AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sana’a stopped to listen to their song.
The soloist’s voice was like honey, sweet and velvety. Sana’a couldn’t help but be drawn in by the haunting tune. She closed her eyes and let the music wash over her, the day’s weight lifting off her shoulders.
When the melody ended, the shikari opened her eyes and found the singer smiling at her. She was a woman of exquisite beauty with tall, luminescent caramel and gold plumes speckled with creamy white spots.
‘Sante for listening,’ she said, her utterance soft and gentle.
Sana’a smiled back. ‘Sante for singing. It was beautiful.’
The songstress’ smile widened. ‘Are you new to the city?’ she asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Sana’a assented. ‘I am. I’m still figuring things out.’
The singer cocked her head to the side. ‘Well, if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask. My name is Kamilla, and I’m this street corner’s koel.’
When Sana’a gave her a puzzled look, she laughed. ‘The resident songbird. There’s one on every intersection, and you can always find me at this one most nights.’
Sana’a smiled again, nodded, thanked her, and took off.
‘Hey,’ Kamilla called out as she turned the corner.
Sana’a paused. ‘Yes?’
‘You’re about to enter the Ketoniá district. It’s rough and ready, so take care.’
‘Sante,’ Sana’a said with a small smile.
Hit with the need to sleep and forewarned, she decided to return to the Sab?r íkhara.
Without her metsai suit, her body was flagging after a day of intense readiness.
She winced as her muscle aches ratcheted. ‘Done for the day,’ she whispered to herself.
As she backtracked, the hairs on her neck rose with sudden wariness.
She whipped around as she caught the rush of wind behind her, but nothing other than air greeted her.
However, she thought she spotted a cold and lifeless presence in the shadows.
It was draped in ice-white robes and crowned with an aether-encrusted crown.
Drifting in the surrounding darkness, its likeness was that of a lost king seeking his throne.
After a beat, the wraithlike wight disappeared into the mist of the street.
‘Leave me be,’ she breathed. ‘I will fulfil my promise, but you can’t keep showing up this way.’
Silence was her only companion, and with a sigh, she forced herself to move.
Still, she kept alert all the way to the íkhara, senses quivering and blades clutched close in her hands.
Nothing and no one disturbed her lonely walk.
Yet, as she slipped into her narrow room minutes later, she was haunted by the sensation of eyes burning into her back.
Sana’a settled into bed after taking a dose of tik?.
She soon drifted off to sleep and began to dream.
