Page 63 of The Shadow of Polaris

Ijerked upright, the remnants of sleep still fogging my mind.

“It’s alright, you’re safe.” Aryx’s quiet voice was soothing. A fresh citrus smell wrapped around me as he stepped through bright beams of morning light, pouring through a wall of glass to my left. Sweat drenched the gauzy sheets resting over me. I stroked the clean bandages now wrapped around my arm. My throat was dry and chafed, making it hard to swallow the lump in my throat.

“Where are we?” I asked, peering down at the satin shift draping low over my pale skin.

“We’re in Altair’s palace, above the city. You’ve been sleeping for three days now. Try not to move. I don’t think your hands are fully recovered yet.” He sat on the bed next to me.

“Three days?! What happened to Rah? We have to make preparations.” I leaned forward, pausing as a bullet of pain pierced through my skull.

“Easy, easy. Everything’s okay. Altair is handling our transport. There are a hundred ships to take us and our armies across the sea. You need to rest and focus on recovery.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

“I’ve had three days of rest. We need to end this. Now.” I swung my feet to the ground, ignoring the cramp in my right hand.

“Elpis. Please, just take a breath.” He stood over me, holding out his hand.

I took it and stumbled to my feet. The muscles in my calves felt brittle, as if they’d shriveled while I slept. I flexed my toes and took a dizzy step.

“We need to alert Procyon. It will take weeks for his men to travel from the Western City. We’re running out of time. Every breath wasted is an opportunity for Tethys to get one step ahead,” I snapped, leaning against the wall for support.

“Fine, fine. Send the arrow. And Rah’s here. He returned to Altair’s side when the god appeared after you passed out. That old snake just snapped his fingers and materialized out of thin air. If it’s that easy for him, I’m not sure why he sent us on a death mission to retrieve his bird.” Aryx scowled, brushing his fingers through his hair.

“And Arcturas? Where is she? I need my wolf.”

“Arcturas is outside with Kratos. The two have been inseparable since we’ve arrived. Altair claims he isn’t a savage who lets beasts dine at the dinner table beside him. She’s waiting for you, don’t worry,” he said.

“Fine.” I wrapped a loose white robe around my night dress, tying the golden rope tightly across my waist.

Twisting my hair into a low knot at the nape of my neck, I smoothed the sleep from my skin. “Let’s go send that arrow.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Aryx asked. He held up a delicate silver chain that held my key.

I swiped it from his hand and quickly fastened it back into place.

“The key to your heart,” he sighed, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Say another word and this key very well might unlock some place else.,” I hissed, glaring at his perfect ass in those leather pants.

He chuckled and laced his fingers through mine. “You’re just a ball of sunshine in the morning.”

“Oh, shut it. Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time already.” Before hearing his response, I rushed through the bedchamber door.

Altair’s palace was as every bit adorned as the jewels that dripped from his smooth, brown skin. Unlit golden candelabras, mounted in pairs, lined the narrow walls of glass. Woven rugs stretched across gilded tile, reflecting the early coastal sunlight. Peaceful crystalline waves stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction.

I continued down the hallway, stopping only when I realized I had no clue where to go.

“The stairs on your right lead up to the terrace.” Aryx pointed to a set of stairs carved from white sediment.

I hobbled breathlessly up the flight, clinging to the golden railing for support. After three days in bed, my muscles groaned and cramped against the movement.

Potted agapanthus and lavender rustled in the gentle breeze. Their sweet, delicate scent, contrasting the sharp salt of the ocean below, wafted through the small terrace. A trellis of wild jasmine hung overhead. Its small, white blooms speckled around each wooden beam. I leaned over the stone railing, breathing deeply as the tropical sun rays warmed my face.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Aryx wrapped his arms around my waist, his body pressed into my back.

“I’ve experienced nothing like it before,” I said, tracing the veins of his hands. “When I was a child, we’d vacation here in the Southern City for a month or two, probably to escape the harsh cold of the North. Building sandcastles and swimming was all I looked forward to for the rest of the year. One of the few memories of my father I have left is sitting on his shoulders as he waded out into the water, pretending we were explorers on a noble quest. But this view, the scent of the air? It truly is breathtaking.”

I smiled, feeling the warm caress of the sun across my face.

Brushing the loose strand of hair aside, Aryx kissed my cheek. “Maybe one day we’ll make memories here together.”

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