Chapter 26

Lorelai

E llax Pendorgrin walked me across the gleaming tile floor of the spaceport towards the nearest elevator. It was a fascinating building, especially to someone like me who'd never seen a world like this. Rather than runways built on the outskirts of the city—but not too far, due to the danger of marauders and roving bands of wild humans—in flat, barren places, the spaceport soared over the rest of the city, seemingly floating in the clouds. The building was all windows, offering an excellent view of the world outside. There were at least twenty skypads connected to the round spaceport by footbridges, and I could easily see at least a half-dozen other spaceport towers in the nearby vicinity. Ships were constantly coming and going.

As we hurried to the elevator, I caught glimpses outside of incredible buildings and a city laid out in neat, circular patterns. Everything was white and metal and gleaming, interspersed by tidy grey roads and decorated with neat lines of green trees and hedges. To someone like me, who'd grown up in a world blasted by war, seeing a city designed for beauty as well as function was a tremendous change. Even the Castle and the Citadel back home, the seat of Asterion power in our colony, were more like fortresses, built to protect the humans within and keep the wild humans outside. They were good, sound structures, but designed for function, rather than beauty.

"Ellax," I said, as we stood outside the elevator, waiting for it to rise to our floor, "this place is incredible. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Asterions appreciate beauty and art," he replied. The door dinged and slid open. He placed his hand on the small of my back—warm, possessive. Comforting? And ushered me inside. "We also appreciate design and function."

I stepped inside the elevator and the door slid closed. It was nice even in here. Glossy floors beneath my feet. A gleaming mirror on the wall. In it, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. The elegant, understated, yet comfortable borrowed gown. Ellax, looking like a prince in his coat, shiny boots, and the bronze circlet on his head. I could see exactly what he meant about Asterion taste, reflected even in their clothing styles.

What kind of world have I stepped into? I wondered. A world so utterly unlike my own—how would I ever fit in here? Back on the space ship, I'd been confident I could manage being Ellax's wife. Now…

My confidence was crumbling as the elevator doors opened and we strolled out into the center of the spaceport. Upstairs, there had been only a few passengers meandering about. Down here was a busy place, where shops lined the walls, and counters and booths were filled with mostly Asterions preparing to board a space ship. I saw very few humans. The majority of folks were Asterions, with several species I couldn't identify mixed into the crowds. In fact, there were enough aliens of other varieties that I didn't think I should have stood out.

I did.

Maybe it was the fact that these Asterions knew who Ellax Pendorgrin was. Clearly, they did. They cast him side glances and parted for us like water before the prow of a ship. Many nodded their heads respectfully as he walked by.

All stared at me.

I wouldn't say they gaped. From what I'd gathered so far of Asterion society, they prided themselves on a certain veneer of classiness. But they stared. I'd never seen so many golden eyes in one place, and I'd certainly never had so many eyes—golden or not—latched onto me. Ellax had looped my arm through his and strolled the crowded spaceport as if he lacked a care in the world. If he was bothered by all the attention, I couldn't tell. It bothered me, though. I could feel my legs shaking beneath my skirts. I could feel my arm trembling against my alien husband's.

Could he feel it too? He contracted his biceps, giving my forearm a gentle squeeze. Reassuring me.

The gesture was kind, but my doubts and fears were spiraling. I'd never dreamed we'd receive this much attention. I'd never dreamed my alien husband was so well known. I hadn't been prepared for any of this. How did I think I could one day walk away from this marriage and hide somewhere else? How was I going to accomplish that? I'd only been here a few minutes, and already the weight of my position was crushing me. How was this going to work? How—

We'd reached the main doors. They slid open electronically, allowing us to pass out into the balmy sunshine of an Asterion day. I'd never felt warmth like this. I didn't know what it was like to walk outside without at least a jacket or sweater of some sort. Here, I walked outside into heat and brightness that felt delicious on my skin. I blinked several times, allowing my gaze to adjust while I gazed around.

"Lorelai?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I just—I need a moment."

Everything up to this point had been overwhelming. The one thing that wasn't—the sensation of Asterion's twin suns warming my skin. I could get used to that. I could sit in it, bask in it, enjoy it, soak it up. I could—

"The delegation awaits."

"What?" Ellax's warning snapped me from my fleeting dreams of lounging in an old-fashioned bikini in the sunlight.

"Over there."

He waved towards a stand of towering trees, whose green leaves danced gently in the slightest puff of wind. They, too, were glorious. Soaring, bursting with life, with leaves so green our trees back home seemed wilted and sickly in comparison.

It wasn't the trees that made my pulse start to race.

Beneath the trees was a clump of Asterions. I probably wouldn't have picked them out from the rest, if not for their air of authority. The same authority Ellax exuded. Two males and two females, they were tall, slim, and regal, as Asterions tended to be. However, they were dressed a little differently than the common Asterions edging around us, venturing into and out of the spaceport. Like Ellax, they all wore bronze circlets on their brows. I supposed this was my confirmation that the circlet was a mark of authority, like a crown.

They were staring at us, provoking a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Here goes nothing, I thought.

To Ellax, I said, "Okay, I'm ready."

Which was the farthest thing from the truth. However, I'd sworn to do this—both to him and to myself—so do it I would.

He nodded and proceeded to lead me towards the Asterion delegation. These people had the power to change my life. These people had already changed my life, by dictating our farce of a marriage union was valid and would remain in effect. What more could they do to me?

Honestly, I was afraid to find out.