Chapter 14
Veridas
Elizabeth met Fiza and Maud in front of the castle. They were standing beside the same dark carriage she had arrived in.
A disgruntled Finnigan arrived, appearing unenthused at the idea of playing chaperone. Asmodeus strolled over soon after, but he had been somewhat transformed into the first form she’d seen him in. His wings had been shoved into a cloak, making him appear oddly hunchbacked, and his hood hung low over his face so she could only see his cheery grin.
Offering his hand, Asmodeus helped her into the carriage, and Elizabeth itched to peek under his cloak. Was it a type of magic that hid the tips of his wings? Or had he bound them tightly, wrenching them together and stuffing them underneath? He still looked imposing, but at least now, she wouldn’t have been able to tell that he was a demon simply by looking at him.
She was relieved to have Fiza and Maud with her today. The two sisters shared mousy brown hair and inconspicuous faces—excellent companions for her to walk around the city with.
Someone cried “Hyah!” from the front of the carriage, and they were off, headed down the castle drive and towards the dirt road that cut through the trees.
Fog blanketed the forest floor, shrouding the trees and the road up ahead.
Elizabeth pressed her face to the window, marking each fork in the road and each distinctive tree, trying to memorize the path from Caspian’s castle to Veridas, the nearest city.
Several hours of travel later, the trees became thicker, some of them becoming as wide as she was tall, and the air grew thick with the smell of pine, like they were venturing into the heart of the forest.
They came to a spindly black gate, and her heartbeat quickened as the gates creaked open ominously.
She fiddled nervously with her bracelets and wondered if Fiza had remarked that she had opted to wear more jewels than usual today, partially hidden by long sleeves.
She rehearsed her plan and worried that if she were caught trying to escape her chaperones, Caspian would be angry with her.
But selling her old things was paramount—it was the only way she could see herself making enough gold to make her own way. She knew that by leaving, she’d severed ties with her family’s wealth forever, and unless she were smart now, she’d wind up destitute.
The muddy forest road smoothed out into cobblestone streets, slick from the rain sprinkling overhead. The buildings they passed were made of black stone and were half-covered in ivy and moss.
Fiza murmured from beside her, “We are here.”
Her first impression of Veridas was that it was verygreen. Ivy crawled up the houses and shops, making the city look like a part of the forest that surrounded it. Veridas did not have large sprawling manors with fields and yards; instead, it was crammed with black, spindly buildings, with various windows and shops on the ground floor. Intricately wrought iron balconies peered out at her from the upper levels of townhouses.
“It’s pretty, but in an eerie kind of way,” Elizabeth commented. “Why do they call it Veridas? It seems like a strange name for a city.”
It was Fiza who replied, “‘Veridas is the word for green in our tongue. So, this is the green city.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Your tongue?”
“The old tongue, spoken by angels, demons, and a select few scholars now. The language that came before all others. The language of the gods.”
At least now she had an answer for the strange language in the library.
Soon, the carriage slowed to a stop, and the door beside Maud flung open. Finnigan glared inside, thrusting out his hand. With a tilt of his head, he locked eyes with Maud before she stepped down. Something must’ve passed between them, for Maud shrugged and gave a noncommittal jerk of her head.
Before she could wonder at their exchange, Finnigan shoved an impatient hand towards her next. Glancing at Fiza, who smiled encouragingly, she allowed Finnigan to help her step out of the carriage.
As the male demons tended the horses, she, Fiza, and Maud ventured into Veridas. Elizabeth looked back at Asmodeus, who gave her a cheerful wave, and wondered if Veridas was a safe city or if—as demons—Fiza and Maud were deemed more than capable protectors. Elizabeth recalled Fiza’s terrifying demon form and suppressed a shudder. Probably the latter.
Plenty of commoners milled about, but it was surprisingly quiet. Most of the Arborians they passed were pale with dark hair and appeared solemn, a stark contrast to the loud, energetic streets of Calyx and Briarton.
They wandered into a marketplace bustling with stalls brimming with everything imaginable—trinkets, clothing, vegetables. They stopped at a confectionerystand and bought sweets, which they ate happily while wandering through the rest of the shops.
The sweets were a deep, amber colour and made of a chewy substance she had never tried before. It was delicious—like honey, but with more of an amber, woodsy taste.
Fiza and Maud wandered painfully slowly, peering at every little thing. Normally, she wouldn’t have minded, but Elizabeth had another agenda today and needed to lose her tail.
“Come on, let’s explore the city streets,” Elizabeth said, steering them towards a bookshop. She remembered how her guards back home always wandered off when she spent too long perusing shelves. Maud snorted when she saw Elizabeth excitedly crouched to stare at the titles on the lowest shelf of the shop.
