Jaw

Chapter 8

The sun was setting by the time Silena reached her destination. As she stepped onto the platform, she was struck by how much nicer it was there than in Liberio. The main branch of the Tybur family was situated in Quincey, one of the richest parts of Marley. The other branches of the family lived elsewhere; they were such a private clan that hardly anyone knew where they all lived.

Silena wandered out of the station– they had an actual train station!-- at ease despite the other world she'd stepped into, and passed a guard stationed at the open entrance. He nodded curtly at her when she gawked– back home they'd never have a guard stationed at the train station unless a company had specifically hired one!

She was stopped in her tracks not soon after, flabbergasted to stillness by the sheer size of everything. Did people really live like this?

Her scuffed old work boots felt entirely out of place atop the fancy concrete roads– not dirt or cobble– and she was sure her worn skirt and blouse made her look dirt poor. To be fair, Zeke had taken her away before she could get changed.

Their fearless war chief had told her to look for 'the big one' to find the Tybur estate. Which, now that she got to Quincey and gaped at row after row of fine estates, acres of land and wrought iron fences separating each one, seemed like a laughable task.

She passed beautiful men and women dressed finely in bright, intricate dress, most of whom stared at her when she passed. Though it was growing dark, the streets were still crowded. The sight of people out after six was a bit of a culture shock to Silena, who was used to seeing people scurry home at this hour, lest they be caught out after dark.

After wandering down the main street for about twenty minutes, Silena was ready to give up– call it quits and tell Zeke that she hadn't been allowed in– when she saw what was most definitely 'the big one'.

At the very end of the street she'd been walking down: it was massive– four floors, at least. The stone was dark and perfect, offset by the rows and rows of windows covered by curtains, and the pitch black roof and spires. And– were those gargoyles?

The dark metal gate that blocked her from the estate had flowering ivy growing up it– too immaculate to have gotten there naturally, she thought.

There were also two guards, dressed in dark, unmarked uniforms with pointed helmets that covered their faces. Did they seriously have their own personal guards? Any Eldian would kill for this life.

Silena approached the guards and they both raised the muskets in their hands. She stopped short, hands raised to her chest in surrender, and watched them warily.

"I'm here to talk to the Tyburs about the Warhammer Titan," Silena explained after what felt like an eon. She attempted to get closer, hands still in sight, and stopped again when the guards pointed their muskets at her. "I'm Silena Lehmann– a Warrior! Zeke sent me to talk to the Tyburs."

It seemed as though the guards weren't going to reply to her. For a fleeting moment Silena got the impression they were going to shoot her and leave her to bleed out in the street. But the one of the left, the one who towered over her, put their gun down.

"Do you have identification?" They asked in a rough but not entirely unfriendly voice.

She hadn't expected to make it this far. Silena rooted through the ratty bag slung over her shoulder– notebook, coin purse, recreational reading– before finally finding her ID card. It was shoddy with age, but clearly showed her name and picture in black and white.

Both guards huddled around the tiny piece of paper in her hand, peeking through the slats in their helmets to look between her and the picture. It had been taken a few years prior but she didn't look all that different.