Eterna

~Chapter 12~ Grey

After we ate a hearty meal, we headed out to the road. Prism could be seen on the horizon.

"There it is." Breathed Sera, her stride strong and straightforward.

Kalu unsheathed her staff and walked ahead of us. She attempted to flip it as gracefully as she could manage. I kept up my own pace, my feet dragged a bit on the dirt road.

"Everything alright?" Isaiah approached me with a concerned expression.

"All's well, my friend." I smiled back, yet my mind was in a dark place. I started to feel the real affects of the loss of my husband and the hesitation to part with Kalu. Every day, every hour we approached our goal, was an hour closer to the separation of my newfound family.

"If you say so, Milady. You know we're family now and secrets aren't allowed." He chuckled lightly and smiled at me. I returned the smile and watched him as he left my side to walk next to Sera. Soon, we were on the very outskirts of Prism. The walls of the city were large, and decorated with gates. Each gate contained a guard station where many beings from all over the realm lined up to gain passage to the inner city. We each exchanged glances and stood on one of the lines.

"Everyone must separate themselves based on gender and age!" A voice called from a loudspeaker system.

"Shit." I cussed under my breath as the guards began to roughly separate families and travelling parties. I grabbed Kalu's arm and held her close to me, my hand trembled slightly. Soon, there were guards upon us. He looked us over and outstretched his arm toward Kalu.

"Come on now, kid. Don't waste my time."

Sera nodded for me to let her go, while Payne gripped the hilt of her blade. She stared at the man until Sera waved her aggression down.

"She'll be alright. We'll meet her inside." Sera said, as she tried to reassure us.

Roxy also gripped her sword but soon relaxed at Sera's words. I released my grip on Kalu and gave her a stern look. The guard guided her a few lines over to where a younger group of children were lined up, and soon she was out of my sight. I, Roxy, Sera, and Payne all stood on the line with anxious expressions, and waited to be cleared for entry.

Reuben, Isaiah, and Devon all stood calmly on their own line.

"At least it's moving quickly." Said Isaiah, with a timid grin.

Devon offered a nod while Reuben remained quiet.

"When we get inside, we should all have a rendezvous point; somewhere we can meet up with the women." Devon spoke swiftly, his eyes darted from guard to traveler.

"Right. That's a good idea." Isaiah cleared his throat and shifted his weight, clearly the most nervous of the three.

Kalu was shot several glances and giggles. Her purple hair and ethnic clothing made her look Adonian, as Evelyn had intended.

"Hey, are you an Adonian?" One of the boys asked.

Kalu nodded, her staff neatly strapped to her back.

"Ha, weirdo." He snorted and snickered while some of the children pointed at her folded wings.

She looked back and forth between the other children. She knew she could easily threaten them or make some sort of display to shut them up, but decided self control would prove a better victory.

"Indeed. I am Adonian, and I happen to be proud of it. Besides, I'd rather sport my wings than whatever sad excuse for an outfit that is." She smiled and walked away from them before she offered the boy a wink which only served to confuse him further. Soon, she was in the front of the line.