Chains of Fate

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

The next afternoon, I decided to explore the streets of Eremith in search of Ayacinth. She said that she would have my pendant fixed by the time I returned from Nor, and I needed to be able to communicate with Eden. Otherwise, I would never be able to defend myself properly.

My cloak hid the simple tunic and trousers I wore. I'd been wearing that ridiculous Norian attire for far too long—thankfully, Mayra was kind enough to send me a set of clothes. On the condition, of course, that I kept quiet about the conversation I overheard between her and Laxen.

I snorted. I had more important things to worry about than Mayra's supposed love life.

I headed in the direction of the glass tower. Maybe there I would be able to ask someone where Ayacinth had gone. As I slipped through the streets unnoticed by the various magical creatures, I noticed that the city was quieter than Nor and Aria, and even though the citizens were preparing for war, there was a significant feeling of peace over the people. I hadn't noticed it before because I'd always been walking with someone who drew attention.

The nymphs didn't wear gaudy clothes. Instead, they were cloaked in simple dresses, trousers, or tunics made mostly of leather and wool. Feathers decorated their hair, much like the speckled ones Ayacinth had. I entered the tower courtyard and frowned when I heard sheep bleating. It sounded like it came from the eastern part of the city; Eremith most likely cultivated their farmland in that direction.

In the bustling courtyard, I spotted the oread I met earlier and waved. Her small form seemed to cave in on itself as she ducked out of sight.

I seemed to have a hobby of scaring creatures now.

I had been so absorbed in the oread that I didn't see the girl in front of me until she veered sharply to the side to avoid hitting me.

"Oh," I said, "I'm—"

My words died in my throat when I saw that it was Ayacinth. "I was just looking for you," I said.

She stepped back in surprise. "So was I," she said. "I heard you were back in the city." She looked around, her obsidian gaze roaming over the bustling people. "Let's go somewhere quiet."

Before I could question her, the giant grabbed my wrist and led me behind the glass tower. She set off toward the back of the city bordering the valley wall. We passed stone house after stone house to reach a garden surrounded by a black iron fence.

The sweet scent of flowers flowed over me when we entered the garden through the arched entrance. And with the scent came memories of Philippa, of her visits with me to the Arian garden. I closed my eyes, willing the memories to go away.

"I thought it would be silent here," Ayacinth said. I opened my eyes to see her extract my mother's pendant from the pocket in her black trousers. "I needed to explain to you what exactly happened to your trinket here."

I nodded as we sat on a stone bench. There was no pool, no naiads to threaten me. Just flowers. Hundreds of flowers from every corner of the world. Where Aria's garden sprouted only bioluminescent flowers because Philippa loved the glow, this garden had spiked flowers I recognized from Balua, multicolored roses from the north, and even bright Arian flowers speckling the back. Magic must have made these grow.

A path of separated stones wound through the garden, and benches speckled various places. I turned to Ayacinth, who held my pendant. "Were you able to fix it?"

She glanced at the ground. "Yes, though it was difficult. It was destroyed by touching the dark magic of the Barghest. Restoring the light magic was not simple," she added as she handed it to me.