AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know. We’re all split up in temporary housing, crammed together. But at least half, maybe? I’m not sure.”
I felt a mixture of loss and gratitude. It was hard to conceive we’d lost half a compound overnight. But the casualties could have been worse. I bit my lip, thinking about Master Svboda, and Jessica.
“Who’s in charge now?” Amber asked.
“I guess we are,” I shrugged. We walked together back to the palace. A larger group had gathered near the entrance, now that the fighting was over. I found Luke and Trevor first, sitting off by the side with a handful of rebels, smoking and drinking whiskey.
Trevor had a hat over his face and was soaking up the sun. His leg was mangled, but had been dressed in bandages and a split at least. The warmth on my back suddenly made me feel drowsy.
Damien was at the top of the stairs, with Loralie not far away. Even without the crown, he looked like a prince. Tall, handsome, with a smooth authority born of power and privilege. But it was surreal to see him outside, his golden hair in the sunlight. To find such a famous elite immune to the solar threat in the sky above, seemed to herald something grand; some cosmic mystery.
I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Without seeking it out, people were already turning to Damien for advice and guidance. Even after all he’d been through. I was glad it wasn’t me. I wasn’t ready to govern a whole city. Damien met my eyes and smiled. He excused himself and strode towards me.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” he said. He gazed up at the palace, gesturing towards the doorway, but I hesitated.
“I don’t feel like going back inside,” I said.
“I get it. I never felt at home in there, either. My place?”
“Sounds great,” I said, taking his hand.
I grabbed Trevor and Luke, and sent Camina to find April. We passed Emma on the way, and then Amir. By the time we reached Damien’s apartment, there were nine of us. We crowded around the big dining room table. I noticed the dust first. The apartment hadn’t been cleaned in weeks.
“Is there food?” I asked. Damien didn’t eat, and nobody had been living here since I left the citadel.
“Confiscated these from the rebels,” Luke grinned, pulling out a large sack full of eggs, bread and produce.
“The looting had already started,” Trevor added. “It’s not like we could just put things back.”
I wasn’t much of a cook, but Emma and April took charge of the kitchen, raiding the cupboards until we had a pretty satisfying spread of omelets, sliced tomatoes, buttered toast and coffee.
After breakfast, the others split off to explore. Damien owned the whole building apparently, with two more connected apartments, as well as his private fortress nearby. Nearly enough for everyone to have their own bedrooms, but they seemed content to crash on the nearest soft surface. I felt my own eyelids grow heavy, but waited to make sure everyone had what they needed.
Emma left to find the others from the strip and run some errands for Augustine. We tucked Loralie into a small room with pink wallpaper. One of the servants’ quarters probably, but it seemed to suit her better than the opulent master bedrooms.
Damien made a trip to the library, and he returned with a stack of illustrated fantasy books. He settled into a wooden chair and started reading to her.
When I returned to the kitchen, only Amber, Camina and Amir were left. They helped me bring the empty dishes to the sink. I half-considered washing them, but decided to leave it for later.
Camina was telling the story of the first time we met Damien’s mother, and how good the food had tasted when we were under her influence.
“She’s too powerful to let be an elite,” Amir said.
“We have to stop using that word,” I said. “But you’re not wrong.”
“What should we call them?” Amber asked.
“Altered,” Amir suggested. “Improved, enhanced?”
“The teeth and the blood,” Camina added. “The pearl and the ruby.”
“We’ll figure it out later,” I said.
“I’m sure we will.”
Amir excused himself and we walked him to the front door. Before he left, he held up a fist and pressed something into Camina’s palm. A small, gold and blue sand beetle, made of metal and stone.
“We can’t raise the dead,” he said, “but our taxidermists are the best. Jazmine will be given a proper burial, with the full honors of Denvato. But we brought this, so you could say goodbye.”
