Adelphe's Convalescence

The Pillar of Iron

The Pillar of Iron

The entire city of Gwenael was trembling.

Addie, collapsed onto her knees, staring into the dark void, could hear the metal and stone screaming as the plates rocked from the aftershocks.

Her body was shaking with it. Struck dumb from the horror. She could only stare.

"My lady, look out!"

The guard manning the lift grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her away, turning them around, and covering her body with his own as an enormous dust cloud, blow back from the collapsing plate, burst upwards.

The cloud rushed past the entrance, flooding inside, and choking her with the most unusual and repulsive scent she could imagine. It was a combination of the fetid subplate stench with stone, dust, sewage, and something stale and unnatural that she couldn't really name.

Something behind her exploded and the guard's grip on her tightened as the lift rocked. There was a light inside the tiny box, but the cloud of dust almost completely darkened it.

Addie stared forward at nothing. Despite the darkness, despite not even looking that way any longer, she could still see Master Eneas disappearing under the building, down into the massive hole, as Gold crumbled away.

The shaking began to calm as the dust started to settle. The guard was coughing, trying to cover his mouth with his hand, as he released her to jump up and grab the lever. He had to fumble for it in the dusty compartment, but he succeeded after only a moment.

The lift was loud, creaking and groaning, as it began to move upwards. Since it was connected between Gold and the Royal Complex, it had been damaged by the plate falling away. However, it was more connected to the Complex and was still functional enough to move upwards with only a small groan of complaint.

"My lady, are you all right?"

The guard had returned to her. His hand was gentle on her back as he looked her over.

Addie couldn't breathe. She didn't know if it was the dust or the shock.

The lift rocked as it came to a halt. The guard didn't attempt to open the doors, however. He remained beside her, trying to get her up. He was saying something but she wasn't capable of understanding the words any longer.

Master Eneas...

Throwing the guard off of her, Addie leapt to her feet and ran for the gates. She yanked them open, running from the lift and out into the Complex.

The area was silent. Empty. Had those in the palace felt the tremors? They had to have heard the sound. It was still ongoing. Shrieking. Screaming. Was that the city or the people within it?

"My lady?" The guard tried to chase after her as her head turned quickly.

She ignored him as she gathered her skirts and began running, sprinting along the outer wall that surrounded the Complex. It stretched far over her head, blocking her vision of the devastation that lay on the other side.

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. The walls were high, but there were access points for maintenance and cleaning. The ladders that reached upwards were usually kept behind locked panels to prevent the common man from climbing up and possibly hurting themselves. Addie's hands were shaking so much, she was barely able to pick the lock.

The moment it fell away, she yanked the panel open and began lifting herself up. Twice, she stepped on the hem of her dress. The first time, she heard the seams popping. The second time, the dress began to come undone around her waist.