Wet Fire

The Dark Heart Of Cyclonus (E9)

Blythe

He slipped a pair of black leather gloves over his trembling fingers. Blythe never worn gloves but two or three times in his life. Even now in mid-winter, the air in Cyclonus never dropped below freezing except on a rare night. The wind was always salty and damp, as if the breath of the sea had been perpetually upon the city. Right now it was blowing through into Blythe's room through the balcony, causing the curtains to flap around wildly. It howled and whistled and whipped through Blythe's curly black hair as he inspected the gloves on his hands. He felt like an outsider, a villain shunned from the rest of society, like the ones he had read about in the stories.

Blythe wasn't sure how to feel, he was so uncertain, so he walked out onto the balcony and stared out across the castle and out to sea where the grey sky reached far into the horizon. Where was Adair now? Was he truly dead, or was he out there somewhere, alive? It seemed like forever since Blythe had last seen his brother. It was now more certain than ever that he would never sit on the throne--the people would most definitely not allow a cursed King to rule them. His whole youth was spent wishing to be first in line for the throne. Now, Blythe felt stupid that he was ever jealous of Adair.

A pillar of smoke was drifting out of the inner courtyard and rising into the sky. They had burned it all. All the food, all the gifts, and all the carcasses of the animals she had brought--even the parakeet and the bear. Late in the night he had heard the screams of the animals as they were slaughtered. He was glad Milka was in the dungeons. He wanted revenge for himself, and for his brother and uncle.

Out in the harbor sat the Royal Peridot, a ship made of dark wood with enormous triangular sails dyed a faint green color. Blythe could see the top of the mast from where he was standing on the balcony. It bobbed back and forth, back and forth in the water. The dancers and servants who had attended Milka had arrived with her on this ship, and in the days since, had set up a series of tents on Kingdom Rock, the enormous sea stack that was connected to the barbican and to the castle gatehouse by two bridges.

Gamehouse Tower was the only stone building on Kingdom Rock, as it also served as a lighthouse for incoming ships that would make their way to the harbor. The Rock had been a beautiful field once, where Blythe had played as a child, but now the grasses had been trampled and the ground was wet and covered with mud. He remembered the way the salty sea breeze used to blow the at the dainty purple wildflowers, and the spray of the Crystal Falls above them dampening his hair. There, the world felt so vast, so large. It was his favorite place besides the gardens.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on his door that made him jump. Blythe turned around and hurried back into his room. "My prince?" It was one of the castle guards. "Your father awaits you in the Throne Room."

"I will be right there!" Blythe unlocked the door and pulled the latch. Immediately he looked up to see the figure of a tall man standing out in the hall. The Akauri was dressed in full armor, his face was hidden underneath a shiny winged helmet. Blythe slipped out into the hall, dwarfed by the warrior beside him, who was casually gripping the hilt his sword. When he turned down into the stairs, the Akauri followed him close at his back, his metal boots clanging on the stone with each step.

Does he not fear me? Blythe couldn't help but wonder what the Akauri must be thinking? Does he even know? After the King and his attendants left the room with Grisha's body, Blythe had collapsed on his bed and fell asleep. He woke up the next morning wondering if he had dreamt the whole thing up. Casually he leaned over and touched the stalk of a red rose that was sitting on his bedside table. He didn't feel anything but a slight tingling at the tip of his finger. The rose immediately faded and shriveled up, a curl of dark smoke rising from where he had touched it. Blythe shivered.