CHAPTER FOUR Emeralds For Eyes, Obsidian For Bones
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LIBERIO'S INTERNMENT ZONE HAD ONLY ONE HOSPITAL. It was of a decent size with large stone walls surrounding the premises and a wrought iron gate at its entrance. Its primary purpose was to treat war veterans and those affected by the war effort. Even just standing outside the gates Adrien could make out nurses and patients alike milling around the grounds. Several were without some of their limbs.
It hadn't taken much work to convince the military personnel standing at the threshold of the zone to allow Adrien and Kieran to walk right through without questions. An easygoing smile and the promise of bribes slipped into empty pockets. Enough gold and silver to cover at least a month's salaries owed by the government. So long as mouths were kept shut and entry was guaranteed at any point in time that Adrien should wish for it. The middle aged man who's name Adrien had neglected to learn had only paused for a minute, questions teeming on the tip of his tongue, before he thought otherwise and gladly accepted the offer of money upon Adrien's next visit. (Because he did intend to visit again. A single time would not do him any good in the long run).
The difference between one side of the fence and the other was jarring. Adrien had never wandered inside. He'd never had any reason to. And if he were to have happened upon it on his own as a youngster, he surely would have been turned away in an instant.
But seeing it now⸺really, seeing it for the first time⸺Adrien couldn't help but find it rather sad. It was like living in melancholy, a gloomy existence that hung in the air like dirty laundry drying in the wind before its been properly washed. He couldn't have done anything about it, but the grays and the blues made his stomach lurch with guilt, an ugly feeling swirling like a whirlpool in his gut.
It didn't take long before those large gates came into view, one side hanging almost precariously off its hinges, closed but not quite, while the other hung tall and strong. Adrien wound his fingers around the second bar on the left door, the old thing creaking under the weight of his hand and making to swing in his direction. He was sure the sound had at the very least alerted someone, but when he dragged his gaze along the grounds he found that no one seemed to care. As far as the staff was concerned Adrien was just another person coming to visit a family member or close friend. For that, he supposed he should be grateful. It made it easier when he didn't have to explain himself.
He pulled the gate door towards him until there was a gap large enough for him to slip through. He stopped halfway to give Kieran a disapproving stare. "You should wait outside," he said, nodding to an area away from the gates. There was a small alcove just across the way that would give Kieran a view through the bars of the gates.
Kieran furrowed his brow. "And why should I?" he bit out, his jaw clenching in an effort to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"Do I really need to explain it to you?" Adrien asked. "You have a fucking sword on your belt. You being in here is the very last thing anyone needs."
