Sons of Lyra: Slave Princess by Felicity Heaton

up at the palace.
Her face reflected all the fascination and awe he felt inside
whenever he saw it.

    “ Come, Kayla,”
he said and she started walking again. He met his brother’s gaze
long enough to see the knowing smile in them. Sebastian had figured
out his plan. He hoped that Kayla hadn’t.

    They walked into the
building, saluted by the guardsmen at the entrance, and the change
in temperature was dramatic. Outside was fiery hot, while in the
palace it was cool and dark. He led the way through the winding
corridors and across large rooms, heading into the heart of the
palace and his parents’ day chambers.

    When he reached them, he
realised that Sebastian had left them. He turned to Kayla and
smiled at her.

    “ Wait here,” he
whispered, not wanting his parents to hear him and come out. “I
shan’t be long.”

    Kayla nodded. His fingers
trailed from hers as he left her. She watched him open a large
arched wooden double door and disappear inside. The sound of it
closing echoed down the long empty corridor. It was cold. She
wrapped her arms around herself, nerves fluttering in her stomach
like butterflies. Why had Balt brought her here? She wished he’d
let her remain on the ship as she’d wanted to. He’d been so
insistent on her coming with him.

    She looked around at the
thick stone walls and the paintings of his ancestors that hung on
them, and then noticed some chairs against the wall behind her. She
sat down in the middle of the three and hummed to herself while she
waited. It was a lullaby that her grandmother had always sung to
her. Apparently it had once been the united anthem of her home
world. It was a haunting melody now and she wondered if only she
remembered it. How many Terrans were left in the
universe?

    The minutes wore into
hours until she lost all track of time. She wondered what Balt was
saying to his parents. Whatever it was, it was taking a long time
and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable sitting alone in the
corridor. Several guards had passed her and given her strange
looks.

    The door opened and she
was instantly on her feet.

    “ Balt?” she
said as he stepped out.

    He smiled at her but there
was fatigue and worry in his dark eyes. She stepped towards him,
tempted to take his hand and offer him comfort, but then thought
the better of it. She still wasn’t sure how things stood between
them. He’d shared her bed more than once in the journey here, but
never had he made it clear how he felt. Until he showed her his
feelings, she was going to guard hers with her life.

    “ Come with me,”
he said in a gentle tone and held his hand out, gesturing towards
the open door and the room beyond.

    She swallowed her fear and
stepped past him into the room. It was expansive and richly
decorated in sky blue and gold. She waited for him to close the
door before walking any further. She needed him by her. For some
reason, he gave her courage and confidence when he was close to
her.

    He placed his hand against
her back and ushered her into the room. She raised her eyes to see
a late middle-aged man and woman in front of her. The woman had
light brown hair piled up on top of her head, held with shiny gold
pins that had cascades of pearls falling from them, and features
that said she had been beautiful when she had been younger. Her age
showed in the lines of her face though, everywhere except her
aquamarine eyes. There was a youthful spark to them. Kayla didn’t
like the look of it. To her it said that this woman could be
ruthless and stubborn. The woman shifted, turning slightly to the
side on the couch beside the man, and smoothed the skirt of her
long sky blue dress down over her knees.

    The man was different. His
grey hair was soft and wavy, his eyes dark but kind. He had a nice
face, one that said he held compassion and understanding in his
heart. His figure was slim, encased in a dark blue jacket and
trousers that were a similar colour to Balt’s flight suit. He
leaned back in