Night's Cold Embrace

Part II: The New Order - Chapter 9

Part II: The New Order

The usually stagnant air in the City was made thick and worsened tenfold by the heavy smoke that refused to lift. By the time Garrett and Isabella arrived at the clock tower, the smoke from the roaring flames that had spread to and now devastated the rest of the City was rousing coughing fits from the both of them.

"I imagine this is how my uncle must have felt when he was bedridden with phthisis." She paused to grasp at the cemented wall, doubled over in a paroxysm of coughing. "Or, perhaps this is worse."

The thin piece of cloth covering Garrett's nose and mouth did little to prevent the smog from entering his lungs, but he was well-versed in suppressing anything that might betray his presence and was able to hold back most of his coughs. He paused, standing rigidly in front of the girl and flexing his fingers while her fit passed. The square was empty for the time being, but he wasn't willing to stay to find out how long it would be until the mob arrived.

Despite there being no one else around, out of habit he stayed to the shadows, effortlessly avoiding the light from the braziers and lampposts. He couldn't help but smirk in amusement when he saw that the girl trailing him was doing the same, or was at least trying to. Her varnished dress shoes prevented any sort of agility beyond trotting whatsoever, to say nothing of the deafening noise they made with each of her tentative steps.

He felt her quizzical gaze on him as he knelt to run his hands along a row of bricks on the bottom of the tower wall. He slipped his finger into the barely perceptible hole in the mortar and flipped the switch on the other side. Metal scraped against metal as the clips bracing the stone panel shifted and the barrier came loose. With a firm push, the section of stones just large enough for Garrett to crawl through gave way. Garrett pushed the barrier inwards and to the side, then entered the hole.

Isabella creased her brows, standing still with an arm raised to her face in an attempt to block out the smothering smoke. She glanced briefly around the square, shifting from foot to foot. Her obvious apprehension was so clear that it was almost tangible.

"I'd assume that someone with malicious intent wouldn't go through the trouble of saving his victim from a prolonged and brutal death," he said flatly before righting himself inside the tower. "But I'm not going to stop you if you'd rather take your chances out there."

"N-no! I didn't assume... I wasn't worried that you would... I-I am grateful for what you did," she stammered. He heard a small sigh, then a sharp inhale as she lowered herself to the ground and pushed herself awkwardly through the aperture.

Upon hearing a small tear as the soft fabric of her dress caught on the rough stone, Garrett hesitantly turned around and offered her his hand. She nodded up at him curtly before averting her gaze to the ground and placing her hand in his. He reached down to quickly free the rich fabric from the rough grittiness of the rocky surface before pulling her to her feet.

"Thank you, " she said. She gently grasped his arm when he began to turn away. "I mean that for everything. I would have died if you hadn't been there earlier tonight."

Garrett glanced quickly at her hand. He felt the warmth from it seep through the leather gauntlet and onto his skin. She retracted her hand quickly when she noticed him staring at it. He hoped that she would take that as a sign to not touch him anymore.

He sidestepped the curious girl to replace the panel in the wall and reset the braces holding it in place. The comforting click of the switch ensured that the entrance to the City was sealed; it was nearly impossible that anyone would accidentally stumble upon the hidden entrance.

Though the air was much clearer inside the tower than outside, it was still musty from a lack of ventilation. This part of the tower obviously hadn't been touched in years. A thick layer of dirt coated the ground, and the rusted debris scattered about from the old clock mechanism was covered in dust. He crossed the small distance to the stairs, the dirt scraping softly against the stone floor with each step.