The City of Two Halves

✽Chapter 14✽

When Cerena closes the door it disappears, but she doesn't notice and instead she's staring in awe at the sea of orange and gold around them. "It looks like it goes on forever," Cerena says, tilting her head slightly,

"Yeah," Ashton replies simply. 

They both watch the colours dance around them, it was hypnotising and they couldn't even remember what they were there for, they began to pace around the room looking at different angles and the way the gold glinted, when Cerena fell through the floor, and Ashton followed right after. 

They would later describe it as being pulled through a large bowl of half-set jelly, when they landed they saw a silhouette of a man standing on something and without even acknowledging the fall they walk towards him. 

The man was average-sized with dark brown hair, his face was wide with stubble lining his jaw and just under the corner of his left eye was a crescent-shaped scar, Cerena knew who he was before they even got close enough to see the scar,

"That's Jeffery Crawdad," 

"I know him, that's the guy that showed up at your house,"

"He did what?"

"He's not supposed to be here,"

"What?"

"What?"

"You said something,"

"No, I didn't, are you okay?"

But he had said something, she was sure of it and for the first time since they entered the door she looked at Ashton's face and realised something, it wasn't clear, it was blurry, "Cerena?" She didn't answer him and instead continued walking towards Crawdad, a headache blooming in her mind.

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Dorian is unconscious and Grace is hurtling towards him muttering incantations of fast falling. She grabs his hand and they dangle precariously, for about a minute possible ways to get out of this situation whizz around her head, she can't let go the fall is too steep and she can't see the ground and she has no free hands but her thoughts are interrupted as Dorian had awoken, "Dorian, thank the gods you're ok," she says, 

"If Crawdad wants me dead he'll have to try harder." 

Grace smiles down and him and asks if he has enough mana to float up and grab the string. With Dorian holding the string Grace has a free hand, she notices a window near and another string attaches to the window sill, "I'm going to dissolve the string," she says "Hold onto me," He nods and the string attached to the pole dissolves, they swing quickly towards the window and she reaches out her feet to soften the blow. 

Dorian kicks the window open and manoeuvres his way into the room, he holds onto Grace as she joins him in the room, they both collapse onto the floor breathing heavily. For a couple of minutes they stay leaning against the wall panting before Grace says, "I didn't think Crawdad had any magical creature in him, wasn't he just a regular human?"

"That's what I thought too,"

A pause, and then Grace says,

"Are you okay?"

"Just a couple of cuts,"

"Alright, I suppose we should find the others,"

"I guess so, is the whole floor locked up?"

"Yeah."

Dorian stands up and helps Grace to her feet, they aren't really sure where they are but they know where they need to go, they head in the direction of the south tower and hope for the best.

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Crawdad's face was fully focused and Cerena was starting to piece things together but she needed more. "So that's why Dorian and that witch were here," he said, 

"What's going on here?" Cerena asks, 

"You were always sharp but this time I'm actually impressed,"

"What the fuck going on here?" she asks again emphasising each syllable with siren song, 

"What are you talking about Cerena?" Ashton speaks up.

She doesn't answer and starts to massage the sides of her head, they were here for something, but what were they here for? She can't remember but something isn't right, why is Ashton's face blurry? Why isn't Crawdad's? What is this place? What's with all the orange and gold? And why is it disappearing? 

The orange and gold light moves towards Crawdad and drains into the thing he's standing on which Cerena finally identifies as a vent grate, from underneath him the familiar light of the amulet shines. "Truly a shame I didn't-" but before he can finish he looks down to see one of Cerena's knives in his chest, Crawdad narrows his eyes as his composure breaks, "You really think you're going to get away with stealing from me?" 

"Oh Jeffery, I've already done it once and now you can watch me do it twice," 

He glares at her as he fades slowly from view and Cerena approaches the light, she kneels and pulls the vent grate off to reveal the amulet. "What's going on?" asks Ashton, 

"Don't worry, it's almost over," She says reaching down to touch the amulet and everything fades to black. 

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