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

3.22: Enchantment

The moon was casting an unearthly glow down on us; a spotlight illuminating our arrival in Central to anyone who wasn't drunk on violence enough to notice. We'd quickly darted away from the wall, seeking refuge behind the nearest building and crouching down behind the greenery planted by the entrance.

Thalia's eyes darted around and assessed the situation; we'd managed to choose one of the few decent spots where we could stay hidden from unsuspecting eyes - the crowd in Central facing towards the centre, rather than the side we'd chosen. Our only concern would be people who were actively seeking out the abnormal - the people who weren't just playing along.

That fear of being noticed, and ultimately stopped from finding Dhana was only momentarily stopped by my curiosity. I couldn't help but stare at the craftsmanship of the ladder that stood firmly against the base of the wall, stretching dozens of feet into the air to reach the top, "Where exactly did the ladder come from?" I inquired, my hand instinctively coming up to inspect one of the steps.

"I made it?" Thalia replied, her voice tinged with a hint of annoyance at the question - like it was incredibly obvious, and there was clearly no other explanation. I had to admit, she seemed like a rather resourceful woman - conjuring up a ladder out of thin air didn't exactly seem out of the question, but at the same time, would it not have been just as conceivable she had someone helping us on the inside? On second thought, I think I would have preferred someone helping us on the inside.

"You can just make..." I started, only to be quickly interrupted by the woman's retort.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response, Arsenio," She said, her focus returning to the plaza of Central, where the majority of Eternity seemed to be convened. I realised there wasn't really any time for further explanations or debates; we weren't here to talk about the technicalities.

The vast expanse of plaza that connected three of the zones had been turned into a battlefield. The smooth marbled ground was now mud-trodden, the blood of the fallen seeping into every crack and seam - the intricate patterns that portrayed the story of Eternity's creation now shining in red. The central fountain was now gushing with diluted blood, each pass through the network of pipes below made it even more opaque. The statues that held up the crystal flower at the top were torn into; each one painstakingly crafted to elude a vision of our leaders, but one more hit each and they'd be completely dismantled.

The crowd was inching slowly towards the edifice that was Kanfesa where the power currently lay. The building towered over the plaza, shadowing those below as if to say 'Try to take me. I dare you.' Its grandness was still a symbol of authority, demanding complete control even as the crowd marched towards it, inching closer, step by step. The tension was palpable as the screams rang through the crowd, faces demanding change and portraying the image of every injustice faced.

It wasn't just the revolution making moves though, at the heart of Central the guards had started to take action. With unwavering devotion, they'd started to form an impregnable barrier that stretched like a fortress around Kanfesa, and the buildings around the plaza. Their weapons; many made of pure silver, were stretched in front of them. They were now the first line of defence for the Government - many of them holding that sombre look of fear in their eyes as they realised they were giving their life for the city, as demanded of them.