Page 17 of Tears of Gold

He laughs. “Trust me, girl; no one will look at your shoes.”

Looking up, I can’t tell if it’s the fading red light or something else darkening his cheeks. I hope that my own insider view of my cleavage isn’t quite what everyone else can see. Or, maybe if it’s Harper looking, it wouldn’t be so bad. Still, I cover my chest with one hand, an old habit from checking in on my often-spasming heart.

One of the portals is already active, humming with green power. Vanrey and Erritt debate the best portal path to the capital in order to avoid bumping into academy students traveling that way, and Vanrey activates one of the other stone gates. His reddish-purple qi rolls up from the ground between the stones, glimmering in the last rays of the sun. When I think about it, the qi ability is really beautiful. I’ll miss seeing it when I go home.

I close my eyes as we step into the rolling liquid of the gateway. The qi slips over my skin, cold as the ocean in winter but thicker than water. Each step is difficult, but the sensation slips away within a second as we step clear of the gateway and out into a bustling portal hub.

Guards usher us away from the active gate and into a huge crowd of people queuing for portals to the capital. One of the guards places his hand against the pillar, pouring more orange qi into the living puddle pulsing between the stone to keep it active.

The crosshatch pattern of the pavers underfoot continues on the knee-high wall that rings the hub, giving an impression of distorted space. Five stone gateways, roughly twelve feet high and made of massive stone slabs carved with the Exerin-Mi shorthand, circle the courtyard, rock guardians guiding dozens of travelers into their open mouths.

I eye each gate warily as we shuffle slowly forward in the line, my belly clenching. Nothing good happens to me when I cross through portals. After all, stumbling on one of these was how I got stranded on Exerin-Mi in the first place—I think. A dull ache throbs between my temples as I attempt to remember how I got here, but that too is shrouded in fog.

A man with a thick beard falling over his high-neck collar jostles me as he banters with a large group of men, gesturing wildly with his arms.

“Ah, apologies, I—” He stiffens as his hand brushes my arm. “Human?” He scowls, wrinkling his beard.

Rita grabs my arm protectively. “Mind your own business, scum bucket!”

He squares off, anger flashing in his narrowed eyes, but Harper slips in at my opposite side, and the man reconsiders. He glances over my shoulder and then lowers his head. “My lords, ladies. It was my mistake.”

“Damn right it was,” Harper mutters as Rita draws me away.

“Do people have no manners?” she comments loudly, and I pulse with a silent laugh. Her initial response to me wasn’t much different.

Erritt glances toward the retreating stranger and purses his lips in annoyance. It’s not like him to show emotion, and for a moment, I’m afraid he will blast the stranger, but he turns, leading the way to the gate with Vanrey. “Let’s go.”

“I needed bodyguards like you back at school orientation day,” I say with a smile, unable to resist poking at Rita at least a little bit.

She sticks her tongue out at me, catching my reference. I roll my shoulders, letting go of the tension weighing on me since teleporting, or maybe longer. It’s nice knowing I’m protected.

After another bone-chilling walk through the portal, we emerge into slanting late-afternoon sunlight, discovering that it’s not yet sunset here. Golden light reflects off a horde of people dressed in their finest, making their way out of a portal hub as big as a football field. At least fifty gates circle the expanse ringed by a high wall, their stone slab pathways weaving between well-tended grass of a pale mint color.

My heart beats double as I survey the huge crowd. I haven’t seen this many people in one place since downtown at a shopping center—or freshman orientation—back home.

We follow a paved highway down a hill, me trying to keep up while managing my skirt blowing up in the breeze. Glowing lanterns line the road from the portal hub to the city gates, their colorful qi lights barely visible in the late afternoon atmosphere. Ahead, the capital city of Exerin-Mi stretches for miles across the valley. In the center of the metropolis, a small mountain rises, crowned by a palace. A massive wall dotted with turrets separates the royal residence from the rest of the city, and in the middle of towering spires rises a giant red dome that sparkles in the sunlight.

Awed tingles run up my spine. This is the royal palace of the Exerin emperor, the most powerful man on the planet—and Erritt’s father. Is he planning to take us there? No, he said we’d be here incognito, plus he told Rita he didn’t plan to visit his parents. I steal a glance at Erritt through my lashes, wondering why he’s avoiding his family home.

The crowd comes to a standstill as we approach the city gates. Vanrey and Erritt confer quietly, glancing over their shoulders a few times to survey the crowd, and then Vanrey jumps the line, earning us disgruntled murmurs. Erritt beckons us to precede him and brings up the rear. Feeling his gaze on the back of my neck, I stumble, bumping against Harper.

“Sorry.”

Harper flashes me a smile that makes my belly flip-flop. “Careful, the road is rough.” He takes my hand and threads his fingers through mine.

“Ye-Yeah,” I stammer.

His shoulder touches mine, and I’m suddenly nervous that I might be sweating everywhere, and I’m not sure if I put deodorant on. Not that Exerin-Mi has the sort I’m used to, mostly it’s skin cream with heavy floral scents.

Passing through the giant open gates, we find ourselves in a tunnel under the wall. We reach the front of the crowd just inside the first alcove, where guards record all visitors' identification papers. It looks a bit like the booths at an airport check-in.

My steps slow. Harper and I don’t even have legal IDs for this planet.

“Don’t worry,” Erritt says from behind. “Just keep walking.”

Vanrey approaches one of the desks and pulls up his sleeve to reveal a glittery gold bracelet with jangling chains and symbols hanging from it. The response is instantaneous. The guard snaps to attention and opens the gateway while anyone within sight bows. I peek at Erritt through my lashes, but his face is as impassive as ever. He must be used to all this kowtowing.

Vanrey ushers us all through the gateway. “Let’s get moving quickly; we don’t want a fuss,” he says quietly. But judging by the surrounding guards' bowing and alert expressions, I think we’re already too late for that.