Heavenly Bodies

Chapter Thirty-Eight

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Elara was blinded by tears as she ran, the slick Asterian cobbles providing no purchase. She slipped, forcing her feet to move, the past few minutes repeating again and again in her head.

Sofia’s face. The blood across her throat. The illusions that had risen to Elara, almost unbidden. The fall that she had made the audience and Ariete believe was real. She had felt the fall as it happened, as the illusion took hold, like being in two places at once, as she had rushed to the door of the royal box and out of the theatre. Nobody had been able to see her, the illusion too powerful to deny. Elara was not running down the Opera House’s grand staircase. Elara was not rushing from the building’s entrance, on to the cobbled streets. Elara was dead.

Even now, she panted at the exertion it took to maintain the illusion of her broken, twisted corpse back at the Opera House. She didn’t have a plan, didn’t know how long she could keep her magick there going, deceiving Ariete, before it sputtered out.

She just kept running.

Up ahead, she could see the two statues that marked the beginning of the Bridge of Tears—two weeping, kneeling women, facing each other and carved from grey stone. A shadow waited between them.

‘Did anyone ever tell you that you look sublime in red?’ a familiar voice called. Enzo stepped out of the gloom, but stopped, easy demeanour gone as he took in her shaken state.

‘Get it off me,’ she whispered, sinking to the wet, hard ground. She pulled at the crimson dress.

‘ Get it off! ’ she screamed, yanking at the chain of rubies around her neck. The chain snapped, gems scattering around her like spilt blood as her chest heaved and heaved, her breath coming in short gasps between sobs. Enzo swore before crossing the space between them in two strides. With one hand, he whipped out a knife from his belt, deftly cutting through the lace stays at her back. He ripped the dress away, leaving her in nothing but a long, thin slip.

‘It’s okay, Elara, it’s okay.’ He knelt behind her, crushing her to him as he breathed her in. ‘You’re safe now.’

She winced, and he instantly loosened his grip.

‘El, I’m so sorry. Leo searched every room but he couldn’t find Sofia.’

‘Dead,’ she whispered.

‘What did you say?’

‘She’s dead. Ariete, he killed her.’

Enzo cursed, holding her as she sank to the ground. ‘I’m so sorry, El. I’m so sorry. How did you get away from him?’

‘I illusioned my death,’ she said, the world growing further and further away. ‘I’m trying to maintain it even now, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold it.’

Enzo replied, but she didn’t hear him. Her ears rang as she faintly registered the sound of running feet and familiar voices. Merissa, and then Isra. They were saying something, but she couldn’t follow the words, as Enzo’s arms tightened around her again.

Cancia’s blood was beginning to fade from her body, Ariete’s venom lurking and creeping back into her bones. But she didn’t care. Not when her thoughts filled with her best friend, her sister’s neck slashed red, the life fading from her clever grey eyes.

She saw Leo appear from the other side of the bridge, concern in his eyes as he ran towards them. When he approached, Enzo briefly explained what had happened, and Elara let it all wash over her.

‘We have to get to the boat now. The moment we cross into Helios, we’ll be safe.’ Leo’s voice seemed distant to her. Then, when the prince didn’t respond: ‘Enzo? Enzo? ’

Still no response.

‘Elara.’

Pure, animal instinct cut through her pain at that tone, her back straightening. It was the tone of a king, one that demanded an answer.

‘Elara,’ Enzo said again, his voice now far more gentle, as she heard him kneel behind her again. ‘What happened to your neck?’

His thumb touched her, right next to the bite Ariete had inflicted on her.

‘Your Highness,’ Merissa warned. Enzo shot a hand out behind him with a hum of warning, a ball of fire between his fingers. She stepped back.

‘El?’ he asked again, so softly.

‘He bit me.’ Elara’s voice had no inflection. She did not care about what had been done to her. Did not care about Enzo’s reaction. ‘Nearly every day since I was captured. His venom smothered my magick.’ She looked into Enzo’s eyes, hers dead.

He rose to his feet. His face still hadn’t moved. ‘Merissa, glamour me.’

‘Enzo,’ Merissa started, ‘please—’

‘ Glamour me! ’ he snarled. ‘That’s a fucking order.’

Merissa pressed her lips into a thin line as she wove her magick, making Enzo up into an Asterian pedestrian—a pale, plain-looking man with dark hair and grey eyes. He knelt before Elara, who couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

‘El,’ he said softly. ‘I’ll be back as quickly as possible.’

She nodded vaguely.

‘Enzo, whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t,’ said Isra. ‘The plan was to get her and get out. Ariete is a god. You are no match for him. Whatever vengeance you’re intent on seeking, it won’t help .’

Enzo rounded on Isra, his face centimetres from hers as he spoke: ‘I couldn’t give a fuck if Ariete was Death embodied. Not only did he take Elara from me. He hurt her. Violated her. Bit her .’

Enzo’s voice broke noticeably as he paced away. ‘You think I care that he’s a Star? Fuck immortality. Even gods can burn.’

Isra made a disgusted sound, a look of disapproval on her face.

‘Get to the boat,’ he continued. ‘Get ready to leave. It’s already past eleven o’clock. If I’m not back by the time the clock tower chimes twelve, go.’

Leo gave him a tight nod, guiding Elara forwards, her arms wrapped around herself, not wanting to look at Enzo’s glamoured features. He hesitated for a moment, and then strode to her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ She couldn’t make herself respond.

