“The same. Still spending all day at the library, and now that neither of us is at home to go get them, they’ll probably spend all night there too.”
She laughed at that.
“In all of my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d be staying here.” Silence’s voice, from behind me, was filled with awe.
“It is the finest place in the city,” Dove said in return. “I wouldn’t have anything less for my sister and her friends, those who saved her life.”
I put my arm around my sister so I was facing the others and nodded. “Exactly. And we’ll all be Nobles ourselves after tomorrow and be able to pay her back.”
“There is no need for that,” she said with a laugh. “It’s my pleasure and my treat. Come, this way.” She led us in through the massive wooden doors — which moved silently and light as a feather, amazing — to the sprawling lobby. It wasn’t a common room like I was used to in other inns and taverns. The space was mostly empty. Though there were a few tables and what looked like a small wine-bar to one side, with a comfortable sitting area not far from there. The far wall had a desk with a pristinely attired young woman behind it. Dove approached her.
“These are my friends. What rooms were prepared for them?”
“Three-seventeen through to three-nineteen.” The young woman handed over three keys to Dove with a smile.
Dove turned to us. “This way.” She led us to a large space to the left and behind the girl at the desk. A wide stairway led up in a squared spiral, but what caught my eye — and I’m sure the others’ — was the steel cage-column which the stairs seemed to be built around. A square area perhaps ten feet to a side was surrounded by this strong, yet somehow also delicate-looking steel latticework, which went farther up than we could see. At the base there seemed to be a cage within that column of steel and a man within, also immaculately attired. He called out to us as we approached. “Would you like to use the lift? What floor?”
Dove winked at us. “Three.” And she entered the contraption beside the man.
We all tentatively entered, and a steel lattice-work door was closed behind us. The man then pulled a cord next to him in three long, slow pulls. Nothing happened.
“We need to wait for the command to reach the operators,” Dove said.
Then…
We began to rise slowly, the smaller cage ascending through the column of steel.
Needless to say, the three of us who’d never seen or experienced anything like this before, all gasped and suddenly clasped the brass bar which was conveniently placed at hip-height around three sides of the cage.
We passed two landings then slowly came to a stop at the third. The man in the cage opened the steel door with a smile and we exited, all a little breathless… except for Dove, who was grinning at the three of us.
“Marvelous invention, isn’t it?”
We were all a little speechless.
Dove laughed, a light and airy thing, and turned to lead us to our rooms.
“I’ll let you rest for a bit, but if you’d like to meet me down in the lobby after the sixth bell, I know a place we can eat.” She handed each of us our keys as we reached our rooms. I was the last and she clasped me in a quick hug. “Enjoy,” she said before turning to leave.
I entered the room and gawked a bit. It was half as large as the home I’d grown up in and many times larger than the small cell at Silverveil I’d known for the past few months.
A large sitting area dominated the center of the room: a low table surrounded by two long couches and four chairs. To the right was a bed that was easily twice the size of anything I’d ever slept in. To the other side was a slightly sunken area with a large porcelain tub that looked like it could easily fit two people. Massive closets occupied one wall, and… the room even had an indoor privy — with a cord you could pull which caused water to flow through it to cleanse it. Along the far side of the room from the door, was a massive bank of windows, the glass so clear I had to approach tentatively for fear I might fall through the openings. Two sets of curtains could be pulled across the wall of windows. One was sheer and gauzy, allowing for privacy while still letting in light. The other set was heavier, to block out any light.
A knock sounded at my door, and I answered it to find Blackclaw and Silence standing there.
“It’s too much space, we both felt a bit odd. Can we come in?” Blackclaw asked.
I nodded, still a bit overwhelmed myself. We sat in the sitting area. There was too much room, so Blackclaw and Silence sat at one end of a couch with me in the chair next to it, shifted to be a bit closer.
“I’m worried about tomorrow,” Silence admitted. We hadn’t talked a lot about the tests on our way here. Apparently, we were going to do so now.
Chapter 13
“So am I,”I said. “In terms of my powers… I can walk on walls, that’s not much to show off.”
Don’t forget your webbing,Auwei said
At the same time, Blackclaw asked, “Can’t you also produce webbing?”
