Nothing has ever excited Tylen Merodine more than being invited by the Regent himself to celebrate the first solar eclipse in his planet’s recorded history. It’s the party of the millennium, and if he has to restrain his normal exuberant instincts to fit in, that’s what he’ll do to be a part of it. His good intentions vanish, however, the moment he’s presented to the Regent. Because there, in a gilded cage, playing music unlike anything Tylen’s ever heard, is the most beautiful alien he could imagine. For more than twenty years, Dek has lived in captivity, performing at the whim of those who see him as an animal. The Regent is just the latest in a long line of owners, and while he’s kind, he’s still blind to Dek’s sentient nature. Only music gives Dek a voice, until Tylen breaks the rules and sneaks in to see and speak to him alone. The time they have together is stolen and precious, the minutes ticking away until the eclipse is past and they have to go back to the way their lives were before. But when the Regent shows an unexpected interest in Tylen’s future, they begin to wonder if their worlds need to remain so separate ...

Aria of the Eclipse

The final effect was one of languor.That I could stroll down the walkways without fear or rush,safe in the knowledge that all threats were taken care of.That any fall would be cushioned by the Regent’s men,whether it was literal or figurative.Such was the power of the almighty coin,a privilege I’d taken for granted all of my life,even in Llereld with its bucolic temperament.


Right here,right now,though,something was different.The architecture hadn’t changed.It still sat squat and proud alongside the nearly deserted walkways.The hum of power that ran everything still provided thebass line to the city’s score.But when Vescha rested her small,square hand atop mine,taking deliberate care not to entwine them and suggest a more personal relationship,I almost yanked my arm away so she couldn’t touch me.


Chapter 13