A Host of Fallen Dreams - After the Rising Book 1

Chapter 5

Jace

The Wasteland

When the melancholy took him, Jace knew sleep would never come. It never did. No matter how tired he was. No matter how much he just wanted eight hours of rest. Hell, most nights he would happily take four.

Half an hour after Kami had left, he accepted that this was going to be one of those nights where any form of rest would elude him, and just trying to sleep would only make things worse. Attempting to fight the sleeplessness, tossing one way and then turning the other, only served to get his legs tangled in the sheets and raise his blood pressure in frustration. Doctor Jennings had prescribed him some pills that would help him drop off, but they knocked him out for twelve hours or more, and he simply wasn't happy to do that.

Jace didn't know why people had looked to him for answers in the aftermath of The Rising, but they did. Before, back in his old life, he had been a violinist, one without any affiliations to music organisations, bands or orchestras. He had gone his own way, done his own thing. Being an orphan, he had found solace in his music as well as independence, and he hadn't been willing to give that up. He didn't need a maestro to tell him how to play or when. He was his own maestro, his own boss. He would give impromptu concerts in the streets, squares and parks, and those who listened had always given generously. He had been able to make a living from his street performing, much to the annoyance of various musical directors in the city who had wanted him to join the ranks of musicians who worked for them.

He had been performing the first time he had seen her. Standing at the corner of High Street and River Street, she had been crossing the road, completely oblivious to everyone and everything. Her long skirt had swished around her legs as she walked, and her hair had flown behind her in waves. She had looked like a storm, not angry but powerful, raw and untamed.

As she had passed the crowd that had gathered around him, she had paused, mid-step. Slowly she had turned her head and their eyes had met. For a few heartbeats they simply stood there, staring at each other. Then she had smiled. In that one moment, the storm softened, as if a beam of sunlight had broken through the rain clouds. And he knew then he would do anything for her. All she had to do was ask.

Just thinking of her took his breath away. It had been one glance, but it had changed everything. And, as she had entered his life, so had his muse. He hadn't been able to stop composing. All pieces were inspired by Lyra. All pieces were dedicated to Lyra. It was her, her love, her energy, that drove him to create.

And now she was gone, so far beyond his reach he might as well have been on a different planet to her with no way home. The separation had left Jace feeling empty.

His eyes alighted once more on the photo on the mantelpiece, before they were drawn to the instrument case propped up in the corner. In a few strides he was across the room, case in hand, and then heading out of the door.

At the end of the corridor, he found Kami speaking with a man at the head of the stairs.

'Everything all right?' he asked as he approached.

'Yeah, just discussing who'll do the pick-up,' Kami explained.

Jace noted she looked tired. 'Don't bother disturbing anyone else. I'll go. You guys get to bed.'

He watched as Kami glanced at what he was carrying. 'And when are you going to get some sleep?'

'Not tonight,' he smiled wryly, before heading down the stairs. He was about to turn down the next flight of steps, when he called out, 'Get to bed now, or I'll suspend you both for a fortnight.'

The mansion they occupied was perfect. Seven hours out of the city as the crow flies, it was far enough away for The Territory not to bother with them. The Wasteland acted as a natural boundary, but they did on occasion patrol it, mainly in the warmer months. And if anyone was caught in it without a good reason (there was never a good enough reason), you would pay for it with your life.

Jace went down three floors, reaching the ground level without meeting another soul. Most of those staying at the mansion were in bed, or at least, in their quarters. Only a skeleton staff worked nights, and they were confined to two particular areas: security and medicine.

He turned right along the corridor and then opened the first door he came to on his left. It didn't lead into a room, but instead gave access to another flight of stairs, this one narrower, steeper and a lot less grand in comparison to the main staircase he had just descended. Little spotlights flicked on, triggered by the motion of the door. He was already moving down them before the last one lit up, casting an eerie glow up the walls.

At the bottom, he turned left, waving at a man sitting at a desk in a reception area as he passed. A few doors down, he entered a room. There was nothing in it. No desk. No chair. Nothing. It was completely empty.

Jace knelt down on the floor, and flicked the clasps which held shut his instrument case. Then he removed his bow and coated the hairs in rosin, before picking up his violin.

If he couldn't be with her, the next best thing was to play their music. He closed his eyes and rested the instrument under his chin. Then he began to play, quietly, tentatively, at first, but then the tempo increased, as did the volume.

Although it was the middle of the night, he had no fear of waking the mansion with his music as the room was soundproofed, which was a good thing. When he played, he played for hours, without pause, without respite, for when the music stopped, Lyra would leave him, and he couldn't bear that. So he would play for as long as he could. He would play all night, passing the time until he had to leave to do the pick-up.

Soon he was lost to the sound of the music. Soon he was in another time, in another place, playing his violin on a street corner, waiting for his muse to arrive.

* * *

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So Lyra is not only Jace's lost love, but his muse. What do you think about the link between music, love and hope in this chapter? Can you understand why Jace is consumed by the music?

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