Within the Walls [NEW VERSION]

Chapter 3

She places a mug of steaming tea before me and my frigid, calloused fingers desperately grip the mug. I take a sip and wince at the heat slicing my tongue.

"I'm worried for my sister," I admit, as Madam Sallow washes the tea down her throat. "She's fading fast. My resources are depleting–"

"You mean your spot in the forest?"

I flick my gaze at her, trying to remain impassive, drumming the side of the mug.

"I can't go to the forest for a while. I think the Tranqs are out there, too," I say. Not entirely a lie. I'm not sure what or who I saw in the forest shadows.

I finish my tea and Aston returns to the kitchen. "Ready, Elle?"

We thank Madam Sallow for the tea, bid her goodbye, and slip back onto the road. A chestnut horse whinnies and blows out her cheeks as we approach, stamping her feet. Aston fastens a wooden cart to the horse's saddle, loaded with crates of fresh goods. He helps me into the seat at the front of the cart and he lifts the reins. The horse falls into step and we head north. As we move further from the eastern forest and closer to the river, Aston reaches behind him, snatching a dark grey cap from his trunk. He tosses me another hat.

He smirks at me, cocking his hat. "Don't you think this hat makes me look handsome? Like a prince."

"More like a fool."

The horse leads us to the bridge and the river. The river, which completely bisects the kingdom, separates the Convex Sector from the Concave Sector. A half-mile-wide body of water. At this end of the kingdom, the water glides across the riverbed like a snake. Some days, it's blue and green. On other days, it's grey and murky. When the kingdom first flourished 109 years ago, the king ordered landscaping along the river. There's a brick wall descending into the water, crisscrossed in green moss that dances with the current in soggy jade tendrils. It propelled the construction of the bridge. Now, we move onto the bridge, the cart rising over the low arch, and I laugh at one of Aston's crude jokes as we pass another carriage trampling in the opposite direction.

As we dismount the bridge, I lose myself in the disarray of senses. We pass a road teeming with people, drinking sparkling wine from fine goblets, picking at plates of bite-sized delicacies. The sweet and savoury aroma of unknown dishes almost sends me toppling out of the cart. Many of the women are dressed in gowns and corsets of various bright colours. The brighter and bustier the corset, the better. Men dress in colourful suits, too. Pale blue, orange, and red. Their slicked-back hair, clean-shaved faces, or groomed moustaches. I glance between Aston and me, dressed in threadbare tunics and trousers, stained with dirt, and sweat. My hair is tangled, and strands of straw spatter his head, matching the hair.

As we cross into the cobbled streets of the Concave Sector, the cartwheels bumping up and down like a nervous knee, I notice the... lack of surveillance. I know their training building is on this half of the kingdom, but I hardly spot any roaming these polished streets. The only Tranq I spot is hunched over a whiskey at a bar, cackling with his friends. For a moment, I spot him pointing at Aston and me.

We pass boutique shops for bridal gowns and other fancy garments. A group of young girls spills from the bridal shop, giggling like the peculiar birds in the forest that my father always adored. The horse leads us through a residential area of apartment buildings, with arches and mosaics decorating the walls. At last, we arrive at the palace. A monstrous structure composed of marble and hundreds of windows flecked with gold. Freshly trimmed lawns greet us, dewy and soft, as we wobble up the wide marble path to the palace gates. The guarding Tranqs only nod at us as the gates shudder, easing open.

We ride past the grand outdoor stairs, stopping at a side entrance to the palace. A slim Convex servant, distinguishable by their dull, grey frock and white apron, scurries out and helps us unload the crates of fresh produce into the palace kitchen. By the time we are done, the pantry and fridge are swelling with the food. As the sun races to drag the moon into the sky, we hasten the horse out of the palace grounds. Just before we cross the threshold of the gates, I turn around to stare at the enormous structure one last time. The gold glimmers in the waning sunset. That's when I see a figure standing in the window frame several stories high. Shrouded in a silhouette, I cannot pick up any features. But for the moving sun betrays him. A flash of green in his eyes renders my heart still.