GRETA

Brommy said there was some kind of celebration for advisors today down in the city. It's one of the few times I've seen him excited.

I wish I could make him that happy.

Usually, he is back by now.

The streets are dark at night. The paved stone is cold beneath my feet. It's too busy to go where I hoped. The road to the market is blocked by so many people and the people are not moving.

Loud whistles and clambering pots makes me cover my ears. Not to mention, all the Eyu people shouting and laughing. Many are drunk. A lot of couples stand together holding hands or hugging while their children run around free and giddy to throw their flowers and candy wrappers in the air.

Empirical soldiers line the crowds and encourage the excitement by raising their overflowing mugs.

The ground is filthy covered in greasy sludge and stomped-over food.

Suddenly, my vision fades sharply to shades of grey and black alerting me of the late hour.

What joy is it to pretend to be part of something I can never be part of? This community, these families, these feelings they share...the belonging.

When do I ever belong?

With a sluggish heart, I veer off the main street and down a much narrow road. It's the perimeter of the city walls. Only shrubs and trees line this path. The further I go, the quieter the noise behind me gets.

Brommy said he would come back to get me. I suppose he forgot or maybe I was just too impatient and should have waited longer. He is a young man. It's not fair of me to expect him give me all his free time. I wouldn't...I wouldn't have enjoyed going to the celebration anyway. There were too many people. I would not have been comfortable. I wasn't comfortable when I went to see it myself.

Now I am here.

I'm not sure where 'here' is. A large expanse of slate covers the ground ahead of me but there is no structure in place. This stable quarter looks new. Why are there no guards here? Anyone could go in and take the voltak.

The wall here is different. A very long piece of flat stone sticks out of it providing seating for many people, but why would so many people need to sit down together out here? There are barely any homes.

I sit down on the bench with the intention of leaning back against the wall.

"Wah!" I gasp.

I nearly fall backward. I just manage to use my feet to anchor myself on the ground. Behind me is not a wall, but another bench, only just high enough to rest my elbows on...but there is another bench even higher. No, not a bench, but a step...more steps. I crane my neck looking all the way up to the very tippy top of the city wall where the steps lead.

As if pulled by an invisible string, I begin to ascend the steep steps.

Eventually, I make it to the top. A large fountain is situated in front of a massive column temple. Curious, I walk around the fountain to get a better look. The top of the temple is very pointy. There are no guards here.

I wonder if it's abandoned? There's no need for temples anymore.

Brommy said Enoch had every one of Zard's communes destroyed so they couldn't be converted into places of worship.

Best not to get too close. Now that the shade of the day is pure dark, I can make out some guards lining the structure.

They don't care that I'm up here. It might just be an advisoral home or empirical property of some sort.

The soft whisper of wind picks up spreading small ruffles in the skirts of my robes as I move away from the building toward the open courtyard. There is no one guarding it and nothing at all blocking it off from the community. Plants and statues have been brought up here as well. There must be over a hundred rows of shrubs and vines.

The pathway is so narrow and descending. How can this ground, in the sky above the city, be sloped downward? There's no wind in here, but in the nearing distance, chimes gently trickle through the shadows of the tall bushes around me.

What kind of place is this?

Eventually, the path widens, the sound of chimes growing quiet. The strong smell of sulfur makes me wrinkle my nose as the path opens up to a giant pile of strange large glowing rocks sitting in a shallow circular pool of water.

Someone must have carried these shiny rocks all the way up here and created this place. It's definitely man-made. What kind of soul would make anyone carry these ridiculously big rocks up here? All the way above the city and just for show?

The shallow water bubbles.

The stench is terrible. I turn away from the strange rocks and begin walking back the way I came. Eventually, the smell fades behind me and I once again can hear the comfort of chimes lightly blowing in the leaves somewhere above my head.

The path begins to get more and more narrow. I don't think it took so long to get where I came from. Did I make a wrong turn? There really aren't any turns to make. It's just straight rows of plants. I'm just getting nervous and it's normal. I haven't been here before.

Getting a bad feeling, I look over my shoulder. A tall dark shape lurks right behind me.

It's just a guard. My heart settles as I look over their black shiny armor. Without saying anything, they step back and remain still.

How long were they following me?

It doesn't seem like I've done anything wrong. They aren't talking. With a shallow breath, I hurry away and make it out into the open.

Of course, I had only a few paces to go. I should have acted like a man and believed in my own navigation rather than question myself. There are guards all over this place now. Several are out in the open just outside the big building and around the steps I'll have to go back down.

It's night so it won't be too hard to go unseen. I really need to get back to Brommy.

***

ENOCH

Adler moves through the courtyard. It's almost exactly like the one he had back on Ashtium. He made the slaves come all the way up here to build this place. It's ridiculous.

Crazy, but it has kept him out of my hair. He must be fairly content.

"What a beautiful day it is, don't you think? I'm so glad you have graced me with your presence, Enoch."

"You seem to be doing well. I'm very happy with the observatory's completion."

Adler moves down the courtyard path ahead of me.

"Of course," he chides, "I want to remain in your good graces."

He stops at a marble bench and sits down folding his hands behind his head like a lazy mongrel stretching his legs out.

The corner of his lip quirks up as his gaze veers sideways amused by something.

"What is it?" I ask in annoyance.

His smile falls.

"Oh, nothing. My guards do their rounds on this path," he says, "The strangest thing happened yester-evening. A woman was found wandering around alone back here."

"And what of it? You have many women," I respond flatly. "It's no surprise they would be walking around and enjoying empirical luxuries when you give them the opportunity to by inviting them up here."

"Women may come up to my home at night. However, they do not come all the way back here alone, Enoch, especially at night when it is entirely dark. I'm afraid only a glimpse was caught."

"How did they find a woman out here if it was dark, Adler?" I ask calmly.

Adler sits up straight, he leans forward. That cold, soulless stare drills into my forehead as his mouth forms into a hard line.

"That's because I am the one who saw her."

Dread squeezes my lungs.

Abruptly, loud footsteps catch us both by surprise. My guards dash down the path putting our conversation to an end.

"Ruler, Enoch! You are to free the slaves today. You do not want to be late to the ceremony. The crowds are already quite impressive this morning. Going off your announcement's success yester-evening, we request more stations in the north to control the civilians."

Adler's face lightens in the presence of our new company.

"Don't be shy, Enoch. Let us be on our way."

☁️