Strange New Eyes

Chapter Twelve - City

Aysel had predicted the time of the snowstorm's beginning correctly. It seemed as soon as the sun fully sank beneath the mountainous horizon, the dark clouds overhead released a flurry on the ground. The flakes were large and as fluffy as a rabbit's paw, the kind that could be molded into balls and thrown at an unsuspecting friend. But there is no time for games tonight, thought Aysel as she followed her friends through the dark trees. Only deception.

Their disguise needed to be perfect if they were to fool the Westbridge Letters into letting them cross without suspicion.She could still see the flaws, and if she could, so would they. Dunyasha's back wouldn't stay straight, Enrick's scarfed face still appeared to protrude a bit too far, and of course, there was nothing Aysel could do about their depthless, yellow eyes. She just hoped that the cover of this blessed snowstorm would be enough.

She would find out soon. Even the heavy snow couldn't hide the the two tall stone towers lining either side of the bridge, or the many low buildings surrounding them. Everything was lit by flickering torches, so even from afar and in the snow-flecked darkness, Aysel could see the many people milling about.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Ancient Ones, first of our line, look down upon me with pity, she prayed in the formal style in which she had been taught. Bless me with your protection, and give me the strength to keep my friends safe.

"What are you doing?" Dunyasha asked.

"I'm praying," she answered simply.

"Does praying help?"

She hesitated. Hours and hours of prayers and countless drops of blood had done nothing to save her brother... but then again, she was here, fighting to save him. Was she part of the Ancient Ones' plan? Or had they abandoned them all? "I don't know," she said finally. "I hope so."

Dunyasha smiled softly beneath her scarf. "I hope so too."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Westbridge. As they draw closer, Aysel started to hear the sounds of the city. It was indeed a city; it was louder and more alive, even at this late hour, than Aysel had seen before. The city rang with voices as people talked, shouted, laughed, or said quiet prayers to the Ancient Ones. Beneath the voices were the quieter sounds of the red fabric everyone wore swishing together as they walked through the snow-covered lanes, and the crackling of the torches that lit them.

It was a wondrous place, and Aysel would have fallen to her knees and whispered a happy thanks to the Ancient Ones for letting her see it with her own eyes... if not for the sinking feeling in her stomach telling her all would go wrong.

On her right side, Dunyasha walked stiffly through the snow, looking out from above her scarf with watchful eyes. Her brow was furrowed, and Aysel knew that beneath her scarf, her teeth were bared.

She put a gentle hand on her arm, making her jump and clench her fists. "Sorry," Aysel whispered. "Just wanted to see if you were all right."

Dunyasha moved the strands of Aysel's hair further forward on her face. "I don't like this," she said. "Let's leave as soon as we--"

"Welcome, travelers!" a loud voice boomed behind them. Enrick, Dunyasha, and Aysel jumped. They turned to see a tall, heavy-set Letter man, his pale cheeks flushed from the cold. He beamed at them brightly. "I hope the Ancient Ones blessed your journey?"

Dunyasha prodded Aysel in the back, and she found her voice again. "Yes, thank you. Their blessings were upon us, as their blood is within us." Slipping back into the formal speech was as easy as putting on a well-worn pair of boots.

The man smiled wider, his eyes taking on an almost fanatic light. "Indeed it is, my friends." He clapped his gloved hands together. "You look half frozen. Where did you travel from?"