Page 13 of Stars in Nova

The attendant hesitated. ‘Ma’Shella? She left without warning. Management had to find someone new. This one’s called Samira. I’ve heard she’s good.’

The Rider raised a chin at him and nodded, conceding.

Still, irritation prickled his skin.

He didn’t appreciate change, not here, in the one place he came to forget.

However, as the woman named Samira ascended, her movements fluid and hypnotic, his annoyance began to wane.

She spun, her form entwined with the silk, her limbs an extension of the fabric. She climbed higher still, her silhouette framed against the glowing mist, then released her hold.

For a breathless moment, she fell, twisting and spiraling in a controlled free fall before the material caught her again.

The audience gasped, and Kisan found himself leaning forward, entranced.

The graceful dancer didn’t just perform; she commanded the water andfokk, the air above it.

Her movements told a story of strength and fragility, power and grace.

She twisted her physique into impossible shapes, her muscles taut, her every motion precise yet effortless.

The silk wrapped and unwrapped her like a living thing, catching the glow of the lake and casting it across her skin. She seemed to shine, a beacon in the dim cavern.

Her finale was a slow descent, the shimmering fibers spiraling around her as she lowered to the stage.

Then she drove into the water and disappeared.

Kisan leaned in, wondering if the show was done and dusted.

Without warning,sheshot out of the lake.

She tumbled high above it and then dove.

Impossibly, she halted a fraction over its surface, and the entire audience gasped.

With a graceful twirl, she righted herself and began to dance across the water.

Kisan arched a brow as she glided on a cushion of air.

This was freakin’ new.

Narrowing his eyes on the energy bands from her feet to the water’s surface, creating an electrified tension.

It was stunning, a visual feast of fluid artistry.

He’d never seen anything like it.

The mist thickened as she reached the edge of the lake, where she hovered still, arms raised and head bowed as though surrendering to the lake’s glow.

It was then that her eyes flew up and found his.

For a moment, the world around him ceased to exist.

Her glittering gaze locked onto his.

He jolted, for it was like she perceived straight through him. Past the layers of regret and guilt, the façade of the stoic warrior, to the broken man beneath.

His chest tightened, a sensation he hadn’t experienced in years. It wasn’t fear, but it was close.

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