Chapter Nine: A Necessary Precaution
The carriage stopped hours later when the sun fell under the sky and the moon hung high in the purple evening, adorned with silvery-white clouds and stars that glittered like jewels. It was late in the evening, and the dusk greatly contrasted with the bright golden building in front of them.
When Ebony stepped out of the carriage she gasped. "This is a bank?"
The Prince nodded and led the way to the massive building's entrance, taking Ebony by the arm and leading her inside.
And she'd thought the outside was breathtaking. Compared to the bank's impossible interior, its exterior was a shack. This... was... incredible.
Columns of golden metal held up ceilings of cracked glass lined in gold, providing an otherworldly view of the darkened skies above. Candleholders of ivory held candles of black wax, and the flames they housed glinted an impossible red.
Red like her sister's hair.
Ebony had to look away.
She turned to the Prince, who looked impassive, as if he'd seen this many times before. She was sure he had. After she'd spent a minute taking in the bank's incredible design, the Prince motioned for her to follow him through the massive hall.
The dusk-tinted carpet underneath her feet reminded her of Absinthe's clouds, and as they traipsed along seemingly endlessly a sour taste filled Ebony's mouth.
She needed to stop thinking about Absinthe. Her business was done there, and she would reminisce about it no longer. What's past is past.
But why did it still hurt?
It was quiet as they walked down the long hall. Too quiet. Ebony found herself tiptoeing behind the Prince, nervous to make any noise, as if one misstep would send the whole bank crumbling into dust.
Finally, they came up to a lone clerk wearing over-polished round gold spectacles that glinted as he looked over them. "Do you have an appointment?"
The clerk was a small little man who sat on an even smaller stool, and the Prince was already inhumanly tall, so when he stepped up to his desk the difference in height was impossibly strange. "I don't need appointments," the Prince responded cooly, and Ebony had to bite her tongue in an attempt not to attack him for acting so pompous on the spot.
"Unfortunately, sir, we do not allow anyone to come without appointmen-" the clerk's face paled as the Prince casually pulled out a tattered piece of paper from the depths of his dark cloak. Ebony strained to look at the paper from where she stood, and the Goddess's golden insignia flashed from the lower corner. She let out a soft gasp.
Of course he'd have certain privileges. He was the Goddess's blasted right eye, for Her sake. She didn't know why she hadn't been expecting this.
The clerk reached inside one of his black tailored suit's pockets and brought out a handkerchief. This he wiped his forehead with. He was still pale, and he emerged from his desk and came out to bow to the Prince.
"I beg your forgiveness, Your Most Unholiness. Please pardon this poor sir for not realizing beforehand." He practically fell at the Prince's feet, begging desperately for his forgiveness.
Ebony glared at the Prince. He'd better forgive him. This poor man is already stressed out enough, let that be his punishment.
As if the Prince heard her thoughts, he turned to her and a smirk formed across his lips. Then he looked down at the clerk cowering at his feet. "You may rise."
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DEMENTED | Romance | Fantasy | Slight Thriller
Fantasy"I need you to do a favor for me, Ebony." Princess Ebony of Absinthe has just been exiled from her land by none other than her own sister. Called the Macabre twins collectively, the two became enemies the moment her sister, Crimson, finally lost her...
