Phoenix had gravitated toward me as soon as we arrived, apparently noticing my mood. I’d told him briefly it was about Maura and he understood I wanted space. Now he and my brothers stood at the side of the dance floor, staring at some of the extraordinarily attractive fae woman with their mouths half-open. All except Sky, who was doing everything in his powers to get Aisha and Horatio’s daughter, Riza, to dance with him.
“Just one dance,” Sky mock-pleaded. “You’re breaking my heart here, Riza.”
The jinni laughed, a tinkling, musical sound that was almost drowned out by the harmony of violas and flutes from the band nearest to us.
“Your heart’s robust, I’m sure you can take it,” she teased.
“It’s fragile!” Sky retorted, pretending to be deeply affronted. “Especially when it’s in the hands of a cruel, beautiful jinni girl with amethyst eyes…”
Riza, to her credit, gave a snort of derision.
“You’re ridiculous,” she replied, rolling her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the small smile of amusement that lit up her soft features.
“If you want me to stop, you’ll have to dance with me,” Sky bargained.
“Oh, heck—Riza, will you just dance with the idiot?” Blue intervened, apparently bored of his brother’s pleading. Riza accepted Sky’s outstretched hand with a sigh.
“I’m doing this to save your brothers from more pain,” she stated, leading him on to the dance floor. Sky grinned broadly, not believing her for a second.
I joined in the laughter of my brothers and Phoenix, but my heart wasn’t in it. Sky had been devoted to Riza for a long time, staying away while she was growing up, and then finally starting to pursue her when he felt the time was right. He looked at her the way my father looked at River. If Sky could manage to fall head-over-heels in love, then what was wrong with me?
I watched as Fly and Rock caught the attention of a group of fae girls and disappeared onto the dance floor.
“Where’s Maura tonight?” Blue asked, looking around as if she might appear out of nowhere.
Phoenix cleared his throat, suddenly fascinated by a bouquet of flowers that were trailing down from the nearest stone sculpture.
“She’s staying behind,” I replied curtly.
“What, why?” Blue questioned.
“She’s busy.”
“What are you talking abo—”
“Blue, want another drink?” Phoenix asked him, interjecting.
“I’m going to see my family,” I muttered, departing from the group before Blue could ask me any further questions. I knew I would have to tell my brothers soon, but not here—I knew they’d be devastated for me, and I didn’t want to dampen the mood.
I wandered past the dance floor, nearer the darkened mazes. I wasn’t particularly intent on finding my family—I knew how long Mom had been looking forward to tonight, and I felt my state of mind was like a poisonous thing, not to be inflicted on anyone but myself. Unfortunately, I spotted my parents just as they saw me… too late to turn away.
“There you are!” my mom exclaimed, smiling as she laid eyes on me.
“Where’s Maura?” Ben asked.
“She’s not coming,” I replied, trying to sound as casual as I could. Mom glanced over at Ben.
“Will you go and make sure Vita’s okay? I think I saw her near the palace steps, but Serena and Aida weren’t with her,” she said.
“Of course,” Ben replied. He turned to me, looking as if he wanted to say something, but instead gave me a friendly pat on the back and strode off in the direction of the palace.
“Do you want to talk about it?’ my mom asked, her gaze soft and concerned.
“Not really.” I smiled wryly. “There’s not a lot to say.”
My mom reached out and squeezed my hand.
“I think you need to talk about it, Field. I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“Really, it’s okay. Maura and I broke up. For good. She didn’t think it was ever going to work long-term, and, you know, that’s fine.” I cleared my throat, annoyed at myself for worrying my mom and letting my feelings show so obviously.
“And what do you think?” she asked.
I sighed. I wasn’t sure I knew what I thought. Part of me couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to be with Maura, and the other part of me understood what she’d been talking about. I knew we didn’t share the same intensity as quite a few couples in The Shade, but I’d just thought that was our way—that we were more casual and laid-back. Maybe I was wrong to think that way. Maybe I just didn’t understand what real, life-altering, all-consuming love was like.
“It’s complicated,” I replied eventually, realizing how lame that sounded.
My mom was silent for a few moments, chewing on her bottom lip. Like always when she was about to give advice or her opinion on something, she was choosing her words carefully.
“I guess some relationships aren’t forever. But it doesn’t mean they weren’t special while they lasted, that they don’t mean anything. You’ll always carry a bit of Maura in your heart, as she will with you. You’ll have learned a lot, about how to be a partner, about how to put someone’s needs before your own—whether you realize it now or not. All that you can take into the next relationship, when you’re ready.” She smiled at me, straightening my tie. “You’ve grown into an amazing young man, Field. I’m proud of you, so is your father. When you’re ready to start dating again, or when you find your own ‘forever,’ whoever it is will be lucky to have you—and when it’s the right person, you’ll know, and you won’t ever want to let go. You’ll fight for them. Trust me.”
I felt a lump forming at the back of my throat. The second of the day.
I tried to shake off the waves of emotion. It had been too long a day already.
“I think I’ll have a break from women for a while,” I muttered, already weary at her suggestion of dating others.
