It’s all wide-open spaces meant to catch and channel breezes. There is so little rain here that there are buildings with open roofs. Vast green spaces are sheltered within the city, bordered by protective walls—trees to grant shade and relief from the stony heat.
Through the center winds a canal where people glide in small pleasure boats, the water glistening in the sunlight. The spires scattered around the city would snap under the weight of snow back home or crack off in our blizzards.
Here, they reach up bold and delicate and sew wisps of clouds in the blue sky.
Dominating the cityscape is the royal castle, built in the same white-pink stone as the rest of the sprawling glory before us. It’s perched atop the highest point, a winding road circling the hill it uses as a throne.
The magnificent structure is surrounded by terraced gardens. Its walls feature countless arched windows and open-air balconies. A moat wraps around the castle’s base, fed by the canal. Three narrow bridges connect the castle complex to the rest of the city.
As we approach the city’s outskirts, Venna blurts out, “This is insane.”
“Is that… a good thing?” Davide asks, a single brow raised high.
“I have no idea,” I reply, raising my eyebrows at my friend. She shrugs.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I ask Venna mentally.
“That Izabel would have loved this?”There’s a wistful note in her voice, and her lips purse, eyes glistening.“Cities have no right being this beautiful. I think if she’d seen Brightbane, she would’ve insisted on moving here permanently, bloodsuckers be damned.”
“It’s nice to think about it through her eyes,” I reply.“It makes me feel less like a hostage walking toward near-certain death and more like someone on a romantic adventure.”
Venna nods, and I wish we could stay on this hill forever. This is the first moment we’ve been able to reminisce in a bittersweet way since Izabel’s death. The first time we’ve shared a thought about her together and not just smarted at our loss.
“If I may suggest,” Elias interjects, shattering our peace, “it may be a wise idea to leave your direwolves in the wilderness beyond the city walls and proceed on foot. While the citizens of Brightbane are accustomed to many unusual sights, direwolves might cause unnecessary panic among the populace.”
I bristle immediately. There’s a difference between parting with Anassa in a small village. This is the seat of King Lucien’s power. I need my damn wolf.
Answering violence rises in Anassa.
But Stark speaks before I can. Forcefully. “We will absolutely not be parting with our wolves.”
Elias shrugs. “Very well, then.”
We make our way through the towering city gates and into the winding streets. Immediately upon entering, the air cools. The structure of the city works to ease the heat—the stone all around us, the breeze channels, the fruit trees planted for shade, and the sparkling water.
Beside us, Cratos emits a long, weighty sigh of relief. His black fur is probably worse than Anassa’s.
Details reveal themselves that I couldn’t make out from above. Carved fountains on every other street corner, burbling with cool water. Bell towers that don’t seem to mark the hour but rather chime with constant, tinkling sound. Tiles dot many of the buildings and roads, their bright colors arranged in geometric patterns.
I’m distracted by the sights, at first, but I soon realize that we’re getting a lot of attention. Citizens gasp in fear when they see us coming. Mothers pull their children behind them and hurry away. Shopkeepers hurriedly close their doors.
I feel as if I’m a walking nightmare, back to being a scary story in someone else’s mind.
I ignore it as best I can.
It helps that Anassa doesn’t even slightly care that these people are afraid of her. She bares her fangs at them as we go, reminding me that it doesn’t matter what they think. They’re theenemy.
After a punishingly slow procession, we finally reach the castle’s mainentrance. Elias halts his horse before the beginning of the bridge. The water of the moat trickles gently, fish flashing close to the surface.
“I will lead you through the gates, and then we will part for now,” Elias says. “It was not as awful as expected, traveling with you.”
Stark’s mouth twists, and Noemi just stares at him. I sigh, wishing we could have ended the journey on a high note.
“Ready, Sae?” I ask, rubbing her arm to distract myself from the awkwardness.
“Yeah,” she says, leaning forward so she can peer down into the sparkling waters as Anassa pads after our guides.
The tall gates loom over us. They’re covered in swirling gold patterns and glinting precious stones. There’s a symbol above them—that sun with wavy rays again.
