Black Ice ✓ | Deathsworn #1

Chapter 6 ∞ City

A dark cape wound around my shoulders and my mother's hands firmly grasped my arms. She bent low and leveled her eyes with mine.

"Alright. Well, then. Remember what we talked about last night." She pulled on my baggy hood and lifted it over my head. After making sure it settled nicely over my face, she did the same to herself as well, showing nothing—not even a shadow of skin. It left me wondering if ever anyone would be curious about it or suspicious at all.

The gates broke open before us, revealing a stone-paved alley. It creaked on its hinges and my heart drummed with the sound. As I looked up and followed the height of the tall, marbled wall, my mother tugged me away with her, making me break into a stutter of steps in a hurry to meet the pace of her longer legs.

"You're growing up quickly, Evy," she said ruefully. "I promised the other mistresses I will start to tell you things, because you can't really grow up clueless. You must listen to me, okay? Please try your best to understand when I try to explain things to you."

I nodded.

Hellenia gave me a smile. I now understood why she'd offered to take me out; it wasn't just a simple day out like I first thought. It was more of an orientation to the ways of this world. In spite of the age of my consciousness, I was still pretty much a child with regards to experience around these parts. I might have been born with memories of my past life, but I wasn't equipped with everything I needed to brave through this one.

The books I had been turning to all these years would never be enough. Not when the real world was concerned.

Besides, I did have moments when my instincts as a child took over. These episodes weren't very obvious, but a part of me realized that no matter how conscious my mind was, my physical nature was a monster to tame and train. It included bladder control and motor skills plus sensitivity, emotional control, and self-control. My impulsiveness would often take over and do things that I, as an adult, would never normally do.

I pulled my head to look forward as my adoptive mother did. The sound of the rolling wheels of passing carriages crept into my ears. The moment we broke into the streets, I took in large beasts of varying sizes pulling through the open road.

"This is the first time we're leaving, I'm so happy..." I appreciated a child's privilege of honesty. Unlike adults, I was not in any obligation to keep up with courtesies. That made it much easier to be open about what I felt.

I eyed the skyscraping glass tower which bore a spiraling trail of greenery around its twisting body. This shape-bending creation was a bold challenge against balance and gravity. Unlike most structures, this one took liberal stances and had steeping angles that seemed to wobble as it climbed the sky. Like a vine. It stood at the very center of the city where, along its body, flying sentry bridges looped to adjacent buildings. I stared at it for a time, taking in the ornate design and squinting at the flag that waved at the many tips.

"That, my darling, is the Glass Palace," she told me, following my line of sight.

I stopped to stare, examining the sheer opulence of it all. The last time I saw this glass tower this close was nearly five years ago, as a baby, when Amber warped through space and brought me here. I could still remember it as though it was yesterday.

Nonetheless, it was only now that I realized it had faint patterns on the surface of the glass that were visible only under the rays of the sun.

This was the clearest I'd seen of it so far. Oblivion didn't have the best view of the city. The House was always somehow hidden and curling into itself. The tall gates and towering trees in the courtyard made it almost impossible to see outside.