47. Faylinn
Chapter 47
Faylinn
V espera was everything the General and Mages described, and then some. It was vast, buildings and streets winding together from the outer edge, becoming more compact as we traveled toward the center. There were definitive sections as well, the architecture and details changing as we exited the concentration of one people and entered another. It was a blend of so many different styles and textures that it should look odd and tacky.
But it only stood to reinforce the beauty of it all.
There were buildings taller than I’d ever seen with people and clothing hanging out the windows, surrounded by lower buildings and storefronts. A constant hum served as the soundtrack for life as people gossiped, laughed, and made deals. The smells were almost overwhelming, a mixture of exotic food, animals, and sweat permeated the air and I had to scratch my nose more than once.
I was sure that if General d’Alvey glanced back at any point, my eyes would be the size of dinner plates as I took it all in, but he never did. Instead, he strode quickly and purposefully down a small, paved walkway separate from the street, which was full of carriages and horses. I’d never seen the walkway split from the road like this, and it was beyond intriguing. There was never enough activity to warrant a change like this in Isrun or any of the villages in close proximity, but I could see the merits of it in a place like this.
Every few feet there was a metal pole stuck into the ground with a clear orb sitting atop it. The sunlight glinted off the orb, sending a spectrum of light and colors to dance on the ground and off the sides of the buildings. It was beautiful, but I was entirely too curious about what the orbs did. I wanted to stop and examine the strange pole and touch the orb if I could, but the General was not paying attention to me, and I would undoubtedly be lost in this maze of a place if I didn’t keep up with him.
I hustled to catch up to the General, his long strides purposeful and hurried, people quickly ducking out of his way with nods of deference and muted “General” as he passed. I drew even with him and pulled in a few huffing breaths.
“Will . . . you . . . please . . . slow down! I can’t keep up with your gargantuan legs!”
He didn’t acknowledge that I spoke, didn’t even glance in my direction, but he did slow his pace enough that I wasn’t running to keep up with him.
“Thank you,” I panted.
Our pace wasn’t leisurely, but it did give me the chance to observe more of the buildings and people as we passed.
“This place is enormous,” I said.
The General only grunted in response.
Well, okay then. He was never a huge conversationalist to begin with, but this was even worse than usual.
“Are you excited to be back? Staying in a village like mine has to be so different than what you’re used to.”
He grunted again and I rolled my eyes.
“Me General d’Alvey, me no talk to backwater girl,” I grunted, pulling my eyebrows down over my eyes in a poor imitation of primitive speech.
He finally looked at me, but his gaze was full of ire. “I’m simply trying to get us to the palace. Would you rather we stop and chat?”
I blanched and reared my head back in slight shock. “No, thanks. This is fine.”
He turned away again and didn’t look at me for the rest of our journey. We walked the remainder of the way to the palace in silence and I used the time to make a mental list of all the things I wanted to ask about later, whether to the General or Art or Gene, if he’d introduce me, I didn’t quite care.
The street we walked along widened suddenly as the end of what I assumed to be a market or shopping sector opened into a large courtyard-like space, and my mouth dropped open even further.
The buildings were huge and the courtyard, if you could even call it that, was beyond expansive. If thirty of Isrun were placed together, the space would still be larger. The middle was an open space of cobbled stone with an impressively large stone obelisk directly in the center. People mingled and gathered around the structure, and I could faintly make out pictures carved into the stone. Instantly I itched to go inspect it and glean whatever information I could, but General d’Alvey had already turned to his left, continuing his walk along the pathway that framed the outer edges of the courtyard.
There were a few buildings that lined the outside of the open space, but they were relatively few and far between. There was a large two-story building constructed of nondescript stone. A waist-high stone wall surrounded the property. The cobbled stone continued behind the gate, and I was shocked at the lack of grass and green. The whole space was just so . . . grey .
General d’Alvey gestured to the building. “This is the administrative building where my, and your, office is located. I’ll have someone give you a tour later.” We passed the paved entrance to the building, and there was a small iron sign indicating that it was indeed the administrative building.
Administrative Offices of Vespera , to be exact .
We continued our trek, and I glanced across the open courtyard. There were a few vendors hawking a variety of wares and small kiosks of food set up around, but still no greenery. It was unnerving and my feet tingled as they slapped against the stone.
“Why is there no green?” I murmured to myself.
