In the heavens above Terrain, the Eternals govern light itself — the Lords of Night keeping the stars, the Eternals of Day commanding the sun. They are ancient, powerful, and bound by laws older than memory. Among them is Tynan, a Lord of Night who prefers sonnets to chaos, and Solana, who became the sun itself. They were never meant to cross paths again. Then she fell out of the sky.
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Mortals assumed the night was dark, Eternals were ruthless, and the starry heavens were nothing but a vast emptiness.
Mortals were wrong, a fact Tynan knew with intimate awareness because he was one of the Eternals, a Lord of Night.
Not that such a title did him any favors.
He’d incorrectly assumed that governing the lights of Night would be an easy task—after all, everyone was supposed to be asleep and in the Realm of Night. Besides, the Eternals of Night had lights that were significantly dimmer than those of the Eternals of Day—not that anyone was comparing.
Still, there was plenty of light to see by, enough for Tynan to write sonnets as he listened to the song of the stars. Or at least he attempted to listen; however, the moment the sun ceased shining in their direction, the Eternals of Night became unusually active.
There was dancing, drinking, chariot races, and all kinds of unfettered debauchery. The peace Tynan had counted on was non-existent, and despite his authority, no one listened to him.
Tonight, instead of writing a sonnet, he sat alone by the Pool of Serenity, penning a furious letter to the Court of Eternals.
The light, though, was unusually bright.
He blinked, eyes watering, ink blurring. Why was it so bright? Shielding his eyes, he gazed up, expecting to see the canopy of stars.
Instead, an enormous ball of fire streaked toward him, the terrible glow intensifying as it neared.
An unmanly shout burst from his lips and, even though he was an Eternal, images of pain and death flooded his mind.
Tynan threw his hands over his head.
Heat roared around him, searing his white robes, blistering his skin, and frying the ends of his long black hair.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, it ended.
Tynan stayed crouched, breathing in and out, panic leaving his body. He’d survived the impact. Slowly he unfurled his limbs and stood to take in the damage.
The comet had crashed into the pool, sending a wave of water across the pavilion, soaking his letter (he frowned), and shattering the columns that held up his home (his frown deepened into a scowl).
Ruin. Utter ruin. Even with magic, it would take time to rebuild.
That was when he saw it—a shape lying on the white stones, doused with water.
Tiny motes of fire danced from it, and as he padded closer, his silver eyes widened.
The shape was alive. A person. A woman!
A haze of golden light enveloped her, and a shimmery golden gown clung to her curves while a tangle of curls cascaded down her bare brown shoulders.
Tynan recoiled, disliking the way his pulse pounded. Heat licked through his body. It was too hot, too bright in his Realm of Night, the reason being the fallen woman.
He had to make her leave before she burned up the night. The Court of Eternals would be furious indeed if they discovered an Eternal of Day in his home. Given how nosy the Eternals of Night were, he only had a few hours at best before they’d come to investigate.
The woman groaned, then rolled onto her back, revealing far too much smooth brown skin for Tynan’s liking.
He crept closer, feet wet, then crouched beside her, his black shadow looming over her like a blanket.
Her eyes opened, squinted, then widened. She scrunched up her nose and winced as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head. Her gaze went to the ruined pool, the crushed ceiling, and, at last, to him.
It was her mouth that captured his attention. Wide lips perched imprudently below her nose. It was a sassy mouth, the kind of mouth that needed kissing just to shut it up.
Tynan’s heart sank as recognition flooded his mind.
It was her!
Years, nay, decades had passed since he’d last seen her, but he’d recognize that mouth, those dreamy eyes, the scent of coconut, and the glow of her brown skin anywhere.
He intended to back away, to hide, but there was something magnetic about her. He wasn’t sure he could move away, even if he exerted his power.
Tantalizing memories of his youth danced through his mind.
When Eternals were born, thrust forth from the death of a star, they dwelled together in the Academy of Eternals, learning the heavens, the worlds, and the life and times of mortals. As they grew older and their lights aged, they were assigned places in the heavens.
Tynan’s light wasn’t particularly bright; it was white and pale, and he had the tendency to reflect the light of others instead of emitting his own. He’d never seen it as a fault, never cared until the day it ripped him away from his first love, an Eternal called Solana.
She was his opposite and outshone everyone. Her fiery glow drew endless attention. She was the brightest light in the Academy, always top of the class in studies, and, although he should have hated her, she was also the kindest, happiest Eternal he’d known. She was bright and bubbly while he was quiet and withdrawn, quick to laugh, to tease, while he was slow to speak, thoughtful.
Last he’d heard, she’d ascended to the highest honor an Eternal could have, to become the Light of All Lights, the sole light the mortals looked to for everything—the sun that shone upon Terrain and gave it life.
Now Solana lay two feet from him in the Realm of Night.
She’d crashed on his home, which only meant one thing: something was gravely wrong.
She fell out of the sky and into his night — and nothing will ever be the same.
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