Broken Souls (Book 1 of Seasons of the Cycle)

Chapter 29 - Lura Syllana

The priestess whose name I remember now as Damaris, thankfully had a robe for me as I left with her out of the courtroom. The collar was taken off, and immediately I felt the sickening weakness fade away as it is replaced by an overwhelming surge of energy washing over me. Like walking into a hot steam room after being doused with ice cold water. Two completely opposite feelings were felt at once, but it was a most welcoming feeling. Something I didn't even realize I felt until it was taken from me by that collar. I will never let another collar like that find its way around my neck.

I follow her all the way through Mid-Town. A section of the city I've never been to. I'm amazed by how clean and well-kept it is. The streets don't have trash on them, nor are there any homeless people. Buildings are clean and well maintained. Roads are made of stone. People don't look suspicious. In fact, they actually look happy. They greet each other as if they were family. Maybe they are for all I know. People aren't afraid to show their faces. They walk as if they have all the time in the world and every person they run into is someone important to talk to. Their faces are full of compassion and health. No one looks as if they've gone hungry or have been using glimmer. The air seems cleaner. Fresher.

It's hard to understand how people can be so happy and carefree when just beyond the wall, not all that far behind me, people have to fight over a few coppers and no one trusts anyone.

We make our way up to the gate to the upper city. A place few are allowed to enter. The priest is allowed in with no problem, but the guards eye me suspiciously.

I can't stifle the gasp that escapes my lips as we enter the upper city. It's nothing like I'd ever imagined. Not at all.

The streets are made of white and silver marble. The buildings are also pure white with silver trim. There are trees everywhere. I've never seen a tree before. At least not outside a painting. There are flower gardens that line the walkways. The air smells of their scent, which is sweet and refreshing, along with a smell of sharp perfumes that linger. And grass. Lots of grass. It's so green and lush. I've never seen anything like it. Even the sky seems clearer. And the air isn't so stifling hot. It seems refreshingly cool here.

What really strikes me as odd is how few people travel the streets. The ones who do seem as if they have somewhere better to be. They have fair skin and most have golden blonde hair with deep blue eyes. My own dark skin tone sticks out like a dirty copper coin in a purse full of shiny silver. Few stop to talk. They all walk with their noses to the sky and their eyes far above everyone else as if seeing the sight of another person would be a severe affront to them.

Not one of them stops to say hello to one another. Nor do they even acknowledge the existence of anyone else. Quite a few are being carried in palanquins held up by slaves. I've never felt like as much of an outsider as I do now. These people couldn't be any more different from me. I thought the ultimate life would be found inside these walls, but none of these people seem happy. Not like the people in Mid Town. Hell, even the people in Low Town are more willing to talk or say hello.

I follow the priestess through these lonely streets until we arrive at yet another wall. The gates are open and unguarded. Inside, we come upon a pathway of pure white marble without any other swirls of color in a sea of verdant grass. Men and women wander the paths. Some wear vibrant white robes, others wear plain brown, while a few wear bright yellow. There are several warriors here and there in the most prestigious shining armor with golden or silver tabards that show off a white circle of silver lining. Some have a crimson lining.

Before me stands something akin to a palace. A humongous cathedral with stained sparkling silver and gold trimmed glass and white stone. Several towers reach the very peak of the sky surrounding a gigantic dome.