Chapter Fifty-Two
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Silence. Utter silence.
She saw Alfonso look around in confusion, saw the queens stand. Her eyes flicked to Idris, who was watching with a cold amusement, as he nodded to her.
She took a deep breath, anchoring herself in Enzo’s grip.
‘The Stars could not kill me,’ she continued, her voice carrying clearly. ‘I am here tonight to show my alliance to Helios. And to tell you that the Stars are not who we think they are. They are not benevolent gods.’
Uneasy murmurs, shouts and some jeers began in the crowd.
‘Ariete descended to kill my parents for hiding my truth—that I was destined to fall for him, and that it would kill us both.’
Gasps, and boos of disbelief. Elara pressed on. ‘He killed my best friend, anyone I loved and touched. For something that was thrust upon me.’
She turned. ‘King Idris and Prince Lorenzo took me into their home and sheltered me.’ She recited the words Idris had told her to say. ‘And I now stand with them—as their weapon.’ She forced herself to say the words. ‘Tonight, we declare it. We declare war upon Ariete.’
The crowd erupted. More gasps, louder booing, a shout of ‘Lies!’ and calls for Elara’s head all reached her. But among it all, murmurs of concern, the smallest smattering of applause.
Idris stood. The queens were shouting animatedly to him, but he only nodded, extracting himself from them.
‘I think it’s high time we leave,’ he drawled as he approached, and Leo led them through the crowd, unsheathing his sword as the crowd pressed closer. Elara craned her neck, seeing Merissa and Isra ahead of them, hurrying out of the room.
Still the crowd bayed, Alfonso completely silent now, the queens trying to barge through the swarm of people towards them.
They hurried down the grand hallway, following Merissa and Isra, who slipped through a pair of ornate doors up ahead.
When Elara ran through them, she found herself in a room with a grand rose-gold statue of a bull in its centre—another animal associated with the Star Torra. It looked like a library, the walls lined with shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling, all filled with foiled spines in different hues of pink.
‘Merissa,’ Idris called.
Merissa waited up ahead, turning as the king called for her. ‘Now,’ he said.
Merissa understood immediately, rosy magick flowing from her fingers and over Idris as she glamoured him. His clothes became less refined, his hair growing, nose and mouth shifting, eyes darkening. The glamour was heavy—heavier than the one that Merissa put over Elara daily. She couldn’t see a trace of who Idris was beneath it.
‘Outcomes, Isra?’ Enzo asked, as he let Merissa do the same to him. She noticed that although the glamour laid over him was heavy too, if she focused hard enough, she could see the Enzo she knew beneath it.
Isra’s eyes flashed white, as she forced herself into a brief trance, before returning to normal moments later. ‘Fine, so long as we split up. The best path is for you head back to the soverin now with Leo and Paolo, Your Majesty. Merissa and I will then go through, and Enzo and Elara last.’
Idris nodded, looking to Elara as Merissa began to glamour her. Elara saw her own hair change colour, her dress transform.
‘You did well, Elara,’ he said. ‘There is no doubt in my mind that Ariete will come.’
Elara barely acknowledged Idris, her heart racing.
Merissa glamoured the rest of the group as quickly as possible, while the sound of the crowd swelled beyond the doors.
‘Now,’ Isra said, and the glamoured king walked away with Leo and Paolo, sauntering out of the throne room doors.
When he was out of sight, Isra turned. ‘You’re welcome,’ she said to Enzo, as she linked arms with Merissa. With a final smile, they both turned and left the throne room together.
‘For what?’ Elara asked, as he set off towards a set of doors opposite the ones they’d entered from.
Enzo only smiled.
Elara had to hand it to them—the Aphrodeans were known as a people of beauty for a reason.
Candles floated through the sugar-pink sky as Enzo pulled her down a path that snaked out from the library. Clouds surrounded them as they descended, and Elara was struck by how surreal they looked.
‘I feel that if I reached over the side, I’d be able to pluck a cloud like candyfloss,’ Elara mused.
‘You can, you know.’
Elara halted, looking at him incredulously.
‘Stars’ honest truth.’ He placed a hand solemnly over his heart. She looked to him again, hesitating, then reached out tentatively. Elara gasped as her hands wrapped around the pink cloud. She pulled a wisp off, marvelling at how it settled on her palm. She looked to Enzo again who nodded, grinning.
