Page 35 of Heavenly Bodies

Enzo looked bewildered at her. ‘And what did you do for him?’

‘I dreamwalked to him. Accidentally. And the dream he was having was…of when he first arrived at the palace.’

Enzo’s eyes darkened. ‘So you know what he did?’

She nodded.

‘And you didn’t tell anyone?’

Elara shrugged. ‘It’s not my business to tell.’

Enzo looked at her for a long time before they continued to the orchards, where more lightwielders were using their magick to help the plants and flowers grow.

‘We have one of the best bounties in Celestia thanks to our light,’ Enzo explained. ‘Verdans, of course, are the masters when it comes to the earth. But we’re the next best place; we can grow just about anything in Helios.’

He halted before a flowerbed. ‘Ready for your first test?’

She took a deep breath, nodding.

Enzo crouched down. It was bizarre. Here was this arrogant prince, kneeling in the dirt, his courtiers and workers not blinking an eye at the sight.

She gingerly settled beside him, as Enzo raised his hands. Light shone from them over a patch of what looked like empty soil. She tensed at the sight of it, but didn’t flinch.

And then, to her wonder, small green shoots pushed up from the soil. Enzo flared the light a little brighter, and flowers began to grow upon the stems, tiny periwinkle stars.

Forget-me-nots.

Just like that, they’d bloomed. She looked to him as he plucked them. He handed the small bunch to her. ‘Feel them,’ he ordered. ‘They can’t hurt you, can they?’

She took it, felt the velvet softness of the petals, the warmth from his magick.

‘There,’ he said, as she tucked the bunch behind her ear. ‘You just touched something created by the Light.’

Elara kept the forget-me-nots pressed in her copy ofThe Mythas of Celestia.Every day that followed, Enzo gradually helped Elara to get more comfortable around the element she had feared her whole life. He took her to the Lantern District, where some of the most talented crafters she’d ever seen created the lights that floated around the palace, twinkling in various hues of apricot, bronze and gold. They visited the Dial Quarter, where dials were hewn from bronze, a kernel of light infused in each one, which mirrored the Light above to track the time.

They visited a museum, where Enzo pointed out how theincredible sculptures that littered the city were carved from the same kind of light that he wielded. Wherever they went, Enzo was adored and revered. He was warm, charming, flirtatious. But no citizen feared him. Not like the people of Asteria had.

In between the Helion tours, they trained. It was as physically demanding as it had always been, but without Enzo spewing his usual verbal vitriol, Elara was able to focus more on her technique, her stamina, disarming Enzo increasingly.

He still hadn’t touched her again with his light. She still hadn’t asked him to.

And then, there was another nightmare, another unwelcome memory.

‘Just try, Lara. I don’t understand why you can’t do it. It’s been years since the incident.’

Lukas had been getting terrible headaches, and growing more cruel and irritable by the week. All his patience had been slowly worn away. And Elara understood why. She was useless. Eighteen years had passed, and there wasn’t a wisp of shadow in sight.

‘How can you expect to become queen, if you can’t wield one of your most important powers?’

Tears rolled down Elara’s cheeks, and Lukas threw his hands up in exasperation. ‘You’re too sensitive, Lara.’ When she continued to cry, his eyes softened. ‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured, kissing her cheek. ‘It’s these headaches. Maester Divinet thinks it’s something to do with my shadows. But I just…Elara, I love you. I only want what’s best for you. You know that, don’t you? When you ascend the throne, many Asterians will see it as an opportunity to challenge you unless you show no weakness. And these emotions…they’re just that. Weaknesses.’

‘For once I agree,’ Sofia said from the door. Lukas sighed and left, making himself scarce as he always did around Sofia.

‘He’s too jealous, Lara. Too possessive of you,’ Sofia said, approaching.

Elara wiped her tears. She didn’t want to fight with Sofia too, so she remained silent. ‘But these emotions of yours,’ Sofia said gently. ‘I can see the way they hurt you. You need to learn to put them in a box. Lock it, and throw away the key. You’ll drown in your feelings if you’re not careful.’

Elara sniffed. ‘I know.’

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