers growing closer and closer. The key slipped from his hand. He scrambled to pick it up. Jamming it into the lock, he turned the key and pulled open the door. Roughly, he shoved Oriana through and followed, closing the door behind them.
She leaned against the wood, panting, and visibly shaking.
“No, we don’t have time to stop. Let’s go!” He pulled her arm and forced her into a run.
He had to keep her safe.
Oriana
Stumbling after Lucian, Oriana struggled to keep up with his long strides.
She glanced over her shoulder, sure that the Citali guards were right on their heels. They had to get off the path. If the soldiers came through the door, they’d be caught within seconds.
“Lucian,” Oriana gasped for breath, “Off…path…”
Taking her meaning, he swerved, dragging Oriana behind him and into the thick brush.
She pushed herself, forcing her legs to keep moving. Suddenly, she found herself falling as a sharp pain shot through her ankle. A strangled cry ripped itself from her mouth as she crashed
to the ground. The pull of Lucian’s hand on her wrist jerked her body, as his grip slipped away. Oriana hit the ground and rolled before she came to a jarring halt.
Fog and a high-pitched ringing surrounded her on all sides, penetrated her thoughts.
What’s happening?
The world swirled and tilted from under her.
Shouts sounded from the path. She groaned and attempted to push herself up to her hands and knees. Lucian slid to the ground next to her and shoved her up against a fallen log as his arms wrapped around her as he covered her body with his. Oriana’s stomach protested the movement.
Air… I need… air.
“Lucian…” she whimpered. Blood roared in her ears, burning her face.
He covered her mouth with her hand.
“Shhhh,” he whispered, lifting his head to glance quickly over their questionable shelter.
“I want them found, now! This is unacceptable. Why was the Gateway left unguarded?” he paused in mid yell, “Don’t argue with me—just find them or it will be your life!” the man’s angry voice echoed through the trees.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
I need to get out of here. I can’t breathe. They will find us if we stay here!
Lucian closed his eyes and groaned. Lowering his mouth to her ear, he said, “Be still. If you don’t stop moving, they will find us.” His warm breath sent a shiver through her. “Breathe, Oriana, just breathe. You’re panicking.”
She focused on the rhythm of his breath and tried to mimic it with her own. After a few moments, her heart slowed, and her mind began to calm, lifting the fog of panic. With the weight of his body pinning her down, she studied his sharp features. Strong jaw, lined with stubble from the last few days. The cut on his face healed, leaving a soft pink scar across his cheek. Her fingers reached up and brushed the faint line as he turned his gaze to hers at the touch, his dark eyes questioning. A hair’s distance was all that separated them. Her breath caught.
Her eyes darted to his barely parted lips. The pulse at the base of his neck beat fast, matching the beat of her own heart. The heat from his breath brushed against her cheek.
He let out a soft breath as if he’d been holding it. Every inch of her skin tingled where he touched her. The man hovering above her gazed down at her with such intensity the her fingers curled tightly into the material of his shirt, aching with the tension that enveloped her.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she swallowed hard. Oriana, peeled her eyes open she lifted them to meet his. Rich mahogany eyes studied her face with concern, his eyebrows pulled together. Unable to hold his intense gaze, she tilted her face away, looking to the open forest to the side.
She traced the lines of the trees, the fallen leaves, the bushes and… a shape that didn’t fit in with everything else, was hidden among branches, vines, and the tall unkempt brush of the forest.
The voices that searched for them, faded, then silenced. Oriana waited for Lucian to move, but he stayed where he was, keeping her hidden. “Luc—”
His hand covered her mouth, his dark eyes warning her. With one finger over his lips, he motioned for her to stay quiet and close to the ground. Scanning the ground, he picked up a small stone, and pulling his arm back, he tossed the pebble in the direction of the center of the path ahead of them in the direction they needed to go. It arched high into the air, landing near the edge of the clearing on the opposite path. Oriana strained to hear the soft tapping against the fallen leaves, but could hear nothing over the relentless drumming of her heart.
Feet away from them, a twig snapped. They froze, not daring to breathe.
“Rhys, what are you doing over there?”
“I thought I saw something,” Rhys said, with suspicion. His boots crunched on the dried leaves as he stepped closer. Oriana saw the shining black leather from the corner of her eye.
Don’t move. Don’t move, Oriana… Lucian’s here. He’ll keep you safe.
She continued to hold her breath, begging her mind to believe her internal mantra.
“Get over here. I need to go back to Prince Erik. He’ll be interested to learn that the tezza still alive.”
Tezza!
Oriana shook with fury at the insult.
After an eternity, the crunch of boots on the path moved away from them and toward the sound of the others.
