Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 35: The City of Povari - Part 3

With one guard posted, Marlina brushes dirt off her cloak before approaching him. Wielding a large firearm in his hands and a mace at his hip, only his eyes are visible from beneath his steel helmet, with the visor gaps resembling an eye. His arms and torso are covered in armor, while his hips are protected by chainmail and leather boots that reach his thighs for mobility.

Marlina bows to the guard while she speaks, "Pardon me, fine gentleman. I am here to apply as a servant. May I request an audience with Lord Ervin?"

"You'll be speaking to the Head Butler, Roland. He is in charge of hiring servants. Mention his name to the guards at the front door, and you will be escorted to his office," the guard explains, sounding as if this isn't the first time he's had to clarify that.

"Yes, of course. Thank you very much, Sir." 

Marlina bows once more as the guard opens the gate and she begins to ascend. No crack is visible in any of the steps, and there are significantly more steps than on the previous inclines. She can only imagine the view of the city from the mansion, given how high above everything it is. She also sympathizes with the people who must navigate these steps, such as guards and guests. Especially now that the sun is directly overhead, reaching the hottest part of the day—a blessing in disguise for her.

Once at the top of the steps, her eyes widen from the open courtyard, decorated with short, perfectly trimmed hedges in circular and rectangular shapes along the carefully laid paths of stone, and even the paths are exceptionally clean. At least a dozen humanoid-shaped topiaries of different stiff and odd poses are symmetrically placed all about the grounds, the center path leading to the mansion ahead acting as a center line. A pair of fountains on either side of the path cast a mist that the light would catch and glisten in the air to form a dew on the hedges and topiaries.

The U-shaped mansion features up to a hundred windows ranging in size from single windows to entrances, balconies, and grand arches two stories tall. Based on the arrangement of the windows, she estimates the mansion is three stories high. Some windows protruded from sections of the sloping roof, suggesting it might be four stories. 

Urushian homes typically have a maximum of two stories, but the ceilings are high with steps to mezzanines and include a spacious basement for those of higher status; the roofs are flat for leisure purposes, hosting guests, personal gardens, or hanging clothes to dry. She senses there would be much to get used to in a Colonial home.

From the middle ring to just the courtyard, Marlina must admit, it is breathtaking and dazzling. This is where Elek was raised? She could only guess that he and his brother lived in the slums before they were brought here, which was a relief to her, just for leaving the slums to the middle circle. 

But even with this glamor, she remembered the fear in Elek's eye when he vaguely told her of his origins before Englias. It could easily make anyone doubt his claims.

That is, until one takes a closer look at the topiaries.

Eager to absorb as much information as possible, she walks toward one of the topiaries in case she may need to maintain these at some point. As she gets closer, she notices small parts of color spectrums reflecting on the ground, coming from the topiary as the sunlight shines through it. Initially, she dismisses it as just the water from the fountains until she reaches for the outstretched hand and shifts some leaves to see how the topiary is so precisely trimmed. 

She then notices a perfectly detailed hand of glass.

Dread washes over Marlina as her eyes widen. 

She steps onto the platform where the topiary stands. Looking at the leaf-covered face, it seems plain, with simple shapes resembling a face. Digging her fingers into the leaves, she shifts them aside to reveal the detailed face of a man as a glass statue, his expression of terror frozen in place.

"By the time I was old enough to notice, it seemed there were plenty of people who disappeared around him regularly, and they were never spoken about again." Elek's statement replays in Marlina's thoughts.

Marlina stumbles back from the platform, her hands covering her shock-gaped mouth. Her eyes wander over all the dozen other topiaries, causing the sinking dread to become a pit. If each topiary was once a person, what deed could justify such a fate? 

This must be what Elek fears may happen to him: to be turned into glass and used as a morbid decoration.

Wrapping her arms around herself and bending into a lurch, her self-doubts intrude upon her thoughts as she steps back from the topiary. 

'How ghastly... If I'm discovered, I or any of the others could end up here... Can I really do this?' 

Taking a long look at the other topiaries, she can only imagine those of Englias in their places, their faces twisted in agony and horror as they try to shield themselves from a force they can not defend against. 

Unable to look at them any longer, she squats down and closes her eyes, doing everything she can to will away the man's frozen expression, banging her fists against the sides of her head.

"You're his only chance... Everyone's counting on you... You can't let this happen to them..." Marlina mumbles to herself. 

If only she could take a deep, cleansing breath, but all she could do was keep repeating those words to compose herself.