Meena squeezed his hand reassuringly, looking up the stairs at their destination. As they were moving away from the bright celebration below, Meena noticed the stars overhead for the first time since they’d arrived in Falqri. She threw her head back in awe, trusting Sol to lead her safely. “They’re so beautiful!” she whispered, her jaw hanging open.
“The stars?” Sol asked. “Have you never seen stars before?”
“Of course I have,” she responded. “But there’re trees and torches in Iseldis or maybe I just forget to look up.”
Sol stopped at the top of the staircase, tilting his head back as well.
“They are just so much brighter here. More intense,” Meena whispered in awe.
“Wait till I show you the stars from the western shore of Istroya,” Sol said.
Meena dropped her gaze from the stars overhead to the sparkle in Sol’s eyes. Had he just promised to show her the stars from his home?
“Meena, look ahead,” Sol whispered, his voice tickling her ear as he pointed to the edge of the wall.
Meena dropped her head. They were standing atop of the outer wall of the fortress. Directly in front of them, she could see the endless horizon of the sea. Dropping Sol’s arm, Meena ran forward to get an unobstructed view. Leaning over the stone wall, she instantly wanted to fly over the edge and become part of the sparkling blue in front of her.
“It’s so close but so far away.” The wall was built straight out of the cliff, looking over the edge of it was dizzyingly beautiful. An entire cliff side below her, the sandy beach stretched out, eventually swallowed by foaming white waves.
A bright moon in the cloudless sky reflected its light in the vast expanse of water, bouncing off the glossy surface as bright as daylight.
“There are stars,” Meena breathed. “In the water!” She turned quickly to find Sol.
He was standing next to her, the bright moon also reflecting in his open eyes as a very small smile graced his face.
It was the sweetest smile Meena had ever seen.
She turned back to the sea, her eyes dancing over the sparkling blue stars which erupted by the thousands whenever a wave hit the sand. Like tiny pinpricks of bright blue light, they shimmered over the surface of the sand and along the line of the crashing waves. Unlike the stars, however, the sparkling lights faded after a few moments, giving their brightness to the next wave of explosive blue.
Footsteps sounded behind her, and another couple walked by on the lonely wall.
Sol stepped behind her, placing his arms around her with his hands on the railing at her side.
“What is it?” Meena asked, relishing the gift of his closeness, and happy to speak of the waves until they were alone once more.
“No one knows exactly what causes it. Something in the water reacts to pressure, creating the burst of light.” His voice rumbling over her ear made the moment more magical than she could have imagined.
“Is it always here in Falqri?” Meena asked. “Have you seen it before? Does the sea do this on—” Meena caught herself in time, though the other couple was likely out of earshot. “On the shores of Allys?”
“No, not in Allys,” Sol responded, his hands nudged closer to hers on the railing, brushing his arms down her shoulders. “But I’ve seen it in other places. It only takes place during goldenreign.”
Meena wanted to ask him if it was a product of magic, but she remembered to keep that question for later. Instead, she relaxed, letting her back close the small distance between them as she leaned into his chest. “I love it,” Meena said.
“I think it has something to do with the warmer weather,” Sol said. “The changing temperature of the water allows for new organisms to grow.”
Sol stood back, removing his closeness. “They’re gone.”
Meena instantly stood up straight, twisting around to face Sol.
Sol had merely been doing his part to keep up their ruse. He had not leaned closer to her to be, well, closer to her. She needed to stop getting so distracted. “What else did you learn?” Meena asked, her voice serious.
Sol glanced around, as if to ensure they were truly alone before he spoke. “It’s in the cellar.”
“The cellar? Below the kitchens?”
“Yes,” Sol said.
“But wouldn’t that bring too much attention to it? I’m assuming the kitchen is very busy,” Meena asked.