She stuck her tongue out and delicately touched the tip of the cloud. It dissolved immediately, the taste of sweet spun sugar coating her lips. She gasped, placing the whole wisp in her mouth.
‘Told you,’ he said, as they continued walking. ‘Want to see what else Aphrodea has to offer?’
‘Hadn’t we better get back?’ She looked uneasily behind her.
Enzo shrugged. ‘Isra bought us some time.’
It dawned on Elara then why Isra had said ‘you’re welcome’ earlier.
‘I suppose we should enjoy our last night of freedom,’ she sighed. The smell of popped corn floated towards her as Enzo led her out of the clouds and into the palace gardens. She hadn’t realized how large they were earlier. Hedgerows grew in tall lines, forming different paths and clearings to get lost in.
They delved into the maze and, turning a corner, found a large clearing with stalls waiting. A few people milled around, others walking down the paths further into the maze. She walked with Enzo in tow past the stalls, eyeing the offers. One stall sold wishes, glass jars trapping the swirls of gold within. Another sold protection crystals and coins. Another, siren’s tears—just a few drops to sway even the most cold-hearted of souls.
Elara and Enzo continued, swaying to the upbeat music in the background as they delved further into the hedges. The commotion of the crowd seemed to grow quieter and quieter, the courtiers around them none the wiser of the events that had taken place in the ballroom. Elara’s tension slipped from her as she realized how well Merissa had disguised her. There was still a restlessness, yes, but the visitors who hadn’t given chase seemed to be trying to enjoy the remainder of the night too.
They slowed in another clearing with some more stalls, by some candles that, when lit, snuffed out all surrounding light.
‘What a cheap party trick.’ She grinned as the tiniest wisp of shadow curled around his wrist.
They reached the middle of the maze, a large space where white twinkling glow-worms were suspended through the air, making them resemble a constellated sky. Couples dressed in all shades of the kingdom danced in the centre as a band played in the corner.
‘Come,’ Enzo said, looking over the dancing couples. ‘I want to show you something.’
She hitched her gown, giddy, as she followed him down the twisting paths.
‘I’m starving,’ she said as she smelled fragrant food on the night breeze.
‘Shocking,’ he replied and tugged her into an opening in the hedgerows, the area full of food stands. Baked cakes filled with honey and nuts were piled high, sticky with sugar. There were oven-charred breads laid next to them, hot and flat, smeared with a tomato paste and melted cheeses.
‘Now this looks interesting,’ she said to herself, gesturing for one for each of them. The man behind the booth smiled at them and cut them each a triangle, as Enzo passed him some coins. Elara bit into the slice and moaned with enjoyment, the warm salty tang of tomato and baked dough dancing on her tastebuds.
‘You take pleasure in everything, don’t you?’ Enzo asked, amusement dancing on his lips.
‘I do now,’ she replied, taking another huge bite. ‘I’m trying to live every moment of my life as though it is art.’
They reached one of the maze’s exits, which verged on to the beginning of a slope paved with rose quartz.
They wandered up it and Elara gasped. Ahead, cherry blossom trees bowed over the path, their petals covering the quartz in every shade of pink imaginable. Enzo gave a small smile as he pulled her on to the flower-adorned trail that twisted higher and higher around the palace.
‘Go on,’ he said.
She looked around in awe as they continued to walk up the incline. ‘I promised myself, after that conversation on my balcony, that I would find something to give thanks for every day. The smell of a flower…’ She stooped down to scoop a handful of petals, inhaling deeply.
‘The way that the Light dapples through my window when I wake; the way words in a book can transport me to another time, another world.’ She took a breath and turned to him as she said in barely more than a whisper, ‘The way your eyes look like molten gold. The way they look as if they’ve trapped the Light within.’
Enzo’s face softened as he took both of her hands in his, pulling her closer.
Dragunflies and glitterbugs flitted and flickered, glints of silver in the heavy air. She looked around and realized they’d halted on a rooftop, the winding, steep path landing them right on a palace terrace. She looked around wildly, but she could not see anything below them. They were in the clouds.
She gaped at Enzo, who only smiled. The cast of the Light laying over the clouds sprinkled them with rose and lavender, and the scent of sweetness hung in the air.
‘I brought you here because it reminded me of the day you first used your powers properly. We soared into the sky, into the clouds—’
‘I remember,’ she said. ‘Of course I remember. I turned around and thought how happy you looked. How handsome happiness looked on you.’
