Blood & Bone [Book Three of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

3.12: Tribulation

As my hands grasped the cold handle of the front door, I found myself expecting it to be Hirani. Or, better yet, I wanted it to be Hirani. What harm could a neighbour possibly do, after all? At the very least she just wanted a moment of Inas's time, or to offer pointless flirtatious gestures towards Adalwin. At the very most she'd have some cold, cruel words to say about my current situation, but that I could handle.

We considered her a neighbour despite both parts of our group living in relative isolation. There were several other couples in close proximity; and given the stamina and speed we all possessed, for some, that proximity would never be enough. Hirani was one of the closer werewolves, living with an undisclosed 'gentleman' she'd given numerous flakey details of. Dhana and I feared he was either being held against his will in her home, or frankly, didn't exist. I did consider once that he genuinely loved her enough to never show his face, but after all this time that seemed far-fetched.

Hirani was a woman of many words and not many spoke with full conviction which didn't help the matter. She wandered the zone collecting information and spreading it to any open ear. This earned her a few nicknames within the boundaries of Western, and not all were that charming. She'd dyed her hair bright red, and wore neon stained items, that way she was easy to identify and better yet, run from. It wasn't as though she was the worst person in Western, honestly she was far from it, I just didn't like her and felt no need to pretend otherwise.

Before I'd encountered Hirani I did find it strange that Inas tended to shy away from her long conversations and offers of sweet pies. She often sent me to the door in her stead to scare her off. It wasn't that I liked doing it either, I just knew it was better to see the frightened frown of Hirani than face the troubled tantrums of Inas.

I needn't have worried about Hirani tonight though, as unfortunately, the town gossip was not on the other side of the door. In fact, no one I would've guessed stood before me gingerly waiting to be let in.

Something told me Inas knew that fine well.

The four firm knocks on the door were not a practical joke as I'd considered, but rather the real deal. As the door creaked open and I embraced the cold wind once more, I was taken aback by a striking figure lit only by the dim porch light. Her distinctively golden and black strands of hair poking beneath her cloak were my first clue as to who was standing amongst the darkness, the fierce gleaming smile was my second. The late night visitor reveals herself as Malka, the leader of Western.

The first thing you notice about Malka is how overwhelming her presence is. She was a rash, prized and powerful woman and all of that exuded from her core. It was clear to me she was not raised to take any leadership role, rather heavy-fisted her way into it and into keeping it.

Despite this, she was renowned for being a strong leader with a gentle aptitude and kind smile. She pushed forward policies that seemed to make it easier for all species but clearly had the ulterior motive of pushing forward werewolves and only the werewolves. Which made it stranger that there weren't many that hadn't worked through the Government and been accepted by all officials.