Page 51 of Ashes & Aether

He’s too preoccupied with his own match to worry about mine.

16

MAGGIE

The crystal-spired royal palace of Avaris makes the historic Hampton Court look like a temporary encampment.

Luminous stone stretches above us, catching the ambient light of the bioluminescent forests outside and fracturing it into a thousand different prisms across the floor. I stand near the edge of a massive vaulted hall, my hands clasped tightly behind my back, maintaining a rigid posture while the alien nobility swirls around me.

A small, familiar figure breaks from the crowd, and Tara Novak crashes into me, throwing her arms around my neck.

I stiffen instinctively, my elbows locking against my ribs. A moment passes before I force my shoulders to drop, awkwardly returning the embrace. She feels impossibly fragile, her brown hair brushing against the lapel of my tailored jacket.

“You stayed.” Tara pulls back, her brown eyes bright with unshed tears. “Orien told me you interrogated half the court to find the ship.”

“I merely applied basic crisis management.” I adjust my cuffs, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles from my sleeves. “Besides, leaving the spymaster unsupervised seemed like a severe tactical error.”

She chuckles like I made a joke.

Before I can fully reestablish my personal space, an Avaren female descends on us. Elara, Kairen’s younger sister, bounds across the polished floor with zero royal decorum and wraps me in an equally crushing hug.

Apparently, physical boundaries do not translate across galaxies.

“We are so glad you are here!” Elara squeezes me, her purple eyes wide and sparkling. “Tara told me you run an entire island on Earth. I have so many questions about your infrastructure.”

“Perhaps later, Ellie,” a new voice commands, rich and resonant.

Queen Raelith approaches. The monarch of Avaris possesses a formidable grace, her deep green galaxy eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that demands absolute attention. I recognize the weight of the crown immediately. I’ve killed men who tried to wear it, but Raelith carries the authority like she was forged inside it.

I brace my feet, preparing to drop into a curtsy that is hopefully deemed appropriate for an extraterrestrial sovereign.

Raelith waves a slender hand, stopping my downward momentum instantly.

“You helped bring my new daughter back.” The Queen stops a foot away, her gaze sweeping over my face. “You will never bow to me, Margaret Elmsleigh.”

“I was merely returning a favor, Your Majesty.” I hold her stare, keeping my voice deadpan. “Your son kept the Ghorvek from eating my soldiers. I helped keep a rogue general from ruining your civilization.”

Raelith’s lips twitch into a beautiful smile. “A pragmatic alliance.”

The conversation shifts smoothly, no tension left as the women form a loose circle around me. Tara rests a hand over her flat stomach, the gesture entirely subconscious.

“The match ceremony is tomorrow,” Tara announces, rolling her eyes toward the vaulted ceiling. “And if Kairen tries to run another diagnostic scan on my vitals between now and then, I am going to wire his command cube to shock his fingers.”

“He is terrified of losing you again,” Raelith chides gently, though the amusement in her eyes betrays her.

“He is hovering,” Tara corrects. “Yesterday, he threatened to burn down a forest because I sneezed.”

“To be fair,” Elara interjects, leaning closer to me, “Avaren males do not handle threats to their matches well. Kairen is currently operating on pure instinct and vengeance.”

I absorb the information, filing it away. The absolute, biological devotion of the Avaren match system.

We mingle for another hour. I navigate the political pleasantries, offering calculated, noncommittal answers to the nobles who approach the human commander with morbid curiosity.

When the celebration finally winds down, the grand hall empties. I walk out through the towering archways, the cool night air of Avaris hitting my face. The scent of nature is a welcome replacement for the recycled oxygen I’ve breathed for the last two and a half years. Bioluminescent fungi coat the massive trees lining the pathways, casting a soft, ethereal blue-and-green glow over the dark stone.

It is staggering, and I allow myself a rare moment of awe, tipping my head back to look at the unfamiliar constellations in the sky above.

A shadow falls into step beside me.