For Darkness Shows the Stars

desperate times, I suppose,” was another.
    And, “Harbinger of the end times, if you ask me. Knew it as soon as I saw the invite. Innovation horses, indeed!” rounded out the bunch.
    Her family didn’t seem to notice. “One positive of your little outburst this morning,” Tatiana hissed in Elliot’s ear as they walked through the crowd, “is it allowed us to be fashionably late to our own party.”
    Elliot tugged on the sleeves of her dress and said nothing. Her hair, too, was arranged in braids and looped up over her head. Her dress was old—it had been her mother’s—and a pale orchid color. She caught the approving nods of some of the harsher critics and inwardly cringed. Little did they know, beneath the Luddite dress, she was more of a radical than anyone in her family.
    The Fleet had also arrived, and had concocted a marvelous system of heated pavilions attached to the sun-carts. The Innovations and Groves sat inside, watching the festivities and staying toasty warm. Perhaps the only good thing to come of this spectacle was Olivia’s first appearance in public since her accident. Elliot hadn’t been able to bring herself to visit her yet, for fear of running into Kai, but Tatiana had gone on several occasions. Her sister had reported back that Olivia was as pretty as ever, but had grown “a bit odd.” She was quieter than she used to be and preferred to stay close to her brother.
    “Give my regards to the tenants, Elliot,” Baron North said—or rather ordered. “And invite Horatio Grove to sit in our pavilion.”
    “Yes, father.” She doubted he would leave his sister’s side, though, nor that he’d prefer the smoky smudge pots in the Luddites’ pavilion to the clear air in the Fleet’s.
    As Elliot approached the Post pavilion, she saw that several Luddites sat there, too. Elliot supposed they were former patrons of the admiral’s.
    “Good morning, Elliot,” said Felicia. She was dressed in magenta today, and sat on a giant marigold cushion she shared with her husband. Kai stood behind her. “You look lovely in that dress. Its color suits you so well. But I am surprised to see you here today. I thought you might be staying with your grandfather.”
    Elliot swallowed and kept her eyes averted from Kai’s face, though he wasn’t doing the same for hers. Indeed, she worried she might melt under the directness of his too-bright gaze. He’d stayed away from her since the night of her grandfather’s death. She wished she could say she was grateful.
    “I seem to have warring duties, ma’am. My father sends his regards. You know he has high hopes for your horses.” How many weeks had she longed for him to look her way? Now she dreaded the sensation. His dark eyes seemed to bore right through her and it was all she could do to pay attention to the adults.
    “As well the baron might,” said the Luddite woman sitting nearest the admiral. “I am Baroness Channel, Miss Elliot. I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Baron North’s youngest daughter before.”
    Elliot shook the woman’s hand. She was dressed in shell-pink velvet, marrying the best in Post fashion with Luddite sensibilities. Her matching hat had a shimmering half-veil that shielded the woman’s eyes from the sun. Elliot remembered her name from Nicodemus’s letter of introduction. “Nice to meet you.”
    At the racetrack, the riders were being announced, and each stepped forward, leading their horses by the reins. Elliot heard her sister’s name called, and then Benedict’s.
    “I was so sorry to hear about your recent loss. Chancellor Boatwright was a great man. I used to do lots of business with him, before he shuttered his business and the admiral here approached me about starting his Fleet. I am happy that I could be here to celebrate his life.”
    “Thank you,” said Elliot.
    Felicia lifted a small set of binoculars to her eyes to observe the horses as they paraded them around the track. Many of the other attendees had similar devices. “Three Innovation horses in this race. I see the Record family has brought Zeus.”
    The baroness turned to the admiral. “I remember I was a bit skeptical when you first approached me. A Post, wanting to build a fleet of ships to explore with? But by that time, you had already become quite well known for the horses. They were the first fruits of your exploration, were they not, Nicodemus?”
    Felicia laid her hand on top of the admiral’s, and he