“If an army ever invaded the city, greenery would give a variety of Mages the ability to recharge their magic on demand. By removing the natural substances and replacing them with stone, Lord d’Refan ensured that any foreign magic would be thoroughly depleted before our own,” General d’Alvey explained. It was the most he’d spoken since earlier this morning, and I marveled at the information .
“That . . . is rather brilliant,” I admitted. Even though I didn’t appreciate the lack of soft grass and whisper of trees, I could appreciate a brilliant strategy.
The General nodded. “Lord d’Refan is exceptionally intelligent. You two will get along well, I’m sure.”
“Lord d’Refan, the Warlord, they’re all the same person?”
“Yes, though I highly advise against referring to him as the Warlord. It’s . . . more of a derogatory term that those who allied with Solace developed. Lord d’Refan is how you should address him.”
I nodded absently, my head still swiveling about.
“What is that building?” I pointed to the largest building I had ever seen. It was at least five floors high, with various turrets pointing to the sky, and the length of it encompassed the entirety of one side of the courtyard. In contrast to the light grey, almost white stone that comprised the courtyard and the administrative offices, the building across the courtyard was pitch black and gleaming. The whole effect was slightly terrifying, and I suddenly felt small and insignificant standing in its monstrous shadow.
I absently scratched at a few scars on my arms, a phantom itch randomly appearing.
Odd . The phantom itches came and went in spurts, almost like attacks, and were generally accompanied by strange dreams. I just had an episode a few weeks ago, so this was entirely out of place. I’d have to check my notes and tracking once I got settled in my new space.
“That’s the Academy where we train our elite Mages and Vessels, primarily for war, but for other purposes as well. Most are recruited, only those with the most promise are allowed to attend. The largest library in Elyria is located at the Academy. I’d imagine you’ll be spending quite a bit of time there,” General d’Alvey explained.
I shivered involuntarily, my nails scouring my scars. He glanced at the movement, and I quickly tore my hand from my arm and tucked both behind my back. I was certain he’d seen my scars—we’d ridden together, after all—but he had yet to ask about them. I covered most, or as many as I could, with a variety of runes, but there were only so many runes I could etch into my body without experiencing negative side effects.
Some of the scars I just had to deal with, even if they were a painful reminder that I didn’t actually remember much of my past .
Not for the first time, I hoped that a book in the expansive Academy library would hold the answers to my lost memory.
We came to a halt outside the only other building framing the courtyard. Like the Academy, it extended the entirety of one side. Unlike the Academy, there was no overwhelming feeling of foreboding. Upon closer inspection, I realized that while the walls surrounding the property spanned the entire width of the courtyard, the house itself was smaller. It almost felt . . . homey. The building was a mixture of brown and white stone and was a modest three stories. It was large, sure, but there was an understated elegance to it.
As we reached the gate, I gasped.
Green! Trees! Plants and water!
Immediately my soul dragged me closer to the gates. All I wanted to do was stretch my arm and leg through the gaps in the iron and caress the green with my skin.
“Wait.” General d’Alvey threw out a hand to stop my body from colliding with the gate. My feet stopped moving and I shot him a disgruntled look. “The gate can detect a magic signature. If it’s not an authorized signature, the gate will zap you. Literally.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline.
What kind of magic was this? I couldn’t wait to sit down and examine the engineering behind it.
“I’ll have your signature added today by Art or Gene, but for now, you need to stay with me.” He seemed both pleased and disgruntled that I would be his personal shadow until my magical signature was added.
When he touched the gate, it swung open with an audible click , the Mages on guard duty giving him a nod of respect and recognition before turning wary yet curious gazes to me. I gave a small wave as we passed.
As soon as we were in the yard beyond the gate, I practically ran with joy until I could feel the grass under my feet. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief as my toes wiggled into the dirt.
Heavenly .
“Why do you do that?” I opened my eyes to see the General staring at me in blatant curiosity.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know. I’ve always felt pulled to living things—grass, trees, flowers. It grounds me, clears my mind and settles my soul, I suppose.”
“Are you an Earth Mage? A Creation Mage?” His brow was furrowed like I was a giant puzzle he needed to piece together.
I gave him a small, wistful smile and tucked an errant curl behind my ear. “Neither,” I said. “I actually never Awakened.”
He was silent and I twisted my hands in front of me.
“Impossible,” he finally stated. “Everyone Awakens. Everyone.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, not me, apparently. There’s an exception to every rule, General.”
