The palace folded around this open space like a hugging giant, carved right into the face of a pale stone mountain. Open, half oval balconies jutted out from the dozen or so stories of palace towers above us, with floating round lanterns in various pastel colors dotting the air. Along the path to my left was a half wall overlooking a city.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, leaning in close to Lyees as she pulled me along.
“I think so too, this is my favorite courtyard in the palace. It was a gift.”
I opened my mouth to ask for who, when the sight of what lay below us caught my eye.
I halted again, this time pulling my arm from Lyees to approach the wall. I gripped the rough stones, feeling the grainy smooth texture pressing into my palms. The wind whipped here, blowing tendrils of hair around my face. I closed my eyes, and breathed it in, soaking in the feeling of the cool air caressingmy exposed skin. It was fresh, without a hint of pollution, and smelled of rain. I opened my eyes on a deep sigh, staring out at the valley below us with awe. It was my first time seeing the planet, as I’d been distracted with Rema on our entry, and I was now sad that I’d missed our flyover.
Above us, the light purple hued sky was dotted with bright stars and a bloated pale blue moon twice the size of the one back on Earth. The moon stood like a small child in front of a massive planet the color of peaches with many dark rings circling it.
“We are actually a moon of Zotias, the ringed gas giant you see there,” Lyees said, pointing a finger at the ringed planet.
“It’s amazing,” I murmured, staring at the sky. I had never been one for heavy emotions, but here on this planet and seeing all these wonders? I felt close to tears, the pressure sitting right behind my eyes, ready to let loose at any moment.
She pointed to the blue moon. “That is our sister moon, Tuaniv. It too supports life, though the climate is far hotter as it is closer to our star, and many of our people are settled there as well. During the day, our star moves from behind Zotias to give us daylight. Our moon is locked to Zotias and only this side of Tuanov receives starlight. The other half of our moon is very, very cold.”
“Huh, that’s super weird,” I said back to her, but I wasn’t really paying attention.
The city below had captured my full attention. Massive and gleaming cold silver, it was something taken right out of a futuristic comic book, with towering buildings all the color of liquid mercury and lit with neon lights of every shade and color. Zooming transport shuttles and personal flying vessels zipped back and forth between the skyscrapers like a highway in the sky, and down below them were all lush gardens and stone walkways. The people walking looked like ants from our vantage point. What was really interesting was that the balconies thathopscotched up the buildings were all open, without railings and with winged aliens gliding between them.
There were spires of open shops that stabbed into the sky, and not a single staircase or elevator to be found.
I hadn’t noticed any staircases inside the palace either, and looking back at all the open, railless balconies, they were starting to make sense.
A city built by a species with wings. A species who thought other aliens not of their own kind were less than them, so why would they build things to accommodate visitors? Stairs were only needed by inferior beings.Ooof. No wonder Rema had left and never came back.
There was a tall purple mountain range in the distance, past the city on all sides, like we were nestled in a massive bowl. It was beautiful, and not for the first time, I thanked whatever twist of fate that found me inside that jail cell with Jack when we’d been taken. I hadn’t arrived with her, and I hadn’t done anything to warrant an arrest, but two police officers yanked me off the street and threw my screeching ass into the back of their car.
I’d been gripping the bars of the holding cell and cursing out one of the cops when everything had gone black and then I woke up on the Vrax ship, naked and woozy, with a freaking out Jack hyperventilating next to me.
I tiled my head back and grinned up at the alien sky, flinging my arms out and twirling. Laughter bubbled out of my mouth, spilling out into the open air to drift away on the sweet smelling breeze.
“What has you so joyful?” Lyees asked, laughing softly at me.
I stopped spinning to grin at her. “I’m just happy to be here, Lyees. Just happy to be here.”
She threaded her lower arm in mine and pulled me along again, her emotions sweeter. “I’m glad you are happy, PattyDells. If you manage to keep that joyful nature throughout this dinner, we will all be better for it.”
Why’d she say it like that?
Chapter 8
Patty
On the other sideof the courtyard, and through another set of open double doors was a dining hall. A round room with floor to ceiling crystal windows giving a lovely view of the gas giant, and a long oval table the color of charred wood. The Queen’s four winged flaming sigil was etched into the red stone floor under the table, and the red crystal chandelier cast an eerie blood tinged glow over the room. With the red floor, the table and chairs that looked like someone had taken a torch to themto get that matte black color, and the red lighting, this was very much like a setting out of a Bram Stoker’s novel.
I bit the inside of my mouth, trying to keep my laughter at the whole room internal where it belonged.
The Queen sat at the head of the table, her back to the windows in a throne-like black chair like Dracula himself. She was wearing another black dress, this one a shiny leather-like material that looked like wet oil had been molded to her body by an artist. It was long sleeved and sat low over her shoulders, her ample breasts were one hard breath away from spilling from the deep V of her neckline. Her dark hair was braided away from her face, falling in a single thick plait over one shoulder. She’d forgone the jagged crown of red glass in favor of a simple red forehead jeweled dangly thing. Her four crimson wings were spread wide behind her, like she was posing for a Mother of Darkness painting. I had to bite my lip hard again to keep from laughing. She’d stolen Elvira’s look.
There were three empty chairs, one on her right, and two to her left. The rest, maybe fifty in total, were occupied by other winged Neldre. Including Rema’s aunt and his cousins, who watched Lyees and I with glittering eyes. Some of the others watched us as we entered, but most were having quiet conversations amongst themselves.
There was a small raised stage at the far right side of the room, next to another door, where a quartet of nearly naked male Neldre’s strummed odd string instruments that they played softly. It reminded me of the sound of a cello, but deeper. The music added to the gothic feel of the dinner.
The doors opened, and Rema walked in. He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. His eyes widened as he looked me slowly up and down, his lips parting and then he was moving across the room in a ground eating stride, his eyes never leaving me.
When he stood in front of me, the spicy taste of his arousal washed over me and I had to suppress a shudder of pure need. Judging by the way Rema’s nostrils flared and his blush rose to the surface to stain his pearly skin pink, I hadn’t been able to suppress it enough. A flower bloomed on my collar bone, under the fabric of my dress, and I watched as Rema’s eyes trailed down my throat to stare at the outline.
