It's been three months since the events of The Honouring Day, and Ignolia is still mourning the sudden disappearance of their powerful rulers.
Lydia finds herself in Ellesmere; the capital of the Congress. Her days are spent accompanying ranked wiza...
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Everything around me was red.
The houses, the shops, the ground beneath my feet -all were made from red soil. Though, the orange sand seemed to give another color to the mix. Teal was a very small village, surrounded by an endless stretch of sloping dunes. The only thing protecting the town from the harsh environment outside was a high gate made of wood that would easily break apart if a sandstorm occurred.
Besides the unreliable gate, everything else was carved from stone and soil. And the building that stood out most was the tall clock tower made out of red bricks, the smaller handle pointing at six in the morning.
"I read once that it used to be a watchtower during the war," Redmond said beside me, his defined bare arms folded against his chest. He wasn't covered with warm layers for once, and the Slifer insignia on his left bicep almost glimmered underneath the scorching sun. I was dressed in the same combo of loose-fitting olive-green pants, combat boots, and a sleeveless, high-collar black tunic. "It was used to monitor any movements coming from The Crimson City."
"I heard that the whole city was searched during the war," I tried to remember what I had studied in school. "There were reports of Uzier still dwelling in his hometown."
The sun glaring down on us was making it too hard to stand in one place, so we had to seek shade somewhere close. We settled at a corner between two houses, our backs against the slightly cool wall. People weren't bothered with pretending like they weren't staring at us.
"My guardian fought with Empress Nura during the war. She told me that the fairies were ordered to destroy the city. The order came from Agatha," he went on.
Empress Nura; she was Lysa's mother and leader of the winged folk. I didn't know much about her, but I bet she was as resilient as her daughter.
"What happened to the people who lived there?"
Something like sadness fell over Redmond's brownish-green eyes, and when he directed that look at me, I knew I wouldn't like it. "Nearly all of them were killed. Some escaped, though."
"But why! Weren't they civilians?" I couldn't mask the shocked tone nor the repulsiveness behind it.
"Simple. Because Madam Alastair gave the order," came Dorian's words as he seemed to listen to the conversation. He had disappeared for a minute before trailing after us. Even though Agatha didn't authorize him to join us, he had practically annoyed her into accepting. Elsie did not like that one bit.
He leaned casually on the opposite wall, looking exceedingly displeased with his current state. At least the shade allowed him to release a sigh of relief. He didn't stop complaining about the heat the moment we teleported here
"So those people were wiped out for no reason?" I asked, a part of me still in disbelief.
"Not for no reason," Dorian swapped a fly that was intent on drawing blood. "The civilians harbored Uzier when he retreated. They refused to give him up. Though, by the time Empress Nura's forces arrived, he was long gone. Some escaped. But the majority were put under execution."
