Finally, we arrived at a suite of rooms carved directly into the mountainside. The guard opened the door for me and stood aside. I hesitated on the threshold, thrown by the sheer opulence: polished stone floors, an enormous bed draped in lace and gold, a wide hearth already burning, and windows that opened to the sky. Everything gleamed with wealth and power—and none of it felt like mine.
“Five minutes,” Commander Talon said quietly as I stepped inside.
I glanced back at Shazeera, who stood patiently beside the commander, and just knowing that she was here steadied me. I was miles from home, but I wasn’t alone.
I dropped my bag just inside the door, peeled off my travel-worn clothes, and changed into my most formal outfit—something I rarely had occasion to wear at home. I pinned up my hair, secured the headscarf, and fastened the golden diadem in place with trembling fingers. Then I looked into the polished mirror and saw a stranger: regal, composed, and outwardly unshaken. No one would know I’d just flown for hours or left almost everything I loved behind.
With a deep breath, I pulled open the door. Commander Talon didn’t say anything when I stepped back into the hall, but his eyes swept over me once, lingering just long enough to make heat rise in my cheeks before he turned away.
“If you would follow me,” Commander Talon said. He turned and began walking, and I fell into step beside Shazeera.
Wide halls yawned before us, the walls uncovered. I frownedat the cold gray granite everywhere I looked, while the only color came from artifacts on display. Enormous jade vases sat on marble pedestals beside paintings with such startling detail I found my steps slowing in wonder, and life-size sculptures of animals made entirely from glass filled the space.
Silence reigned, so much so that every hoofbeat from Shazeera rang like drums, and even my slippered feet echoed. I glanced frequently at Commander Talon, but whatever glimpse of amusement I’d seen in his eyes before was now gone, to be replaced by the guarded expression that seemed to be how everyone’s face here looked.
The alienation hit me so hard I nearly whimpered. I hadn’t been here five minutes, and I desperately missed color, and smiling, and talking, and laughter.
Are you all right?Shazeera asked.
Just homesick already, and we’ve been here approximately twenty seconds.
We passed beneath marble columns wider than two horses, and then we arrived at doors so tall and wide a giant eagle could walk through with its wings outstretched.
The first thing I noticed as I walked into the throne room was the silence. It was thick and pressing, like the calm after a violent storm. Emperor Altair sat on a granite stone on a dais facing a cavernous room with regular intervals of columns. Behind him stood an eagle, smaller and more delicate-looking somehow than Neo.
The cavernous room dwarfed everything in it—even the giant eagle. When I looked out at the crowd of people, a sea of black, white, and gray gazed back at me, the style so different from my own. High necklines, long skirts, and wide-cut sleeves covered them in such an austere and modest way that it made me lookhalf naked in contrast. I admired the fabrics, though. The women wore silks and heavy satin with intricately embroidered robes that fell all the way to the floor. Extremely impractical, but beautiful. The men wore black leather armor or high-necked tunics with pants, their boots scrupulously clean and shiny.
I stood out like a peacock amongst crows. Even though I was met with haughty looks, it didn’t bother me. I was taught that our bodies were a thing of beauty, and being around mostly women and horses my whole life had made me very unselfconscious.
Whatdidbother me was the fact that the men were in the middle of the room facing the throne, while the women were separated from them and off to the side. A glance at the dais where Altair sat showed a smaller throne slightly behind and to the side of his. I supposed that one was for me.
Emperor Altair stood and held out his hand to me, but he didn’t smile. Commander Talon continued by my side as we approached the dais. My first real look at the man who was to be my husband, and I felt underwhelmed. Next to his cousin, he seemed much thinner and frailer, like he spent most of his time indoors. They both had similar features, like straight noses, though the emperor’s was slightly more curved, reminding me of an eagle’s beak, which I supposed was appropriate. They both had strong, angular jaws, though Commander Talon’s was shadowed with dark hair and more pronounced, whereas the emperor still had baby-smooth skin. Their mouths, too, were similar, with full lips that seemed to balance out the more masculine features.
Commander Talon handed over the treaty with a bow. After a quick glance at Ama’s signature, Emperor Altair passed it over to a servant dressed all in black.
“Commander Talon has returned from the Mid-Plains bearing a signed peace treaty with the Children of Earth,” EmperorAltair announced as I climbed the steps of the dais and turned to face the crowd of people. “The war is officially at an end.”
Murmurs ran through the crowd along with shared looks of surprise. No cheers or other expressions of joy, though. You would think everyone would be happy for the end of a war.
Emperor Altair motioned to me. “May I present First Daughter Zara of the Children of Earth,” he said to the people. “In a gesture of goodwill for both our peoples, I will be marrying First Daughter Zara in one month.”
Silence greeted me. No bows or curtsies or any other sign of respect.
One man with closely cropped hair approached the dais, brought his hands together over his abdomen, and bowed—but only toward Emperor Altair.
“Yes, Lord Heron?” Emperor Altair said, his hooded eyes contributing to the impression that he found this whole process tedious.
“Will the Children of Earth be in attendance?”
“No.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised, not really. It was impractical to say the least. How would we even get everyone to the palace? There was no way any of them would consent to being carried by eagles—the thought of Mariyah allowing that to happen forced me to suppress a grin. I also didn’t want anyone to witness my participation in the humiliating ceremony. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that it was insulting, and my lip curled as I glanced from Lord Heron to Emperor Altair. It seemed obvious that the question had only been asked to make sure my people wouldn’t be there to foul up the ceremony.
Commander Talon took a step forward to draw the emperor’s attention. “With your permission, Lord Emperor, now that thetreaty has been safely delivered, I will give the order to recall the Eagle Riders and infantry.”
My breath caught in my throat at his words as I pictured our enemy leaving the battlefield at last—something we hadn’t even dared dream about for so long.
Emperor Altair nodded once, and Talon saluted him before turning on his heel and striding out of the throne room. I swallowed hard when I glanced around the room now bereft of anyone I knew. At least I still had Shazeera with me. I leaned into her warm side, enjoying the momentary flood of relief that spread through me. No longer would daughters and sons face the horrors of war.
