Page 10 of All the Chaos of Constellations
“There.” Sarelle painted Novalise’s lips a deep berry, blended rouge onto her cheeks, and lined her silver eyes with kohl. She leaned back, cocking her hip to one side. “You look positively ethereal.”
Novalise opened her mouth to reply when another knock sounded on her door.
This time it was Solarius, their second oldest brother, next in line after Ariesian. His black coat was trim and sharp, the lines clean. Silver hair with jet-black tips fell to just above his shoulders, and his tall, broad outline took up nearly the entire doorframe. The crest of House Celestine was faintly embroidered onto the pocket of his coat and power radiated from him, causing the silver of his eyes to glow.
“Well.” He tucked his hands into his pockets, his solemn demeanor instantly replaced by boyish charm. “Don’t the two of you paint a pretty picture?”
Sarelle’s smile was cutting. “Remember that the next time I’m covered in stardust and you tell me I look like I’ve rolled around in a pile of glitter.”
Laughter erupted from Solarius, echoing through the bedroom. Then he offered his arm. “Novalise. Ariesian is waiting.”
Of course.
Ariesian would escort her to the observatory, where their mother would conduct her star reading in front of all the lords and ladies of Aeramere.
Novalise swallowed the rise of panic building in the back of her throat.
But then Sarelle was there, squeezing her hand once more. “No other star in the sky will shine as bright as you tonight.”
Novalise nodded and accepted Solarius’s arm.
But she couldn’t rid herself of the fear threatening to swallow her whole. A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. The words were indistinguishable, but the underlying sense of warning was ever-present. Trepidation settled across her shoulders like a weight, dragging her down as each drudging step she took brought her closer to some unknown demise. No matter how desperately she tried, she couldn’t shake the sensation that she was walking upon a glass ceiling. At any moment, it would crack, then shatter.
Novalise swallowed down the burn of terror in the back of her throat, and though her knees trembled, she assured herself of one thing.
The stars never lied.
CHAPTERFOUR
Asher could think of a million other places he’d rather be than the observatory of House Celestine—his study, in a library reading up on the wild magic of Aeramere, lost in the woods of Emberspire, facing imminent death. But alas, he couldn’t refuse his sister. Especially not when she claimed she was going to the lifting of the Veil in the hopes of finding a suitable match.
He scoffed.
No one would ever be worthy of Cyra Firebane.
Now, however, he was stuck in the observatory waiting for every fae in the room to throw themselves at Novalise’s feet. Members from all five houses of Aeramere were present. The Marintide fae of House Azurvend, the Skyhelm fae of House Galefell, and the Everland fae of House Terensel were all in attendance, along with other lords and ladies from their prominent houses. All of them were mingling together, laughing, and making a general mockery of one another with snide glances and backhanded compliments.
Though, he supposed there wereworseplaces to waste time.
The observatory of House Celestine was magnificent.
Gilded pillars rose to form ornate arches all around the wide, circular expanse of the room. Three archways were open and led to a balcony overlooking most of Aeramere. The remaining arches were all walled in and painted a dark blue, with gold constellations glinting in the light. Lapis lazuli stone steps led up to a dais near the balcony’s entrance at the far end of the room, though to Asher it looked more like a stage. Stars crafted from iridescent glass floated throughout the room, suspended by magic. Glittering opals were inlaid on the floor and scattered like stardust. Teal candles danced around the outer edges of the space, flickering and casting tiny shadows along the furthest of walls. Bronze moons and stars were melded together, forming individual trifectas before stretching up over the glass dome of the observatory. Ancient runes depicted every season, every holiday, and the constellations of every star sign.
If one believed in such nonsense.
Which Asher absolutely did not.
Cyra looped her arm through his, and her gown of flame red and black billowed around them. She looked up at him with eyes that reminded him of molten gold. “I’m so glad you decided to come with me.”
He made a derisive noise but gave her hand a gentle pat. “Pretty sure I didn’t have much choice in the matter.”
“Still, I’m glad you’re here.” Cyra moved toward the dais for a better view. Up close, he realized the dais was composed of crushed glass, a mosaic of celestial wonders. “Besides, once Lady Novalise has herstar reading, then the real party starts.”
There was something about the way Cyra said “star reading,” as though she held an air of contempt about the whole process. Like she thought the entire ordeal was an absurd waste of time. How interesting, considering his sister was usually rather fond of the ostentatious celebrations hosted by other houses. He could’ve sworn he was the only one who thought the stars were bullshit.
“The real party,” Asher repeated dully, and Cyra flashed him a look of warning.
“The Season.” She stared up at him, her golden gaze darkening as she tried to discern whether or not he was being serious. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about the Season.”