Soft music began playing from the square far below, the sound of a love song and a muffled stream of piano drifting up with the scent of roses.
An almost pained look shot across his face as he extended his hand to her. ‘Dance with me, Elara. Properly?’
Enzo rested his hands on Elara’s hips, hesitant. Watching her every reaction. His eyes were steady, the topaz and honey that she found herself constantly seeking. Her breath hitched, and he held his eyes on her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then without saying a word, they began to move.
It was not the sinful, lust-fuelled dance that they had performed below. Instead, it was a soft swaying, an excuse to touch. The music seemed to soar up to meet them, and the duskbirds ceased their singing as night fell.
A cool breeze tickled Elara’s neck as Enzo spun her, holding her with her back to him. They stayed like that, swaying as his hands gripped her front. She was aware of every part of her skin that touched his. His breath caressed the bare nape of her neck, and fire shot down her spine. She stiffened, the intensity of her feelings leaving her torn.
Elara knew that if she stayed, if she let her heart give in to that moment, the present as she knew it would disappear. Something cataclysmic would change between them, and she would be completely at fate’s whim for whatever hurt came from it. But she was sick of her destiny being in the hands of the Stars. She wanted something for herself, wanted to ignore the prophecy—just for a night.
So she looked up heavenward, felt the hard, broad presence of Enzo’s body behind hers, and with a sigh, she dropped her head back against his chest.
It was a small shift, a soft gesture.
Yet the world rocked.
He moaned softly behind her, somewhere between a whisper and a prayer. The emotion in that one wordless sound crumbled all resolve in her, and she turned. Enzo’s eyes were soft and open, never leaving her face, his hands still on her waist. As the ballad reached its crescendo, he took a step closer and cupped her jaw with one hand, the other now caressing her hair.
They held that moment, a millisecond that could have been a lifetime.
Time stopped as they peered into each other’s souls, a question on both their lips.
A breath.
Then his lips were on hers, and sparks flew off her in showers of white.
His touch was soft but insistent. Desperate, like a pilgrim searching for a Star. All she had been searching for was in that kiss. The world finally made sense. She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer, wanting to devour the very essence of him. He broke away to whisper on to her lips, and she moaned, pulling him to her, falling deeper into the kiss. She was dizzy with it, the ache and want, unsure as she kissed him how she had ever gone so many days without his lips on hers.
Suddenly, there was a loud boom. An explosion of light painted the rose sky, causing Elara to break away, startled. She looked to Enzo, lust-drunk, his lips swollen. Flashes caught her eye, cascading from the sky in droplets.
‘Lightworks,’ she whispered, turning back to him. ‘Was that you ?’
‘I told you that this kiss would be one for the ages.’ He grinned, pulling her back to him as he flicked his hand. Another kaleidoscope of sparkles painted the sky.
‘You took your sweet time,’ she breathed.
He gave a half-smile and murmured: ‘It would have been bad luck not to, today.’
Carefully, his lips trailed her cheeks, her eyelids, her jaw as she whispered his name again, savouring how it sounded on her tongue.
‘Gods, I love my name on your lips,’ he whispered, before crushing his mouth to hers again. She revelled in him until she had to come up for air, gasping.
‘I don’t know how I didn’t do this the first day I met you,’ he said, the words guttural as his hands squeezed her waist.
She pressed her forehead to his. ‘Me neither,’ she whispered back. They both smiled into each other, sharing a breath.
‘My, my, what a sight to behold.’
Elara spun at the sultry voice as Enzo swore loudly, shifting himself in front of her.
Torra appeared through the clouds, every bit the Star of lust and beauty that she was. Her hair fell to her waist, and her face—no longer covered in the mask from the Asterian ball—was even more eye-wateringly stunning. Her full lips curved into a smile, revealing perfect, pearly teeth. There was a figure behind her, still partially shrouded by the clouds and difficult to make out.
‘Torra,’ Enzo said coldly.
‘Hi, pretty.’ She gave a tinkering wave.
‘Aren’t you going to greet me , Lorenzo?’ said a male voice. ‘I gave you my favour after all.’
Elara’s eyes widened as Eli rose from the clouds into view, a wry smile on his face. She saw Enzo’s jaw clench.
‘With all due respect, what do you want?’ Elara demanded.
Eli tutted. ‘Now, is that any way to greet a Star who came to your aid?’
‘The last time I saw you, you were happy to stand by and watch as Ariete killed Sofia in front of me.’
