“Are you excited to be going to your birth star?” Aida turned to me, her eyes glowing.
“Yes.” I grinned, reminding myself why I had been excited about this trip in the first place—the fire star was linked to my primary element, and if there was anywhere in the worlds where my abilities might be at their strongest, it was there.
“I can’t wait to sleep in the palace,” Aida replied, “and eat fae food. The night’s going to be amazing, trust me.” She gave my hand a squeeze, guessing how I felt.
Ibrahim waved to get our attention.
“Everyone gather round—we’re going to depart in one minute.”
Everyone muttered their assent and did as Ibrahim instructed. Serena moved to stand next between Aida and me, grasping each of our hands.
“Wait!” Serena said to her parents. “Where is Phoenix?”
Before Tejus or Hazel could reply, Phoenix’s voice came from behind us. “Here.” We all turned and looked up at his grinning face.
“Where have you been?” Serena scolded him.
He shrugged, still outside the circle everyone was forming. “Just finishing something up—never you mind, little sis.”
Serena turned back to face her parents, who stood opposite us. “Whatever.”
“Get in the circle, Phoenix,” Aida muttered, and finally he did.
Corrine clapped her hands. “All right, all right. Ready everyone?”
“Ready,” everyone chorused.
A moment later, we were standing on the snowy peaks of Mount Logan. I shivered, hit by the sudden extreme drop in temperature, but it would only be temporary. We all piled into the portal walled by grayish blue mist, and started to glide along—our pace kept slow by the witches’ magic, to prevent the vortex from sucking us right down. Corrine gestured that we should start moving closer toward the wall of the portal, and soon we were enveloped in its thick mists, totally blinded and disorientated for a few moments until we broke through to the other side. The mists disappeared to reveal an expanse of blackness, small pinpricks of stars surrounding us as we floated through the dense silence. This part of the journey was a strange one; the stars and the great, black void were so awe-inspiring that it made me want to stay forever, but the crushing and absolute absence of noise also started to feel like it would drive me mad.
The fae planets came into view, the small spheres glowing brightly as we moved toward them. Their light bounced off the smooth skin of my friends, giving them an iridescent, unearthly appearance.
Our journey sped up, and soon we were descending onto the star. I closed my eyes briefly as the jolt of the last part of the journey made me feel slightly queasy, and when I opened them, I was standing on the ground—the magnificence of the fire star sprawled out before me.
Aida
[Victoria and Bastien’s daughter]
After my feet touched solid ground, it took me a few more seconds to comprehend the sight that greeted me. There was so much to see, so many spectacular colors and sights and smells that it was almost a violent assault to my senses.
I stared, open-mouthed, as elegant dancers swirled across the lawn, swathes of delicate scarves being waved in tempo to a jumble of musical sounds, the beat languid and soft before picking up into a bursting roll of drums and pipes. There were at least five different bands all playing at once, ensembles made up of several fae, but somehow all keeping in tune with one another. Fae guards stood to attention in rich, red robes, their weapons gleaming in the amber light that emanated from stone sculptures at various points across the grounds of the palace. Everywhere I looked, ice fires shot up into the air, their blazes almost reaching the top of the palace. Each time one of them burst alight, the heavy bushes and bouquets of flowers that were draped on the backs of chairs and table-tops suddenly seemed to come alive, as if the petals themselves were dancing along to the music.
Rows and rows of long banquet tables were laid out, their surfaces heavy with more stone sculptures and elaborate decorations of berries and flowers, along with large pieces of silverware. Off in the distance, I could see clusters of hedges, some neat and orderly, some wild and overgrown. From within them, I could hear the raucous laughter of guests. After staring, puzzled, for a few moments, I realized they were small mazes—strange lights came from inside them, and fireworks were being set off at their central points.
“How is this even more amazing than I expected it to be?” Serena murmured. I turned to her in surprise, almost forgetting that my friends were standing right next to me.
I looked toward the palace and saw Sherus and Nuriya standing on the front steps—they were accepting gifts, all piled high on a table, and greeting guests who appeared to be other fae, perhaps from the neighboring elemental stars.