dogs with flesh-eating spit had wiped Ariella out. Especially after the long hike through the forest. She probably should have had something to eat before sprawling out on the metal walkway to sleep. She definitely should have had something to drink. But she was just too tired.
Dehydrated and famished as she was, it didn’t surprise her when the foresights invaded her sleep.
She saw Aaron Pall ascend the steps of the imperial ballroom in Orion. As always, everything was set into high contrast black and white.
The hundreds of vases filled with roses. The forty Selpe territory banners hanging from the walls. The tables overflowing with food. A hundred or more Selpe aristocrats in glamorous dresses and tuxedos. The two neat lines of Diamond Edges standing two per step on the central staircase.
As Lord Adrian set the spiked crown on Aaron’s head, its platinum body shimmered, and its blue diamonds shone out with vibrant sparkles, cutting through a world of black and white. The lords and ladies of the Selpe Empire broke out in roaring applause. Ariella watched them, hypnotized by the building rhythm of their clapping hands. She lifted her hands to her ears, but they only clapped louder. The noise pounded louder and louder in her ears.
And then they were silent.
All eyes turned on her. Except they were not looking at her. They were staring at Isis, who stood beside Ariella in a wedding gown, her hair and jewels shimmering pink in the desaturated room. Aaron looked down on her, his hand extended. Isis took a deep breath and walked forward. Silence drenched the room—except for the click of her heels against the floor as she walked toward him. She lifted the edge of her gown from the floor and took the steps slowly. And yet she reached the top far too soon.
Aaron took Isis’s hand and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Soft chuckles rumbled from a few of the Diamond Edges on the stairs. Isis looked at Aaron, despair heavy in her eyes.
The ceremony was short—or maybe that was just the sped-up time of Ariella’s foresight. Looking into the future was about as precise as throwing paint at a wall; you never knew just what you would get.
Aaron slid a ring onto Isis’s finger and set a headband on her head. It was a smaller version of his own crown, and the blue diamonds burst through with the same vibrant color. He gave her a long kiss, then led her down the staircase.
Bright white light flooded the ballroom, flushing it out. A cold wind bit at Ariella’s skin, and she was standing on a hill overlooking a field. Overhead, the sky was cloudy and dark. Below, the ground was sown with hundreds of corpses. Elition corpses. She couldn’t see their distinctive hair through the colorless mask, but she did see enough Elition clothing and swords to recognize what they were.
And the Elitions hadn’t been killed by the humans’ bombs and blasts. They’d been killed by blades. Their bodies were torn and ripped and severed. The stench of death hung over the battlefield, seeping up into Ariella’s nose. She felt the acid rising in her throat. Unable to hold it down, she threw up all over the grass.
A hand gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Ariella looked up into Davin’s face.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“No.” She stood up, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “You?”
He turned away from the field of corpses. “No. I’m really not.” He looked scared. More scared than Ariella had ever seen him.
A flicker of movement below caught her attention, and she stepped past Davin. Someone was still alive down there. Two bodies in black strode across the field. Their weapons were drawn and dripped blood, a shade of crimson that shone violent in a scene without color.
One of the two people was a human man. He had two empty gun holsters at his hips and two long knives in his hands. They looked like Selpe military knives. Ariella squinted. Diamond Edge knives. As the man turned to look back at his companion, Ariella
Dehydrated and famished as she was, it didn’t surprise her when the foresights invaded her sleep.
She saw Aaron Pall ascend the steps of the imperial ballroom in Orion. As always, everything was set into high contrast black and white.
The hundreds of vases filled with roses. The forty Selpe territory banners hanging from the walls. The tables overflowing with food. A hundred or more Selpe aristocrats in glamorous dresses and tuxedos. The two neat lines of Diamond Edges standing two per step on the central staircase.
As Lord Adrian set the spiked crown on Aaron’s head, its platinum body shimmered, and its blue diamonds shone out with vibrant sparkles, cutting through a world of black and white. The lords and ladies of the Selpe Empire broke out in roaring applause. Ariella watched them, hypnotized by the building rhythm of their clapping hands. She lifted her hands to her ears, but they only clapped louder. The noise pounded louder and louder in her ears.
And then they were silent.
All eyes turned on her. Except they were not looking at her. They were staring at Isis, who stood beside Ariella in a wedding gown, her hair and jewels shimmering pink in the desaturated room. Aaron looked down on her, his hand extended. Isis took a deep breath and walked forward. Silence drenched the room—except for the click of her heels against the floor as she walked toward him. She lifted the edge of her gown from the floor and took the steps slowly. And yet she reached the top far too soon.
Aaron took Isis’s hand and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Soft chuckles rumbled from a few of the Diamond Edges on the stairs. Isis looked at Aaron, despair heavy in her eyes.
The ceremony was short—or maybe that was just the sped-up time of Ariella’s foresight. Looking into the future was about as precise as throwing paint at a wall; you never knew just what you would get.
Aaron slid a ring onto Isis’s finger and set a headband on her head. It was a smaller version of his own crown, and the blue diamonds burst through with the same vibrant color. He gave her a long kiss, then led her down the staircase.
Bright white light flooded the ballroom, flushing it out. A cold wind bit at Ariella’s skin, and she was standing on a hill overlooking a field. Overhead, the sky was cloudy and dark. Below, the ground was sown with hundreds of corpses. Elition corpses. She couldn’t see their distinctive hair through the colorless mask, but she did see enough Elition clothing and swords to recognize what they were.
And the Elitions hadn’t been killed by the humans’ bombs and blasts. They’d been killed by blades. Their bodies were torn and ripped and severed. The stench of death hung over the battlefield, seeping up into Ariella’s nose. She felt the acid rising in her throat. Unable to hold it down, she threw up all over the grass.
A hand gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Ariella looked up into Davin’s face.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“No.” She stood up, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. “You?”
He turned away from the field of corpses. “No. I’m really not.” He looked scared. More scared than Ariella had ever seen him.
A flicker of movement below caught her attention, and she stepped past Davin. Someone was still alive down there. Two bodies in black strode across the field. Their weapons were drawn and dripped blood, a shade of crimson that shone violent in a scene without color.
One of the two people was a human man. He had two empty gun holsters at his hips and two long knives in his hands. They looked like Selpe military knives. Ariella squinted. Diamond Edge knives. As the man turned to look back at his companion, Ariella
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