Until moonrise, she reminded herself. Only until moonrise.

Rhea’s smile disappeared. For all that hard work, they were heading right back to the heart of the Empire.

Nyx glowered in the corner, the sides of her face taped with bandages from her latest tattoo-removal session. Her drink might be more rum than the berry mixer from the Tholosian gardens, a way to deal with the pain of removal. Ariadne was fussing with Nyx’s curls, braiding them away from the bandages and twining them around her head. Ariadne was the only person who would be able to do that without losing an arm.

“Hold still,” Ariadne was saying. “You’re going to make me mess up.”

“Can we take a break so I can down enough alcohol not to care?” Nyx said dryly. She caught Rhea’s eye and made a face as if to say This kid.

Rhea smiled back. That kid had saved their lives.

Clo offered Eris a drink. Eris took it with a tentative nod of thanks. The two women still kept their distance from each other, despite the small peace offering. There was a history there. Rhea wondered what had happened to make things so tense. Whether it was recent or far in the past.

Ariadne finished with Nyx’s hair and made her way to the control panel to change the music. Unfamiliar instruments, echoing vocals, a strong, steady beat.

“This is old,” Eris said, her voice very low. A small smile touched her face. “I haven’t heard it in a long time.”

Rhea glanced around to see if anyone had caught Eris’s comment, but no one else had. Music was so tightly controlled by the Archon. She must have been someone very important.

But who? What position?

Ariadne’s twirl drew Rhea from her thoughts. “I love it!” The fabric of the girl’s jacket billowed behind her. “I listened to all kinds of music back at the Temple, from the beginnings on the Old World to last year. I snuck a lot of vids and books, too. Even the censored ones. Especially the censored ones.”

“The Oracle let you watch them?” Eris asked.

A shiver went through Rhea. That woman was so intense. Rhea wasn’t sure what to make of Eris yet.

Ariadne just grinned, tongue between her teeth. “One didn’t know.” Ariadne pirouetted about in the center of the canteen. “This is the song I always put on when I was bored and finished my work ahead of schedule. I used to climb to the top of the Temple and dance in the rafters.”

She pinwheeled her arms, spinning faster and faster. Her hair slid across her cheeks. Her smile was luminous. Rhea had never seen Ariadne so unburdened—so happy—as she twirled across the command center.

As she came closer to Rhea, Ariadne stopped and held out a hand. “Dance with me, Rhea!”