“Imminarios,” Cam clarified, “generally only have ramentum up to their elbow or possibly just above depending on the strength of their one ability.”
“I see,” I said, glancing at my bare arms. “So when people see I have none…”
“They will think you are a human,” Ram finished.
“And that’s a problem because…?”
“Humans are not allowed in Civi Adasa. You might find some hiding in Civi Obsura, the village at the bottom of the hill, but even those humans risk being imprisoned. Or worse.”
“Well that’s some antiquated separatist nonsense. My father seriously allows this?” If he cared about my mother, why would he let her people be treated so poorly?
Cam swung an arm around my shoulders. “Please do not think ill of your father, Princess,” he said. “He is simply upholding the traditions of our people that were established a millennia ago.Not to mention things between humans and Vitaeans became even more strained after the plague hit. It is for the human’s benefit that they are banned, trust me.”
I tried to let his words assuage some of my anger, but my ire dimmed only slightly. I would definitely be having a conversation with Daddy Dearest when I saw him next. I had some serious reservations about saving a world that shunned my kind.
“Okay,” I said, determined to actually make it out to the city. “So I just need a jacket or something then, yeah? Or a long-sleeve tunic?”
“No,” Ram answered. “Secunnarios would never hide their status.”
“I got it,” Cam said, turning to his brother. “We could use a—”
“Shen’Valla shroud,” Ram finished. “Of course. We should still have the one from when our mother departed.” He dashed off into the cottage, his brother hot on his heels.
They returned a minute later with a piece of silky purple fabric attached to a thin ring of silver with runic symbols carved into it. They placed the circlet over my head, and the soft material cascaded around me like a poncho, ending just above my waist. Only a thin slit allowed me to see, and the whole thing felt rather suffocating.
The twins stood back admiring their handiwork. “Perfect,” Ram declared. “Now you look ready to go.”
Cam nodded and pointed me toward the road. “You can take it off until we reach the city gates if you would like. I know it can be stifling.”
Yanking the mess of fabric off my head, I followed them off down the cobblestone road.
A loud squawk above me drew my attention to the sky where two imposing birds with lustrous black and blue feathers circled above us.
“Hey guys, should I be worried about them?” I asked, pointing up. “I’m still trying to figure out which animals are friendly, and which animals want to eat my face.”
“Not at all,” Cam said. “Those are our crescia, Flax and Flinx. They are only squawking because they want to come into the city with us.”
“Do they normally follow you everywhere?”
“When they can,” Ram answered. “They have their own lives, but the drive to be near their bonded is strong.” He whistled, and one of the raven-like birds flew down to his shoulder. Despite Ram’s muscular build, it still barely fit.
If I somehow got a crescia, it better be tiny.
We resumed our trek with Flax and Flinx accompanying us overhead. They were quite majestic creatures once I knew their sharp talons wouldn’t be sinking into my flesh.
“It should not take too long to walk to Civi Adasa. I would suggest a horse but that would be unwise unless you knew how to ride very well,” Ram said, as we approached the outer gate. “Well, not a horse technically. We ride unguisens here, but they are close enough.”
Since I'd never even seen a horse in person let alone its weird cousin, I didn't argue. My legs were more than used to getting me where I needed to go.
We passed through the gate, and the path curved as it made its way down toward a high stone wall. The salty sea air caressed my face, and a flash of annoyance passed through me since I now seemed to associate the scent of the ocean with Sin. He simply had no right to smell that good yet act so awful.
Pulling my thoughts from the ill-tempered male, I examined the bundle of metal and fabric in my hand. “What is this thing anyway?”
“When a Vitaean offers their body to Shen’Valla,” Cam answered, “the ones that they leave behind generally don theshroud for a few days as a way of grieving. It is perfect because no one would ever look too closely at one who mourns.”
“Very disrespectful,” Ram added. “So make sure not to draw any attention to yourself, and you will be fine.”
We continued on in silence, and I took the time to just enjoy the clean air. I knew Jersey had its share of pollution, but I had no idea just how bad it was until now. This was a world without cars, factories, or anything industrialized. The fresh smell alone was making it harder to think about going home.