He hummed in thought before spinning on his heel and gesturing for me to follow. “We will table that for another time, Faylinn. For now, I will get you settled in your room. Your bag will be brought up in short order. I need to debrief with Lord d’Refan, first, before I send for you to meet him.”
I reluctantly pulled my feet from the grass to follow him into the house.
“This is where Lord d’Refan lives?” I asked as the large wooden doors swung wide to reveal dark stone floors and plastered walls. The entry was expansive, with two large curling staircases framing either side. The ceiling seemed to extend forever, or at least all the way to the top of the house, and sunlight poured through strategically placed windows. It was beautiful and I reluctantly tore my gaze away from the entryway to follow the General as he confidently strode through Lord d’Refan’s home.
“Yes,” he answered as we climbed the staircase and then turned right down an impossibly long hallway. The same orbs that decorated the long poles in the streets were attached to the ceilings and I gazed at them in wonder. “As well as myself and some of our staff. Their quarters are in the other wing of the manor. Your rooms will also be set up here, on this floor. And Lord d’Refan is expecting another guest at some point in the near future.”
I stared for a minute before replying. “I’m going to live . . . here?”
He stopped at the end of the hallway just in front of a large oak door. There was yet another strange orb on the wall next to the door, and the General placed his hand on it. The orb glowed a bright white before the door unlocked with an almost inaudible snick .
“Yes. As our guest.” He pushed open the door and the sight behind it nearly sent me to my knees. The room was huge , larger even than the entire inn back in Isrun. There was an ornately carved fireplace with a variety of chairs scattered in front of it just to our left. A small table and set of chairs rested against the wall to our right. Also to the left were massive glass windows with wrought iron inlays that bathed the entire room in sunlight.
“This is . . . stunning, General, truly. But where will I sleep?” I gestured to the couch that sat in the middle of the space.
A ghost of a smile played on his lips before he strode across the room and opened a second door, which revealed an even more opulent bedroom with the largest bed I’d ever seen. There was yet another fireplace in this space with an elegant settee that I just itched to lay out on while reading. A door off the bedroom revealed my own private bathroom, complete with furnishings and technology I didn’t even have the faintest idea how to operate.
“Your bag is already here.” He pointed to my worn canvas bag, stretched to its limits by all of the books and journals I brought with me to Vespera. The thing looked sad and completely out of place in this room of luxury. “I’ll give you some time to make yourself comfortable and become acquainted with the space. If you need anything, please just pull this lever here.” He placed one of his large hands on a small iron lever in the sitting room. “This will signal the staff. If there’s something they can’t help you with, please write down your requests and needs on a paper and have one of them deliver it to me.”
“You’re going to fetch me things, now, hmm?” I teased, still in awe of the space.
He gave me a tight-lipped smile, his whole body radiating tension. “If it has to do with your job, then yes. Books, bookcases, an extra desk or parchment, those types of things.”
“Right,” I said, trying to keep the edge of disappointment out of my voice. For all of his quirks and decided inability to carry on a lighthearted conversation, I enjoyed the General’s company.
That’s because he’s the only person you know here . Though, that wasn’t quite true, and I sobered at the thought.
“Can I see Ben soon?” I asked quietly.
The General gave a curt nod before striding toward the door to my suite once more. “Yes. As soon as Lord d’Refan is aware of your presence and can . . . interview you, I will have you added as an authorized guest for the house. For now, please stay here until I come and get you.”
With that, he departed, the door closing softly in his wake .
Without his presence, the vastness of the rooms became overwhelming, and I quickly closed the door to the bedroom, preferring the ambiance of the sitting room. I barked a disbelieving laugh at how quickly my place in society had changed in just a few days, though I distinctly missed the dirt floor of my house and its decidedly cozy feel. The lack of vegetation was alarming, and I was already growing restless.
I strode back into the bedroom and scoured through my bag, pulling the first journal I could find from its confines and tearing a random sheet from the middle. I found a box of pens shoved into the side of the bag and quickly wrote my first request.
A plant. Or two.
I made my way back into the sitting room and flopped on the couch, too tired to begin unpacking and cataloguing my books, even though I knew that would bring me some semblance of peace. Instead, I chose to lay down on the couch and rest, suddenly too tired to keep my eyes open.
But when I did, I was met again with strange dreams that felt more real than not, and I didn’t know what to make of it all.