Chapter One
Lena
The ceremony was so romantic. At first, when Lena heard her twin sister would marry an Aethari in some kind of Aetharian rite, she'd been worried. But Liria had always been the level-headed one out of the two of them. She often said that Lena walked around with her head in the clouds. Which made Liria's marriage to one of the winged Aethari ironic. Or rather, an un-winged Aethari. Thaxvarien had lost his wings when he was captured by Nethren and taken underground, but somehow, he had regained his ability to fly. So yes, Liria would be the one with her head in the clouds.
Liria's new husband was incredible—handsome, tall, muscular, and blessed by both Sources. He was an Aethari who could converge—someone who had never existed before. And he didn't just converge in the Medean way. Thaxvarien Rennux could converge living things.
Or so Lena had heard. She'd yet to see him converge or even fly, but she believed her sister. It was hard not to with all the Aethari who joined Thaxvarien's cause. Their home had been turned into a sort of military and religious compound. Lena wasn't sure what they were doing there. Something about changing Aethari laws and taking the Aethari race into a new future where they interacted more with Medeans.
Lena was all for that. Especially after she'd met Evellor.
The Aethari soldier was Thaxvarien's Second-in-Command, and before that, he had been the Speaker of Icara's guard. But now, Evellor lived on the surface, in Liria's home. And he had nearly died during a traitorous uprising when two of the guards assigned to Thaxvarien's security detail decided he was some kind of chosen one who needed to rule them all. It was insane. The rebels killed almost all of Thaxvarien's other guards in their sleep. Only Evellor had survived.
For which Lena was grateful.
With blond hair so pale that it was practically white and ice-blue eyes that would have faded into the whites if not for the deep blue rings around them, Evellor reminded Lena of the knights in the stories she used to read as a little girl. The deep, almost umber tone of his skin enhanced his pale hair and eyes. It made his eyes look as if they were glowing. Especially when he stood in the sunshine. As he did now.
Lena focused back on her harp.
She was playing for her sister's entrance with her betrothed to their ceremony. Rite. Whatever it was. The march down the aisle of sorts was one of the few Medean traditions they included in the ceremony. Liria was stunning in her pale blue gown, and Thaxvarien was the most dashing groom Lena had ever seen. He didn't need wings to have gravitas. Thaxvarien's charisma preceded him as if it were a tangible thing. And that face. He was striking. Even Liria couldn't resist him, and she'd never been the romantic type. They made an incredible sight, striding into the meadow together.
The guests were a mix of Medeans and Aethari. They threw flower petals on the ground before the advancing couple—another Medean tradition. A soft smile came to Lena's face as she watched them approach Thaxvarien's father, the Speaker of Icara. The imposing Aethari man stood in an odd circle of black dust and feathers at the front of the gathering—part of that Aetharian rite. As Lena looked from her smiling sister to the end of the aisle, her fingers kept moving over the strings. She didn't have to look at her harp to play it. Every musical instrument Lena had ever picked up had become an extension of her. She learned the feel and sound of them in minutes. Lena could strum her harp with her eyes closed if she wanted to. But this scene was too beautiful to miss.
Then her stare stuttered, caught upon Rallorival.
It was just Lena's luck that the Aethari soldier she admired didn't show any interest in her. Instead, it was this brash, annoying, arrogant idiot who pursued her relentlessly. He may be an Aethari with blond hair, but Rallorival was nothing like the loyal, brave Evellor. He was the man who had led the very same rebel force that had murdered Evellor's team.
After Thaxvarien and Liria had gone up to Icara to stop the uprising, Rallorival, who had believed he was fighting for Thaxvarien's cause, faced his idol's disapproval. Rallorival gave up his position among the rebel forces and returned to the surface with Thaxvarien and Liria, bringing many of his people with him to Thennis and the vast estate Thaxvarien had named Middle Ground. They were the first of Thaxvarien's following.
Thaxvarien hated that term—following—but there was no denying that he was their leader, and they obeyed him. He might even become the king whom Rallorival and his soldiers wantedhim to be. All of Thaxvarien's followers idolized him, especially Rallorival. Yet another reason he annoyed Lena.
Who wanted a man who bent his knee to another? Not Lena. She wanted someone who would stand beside his friend and choose to support him while still keeping his own worth. A man like Evellor.
But it was Rallorival who stared at her. Rallorival—so muscular and tall that he appeared brutish even when he smiled at her. Blond, but darker than Evellor. Dirty-blond—an appropriate term. His eyes were a boring gray that matched his boring gray wings. Everything about him seemed to reinforce Lena's dislike.
Lena determinedly looked away from Rallorival. At least she wouldn't have to mingle much at the celebration. She was going to sing, and after that, she would attend her sister. Lena hoped that Evellor attended Thaxvarien. Then maybe she could catch Evellor's attention at last. But Lena rarely got what she wanted. The only thing that ever went her way was music. Sometimes, she wondered if that would be all she had in her life. And most times, she was all right with that.
This was not one of those times.
Watching her sister with her beloved made Lena ache for something similar. She wanted a man who looked at her the way Thaxvarien looked at Liria. Liria was his entire world. Anyone with eyes could see that. And he was hers. Liria had gone underground for Thaxvarien, braving a Nethren city full of enemies to bring him back to the surface. What kind of love was that? Surely it would outlast the stars. It would certainly outlast their current bodies. Lena knew, deep inside, that long afterLiria and Thaxvarien died, their love would linger, inspiring those who had known them. It had already changed Lena.
Lena glanced over and met the cold, stone-gray eyes of the Aethari rebel. Ugh. Was Rallorival even capable of love? No, he wasn't for her. If only she were brave enough to tell him that.
Then Liria entered the Aethari circle with her betrothed, and a strange feeling swept through Lena while an image of a face filled her mind. It was so quick, but she knew she'd just had a glimpse of her beloved. Dear sweet convergence! Had she just received a power to match her sister's? Liria had recently developed the ability to see the future—an ability proven true after her prediction of the war in Icara. Now, Lena had seen something that she knew, in her soul, was an image of her future. The man she had just seen would change her life forever. Lena couldn't recall his features, but one thing had seared itself into her mind—his hair was blond. Bright, golden blond. No, not exactly Evellor's shade, but that could have been a trick of the light. It certainly wasn't dark enough to be Rallorival.
Smiling to herself, Lena played on.
Chapter Two
Lena
“You have a beautiful voice.”
Lena winced but tried to hide her unease as she turned to face Rallorival. It wasn't just what he had once been that unnerved her. There was something about him that made her want to run in the opposite direction. Her hands shook, and she had to clench them into fists. “Thank you,” she murmured and moved to turn away.
“Wait.” Rallorival grabbed her arm.
Lena cringed as if he were going to hit her. Again, it was irrational, but the instinct couldn't be ignored.