“Of course,” she replied instantly. “Work out what it is that you want first, before jumping into anything else.”
“I will,” I promised. I hadn’t the faintest clue what I wanted right now. Other than to be single for a really, really long time. Maybe I needed to take some tips from Phoenix in that department—he seemed able to enjoy the company of the opposite sex without getting entangled too deeply…then again, maybe not. I smiled to myself. Phoenix’s style wasn’t really mine.
Grace and Lawrence came into view, weaving their way through the dance floor till they reached us.
“Did you go in the maze?” Grace asked excitedly. “I was lost in there for about an hour. I tried to drag Hazel with me, but she point-blank refused.”
“Shall we try one?” my mom asked, looking up at me.
“Let’s do it,” Lawrence said with a grin. “All of us.”
I shrugged. Why not? Maybe family time was what I needed right now… as well as keeping clear of my Hawk brothers’ raging testosterone and their affinity for the perfectly-formed fae.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
Oh. My. God.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just overheard.
Leaping up from my seat, I searched the crowds for Aida. If Field had broken up with Maura for good, she’d want to know right away. I moved off toward the dance floor to see if she was still with the fae boy who had picked her up earlier, but I couldn’t see either of them. Accidentally, I bashed into Victoria, who was moving past me.
“Whoa, Serena—where’s the fire?” She laughed good-naturedly, holding me at arm’s length.
“Sorry!” I blustered. “Just trying to find Aida.”
“She’s around here somewhere,” Victoria replied. “I saw her dancing with a rather handsome-looking fae earlier.” She winked at me, smiling to herself before being called for by her mother, Vivienne.
I carried on, weaving my way through the couples on the dance floor, but moving at a slower pace. The interruption was enough to make me rethink my actions
. I was treating Field’s heartbreak like gossip when it really wasn’t. By the sounds of it, Field was devastated by the news, and my heart went out to him. And Maura. They had been together, albeit on and off, for ages. I couldn’t imagine what it was like to share so much history with someone and then have it all end like that. A few words spoken, and then bam—the world as you knew it, over.
I would tell Aida—I knew her feelings for the Hawk were genuine—but I would do it tactfully, not rushing over and divulging the news breathlessly. Still. I couldn’t help the adrenaline running through me as I thought that my friend might finally have a chance with the man of her dreams.
I spied Aida through the crowds. One of the ice sculptures flared up suddenly, capturing the image of Aida and the hot fae sitting at one of the banquet tables, their heads leaned toward one another as they absent-mindedly picked food off their plates.
“Serena, now’s your chance.” Jovi appeared next to me, his eyes lit with good humor.
“My chance for what?” I asked, slightly taken aback by his sudden appearance and how cool he looked in formal wear. His white shirt contrasted with his slightly tan skin and the dark stubble that covered his jaw. For once, his hair was neatly combed back—giving him a slightly less feral appearance than usual. I actually thought Jovi looked better when he was unkempt, but this made a nice change.
“To dance with me,” he replied cockily. I smiled despite myself.
“I’m busy. Maybe later?” I asked, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of Aida and the fae. I didn’t want to lose them in the crowd.
“You’re busy at a dance?” he teased. “I think that’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“But it’s the truth,” I objected.
I took another glance at Aida. She was laughing now. The fae was obviously a good date. He also looked completely infatuated by her. Did I want to break that up with news of Field’s break up? It wasn’t like she was going to shoot off immediately to console him. Field would need some time to heal before anything new came into his life—I’d heard him say so himself.
This time, Jovi followed my gaze. “Huh,” he commented, “who’s that?”
A frown appeared on his brow at the sight of the fae. I recognized over-protective brother impulses when I saw them.
“You’re right.” I said quickly, grabbing his arms to capture his attention. “Let’s dance.”
Vita
[Grace and Lawrence’s daughter]
I’d left Serena at a seat at one of the banquet tables, telling her I’d come back to find her. The music and the lights had started to feel like too much, and the balmy night was making my head feel fuzzy. I decided to venture inside the palace, where it would be quieter, and hopefully cooler.
There were a few fae standing guard at the entrance, but they didn’t try to stop me from entering. They merely bowed their heads in greeting, while one opened the tall doors for me to pass on through. The fae fascinated me, and I’d always longed to know a bit more about the way that they lived in their natural habitat. My mom and dad had both told me that I was welcome to visit the In-Between and stay with Sherus and Nuriya if I wished to, and I did, but I had always felt that it wasn’t the right time. I wanted to be in full command of my abilities before I did that—not wanting the other fae to sneer at my lack of skill. It was probably an unfair assumption, but I did think it would be ten times more enjoyable if I could feel part of their kind when I visited, and not such an outsider.
The door shut behind me, and I stepped forward into the grand entrance, marveling at the ruby lights and fire stones that covered everything in a warm, yellow and red glow. The staircases were made from brilliant white marble, and the tall, pointed window frames appeared to be carved out of silver-gold metal. No wonder the entity that had plagued Nevertide had been eager to gain control of the fae lands. There was richness here beyond compare. The fae never saw it that way—to them it was just natural resource that came to them easily, and they admired it for its aesthetic qualities and the link to their elemental magic. But as someone part human, I could recognize the wealth that Sherus and Nuriya enjoyed.
