The roads in Orience twisted amongst themselves, as buildings and farmlands had been gradually constructed over the centuries, forcing the need to expand to support the growing population at thetime. It ended up creating a maze of roads that made travel slower than just cutting straight through when possible.
A bird swooped down from a tree and flew alongside Cahir.
“Why did you scratch her yesterday, Roya?” Cahir huffed as he tried to quicken his pace through an alley of buildings.
As the bird soared, its dark eyes gazed back at him, mirroring his own reflection.
“I was trying to protect her and accidentally scratched her,” her melodious voice replied.
“She thought you were attacking her. You can’t just grab someone like that. And was that you in the apartment?”
Roya flew ahead to a tree, perched on a low-hanging branch, and let out a loud caw. Cahir jogged up to the tree and paused for a moment, catching his breath, with his arm pressed against the stump to support himself.
“It is in my nature to protect. I want an easy way in.” Roya ruffled her black feathers as they reflected their azure hue in the fading sunlight.
“I could have just opened a window for you.”
“You and I both know she wouldn’t leave it open,” Roya said with a huff.
“My time is almost up, and I haven’t found it yet.” He pulled the piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, which Roya had given him the day before, and unfolded it to revealits contents.
“They have been watching,” Roya warned. “You need to find a way to tell her before the day arrives.”
“You know I can’t. The Wisps’ magic binds me, remember?” Cahir looked down at the paper and crumpled it into a small ball.
The fucking Wisps.
He should have just set out to find Seda alone without their magic to help him. He hurled the crumpled paper past the tree into the tall, dry weeds and glared at Roya.
“What are you running to?” Roya changed the subject as she hopped to another branch, trying to avoid his glare, with the tree rustling from the movement.
“Her father was collected to go to the Camp. I want to find where he is and try to get him out before that happens. Things are changing quickly here, Roya. The Jotnar attacks are also more frequent. I fear I won’t have enough time to help with this. I need to get her out of here.”
Roya tilted her head and gazed up at the sky. “The dome will crumble soon,” she warned. “We have heard their conversations.”
He felt a coil of dread wrap around him, squeezing tight like a snake around its prey. He stepped away from the tree and resumed his jog toward Cascade. Roya leapt from the branch, following him above as the setting crimson sky darkened in the distance. He ran until the gates of Cascade appeared before him, and the road changed from the crunching of pebbles to smooth, basketweave brick.
Boutiques had closed their shops for the night, their window displays showcasing their wealth, so vastly different from the other two sections of Joro. Street lights flickered on and cast an orange glow over the street. No one was in sight except for a group of Rozzers standing in the distance.
As Cahir rounded the corner of a street, he spotted Joro Hall in the distance. The building’s brick exterior and stained glass windows towered over the end of the long road.
From the sound of flapping wings above and the slight breeze in the air, Cahir knew that Roya was still with him.
The curfew siren blared throughout the city, and his chest constricted. He didn’t find a safe location in time.
“Hey there!” a Rozzer called from behind. He didn’t hesitate and took off running, knowing that getting caught meant being taken to the Camp. He turned the corner of a shop and searched for a place to conceal himself as the sound of boots closing in on him grew louder.
“Over here,” Roya called from behind a large bush. Cahir ran to the prickly, flowering bush and ducked down. She landed on his shoulder and spread a wing over him, her magic making them both disappear.
With his breath held tightly in his lungs, Cahir stayed still as the sound of the Rozzers getting closer grew louder.
Two Rozzers ran up to the bush and stopped a few feet away, both holding their weapons. A tall Rozzer with greasy, dark hair and a scarred face said, “I saw him go there. Where did he go?”
Next to him, the Rozzer with red hair nodded toward a building, which had a narrow path running between two other buildings. “These fucking assholes. Maybe he ran that way. The Captain said we need to catch all of them. If we ever want to move up, Michael, we can’t keep failing. Let’s go.”
They both hurried down the path.
With a sigh, Cahir finally stood up, his body reemerging as Roya pulled back her wing and landed on the ground.