Lucian let out a slow breath as she brought her eyes up to meet his. He gave her a nod and relaxed against her. They lay there, his cheek resting against hers for a long moment. The feel of his weight caused heat to rush up her neck, burning her face. If only he wasn’t plastered against her while that loud mouthed krike questioned her dignity.
She closed her eyes and focused on calming her mind and gathering her senses around her. The impact of her head, the running, the panic… it was almost too much. She seized this opportunity to ground herself, unsure she’d get another anytime soon.
“Oriana…” a voice called to her, soft, and almost imperceptible in the now silent forest. She strained to listen.
“Oriana…” it called again.
Am I going crazy?
“Oriana,” he whispered in her ear. “Follow me.” Lucian shifted his body away and waited for her to roll over on her stomach. He motioned forward, indicating his chosen direction—the direction of Jupiter’s door.
Decision warred in her. Getting to Jupiter was their goal, their highest priority…but something in her gut told her it was important to find out what that shape was in the distance.
The voice… She shook her head and jerked it away from the path. His forehead wrinkled in confusion. Nodding once, she pointed, and moved in the new direction.
He’d figure it out in a minute.
She crawled along the ground, using the brush for cover. A quick glance over her shoulder told her Lucian was following her, as she’d known he would. He would question her, possibly argue with her about going nowhere helpful, but he wouldn’t abandon her, not again. So whatever he had to say, she would deal with it.
After dragging themselves across the ground for a while, putting some much-needed distance, and objects, between them. She lifted herself to a crouch as she waited for Lucian to catch up and bring himself under the cover of the slope she rested on.
“What are you doing, Oriana? Jupiter is that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction.
She raised her eyebrows and gestured in the direction she was headed. The door, with vines growing up the sides of its frame stood just feet in front of them, facing away from the paths.
Lucian started to rise to his feet, stopped by Oriana’s hand on his wrist. Something about his surprise made her feel vindicated.
Crouched down low, they made their way to the door, standing only when they were able to place a tree between them and the paths.
“What door is this?” Oriana asked.
“I’m not sure… It shouldn’t exist. All known doors are on the paths.”
Oriana reached into her pocket and pulled out the key. She ripped at the vines that had grown over. Placing a palm flat on the surface she dusted a layer of dirt from the smooth, marble slats of the door. Underneath, the doors surface was in perfect condition as though it were put up days ago.
Lucian walked up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Oriana lifted the key to the door. The light surrounding the key grew dim, as blackness radiated out from its core. Quickly, she dropped her hand.
“What was that?” she breathed.
“I don’t know.”
“I think we should go in.”
“Oriana, we don’t know what’s behind the door.”
“There’s only one way to find out, and does it even matter at this point? We need to get away and hide until they leave. We can’t make it back to Jupiter right now anyway; they’ll be waiting for us on the main paths. Whatever’s on the other side, has to be safer than here.”
He nodded, solemnly. “I will go where you go.”
She studied his face, his eyes loc
ked in the direction of Jupiter’s Gateway. Wrapping her fingers around his, she reached up with her other hand and turned his face to her.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” He stared down at her, wide-eyed.
“Coming back for me, for following me here—I don’t think I could do this without you.”
“I told you I wouldn’t leave you.”
“I know…” she dropped her chin.
“We should go,” Lucian slipped his hand out of hers and motioned to the door.
Unlocking the door, she pushed it open.
A forest stood on the other side, identical to the one they stood in. They exchanged a glance. Oriana stepped through as Lucian paused to look around the frame, then back at her.
Her jaw fell open. It was a different world; it only looked similar. The visual effect was impressive, but they didn’t have time for it. She’d come back when life had settled and study it. She gripped his hand and pulled him through, closing the door firmly behind him.
“That was, odd,” he mumbled more to himself than to her.
“What is this place, Lucian?” She turned and walked in the direction of the paths.
“Wait, Oriana,” Lucian hissed and ran after her. “What are you doing? What if they’re still around?”
“I just want to see what’s there. Those men will be gone. When I stepped through the door, and you looked around the frame, I would have seen you. This place isn’t the same. It just looks like it.”
“You have no way of knowing that for sure,” he said.
Shrugging, she said, “Call it a hunch.”
A few minutes of pushing her way through the brush and she was convinced it was a different dimension. The plants and trees grew taller and thicker, and if the paths were there, they would have already crossed them.
Branches pulled and snagged on her clothes, slowing her down. They weren’t going to find anything this way.
Oriana made up her mind to turn back. Stopping in her tracks, she turned, smashing her face against an impossibly hard chest. Lucian’s forward momentum knocked her back. Lightning fast reflexes stopped her fall before she hit the ground. His arms wrapped around her waist holding her in mid-air.