He spun on his heel, flexing his fingers before striding sharply into the night.

A thin coat of sweat glazed Elara as she tried to fight against the enormous strain of maintaining the illusion of her death. But the poison in her blood was awakening, and she let out a cry of pain.

Merissa looked at Leo with worry. They had reached the end of the bridge, the lake before them glistening in the darklight. A large rowboat bobbed upon it, tied to a small lakeside dock. Elara looked beyond, to Lake Astra, and understood Enzo’s plan of escape. But Lake Astra also reminded Elara of Sofia. She swayed.

Isra ran forwards. ‘Elara?’

She pushed Isra away gently. ‘I’m sorry I—’

She couldn’t breathe. She felt feverish. ‘She’s in shock,’ Leo said, wrapping an arm around her to steady her.

Two bells rang out in the distance, echoing over the city. Half past eleven, Elara realized. How long had it been since he left?

‘Come on, Enzo,’ Leo said, his voice strained as he checked his pocket watch. He released Elara, who sank back into a haze of distant shock and constant effort. She didn’t register time passing, not until there was a loud bang somewhere distant, and Leo cursed in a low voice as he stared at something behind her.

‘For Stars’ sake, Enzo,’ Isra murmured. Merissa gasped, all their eyes drawn in the same direction. Elara turned to find out what it was, and saw streams of molten orange light soaring into the air. No, not light. Flames. And then there was a blood-curdling roar of pain, inhumanly loud. Away in the distance, the Opera House was on fire.

Sometime later—Elara couldn’t keep track any more—Leo announced it was a quarter to twelve. Had it been fifteen minutes? Still Enzo hadn’t appeared. Leo tried to lead Elara to the boat, but she shrugged him off, gazing unseeingly out across the still water and the sand at the lake’s edge. More time passed. More effort, more pain in her body as the venom grew in strength.

‘Five minutes,’ she heard Leo warn. The whole sky was alight, the blaze from Enzo’s flames licking the clouds.

‘Two minutes.’

Finally, they heard pounding footsteps. Leo raised his sword, his light channelled through it, glowing lethally. But he relaxed his stance as he saw Enzo hurtling down the street, the burning sky rising behind him. His glamour was gone. He was carrying a large shape over his shoulder—and Elara now realized it was a body, moaning and grunting.

‘Lukas,’ she said quietly.

Enzo gritted his teeth as he hauled the usurper, whimpering, on to the pebbles and damp sand next to the dock. Lukas’s clothes were singed, smoke billowing off him.

‘Ariete’s indisposed at the moment,’ Enzo said lightly, stretching his arms out.

‘What did you do?’ Merissa breathed.

Enzo didn’t respond, only went to Elara, checking her over.

‘You can let go of your illusions now, El,’ he said gently. ‘The Opera House will be ash soon. Everyone will assume your body went up in the flames.’

Elara sighed in relief and let her magick go. She felt the illusion vanish, the exhausting strain in her mind finally easing down, and turned her gaze to Lukas. He was wailing quietly but still had the pride to muster up a weak sneer on to his face. She rose, walking slowly towards him, pure wrath overtaking her exhaustion and grief just for a few moments. He had started this. He had called upon a Star.

‘You,’ she snarled, crouching over him. ‘You are the reason she’s dead.’

‘What are you talking about?’ he rasped. ‘I had nothing to do with this.’

‘Liar,’ Enzo spat.

‘I hated Sofia, but I didn’t know what Ariete had planned. Lara, I promise I never wanted to hurt you.’

‘What did I say about uttering her name again,’ Enzo growled.

‘Call off your dog,’ Lukas hissed, spitting blood on to the ground.

Enzo cracked his neck, a hollow laugh escaping him. ‘It’s “Lion”, actually.’

Fear, real fear, flashed across Lukas’s face—the first spark of it that Elara had seen. ‘Prince Lorenzo.’

‘So you’ve heard the stories,’ Enzo replied.

Lukas scrambled back, but Elara lunged, tightly gripping his shirt.

‘You began this, Lukas. You called upon Ariete at the birthday ball.’

‘I didn’t fucking call upon him,’ he snapped.

Elara blinked, and nightmares grew around her. His eyes bulged in horror as she watched impassively.

‘L-Lara, please,’ he stammered. He tried once more to crawl away, but this time Enzo held him firm.

‘I’m done with your lies,’ she said. ‘The last time I had the chance to kill you, I spared you. I won’t make that mistake again.’

Her gaze flicked to Enzo, and flames ignited in his eyes.

‘Elara, please, no. Remember what we had. This isn’t you.’

‘No, it’s not. The girl I was died in that theatre. You won’t find mercy here.’

Enzo pounced, light beaming from his hands as Lukas screamed. Elara turned around, sitting back upon the boat as his screams and pleading filled the air. She smelled burned flesh, and closed her eyes.

When his screams had quietened to sobs, Elara turned. Enzo was dragging Lukas by his hair to the water’s edge. And she caught a flash of what Enzo had done to him.

‘LIGHTWHORE’ was branded in stark letters across his chest, and Enzo turned to her.

She nodded once, and he dumped the gasping Lukas into the deeper waters, before hauling himself to the boat.

‘Fast and strong,’ was all he ordered, settling next to Elara as he and Leo took up oars, paddling furiously across the murky mirror of the lake, leaving Lukas’s prone body in the water.