Beyond the rooftops lining this square, a black and solitary tower rose up into the gray mist. It seemed to never disappear from view. No matter how many streets they turned down, it was always there. Watching over them.
As Safire told this young man the story, there was a sudden tug on the rope. Safire’s gaze shot to Eris, her grip tightening. But the girl had merely tripped over the heel of the Lumina in front of her.
“Don’t worry,” said the soldier at Safire’s side, sensing her unease. “We’ll be at the citadel soon. So long as this crowd lets us through.” He winked at her. “I’m Raif, by the way.”
Eris cast a look their way.
“I’m Safire.”
“I know.”
Safire looked up into gray eyes framed by blond lashes. Raif smiled down at her.
“You’ve arrived right in the middle of Skye’s Night,” he said, stepping closer.
“Oh?” said Safire, feigning interest as she felt another tug on the rope and turned to find Eris scanning the square now. As if looking for something.
“Do you know about Skye?” asked Raif. “The girl who fell in love with a god?”
Skye.She shook her head, despite recognizing the name. It was carved into Eris’s spindle.
“She’s something of a legend in the Star Isles.”
If Skye was a legend, surely there would be lots of girls named after her. That spindle could belong to any number of them.
“Skye’s Night is her festival. It’s a day of promises andbetrothals”—he smiled mischievously—“and a night of secret unions.”
“It’s a drunken orgy,” Eris muttered from beside her.
Safire looked around her. Ribbons and petals danced through the air. They passed a priest performing a binding, then a circle of couples dancing, their faces smeared in silver. The women wore flower wreaths on their heads as their partners led them in the steps of the song.
Soon the crowd thickened, then thickened again. Safire watched Dax and Roa grow smaller up ahead. But Raif and two other Lumina soldiers remained behind. And all the while Raif smiled at her and told her about the city. How it was built a thousand years ago, after the defeat of the Shadow God. How the empress’s crest—which he proudly wore across his chest—was symbolic of the seven Star Isles, as well as the seven stars in the Skyweaver’s crown.
Last of all, he told her he knew where the most beautiful beach in the world was, and, if she wanted to see it, he could take her to watch the sunset sometime.
Beside her, Eris smirked. “Trust me,Raif, she’s not the sunset-watching type.”
Safire turned to face her. “Is that so?”
“You’re not,” said Eris, staring straight ahead.
She was trying to provoke Safire. Messing with her mind again. Safire knew the best thing to do was ignore her. But there was something in her tone. Something almost possessive. Safire couldn’t let it go unchecked. “You don’t know a thing about me.”
Eris’s mouth curled to one side as she looked ahead to thebacks of the Lumina marching before them. “You’re not that difficult to figure out, princess. Order, routine, control... these are the things that excite people like you. Not spontaneity. Not beaches and sunsets.”
An angry blush rose to Safire’s cheeks. “People like me.”
“Aye,” said Eris, catching her gaze. “People like you. You’re as predictable as a rock.”
Safire’s anger roiled and churned inside her.
But what did it matter what Eris thought of her? She was a thief and a murderer. She wasnobody.
Raif turned the corner in front of them.
The moment Safire turned it, too, though, she nearly barreled into him, taking Eris with her. Before she could look to see why he stopped, he put his arm out, pushing her back. Safire glanced up over his shoulder, and found the reason.
Five Lumina soldiers stood some ten strides away, dressed in black, light glinting off their blades. They stood in a circle as one of them beat some kind of club against what looked like a sack of grain.
