The City Of Death

Chapter Two- Macy

The Cardinals want to speak to me.

This isn't the first time I've been called to the Council. It's the first time in a long time though, I'll admit that. In the first few years after my kidnap and rescue, I was called to the Council several times. I remember the Childminder who ran the orphanage at the time would walk me from Asmodeus's district all the way to Lucifer's. She would stand outside as I walked in since only the Cardinals and the Citizens they've called can enter the Council.

They rarely asked me about Skye. Not directly, at least. They would ask me what happened to me in the Outside. If any of the people who held me said anything about Skye, about why they took her and what they did with her. They'd ask me who I saw the most and if I knew any names. There was only one name I could give them, a name that has haunted me ever since.

I haven't spoken directly to any of the Cardinals in years, not since I completed my apprenticeship and couldn't stay at the orphanage any longer. I was called to the Council, where Lucifer told me that no one had wanted to move into the apartment that Skye and I shared before she disappeared. No one had even touched it. It was mine if I wanted it.

Everything that I have, everything that I am, I owe to the Cardinals.

It doesn't take me long to get to the Council. From my apartment, it's only a fifteen-minute walk. From the border of Belial's district, where the Messenger caught up with me, it's more like twenty-five. I would have loved to have gone home and got some sleep, but if the Cardinals want to see me now, then I have no room to argue. All I can hope is that they keep this meeting short. The lampposts are already dimming, meaning I was in the hospital for nearly 18 hours.

As I walk up the steps to the Council, I take a deep breath. This isn't the first time I've been to the Council, and I have a feeling that it won't be the last. Not with my sister's legacy following me around. I reach the top step and look up at the door that will lead me to the Cardinals. I enter the Council and walk the long hall to the center of the Council where the Cardinals will be. I stand at the door, as I have many times before, waiting to be called in. They'll know that I've arrived. They always do.

"Enter." With another deep breath, I enter the center of the Council, where I see all seven of the Cardinals sitting on a raised podium. To many, the Cardinals are indistinguishable. They can't tell one from the other. They wear long red cloaks with black sleeves and a black hood. Their back boasts a mixture of black and red that's designed to look like feathers, an homage to their name. In the Outside, I remember looking in the trees, seeing if I could spot a cardinal. I wanted to see what the bird the Cardinals got their name from looked like. I never spotted one.

It's hard for most Citizens to see the differences between the Cardinals, especially seeing that most of their faces are covered by red masks in the shape of a beak. But there is just a little bit of their faces peeking out under the mask. It's to remind the Citizens that despite the abilities they have and the power they wield, they're still human. Some Citizens forget that and aren't able to tell one from the other. But me? I've spent enough time with the Cardinals to easily tell them apart.

Beelzebub is on the far left side. His district houses both Salvia Street and the music station. He's seen as the most carefree of the Cardinals and the one I know the least about. I've never been to his district, same as most. His district may be home to the Invalids, but it is also the source of all music and art in the City. Opinions of Beelzebub and his district are mixed.

Sitting next to him is Asmodeus. The schoolhouse, orphanage, and daycares all called his district home. It was my home for eleven years, from the time I was kidnapped and rescued at six all the way until I completed my apprenticeship at seventeen. He's the angriest of the Cardinals and the most aggressive. Rumor has it that he wanted the Coliseum in his district and spoke out against Lucifer when it was placed in the center of the city. To punish him, he was given a district overrun with children. Asmodeus isn't a fan of children. I remember that all too well. If only he could see that the Citizens consider his district as one of the most important since it's where the next generation is taught and raised.