Mortal Magic: Broken (Book 1)

27. Whitespire

The hours flew by slowly as I was anxiously waiting for our arrival at Whitespire. Night was almost upon us we saw the huge white castle in the distance like a true marvel of polished marble. Standing tall and proud in the distance behind the houses and the docks the castle was capturing the last light of the sun to make itself look even grander in magnificence.

We docked at the city two hours after sundown and by then I was more than eager to stretch my legs and I wasn't alone. Yuto had been bored almost the whole time and Maia was just eager to see the city and the continent. I couldn't make promises about the city just yet but I did promise her that until we reach Blackspire she could see anything that drew her eyes. After that it was natural that she would look like a kid waiting for its new toy.

We got off the ship and said our goodbyes to the crew silently as to not draw much attention to us after the people on the docks let the crew to its business. The captain said that he will be waiting for instructions to pick us up or changes in the plans and we left in silence. The docks were mostly empty. There were very few ships waiting there and none of them seemed to have any people inside. Most likely their crews would be further in the city, sleeping or enjoying the breather they were given with entertainment.

The first houses we saw were exclusively made out of would like the docks. They were small in size and among them there were many stalls for a fish market possibly everything empty. We made our way to the innermost parts of the city where the houses changed from wooden to stone and wooden boards above the water were replaced by soil. The difference in the status of the city was evident. The pier districts were considered the lower part of the society here but they were still decent. On the other hand the stone houses looked fancier and more expensive than anything you could find at the pier.

It was quite late but still people were out and about, wandering the streets, laughing and joking around or going somewhere to entertain themselves, and it wasn't just the men that were outside. The few taverns we came across were seemingly full of people laughing and drinking until they fell on their faces while every other shop was closed. In the darkness only the lights coming from the candles inside the houses lit the streets so we were like shadows wearing our cloaks and marching for the other end of the city and the city limits. The fact that the city wasn't surrounded by big walls was made known to us by the captain of the Stargazer. He said that they didn't need walls since no one dared start a war. It made me wonder why the other cities I've been to had these walls. Was it for protection or was it maybe for control?

We reached the other end of Whitespire an hour after we left the ship and the distance was great. It would have taken us more if there weren't many streets that lined up with the center of the city and even the one from the docks was a straight line to our destination. We even passed by the castle that true to its fame was made from the purest marble there was, and the color was as white as snow. I wondered if this white castle was so magnificent then its dark counterpart had to be even more stunning.

However it was too late to travel right now. Even if we did leave we wouldn't get much further until we had to make camp. Sure we were on a ship and did nothing but this didn't mean we weren't tired. We still had four days excluding this one until the blood eclipse, we could afford one night to rest since we would not be making progress. The trip to Blackspire would last three days after all. I stopped in my tracks and when they turned around I told them what I was thinking. "There is no point in traveling tonight. It's too late and we are already tired from the ship. We should find a place to stay the night here".

They agreed with a smile and I was surprised by it. Were they thinking that I was so lost in my revenge that I would push them or myself over the edge and travel day and night? Of course I was just kidding myself by thinking this. They most likely were happy that I was the one who proposed this turn of events. We looked around for the nearest inn and found one not even five blocks away. The building wasn't as big as the last inn we were in but it still had two floors. It also had a fenced area on the west wall that had grass and a well inside a built hut like structure. It was more likely for bathing if the large round wooden trough was of any clue.