Iris~~
The Estate is five looming sections. Five beige rectangles, the one in the middle the longest with the ones on its immediate left and right set farther back. From my position standing in front of Erik's parked car, I can hardly see any of the middle section that soars above me. I have an excellent view of the double silver doors, though. In the middle of them is the Society's insignia. Everything about the Society is intended to intimidate outsiders, including the fountain that turns the part of the driveway we're in into a circle. The pool part of it could possibly fit at least three other fountains. The statue part of the fountain is an elaborate tower. What looks like Greek gods and goddess are carved into the stone of it. Laurel wreaths, lined in silver, adorn their heads.
"Iris?" Erik asks.
I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves. The Society's Estate lies in a valley with mountains surrounding it on every side. So well isolated and guarded that it's been nearly impossible to attempt an attack on any large scale. It's much easier to sneak a few people in.
"This is an utterly awful idea."
Erik walks around the car to join me and shrugs. "Would you have rather I ditched you somewhere, my dear?" The two servants at the door seem like they're trying and failing not to pay us attention.
"Considering the only reason you didn't," I whisper, "is so you can disobey your cousin, yes."
He drapes an arm over my shoulders. "We're a team." Leaning in toward my ear, he says, "Plus, I don't want to lose track of you when the time comes to get back to our plan." He drops his arm to his side and straightens. "Don't let what Jonas said bother you. He's just being a stuck-up snob." Erik's words don't do much to reassure me because what his cousin said about not bringing me here has gotten to me. My life will be like it's a thread waiting to be snipped by a member of the Society when I walk through those doors. I don't want to have the Preeminence already irritated with me from the start.
He offers me his hand. "Shall we?"
You get into the heart of the Society and then you pierce it.
I try to shake off the thought and force a smile. I shouldn't complain about being here. After all, this is the best place to be if I want to destroy the Society. But . . . I can't comprehend it, I guess. It's one thing to say I want to destroy something. One thing to train for it. It's another to actually be here. I can't put it off like I have been even if my neglect was unintentional.
"You look beautiful, by the way."
I press my lips into a thin line. "I think you're complimenting the outfit you picked out more than how I look in it."
He winks at me, his hand still open. "Both."
Erik had to buy a suit. He also bought me a dress. A plain black one that comes slightly above my knees, but long sleeved so as not to draw attention to my bandage. He even went as far as to buy a statement necklace of pearls to keep the focus elsewhere.
I take his hand. "Let's do this."
He leans toward my ear, his breath warm on my skin as he says, "Remember, be respectful. Keep your eyes down."
When he told me that earlier, the idea of being respectful to the Society was hard to wrap my mind around. Now being dwarfed by the sheer size of their Estate, it's hard to not to duck my head and grovel.
The attendants push open the front doors.
The grandeur of it all strikes me until I'm breathless. Marble makes up the floor. Silver trims the walls. The hallway leading from the doors breaks off in many exits, some with doors, the rest without. But the people inside those rooms . . . the Society. They're beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Elegant. Nothing could be found wrong with their suits or their glistening dresses. They're flawless. Their postures are prideful despite the stares they throw my way of shock. One woman wears a rose gold laurel wreath in her black hair like a tiara. Her head is held the highest, her shoulders are pushed back the farthest.
A haze spreads lazily over my mind. The woman's eyes meet mine, and the haze recoils, replaced by a throbbing steady, familiar ache. She tilts her head at me, the skin between her eyes drawing together as I realize I've already broken Erik's advice.
Erik's hand becomes clammy in mine, and the Society moves toward us, and I'm reminded of those statues outside.
I know exactly who the woman with the laurel wreath at the front of them is. Even if I had not seen countless photos of her, the resemblance shows family ties, and her blues eyes are like looking into the those of her brother.
Gwen Blackwood.
She opens her mouth, but Erik's grip tightens, and he tugs me forward into the small crowd that moves to the side for him, murmuring his name in what can only be described as heartache. Erik throws open a door and pulls me into a sitting room before slamming the door shut and locking it.
"Erik—"
He walks past me, shrugging off his suit jacket. He tosses it onto a couch.
"Do you want to—"
He whirls around and comes toward me.
"Talk about it?"
He walks away.
"You can't hide in here. They'll probably break down the door."
He paces as I try to talk sense into him. All that's accomplished is him opening the top buttons of his shirt. Giving up, I sink onto the couch cushion beside his jacket. Cold, I pick it up and lay it across my lap. The material is still warm from when he wore it. There's a drink cart near the fireplace, and I'm surprised Erik hasn't raided the cart yet. I know I could use a drink.
"I can't do this." He faces the door.
"I'd like to tell you, you don't have to, but you don't have a choice." The way his family uttered his name as he passed them still echoes in my mind. Erik was missed. I run my hand over the jacket, frowning. Have I ever been missed?
Someone knocks on the door, and without questioning who it is, Erik opens it. The Preeminence stands there looking every ounce the king he is. His suit is perfectly fitted, his stance full of confidence, and on his head rests a silver laurel wreath that catches the lighting in the sitting room. His light skin is slightly tanner than mine, and I wonder if being Preeminence requires any outdoor duties from him or if he'll always be stuck inside on beautiful days. Our eyes meet after I think better of it.
"It's good to see you here, Erik."
"I didn't have much of a choice."
"Yes, well, all the same, I am happy to see you home." He steps into the room. "As lovely as it is to see you again, Miss Levine, I must ask you to step outside while I have a word with my cousin."
I duck my head. He remembered my name. The Preeminence remembered my name. That has to be a bad sign. What other reason can he have for filing my name away if not to chop my head off later . . . which he doesn't look like he's about to do?
I drop into a quick curtsy before exiting, the Preeminence shutting the door after me. I let out a deep breath while I wipe the palms of my hands on my dress. I don't even think I've been here for ten minutes, and I've already been found by the Preeminence. His and Erik's voices are muffled by the door. From what I do manage to pick out, they're both furious, the Preeminence's anger mainly stemming from me being Erik's plus one.
The door opens suddenly, causing me to stumble back. I press my hand against the wall to steady myself in my heels.
Erik stands in the doorway, a grim look on his face. "I need to find my parents."
I open my mouth but close it when the Preeminence appears behind him.
"Miss Levine, may I speak with you?"