Legacy of Fire (The Blaze Trilogy - Book #1)

Chapter 2

Aeon's glass skyscrapers rise above me as I peer out through the car window, like monsters of twisting glass and steel escorting me to the Consium. My father sits next to me, his hands tapping restlessly on his lap. He keeps glancing over at me, like he wants to say something. 

“Avalyn,” he clears his throat. “I’m perfectly aware that… it’s been hard for us since your mother died. Our relationship has been strained, but you know that I love you – you are my daughter. I know that you will fulfil your duties to the highest degree, and follow the way of an exemplary citizen.” 

“Thank you, sir,” I reply softly. I know this is his way of saying goodbye, so it’s moments like these when I miss my mother the most.

My mind drifts back to my teary farewell with the servants. Everyone was adamant that I wasn’t allowed to cry, or it would ruin all their hard work. So they lined up stoically in the foyer, and I was allowed brief goodbyes to each one of them. 

Rita wasn’t there, but I understood. Some goodbyes aren’t meant to be said.

My ladies, to their credit, held back their tears for me. I gave each of them a tight hug, thanking them for their service, and wishing them the best. I had grown up with many of these girls, and with no other siblings, they had been like sisters to me. As I passed each of their faces, my heart sunk further and further, and I could feel chinks emerging in my armour. 

When I came to Kenna, last on the end, I could see tears rolling down her soft cheeks. I leaned down to whisper my goodbye, but before I had the chance, she was already clutching my waist and burying her face in my dress. It was hearing Kenna’s choked sobs that almost made me lose it. Instead, I hugged her fiercely, storing away this moment in my heart. 

But of course, you always have to let go.

My father had been standing at the door with our driver, Martem, waiting for me. I could see him watching me, his expression unreadable as I passed him, exiting my home for the last time. 

I sit there in the car, watching that same blank expression remain fixed on his face. I hope he understands what he saw. Those girls were family. 

Mercifully, we’ve arrived at the Consium. We drive up through the gates, and I gaze out the window. The compound has five massive, daunting steel and glass structures, each housing a different department. The largest is the Citizen’s Collective building, which is lined by a boulevard of flourishing trees. I can see the entrance to the courts tucked away on a side building. This is where my father works as the city’s Grand Judge. 

Sitting imposingly to the right of the Citizen’s Collective is the second largest department; Defense. It keeps the city protected and guarded. Then to left of the Collective sits Union and Allocation buildings, side by side. On the other side of the street is the Nurture building - the smallest of the five, as it’s merely a placeholder for the department’s main complex in the East. Running into the centre of the compound is a train station for the people of the West and North sectors. Only Southerners own vehicles. 

As we pass the Nuture building, and I see a young Western couple leaving the building, a small, blue-swathed baby cradled between them. He’s young enough to have clearly just come from his first stay at Rearing. 

A Western child goes to in the Rearing Complex twice during their lives. Once, as a newborn, they spend the first three days on this world there, being vaccinated against diseases and registered as a citizen. The second time, children are taken from their families at age ten. They are raised in the East until age eighteen, and taught the proper behaviour of a citizen. 

The tiny baby is bundled tightly between his parents, and I feel a pang of longing. I wish my mother were alive for this day. 

We pull up in front of the Union building, and Martem helps me exit the car. He steadies my shaking hands, and whispers a quiet ‘good luck’.