Page 28 of Celestial Bodies

Dacias shook his head. “Arlo. If you need me to agree to that to convince you to come, then I will, but you know I would never just run away if—”

Julen put his hand over Dacias’s mouth. “Look at me. If something happens at the checkpoint or the festival or anything that would jeopardize you, I will say I have no idea who you are. I will toss the UIN so they can’tconnect you to this, and you will run. Look me in the eyes and promise you will run, or I won’t come.”

Dacias stared intently at Julen, then kissed his forehead. “Fine. I promise I will obey if you need to hear this.”

Not the answer I wanted, but one I’ll accept.Julen took a deep breath and nodded. “We won’t linger in the city center? We’ll go to the festival far from the city, right?”

“Yes, it’s out there. It’s very rustic, and the people can get wild, but in a good way. They lack the polish of the urban folk, but it is refreshing.”

Julen smiled. He loved everything about Dacias. He was so unpretentious. So different from everyone in Lapistra.

He took another breath. Julen had to admit he desperately wanted to see Rugiria, and it seemed like this was important to Dacias. “All right. Lead the way.”

???

Julen’s hands trembled as they approached the Rugirean border, and the guardians asked to see their UINs.

This is it.The guardians glanced at the numbers, matched them to their records, and waved them along. It couldn’t have been more anticlimactic.

Dacias nudged Julen’s shoulder. “See? I told you this would be fine.”

Julen’s mind swirled, fixating on how easy it had been to get past the checkpoint when the Rugirean capital appeared.

The entire city looked like a stained glass window come to life. Three-story buildings made of what looked like giant opals bordered the winding roads. Hibiscus and ixora grew everywhere, and the trees had seafoam-green leaves he had never seen before.

As Dacias led him down the cobblestone road, Julen brushed his hands along the low-hanging leaves. They had a velvety texture and smelled incredibly fresh. Dacias bent down to pick an orange hibiscus and placed it over Julen’s ear.

“Looks good on you. Welcome to Rugiria.”

A group of children chased a duck through the cobblestone streets, running between Dacias and Julen. The duck hid behind a shrub and emerged as a young woman about Dacias’s age.

The chase continued, the little children squealing with delight.

The glowing crystals illuminated the streets in hues of yellow and orange. The colors, the smells, the people—it was all magical.

Julen looked at Dacias, barely able to hide the wonder he knew was all over his face. “It’s so beautiful. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Dacias, you are so lucky!”

Dacias approached and wrapped his arms around Julen. “I am. Especially now that you are here.”

Julen could barely speak. The combination of being with this boy in this place felt like a dream—a dream he never wanted to wake up from.

Guilt gnawed at Julen’s belly. Dacias had no idea how dangerous this indeed was. He had just smuggled Haligran’s son into Rugiria. He should have told Dacias before they left, but it had all been so overwhelming.I have to. I can’t lie anymore.

“Dacias, I need to tell you…” Julen looked at Dacias. His blue eyes met Julen’s. The thought of losing Dacias was like a knife into the heart. He couldn’t imagine it.

He wanted to confess, but he felt so afraid of losing this moment and losing this boy by his side.Not yet.“I feel so lucky to have met you. You have no idea how much…”

Dacias kissed him on the forehead. “I’m thrilled Souzie told me you’d be in that bookshop.”

Julen almost fell over. “What?!”

“Don’t be mad! I had to find you somehow. I made her help me. I cornered her at the Crag. She had no choice.”

Julen rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you had to twist her arm. I’ll have to talk with her about that.”

“You absolutely cannot because she told me she’d kill me if I told you. Don’t mention it, please. I wanted you to know that you are welcome here, and so is your friend. If you ever want to bring her, you should. I can tryto snag another UIN.” He leaned in and spoke in a whisper. “I’m pretty sure my brother is seeing her, but he won’t confirm it.”

Julen’s breath hitched. “No! Really? She didn’t mention it!”

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