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NATALIE
“Did I just enter another realm?” I asked, frozen where I stood.
“No,” Rehema answered with a smile. “Welcome to the real Urgron City.”
In front of us, there was a bridge as wide as a four-lane road made from crystals. Light reflected beneath it, creating various pastel colors.
This was so different from the city we’d left behind us with its plain buildings and odd trees. I’d considered The City of Souls to be a great blend of advanced technology and old ways, but this place? This place was almost futuristic.
We'd traded daylight for the night, but the lights from thousands of hover cars and skyscrapers taller than those in The City of Souls provided enough light.
The city was congested with little space between the buildings, and in the distance, I could make out a solitary white tower like the one in The City of Souls.
This tower wasn’t quite as tall, though. And it was surrounded by buildings that were made of glass, which reflected the floating holographic images that seemed to dominate the city.
"I can imagine this is what Vegas will look like in the future," I said as we began our walk across the bridge.
“Vegas did not exist in my time on Earth, but I have heard of it,” Lucian said.
“It’s much like this, only without the hover cars. And it's not nearly as futuristic.” I glanced around. “How the hell are we supposed to find Hydum in this place?” I looked up and found another cluster of buildings floating in the air. “I thought cars weren’t a thing here.”
“There aren’t any cars on the surface,” Lucian said as we came to the end of the bridge and a floating platform appeared. “Some technological advances will only be found in this city, where they can’t be harmful to the realm.”
We all stepped onto the platform, and glass railings appeared to box us in before we were lowered down.
"This city is known for its nightlife—and it's always night here," Rehema said as we descended. "But with the lockdown, it's not as lively as it usually is. This is the quietest I’ve ever seen it.”
When we got to the ground, we stepped off the platform, and it vanished.
A few people were hurrying along the black marble streets, with one large group being guided by a goddess with brown hair.
While it was faint, I could smell an infected, perhaps two. Even if the scent wasn't strong, it told me that someone would undoubtedly lose control soon enough.
"Do you smell it?" I whispered, and beside me, Lucian nodded, his eyes changing to black.
“Be on guard,” Rumir said.
Rehema removed her bow from her back.
We walked quickly but kept our eyes open. Taking a breath, I tried to concentrate on doing what I’d done before that had allowed me to see an infected being from a distance. Only this time, I only caught glimpses of white life force and no red at all, before my eyes began to sting.
“Hey…” Lucian laid a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I rubbed my eyes. “I was just trying something. The other day, I saw an infected bird in the forest. And I discovered if I looked hard enough that I could see the life force of every living thing, the energy that’s in everything.”
“Did you see anything just now?” Rehema asked. But I shook my head.
“Her powers will be unstable underground," a voice said behind us.
We all spun around to find a man standing there, as if waiting for us. From the description Cuznir had given us, this had to be Hydum.
He stood an inch or two taller than Rumir and Lucian and wore a black cloth like a cloak. Only his nose and mouth were visible, and he had vertical slits I assumed to be nostrils where his nose should be. He was pale, and like Cuznir had said, his voice was something I wouldn't want to hear on a dark lonely night.
“Tedara disliked small spaces. She would have hated this city,” he continued. And while I couldn't see his eyes, I could feel them on me. He didn't speak for a few seconds, then he turned to leave. "Come with me."
We all looked at each other before following.
He slipped through a narrow passage between two buildings, and we trailed him—even when he hit a dead end, and continued walking right through a wall. When we got to the barrier, Rumir went first, followed by the rest of us.
