Blood & Power [Book One of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

1.14: Choice

I let the air exhale out from my lungs and breathe in the scent of a wolf; the central zone gradually being filled with the pawed beasts hoping to overturn convictions or save loved ones. With the turnaround of sentencing being a couple of days at most, I had to think it was a fruitless effort.

The sound of clicking had been fading into the distance. The heels of her shoes hit against the concrete with melancholy pace as the sunrise strikes the building in copper hues. I'd turned as Marianna had departed from my field of vision and found myself content with the silence that settled on the street; only the subtle murmurs of the occupants of the buildings around me occupying my ears.

I had to admit that Central certainly made a solid impression on everyone that visited it; between the white and cream buildings that shone in the light, and the architectural details they'd instructed the best of the humans to create, it did a great job of concealing the misery behind the walls.

The clean, beige cobbled streets were often the victim of blood splashing of the odd fight that broke out, and the windows often needed replacing when someone was rowdy enough to throw an official out of it. Then you had to consider the apartment buildings that rested near the back of the zone which housed the officials and their families when they had a moment off shift; which wasn't often.

Even worse, the homes of the people too mentally sick to cope without round the clock care, they had a little area of homes that functioned outside of the Government area; surrounded by flower fields on all sides and concealed by a wooden fence and gate that would only permit entry to officials and family - and even family had trouble.

I couldn't quite see it from here, but I'd run past it a few times when waiting for Rudhairi to find me, or for Adrienne to finish ranting orders at people she ought not to shout orders at. I was tempted to go for that run now; see if I could catch a glimpse of one of the poor souls that had found themselves trapped within its walls, but decided against it, not quite knowing how long Adrienne would take, and she was bound to want to scream into my ear.

I'd made a small movement back towards the main building, and the smell of a spring field had rushed past me and filled all of my senses again. I'd thought it to be a trick of the mind until her face appeared in front of me, her peach coloured smile radiating against her skin.

The oh so familiar scent had returned and offered a small comfort, wrapping its arms around me in a trusting embrace. I could only accept it to be a small comfort, the void in my stomach only partially eased, because I knew that if she was back, there was something wrong.

It was often the case that Marianna would get it in her head that she couldn't bestow some information on me, and then at the last second decide that there wasn't anyone that could possibly stop her. That was often truer than not.

"Mon Cheri," She had whispered, the remnants of a flash of realisation on her face. She was still muttering words in French under her breath with a speed that I couldn't quite understand. I had barely comprehended her final words before I interrupted her, "J'ai oublié de mentionner..."