Born in the Flame

Chapter Seventeen

    Yaanlian was larger than I had expected. It was also a lot foggier than I had anticipated. The humidity in the air made it near impossible to breathe. On the way here, the gradual climb in humidity level hadn't been so bad, but once we were here it felt like I could cough up water every time I took a breath. That didn't mean it wasn't a pretty city. The dark stone walls and buildings seemed to absorb the remainder of the light in the sky, making it easier on the eyes.

    As we got closer, I noticed that there were engravings in the stone of all sorts of flowering designs. Some of the engravings harbored delicate accents of silver. It seemed to almost emulate the night sky against the street lamps that hugged every street corner.

    Dusk elves walked along the streets in a fashion style I was not accustomed to. It was far more modern than what I currently wore, and darker. Shades of deep indigos and blues seemed to be the most trending of colors, while blacks and grays seemed to be secondary. While my clothing was black and accented with heated shades of reds, oranges, and yellows, I could tell I stuck out. I knew before we crossed the gate that I would look different than them, but I still didn't expect the pointed stares as we stabled Aingidh and walked to where we would be staying.

    We had a lot of travelers come from everywhere on the continent, dusk elves were among the races that I rarely got to see. Seeing them in various deep skin shades of gray and black. Some didn't even have black hair, but shades of white and silver. I could tell my appearance gave them whiplash just like theirs did to me.

    I followed Birch down the cobbled streets and a few alleyways. Wherever he planned for us to stay, it didn't seem like he chose the place for how nice it was. Privacy seemed to be his main concern. Before I knew it, we were at a black door painted with white outlines of hyacinths at the bottom. Birch unlocked the door and opened it for me. To be honest, I was more than happy to go inside. I had enough of the outdoors for a lifetime.

    Though the alleyway had been small, the home was not at all. While a little dusty, it was comfortably spacious. There was a small fireplace with a green velvet sofa. Birch moved around me to the lamp in the corner of the room and flicked it on. As the rest of the room illuminated, I could tell this had been intended for a small family. A dining table sat near the kitchen, four chairs were around the used table and neatly tucked into it. A vase of very dead flowers sat in the middle of it.

    "Your room is up the stairs. I'll let you get acquainted before I show you the forge. That's in the basement." He sighed, "I know it's not much but this was the only place with a private forge."

    "Not much? This is more than enough." I laughed, "You had me sleeping outside for the majority of this journey; yet you say this isn't much."

    Birch looked taken aback as if I had said something completely unexpected. In truth, this house was larger than my family's home. It was larger, and yet would only be shared with two people.

    "Well, can you show me my room?" I asked, changing the subject back over to the other topic.

    With a slight nod, Birch motioned for me to follow him up the stairs. At the near edge of the stairs was my room, and he told me his room would be at the far end of the hall. Across from my room, was another unused room. Next to that unused room was a shared bathroom. Seeing how far apart our rooms were, I cringed inside. It was embarrassing for me to admit to myself that I hadn't quite gotten over what happened in Yimelke. My pride kept me from saying anything, but I guess my face did the talking for me. Birch furrowed his brows on me in thought and asked,

    "Everything all right?" Birch gently asked.

    "Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. I got away from Yimelke, right? Maybe if I convinced myself that I would be fine, I wouldn't be scared.