Eli’s easy smile turned razor sharp. ‘Do you think Cancia was in that bathroom by accident? That I didn’t let her heal you as I waited outside?’
‘Yes, and a whole lot of good your noble deed did for Sofia,’ Elara spat.
‘If it wasn’t for me,’ he continued, ‘you wouldn’t have had the strength to illusion your death. You’d still be Ariete’s captive now.’
Torra glanced at Enzo. ‘Lorenzo, I wonder if you could take a walk. Elara, Eli and I need a little chat.’
A bleak laugh erupted from him. ‘Not fucking likely.’
‘Oh, I think you will,’ Eli interjected. He cocked his head. ‘Unless you want her to know?’
Enzo stilled. His reaction unnerved Elara. She brushed her way from behind him and walked forwards.
‘Know what?’ She looked between the two.
She could see flames in Enzo’s eyes as they burned into Eli. The Star only raised an eyebrow.
‘All this threatening is awfully tacky, Lorenzo. I don’t like to resort to it.’
‘Know what , Eli?’ she asked again.
He pinned her with his black stare. ‘His secret.’
‘Enough,’ Enzo snarled.
‘Enzo, whatever it is, I don’t want to know. What you told Eli is none of my business.’
Eli let out a sharp laugh, and Torra threw him a reproachful glance.
‘Prince.’ She motioned to him with a dismissive wave of her hand.
With a strained look at Elara, Enzo began to walk. ‘I’ll be right over there,’ he said tightly, pointing to the edge of the terrace and casting another venomous glance to the two Stars.
‘What in the Heavens is going on?’ Elara hissed, as Enzo moved further away, out of earshot. ‘And why is everyone so committed to speaking in fucking riddles around here?’
Torra chuckled lightly as she threaded her arm through Elara’s. Eli came to her other side, towering over her.
‘This conversation has been a long time coming,’ Torra said, her face resigned.
‘It’s thanks to one of your son’s priestesses that I’m in this mess.’ Elara’s voice held a deadly, velvet edge. ‘I’d survived twenty-three years before I heard it. Do you have any idea what it’s made of my life?’
‘It doesn’t look like it hindered much if what I walked in on is anything to go by.’ Torra tried to hide a smile. She flicked a lock of hair behind her shoulder with her free hand.
‘That’s not—’
‘Not what, Elara? Are you really going to try and lie to the Star of lust in her own kingdom? You don’t think I can feel it pouring from you?’
‘Let alone see how it floods your mind,’ Eli muttered.
‘Get out of my damn head, Eli,’ she snapped back.
He shrugged, lips twitching.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Torra,’ Elara continued.
Torra sighed. ‘This isn’t the road I wanted to go down with you.’
‘Then answer me this. Why me? Why this prophecy? I’m to fall in love with Ariete? So why do I—’
She paused, breathing through her nose for a moment. She glanced around once to confirm Enzo was too far away to hear.
‘Why do I feel the way that I do if I’m destined for another?’ She paused. ‘Is the prophecy even real?’
‘Everything that has been foreseen for you is to happen in divine timing,’ Eli replied impatiently. ‘If we reveal more, it could change the course of your path irreparably.’
Elara gave a cold laugh. ‘Ah, yes. The Stars always writing our fate in the skies, then doing nothing to help us. We’re puppets to you.’
‘ No ,’ Torra said vehemently. ‘The prophecy rings true. But so does what sings in your heart. I can feel it.’ She lay a palm over Elara’s chest. ‘Look deeper, Elara.’
She moved her hand to cup Elara’s face. Torra smelled of honey and almond milk, and Elara’s heart ached a little to look at her beauty. The Star’s gaze flicked to Eli. ‘I think you’re right,’ she said to him.
‘Right about what?’ asked Elara.
Torra’s eyes grew sad. ‘I cannot tell. But I hope you prove us correct.’ She dropped her palm.
Elara heard running footsteps and whirled, Enzo doing the same from the corner where he stood.
Merissa came into view up the path, golden hair streaming, Isra behind her.
‘Time’s up,’ she said. ‘Your glamour won’t last much longer, let’s…’
Her voice trailed off as her gaze flicked between Eli and Torra, finally resting on the Star. Merissa grimaced.
‘Hello, Daughter,’ Torra said, smiling.
Merissa’s lip curled as Enzo’s and Elara’s eyes widened. ‘Hello, Mother.’