Her first day on Luminos was extraordinary and confusing at the same time.

Quinn had never been that conflicted in her life. On one hand, she was seeing her new prison for the first time. No matter what Rhys said or did, the entire planet was now keeping her there against her will, even if Quinn no longer wanted to think about whether she'd leave if given the chance or not.

On the other hand, the harbinger had just proved to her that he wasn't like the rest of them.

Naturally, it didn't make Rhys any prince on a white horse or anything like that, but with Nayanors a woman had to take what she could get. And defending Cassie definitely scored her fated a point in Quinn's book.

She expected a lecture, a stern talking-to on the subject of "See what you made me do?", but it didn't come. The look on Rhys' face told Quinn that perhaps it was a day full of surprises for the both of them.

Instead, the harbinger took her to their rooms, one after the other. The entire Jos Gharo seemed to have been carved into a cliff, but the first look she'd gotten on the outside was deceptive. Indoors, the stone barely showed. Most long corridors they'd walked through had stone floors, but Quinn suspected the entire fortress was reinforced.

It left a peculiar contrast. Some parts of Jos Gharo looked like Nayanors lived inside a massive cave, but then rock gave way to control panels and glittering floors and tall halls illuminated by a thousand lights.

"It's a lot more than I expected when you called it a fortress," Quinn admitted at last when the only room they hadn't visited yet was the bedroom.

It was right there, though. They were standing at the door and she could see the gigantic bed that was calling to her as much as the warlord was.

I could get used to living like this... if not for the obvious issues.

Rhys chuckled.

"It is a fortress," he stated. "You'll see when the long night arrives. There are viewports on the upper levels, unlike down here. You can see the storm when the reports say it's safe to open the shutters and lower the shields for a moment."

"Down here?" Quinn asked, looking around.

It was true she didn't see any windows.

"Yes," Rhys confirmed. "We're under ground level. It's safer here, and warmer."

"What is the long night?" Quinn asked, walking around and regarding everything with interest. "Those captains mentioned it before."

The quarters fascinated her almost as much as Rhys did, because they were a reflection of him. It was his home, after all, a much more permanent one than the rooms aboard the Erados.

So far, it was shockingly normal. By Nayanor standards, of course. Terran men would have had an office and a gym in the basement, but Rhys had trophy rooms and an armory. Quinn looked for mementos, catching herself trying to find some memories of women who'd come before her, but there were none.

"It's a storm," Rhys explained. "It comes every year, roughly at this time. When it rises, it comes quickly and covers the entire planet. My people liken it to an endless, starless night, hence the name."

"I guess by the measures you're taking it's not very pleasant," Quinn said.

"No," the harbinger grinned, shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

"Could a person survive it out there?" she went on. "If they were very lucky."

Rhys seemed to consider that.

"A highly trained warrior," he said pensively. "If he's incredibly lucky, might find a ship that can be reinforced enough. All ships are anchored in orbit when the storm rages because they can't stay airborne in the winds. Even the flagships don't descend to the surface then. Life shuts down on Luminos for the duration of the long night.

"So as for surviving... if the warrior barricades the ship so tightly the storm can't get in, he might live. Given there's plenty to eat and drink since once the storm hits, there's no going out there again."

"Everything?" Quinn asked, taking a seat on a large, comfy-looking sofa that was clearly built for someone much taller than her. "How can everything shut down? That doesn't seem possible."

Her feet didn't quite reach the floor. Quinn couldn't hold back a smile. It was like she was lost in a giant's castle, dangling her legs on a chair taller than her. The image wasn't far off.

"All life," Rhys allowed, sitting opposite of her. "There are the Gechs. They're mechanical harvesters, bigger than you would believe. Like walking towers, taller than the Erados. They're the only machines that can weather the storm and even that just barely."

"How come they get to walk around when even ships don't fly?" Quinn asked.

"Weight," Rhys shrugged with a smirk. "They are so heavy I once saw a large dropship crash into one. The Gech didn't even falter in its stride."

"The way you describe it, I can't believe something so big exists. Or how a person would feel, controlling something that would probably destroy an entire settlement if it crashed."

The harbinger observed her with a curious smile on his lips.

"They're fully automated," Rhys said. "There is no pilot. That's how they survive the long night. A pilot would die there."

"I assume they keep working because you can't afford to shut them down," Quinn said, leaning back, trying to conjure the image of a Gech.

It was hard. Her mind's eye simply couldn't fathom something so massive. It was like trying to imagine the fortress standing up and wobbling away.

"Yes," Rhys nodded. "Everything will be destroyed when the storm finally dissipates. No crops left, no anything. Luminos has a tough nature, but it takes time to restore. In that time, the Gechs are the only real source of food."

"I don't understand how they harvest anything with the storm raging," Quinn admitted.

"Crops will be gone almost instantly, of course," Rhys agreed. "There are some things that are safe, however. The Gechs drill for underground water reservoirs for drinking water. And they gather food that grows deep before the ground freezes."

Quinn looked at him, so utterly blasé about the fact he was clearly living on a death world. It was a wonder there was any life on Luminos when the planet tried its best to kill them all off. She didn't even want to ask about the casualty numbers. She didn't think she'd actually want to know.

"This really is a terrible world," she said. "You make it sound nightmarish."

To her surprise, Rhys laughed.

"I suppose it is," the harbinger admitted, his deep voice striking Quinn once again with the desire to have him keep talking.

About anything, about any little thing if she could only hear his voice.

"There is beauty too," Rhys added then. "I will show you when the long night passes."

A disturbing thought occurred to Quinn and apparently it showed on her face.

"What is it?" Rhys asked with a frown.

"Will – will Jos Gharo hold fast? Against the storm, I mean?"

The harbinger rose to his feet and came to sit next to her, pulling her into his embrace. Even the hard lines of his armor didn't bother Quinn, cradled up and safe. It amazed her how quickly Rhys had become the source of comfort in her life.

Her fated pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"It has held for centuries," Rhys told her. "More, probably. It will hold this time as well. I promise you, nothing bad can happen to you now that you're mine."

"Do all Nayanors make promises for forces of nature?" Quinn teased.

Rhys snorted, kissing her again, deep and passionate this time. She melted into his touch, thinking how she'd gotten there so fast. Yet it seemed so natural, somehow, like she was born to fit into his arms.

"I suspect we do," the harbinger said. "All I know is that I will keep you safe, no matter what happens."

Quinn had no problem with that. It felt odd, in a good way, to be cared for like that. She was forced to believe that Rhys truly meant what he said, given all the evidence he'd provided her. The fated bond between them was real. Quinn only wished she knew what to make of it.

She was ready to surrender her body to Rhys as she was apparently incapable of resisting him and her heart too. Her mind resisted a little harder.

"I trust you," Quinn said, the only truth she didn't doubt.