Page 63 of Only Cold Depths
The Colliers climbed into a transport, along with Leland, Siya, and Rigel. I helped Vesper and Asterin into a second transport, while several guards armed with blasters boarded a third vehicle. Lord Aldrich might be using Vesper and me as bait, but he wasn’t taking unnecessary chances.
The transports glided out of the courtyard, away from the estate, and down the mountain into the city. About twenty minutes later, the vehicles dropped us off in front of the antiques emporium. Strings of gold lights were draped over the emerald dome, and the structure gleamed even more brightly than the silvery Frozon moon in the night sky.
Throngs of people dressed in glittering gowns and sleek tailcoats were heading into the dome, but I didn’t spot Esmina and Pollux. What I did spot were several squads of House Collier guards and Hammers. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if Esmina had already seen the extra security measures with her precog power and figured out a way to thwart the guards. Time would tell.
Lord Aldrich and Lady Verona walked along a green carpet that ran by an area filled with gossipcast reporters. The couple waved and smiled for the cameras that were clicking, flashing, and recording their every movement. Siya, Rigel, and Leland followed the Colliers, but Asterin held out her hand, stopping Vesper and me.
“I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to preen for the cameras,” she muttered. “This way.”
Asterin skirted around the perimeter of the dome and led us to a side door that wasn’t mobbed by reporters. The guards stationed there waved her on through, although they eyed Vesper and me with suspicion before letting us pass.
We walked along a corridor, then went through another door to enter the dome. Vesper stopped, her eyes widening in wonder. I stopped too, also awed by the transformation.
Yesterday the emporium had been filled with aisle after aisle of antiques, but those objects had been removed and replaced with topiaries similar to those on the Collier estate. But instead of evergreen trees or hedges, these sculptures were composed of smooth, polished, glittering crystals in every color imaginable—green, blue, red, purple, pink. Scores of gold lights dripped down from the ceiling, hitting the crystals and painting rainbows on the floor.
Even more impressive was the fact that part of the dome’s wall had been removed, revealing a hidden topiary garden. Trees, hedges, and more crystal sculptures stretched out into the open air, although a warming shield kept the cold wind and flakes of snow from gusting into the dome itself.
My gaze roamed over the rest of the dome. Tables filled with food, musicians strumming instruments on a hoverdais, people whirling around the dance floor to the lively tune. It was eerily similar to a Regal ball and yet distinctly different, especially when it came to the decorations—or lack thereof.
Instead of flowers, fountains, or pretty streamers, one entire wall was filled with glass shelves lined with chunks of lunarium, sapphsidian, coal, wood, and more raw materials. Other shelves boasted miniature models shaped like castles, spaceships, production plants, and even Frozon moons.
Men and women of all ages were walking past the shelves, peering at the contents, and snapping photos with their tablets. Every few feet, holoscreens flashed names, locations, and other pertinent facts, as though we were at a museum instead of a society event.
Lady Asterin Armas . . .
Off to the right, a holoscreen flashed her name, then scrolled through a list of items. Lights flickered on and off, highlighting the corresponding items on the nearby shelves.Lunarium on Frozon 3 . . . Sapphsidian on Tropics 29 . . . Coal mines on Temperate 13 . . .
The list of mineral rights and mines went on and on, but no one gave Asterin’s holoscreen a second glance. All the Erztonians strolled past her station to peer at the screens of other lords and ladies to see what resources they had to offer. Some people even stopped and tapped in information on the screens, which let out soft chimes of confirmation.
“Isn’t it charming?” Asterin said in a bitter voice. “How my net worth is on display for everyone to see, comment, and bid on?”
Two older women heard her words and clucked their tongues in reproach, even as they moved on to the next display.
“So people look at your . . . dowry?” Vesper asked in a puzzled voice. “And then bid on . . . what, exactly?”
Asterin’s mouth twisted. “Whether they want the opportunity to court me.”
Vesper’s nose crinkled in disgust. “Ugh! That’s awful.”
I shrugged. “Similar practices are common among the Regal Houses, although such negotiations are not quite so . . . public.”
Vesper’s nose crinkled with more disgust. “But what about being attracted to someone? Or loving them? Or having a chance at happiness?”
Asterin let out a low, bitter laugh. “Attraction, love, and happiness don’t lastnearlyas long as mineral rights and mines do.”
Her words matched my own jaded views, especially since so many Regals had tried to engage me in relationships—romantic, business, and otherwise—in hopes of getting their hands on the Caldaren fortune.
Asterin’s gaze landed on the holoscreen flashing her name, and her mouth twisted again. “I need a drink.”
“I’ll join you,” Vesper said. “Kyr, you want anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to wander around.”
Vesper gave me a knowing look. “You’re going to double-check the security and see if Esmina and Pollux have managed so sneak into the ball.”
I grinned. “You know me too well.” My grin vanished. “Be careful.”
“You too,” she murmured.
