Leaving her comfort for the first time, on purpose, shows Celestine the truth. Lona differs completely from she imagined it to be. In her mind, she had a strong idea of what the city would look like—blood-stained streets, cruel witches snarling at her around every corner—battles taking place in every tavern.
As she walks through the streets, huddled against Dalis, she finds this city is everything like the rumors made her believe. The people here, the witches, they appear to be mostly...animal. No one pays her any attention, they move on without question or hardly a glance in their direction, but their presence is enough to send a chill up her spine. They're busy trying to get on with their lives to care what is going on around them, yet their eyes are peeled for weaklings and young witches alike. Celestine fits both those categories.
It hadn't been easy to find their way into the city. Not wanting to brave the mountains to get them inside, they stowed themselves in the back of a merchant wagon for a hefty price and crossed their fingers every time the wagon wobbled against the slick rock of the mountain climb. They made it and couldn't be happier to be back on solid ground.
"Don't stare at anyone too long," Dalis warns, leaning in close to her ear so no one else hears. "These people are not up for conversation."
Celestine nods. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she looks around, finding herself staring back at an old merchant with no teeth. The wicked, pinning smile he gives her is proof of that; it unsettles her stomach, and she hurries on, clutching tighter to Dalis as they continue.
"We need to find somewhere safe and get out of the streets," Celestine protests. "I don't feel secure in a city like this."
Dalis glares at a man that didn't bother to move out of the way for her, instead using his shoulder to shove into hers. Not everyone is minding their business here, the blond fellow hardly looked back to acknowledge her existence at all. Anyone, even the innocent looking, will pick a fight.
"Start looking for an inn. Pick nothing that doubles as a tavern or a brothel. We don't want to get mixed up in the wrong place," she says. "The quicker we get out of here, the sooner we're safe."
Celestine can't be happier to hear those words. She hadn't been looking for an inn, instead had been focusing on who carried the most weapons and their proximity to her, whether they appear deadly enough to take her out. Witches of strong powers can be comfortable here; magic stands for itself in battles but as a witch of the garden, Celestine can't do anything other than sprout a rose through the stone.
And her life may end sooner than that if someone tempts her. In the castle, she watches every move she makes so the king isn't upset by her existence. Here, in Lona, she gets the same feeling. Treat it like the king is standing around every corner and watching every move, after all, he chose this place to complete his cruel deeds.
She never wanted to come here in the first place, but to find the descendant, Celestine needs to step out of her comfort zone. She's doing this to bring her sister back to the loving, sarcastic, and sometimes annoying witch she once was and not the killer the king made her to be. There are two versions of her; the old and the new—how similar she and Renit have become is startling.
There is no excuse for the things he did, even if he lost the most important pieces of his heart—he shouldn't have taken her home. Celestine's heart still aches with the pain of loss every day, she wants to hug her mother and hear her father's compliments about her weak power. She dreams of them often and wonders whether they're proud of her. She's grown over the span of these months, more than they would ever expect, and it's a change the family didn't see coming.
They pass taverns, brothels, fighting pits, clothing stores, weapons dealers, blacksmiths, and every other trade underneath the book. It's not until they venture farther into the city, nearest the market, that they find an inn that doesn't appear to be on death's door. And it's not directly next to a muddy tavern with faint blood spots against the front stoop. Celestine shudders around every turn, at every hint of death.
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Aligning the Forgotten ✓
Fantasy[Book 3 of the Grounding the Storm series] Renit's worst nightmare has come true. Roux isn't at his side, and he's banished from his throne and his crown, leaving him nameless and on the run. While trying to escape his father's cruel reign, he has t...
