Page 70 of The Sovereign: Part One
I could only nod.No words could do justice to the raw, untamed splendor before me.
We stood, brushing dust from our clothes, and then prepared for our descent.Just as I stepped toward the south side of the rock, Maxim hesitated, his gaze locked on something in the distance.Following his line of sight, I squinted, my breath catching as I saw it.Barely visible against the shifting dusk, past the skeletal edge of the forest, were neat, methodical patches of farmland.
The Vale.
A thrill ran through me, exhilaration sparking in my veins.The stories, the whispers, the impossible notion that a place beyond Hyperion’s grasp could truly thrive.I had always known it was real, of course, but seeing it with my own eyes from beyond the wall changed everything.
I turned to Maxim, eyes wide with something between wonder and disbelief.“It’s there,” I said, as if speaking too loudly might break the illusion.“It’s actually there.”
He smiled.“It is.And it’s beautiful, even from this distance.”
“It is, isn’t it,” I said, beaming.I couldn’t look away.“Ihaveto go.I have to see it one day.If I can scale this cliff, I can hack it in the wilderness.”
His gaze softened at my reaction, but there was something else behind his eyes, a shadow of concern that hadn’t been there moments ago.Without thinking, I threw my arms around him and squeezed, still keeping my eyes on the distant patches of farmland.
“I know,” he said, his words edged with sadness.
He didn’t ask why, didn’t challenge the longing in my words, but I sensed the slightest fracture in his composure.A hint of apprehension, not in his expression but in the subtle way his hold adjusted, a fleeting hesitation before his hands smoothed along my back.
I leaned back and tilted my head up to look at him.“Maxim.With you,” I added quickly.“We’ll see it together.”
His eyes searched mine.“Of course.Together,” he echoed, but there was an edge of hesitation, as if the promise wasn’t his alone to keep.
“Well, I’m not going without you,” I said, my tone firm.“We never separate, right?In case the end of the world happens?”
“Right.”His shoulders relaxed.
“So, we’re going one day?”
“Isara,” he chided.Now it was his turn to state the obvious.“I would make anything happen for you.”
We turned back toward the south edge, the descent ahead of us, the fading sun at our backs.The gate awaited, its walls unyielding, its curfew absolute.But for the first time, I didn’t see it as a boundary.
I saw it as a threshold.
Chapter Seventeen
Celestines gleamed beneath the city’s twilight, its arched entrance framed by cascading strands of light, each glinting bead resembling stardust caught in motion.By day, the establishment exuded an opulent charm, its pearlescent façade polished to near transparency.At night, it transformed.Light pooled in its golden latticework and the transpane reflected the pulse of Hyperion Proper’s skyline, distorting the city’s symmetry into something almost dreamlike.
Our transport glided to an almost imperceptible halt at the arrival platform.Maxim stepped out first, then turned to offer his hand, guiding me down with the impeccable grace of someone born to it.Once we were clear, he instructed Calyx to send the vehicle to standby until his command to return.At once, the transport pulled away under Calyx’s control, silent, vanishing into one of the concealed sub-ports beneath the structure.
Through the transpane, I caught sight of our reflection.Maxim stood beside me, his charcoal suit sculpted to him with an ease that seemed inherent rather than designed.The fabric had a barely perceptible sheen, catching the ambient glow and tempering it into a polished finish.A dark sapphire tie anchored the ensemble, a shade deliberate enough to suggest Maxim was a distinguished guest without drawing attention.
I’d chosen a mid-length, deep emerald column dress, its smooth fabric skimming my body before flaring subtly at the hem for ease of movement.The asymmetrical neckline cut diagonally across my collarbones, dipping into a curve that framed my décolletage.A structured lapel extended from the higher side, its sharp lines balanced by the bare shoulder it left exposed.A sheer sleeve cascaded from the lapel’s edge down my left arm to the wrist, its translucence mellowing the cut.A matching emerald net lattice fascinator veil stretched from my cheekbone to my temple, pinned so subtly it seemed to float.The effect, mirrored in the transpane, was striking, timeless and modern in the same breath.
An older couple brushed past us, followed by their son, who seemed to be firmly in his Bacchanal, gauging by the way his eyes wandered over the subtle curves of my dress.
Maxim’s lips grazed my ear as he whispered, “Some things are meant to be admired from afar.You’re not one of them.”
I turned just enough to press his lips against my cheek.“And here I thought you were wildly jealous.”
“I can’t fault a man for using his eyes.The moment he reaches, he loses that privilege… and likely a hand.”
I looked down and laughed, feeling sorry for any Sovereign woman who didn’t experience her accordant the way I did.The hint of jealousy Maxim sometimes showed wasn’t just appealing, it was devastatingly attractive.
Arlo, Celestines’ evening maître d’, greeted us the moment we stepped inside.His posture remained impeccably poised, but there was warmth in the way his eyes lit up in recognition.“Ah, Senior Advisor Poeima,” he intoned smoothly.“And Maxim.”The slightest inclination of his head acknowledged my accordant with respect, though it didn’t extend to familiarity.“Your party has arrived.Allow me.”
He led us through the main floor, where the murmur of conversation wove through the melody spilling from the grand piano in the corner.The atmosphere was intoxicating, the air perfumed with notes of aged spirits and subtle florals.At a prime spot near the window, three figures stood as we approached.
