Not all of the people here worked within the palace and served the royal family, but they were still traitors to her. They didn’t fight or go against the grain. They simply lived in this hollowed existence and did whatever they were told or whatever was expected of them.
They passed a bar that had its doors thrown open to let in the fresh air. Bawdy laughter filtered out from within. Aria was surprised to realize that there were people already inside, drinking and laughing loudly. Life in the towns was far different than life in the woods. She couldn’t recall a day that had been wasted on such things.
“Keep moving.” She hadn’t realized she’d stopped until William grated the words at her.
She turned away from the bar as a woman’s laughter joined in with the men’s. She shook her head, uncertain about this place. Max grasped her arm gently, urging her along when she fell behind. “It’s so different here,” she muttered.
“Yes. Don’t stop.”
Aria fell back into step beside him as they wound through the town, taking in as many details as they could. She had been in the town once as a child, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now she noticed details that made her sick. The homes were not as opulent or fancy as the ones within the palace walls but they gleamed with the rain beading off of them. Their paint was fresh and their porches were decorated with more furniture than she’d owned in her entire life. Flowers, like she had seen in the palace flowed over people’s walkways, their petals shining from the drops of rain.
Though the rain had driven most inside, the few that did brave the weather were wearing the deep blue cloaks that marked them not as servants, but as free people that held higher positions within the palace. It was a coveted position, one that had been earned by the ultimate betrayal against their fellow man. Her fingers itched to put an arrow in the hearts of every one of them.
She hated those blue cloaks more than anything. And judging by the stiffness in Max’s shoulders he was fighting the same urge she was. These people were the ultimate traitors, they had no allies here, and as far as Aria was concerned they could all be killed in the upcoming days and she wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
She kept her head down so they wouldn’t see her revulsion. She was supposed to be in awe of the people wearing the blue cloaks, not plotting their demise as she shuffled down the dirt road that was slowly turning to muck They reached the end of the main road and began to move through the more narrow side roads. The homes were smaller here, but they were just as nicely maintained.
“Why haven’t we seen any soldiers?” Aria wondered.
“It’s so close to the palace they don’t fear anything. I’m sure there are some posted here but the weather has probably driven them inside,” Max answered.
Aria’s heart began to hammer; she shrank deeper into her cloak as they moved even closer to the palace that had nearly destroyed her and Max. It was situated on a mountain, tucked behind the hills and valleys that rolled through this area. She knew they weren’t going to get much closer, but she couldn’t stop the foreboding that pulsed through her.
To her surprise, Max seized hold of her hand. Though they had been trying to repair their fractured friendship things had still been uncomfortably awkward between them more often than not. But now his hand wrapped around hers, squeezing tight as they stopped to stare at the place where they had been imprisoned.
The golden gates gleamed, even in the dim light of the murky day they shined from the hours spent polishing them. Though the top spires of the palace were visible above the homes and hills, the main bulk of the massive building was obscured. She knew it well though, she would never forget it and she would be back within its massive walls again soon if everything went well. In the meantime, she would need to reign in her abhorrence for the place if she was going to be of any use.
Max’s hand was sweaty in hers, small tremors rocked through him. She wanted to tell him it was ok, but it wasn’t and she wasn’t going to lie to him. It would be a long time, if ever, before he got over what was done to him.
As they watched, guards appeared. They marched across the front of the gates before disappearing from view once more. Goosebumps broke out on her arms and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. After a minute or so the guards moved back across the front of the gates. “We should get moving,” Daniel said.
She fell in beside her brothers again as they moved further through the town. She could practically see the gears turning through Daniel’s head as he mapped out the roads, and plotted the best ways to move through the buildings and streets with all of their troops. They were all here to take in as much of the details as possible, but Daniel would be the one that remembered the most, the one that would see things the rest of them didn’t and recall it far more vividly.
They arrived at the edge of the town, the road continued onward, winding up another hill before dipping from sight and reappearing again near the palace gates. Aria had had enough. She didn’t want to see anymore of that place than she had too. “Let’s go back.”
The road was becoming muddier as they wound their way back through the town. The rain was picking up to a steadier flow that was starting to creep its way through the cloak to wet her clothes and skin. Her hair was beginning to cling to the back of her neck, tickling her skin. She wanted out of here, for the first time she wanted back into the caves and away from this oppressive place that she could practically feel draining the life from her.
They passed more people as they hurried through the town, but no one paid them much attention. She heard the laughter from the bar before she saw it again. She kept her head down as they approached the raucous place.