Not really knowing where I was going, I started to peer into the rooms that led off from the entrance. Most of these were unlocked, and all were empty of fae. I looked in on a few dining rooms and a study, but nothing really held my interest till I walked to the furthest end of one of the corridors and pushed open a set of double doors which were engraved with depictions of planets and stars.
I soon discovered that the room was circular—perfectly so, with a large dome rising from the top of it. The dome depicted a night’s sky, covered with stars and other planets far off in the distance. I stared at it in wonder, not sure whether it was a painted image. As I drew closer to the center of the room, I realized that the image was being projected by a large, amethyst-colored stone. I crouched down, trying to work out how it was being accomplished, but all I could see was a powerful bolt of steady light shining out from its center. I turned back up to the sky, trying to understand if the image was moving—if it was a live feed or not. I couldn’t be sure. Sometimes I thought I saw a star shift out of the corner of my eye, or something grow a little brighter, but it could have just been my imagination.
Making sure the door was shut and I was totally alone, I lay down on the stone floor, staring up at the cosmos. The marble of the floor was ice-cold against my back, but it was a pleasant relief after the heat of outside, and anyway, I was transfixed. I didn’t think I could have moved if I’d wanted to.
Sometime after, the door creaked open. Sitting bolt upright, I turned my head, ready to apologize for my intrusion to whatever stony-faced guard appeared. I exhaled in relief as I recognized my grandfather Benjamin stepping into the room.
He smiled at me as he approached, and then turned his gaze to the ceiling.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” he remarked.
“What is it?” I questioned, keeping my voice at a whisper. There was something about the room and the awe I felt in the presence of the cosmos that made me want to keep my voice at a respectfully low level.
“It’s the In-Between,” he replied. “As far as we can see from where we are. This stone is linked to another that hovers above the atmosphere of the fire star, sending the memories and images of one stone back to the other.”
I looked up again, more spellbound now that I understood what it was I was seeing. The sky went on for lifetimes, with millions and millions of planets and stars in the distance—some nothing more than the faintest pinpricks of light.
“We really don’t know much about it, do we?” I asked, recalling what Corrine had said about its sheer mass and mystery.
“Next to nothing,” my grandfather agreed with a smile. “This is my favorite room in the palace. After Nevertide I often visited Sherus and Nuriya, and would always make sure I entered this room, no matter how brief my stay. It reminds me how small we are in the grander scheme of things. How can any concerns of mine weigh on my mind when I see this? It is a place for true reflection.”
I nodded. I could understand what my grandfather meant, but the sight of the cosmos didn’t make my own existence seem small in comparison—it made me want to explore, to know each and every star in its great mass, to unearth the creatures that might live there.
“Why have none of the fae ventured out there?” I asked. If I could fly, nothing would hold me back from journeying into the unknown.
“I think they have, partway, but the In-Between is so vast, Vita. It would take lifetimes to reach some of its planets. As a rule, the fae don’t tend to go seeking out danger.”
“No, I guess they don’t,” I murmured. I looked to one of the brightest stars that shone, far off in the distance. Surely a little risk would be worth it?
“We should head back,” my grandfather replied suddenly. “They are about to commence the naming ceremony.”
I rose to my feet, shaking out the cramp in my back from lying on th
e floor. My stomach gave a short rumble, and I realized I needed to eat—badly.
“Let’s go,” I replied, holding the door open for my grandfather to exit first. I shut the door behind us, glancing up one last time at the sky.
Serena
[Hazel and Tejus’s daughter]
“I’m never going to eat again,” I swore, rubbing my aching stomach.
“You’re not the only one,” Vita replied. Aida said nothing, just nodded in agreement with a small groan as we made our way to our sleeping quarters in the palace after the ceremony. Phoenix was behind us, speaking to one of the fae girls in a low, soothing voice. It was the same way he spoke to Lucifer at home, and I wanted to laugh—did he try out his pick-up techniques on our cat?
“Do you know which one’s ours?” Aida asked, looking blankly at the rows of identical doors that we passed along the corridor.
“Yes,” I replied smugly. “I asked the guy who took our bags to tie a ribbon around the doorknob so we’d find it again—I remember getting lost here as a kid.”
Both Aida and Vita looked impressed.
After a few minutes of traipsing down the hallway, I saw the blue ribbon tied in a neat little bow on one of the doors.
“Phoenix, you’re next to us.” I pointed out his room, and he nodded his thanks, returning to continue charming his date. I pushed the door open, letting Aida and Vita walk in first. I followed, closing the door before I had to witness my brother saying ‘goodnight’ to his fae friend.
The room was huge, with three four-poster beds carved out of marble standing in the center, and two adjoining bathrooms leading off from the main sleeping area. The windows were high and pointed into elegant arches, letting in the crisp moonlight.
“Wow.” Aida sighed. “This place is amazing…why are we only staying one night again?”