He steps forward, toward me, bringing the crowd with him.
“But every so often, a star is born from beyond the universal chaos, free from the call of a single constellation, who can see things as they truly are. She needn’t be a conqueror or a genius, but in possession of a soul so pure that she shines a light on the human condition for us all. And when her brightness reaches so far that all are illuminated by her splendor, we see each other as we truly are.
“The presence of such a star amongst us is like the light before the storm. We are forced to see our own reflection and decide who we are. We have been shocked into a growth spurt, and so we must evolve. Once touched by such a light, one cannot abide the dark. And in that instant when the brightness blinds us, when it wraps around us so that even those in power look away for a moment, forgetting to jealously guard it—the universal clock takes one tick forward.
“The tick echoes in Space’s silence like thunder, and now everyone sees the light for what it truly was: Lightning. And by the time this storm moves on, what was present will become past, and what was already past will fall another notch farther from us. That is how today becomes Tomorrow.”
He’s in front of me now, and as he holds out his hand for mine, everyone is watching.
I place my palm on his, and the whole room breaks into applause. Aquarius leans in and says, “Welcome to Tomorrow, Wandering Star.”
24
THE NIGHT IS A WHIRLWIND of introductions.
Most members are in their late teens and early-to-midtwenties, and they’ve already distinguished themselves in some way. Stan was right: This Party is as elitist at it gets. But now that I know Aquarius’s plans, I understand why.
He’s admitted he’s a scientist, and since he has no idea what’s on the other side of the portal or how long it will take to find a habitable planet, it makes sense to fly with a young and talented crew. I also understand why he wouldn’t want to go alone: He may have the soul of a star, but he’s in the body of a man. He has no chance of surviving on his own.
Besides, it’s in an Aquarian’s nature to be a social architect—he wouldn’t derive any pleasure from surviving alone. He’d rather lead the chosen to a new world.
“This is Barg,” says Aquarius, introducing me to a Scorp with red eyes.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Wandering Star,” says Barg, trading the hand touch with me.
“I visited your House,” I say, angling my head curiously. “I’ve found most Scorps want nothing to do with the rest of us.”
“I know.” He hangs his head a little. “I’ve never fully fit in there. When I was eight, I used to talk about how I wanted to meet people from other Houses and see more of our solar system, and my classmates started calling me a Riser. I was bullied by my family for lacking proper Scorp pride, until I finally gave in and stopped dreaming of other worlds.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I say.
“But then I watched you speak of a united Zodiac, and I saw how people’s hatred and ignorance didn’t stomp out your fire—it only fueled it.” He raises his chin. “And I felt hopeful for the first time in years.”
Blaze wraps an arm around Barg’s shoulders. “You’re home now, brother,” he says, and Barg beams.
“Barg has synthesized a regenerative formula from an underwater plant on Scorpio that can reverse years of aging without any of the painful procedures of the Geminin methods,” says Aquarius proudly, and Barg’s face seems to radiate even more light as he basks in the Guardian’s admiration. “We’re honored to welcome him to our family.”
“I heard my House mentioned,” says a new voice, and I turn to see a curvy, tawny-skinned Geminin with glowing red lips.
“Imogen,” says Aquarius, tipping his head to her. He cautiously pans his gaze to me and back to her and says, “I hope the two of you might consider beginning anew tonight. In the spirit of the unity we’re trying to foment, I think we should leave the past where it belongs and move forward unburdened by the pain we’ve suffered to get here.”
“I agree,” I say, relishing how easy it is to lie now that my heart is mute. I hold out my hand for the greeting, all the while envisioning stabbing her with a bayonet the way I did to Corinthe. Then doing it again and again and again.
She’ll pay for what she did to Nishi.
I smile sweetly.
Imogen merely bumps her fist with me, but I don’t let her stop there—I make her go through the whole elaborate choreography of knocking knuckles, bumping elbows, and slapping hands. She seems annoyed that I’ve co-opted her greeting style, and my smile widens.
“So you’re coming with us?” she asks in a dry voice.
“I’m here for Nishi,” I say, opting to use the truth to lie again. “The leader you admired so much that you shot her. I’m not sold on anything else yet.”
“And you’re fine with leaving Hysan and the others behind to die?” she presses.
“No—but if there’s one thing you taught me, it’s that I can’t save everyone. I have to let my friends choose their own fates.”
Everyone nods approvingly.
“What about you guys?” I ask, turning the question around on them. “You’re fine with leaving your families behind?”
“Party members may bring their families if they wish,” says Aquarius. “It’s painful enough to leave everything we know—but it would be inhumane to leave behind our loved ones. There are still spaces free for your friends, if they should change their minds.”
I’m speechless but not for long, because more and more Zodai are coming up to introduce themselves. I keep expecting to see Ezra and Gyzer, but they’re not here. Eurek mentioned they haven’t been able to breach Aquarius’s inner circle yet, so they’re probably not high ranking enough to be invited tonight.
“Rho!”
A couple of people come over, and I recognize the girl who called out to me as Geneva of Taurus, Blaze’s date to the royal ball. “The youngest Promisary in Taurian history,” I say, and she burns bright red.
“Wow, you remembered.”
Blaze also looks pleased, and he flashes me a smile.
“Hi, June,” I say to the Libran in the medical hover-chair who’s come over with Geneva.
“Helios, is my face as red as Geneva’s right now?” she asks, and everyone laughs. “I can’t believe you remembered me!”
I notice a third person behind them, and when I see her, I’m thrown back in time to Helios’s Halo, the first time I ever saw the Zodiac come together, the night before we set off in the armada.
“Mallie?”
“Okay, you can stop showing off your memory now,” says Blaze, and everyone chuckles once more.
“It’s an honor to see you again, Wandering Star,” says the Aquarian Mallie, and her orb-like eyes make me think of Pandora. “Have you designed your universe yet?”