Page 48 of Ash and Feather

I caught up to the group I’d been trailing, and soon after, Ifinallyspotted a sign of civilization rising from the wilds: the tops of buildings and colorful tents peeking above a stone wall with a black iron gate in its center.

A roar of noise rose up to meet me as I closed in on the wall, accompanied by a plethora of scents—the competing aromas of food, of flowers, and of a cold, metallic odor I couldn’t place.

The pillars on either side of the entrance gate were inscribed with words written in an ancient form of elvish that I had to work to decipher. On the left was the city’s name, along with a list of elves I assumed were instrumental to its founding. On theright was a phrase that meant something akin toTo enter here is to wipe the dust of the world behind.Or maybe it wasWipe away the dust of the world first or do not enter?

Either way, it gave the unnerving impression that whatever waited beyond this gate was set apart, the ones inside of it not concerned with the current order of the world outside.

A guard stood to the right of the gate, studying his sword with a bored look on his face. He was barely glancing at anyone walking past him, which made me feel as though I’d chosen the correct, least-conspicuous entrance.

I made it through with little resistance and was instantly met with a flurry of activity on the other side.

I don’t know what I’d expected, but what I found was a town that might have been mistaken for any other ordinary town—one with the expected clusters of shops and houses surrounded by crowds going about their business.

It all seemed so normal that it was almost unsettling, like a set propped up on a stage; I could easily imagine a strong wind knocking it all down.

If there were more anti-magic wards hanging in the air here, I didn’t notice them from where I stood. My skin still tickled and itched occasionally, but it was easy enough to ignore. There were too many other things drawing my attention.

As the minutes passed, however, more things started to strike me as odd. The gate guard had seemed indifferent toward me, but the rest of the city’s residents were more discerning, even if they were discreet about it. Eyes followed me as I passed. Vendors stopped calling out their prices when I walked by. Groups went out of their way to put space between themselves and me.

They knew an outsider when they saw one, it seemed.

Once I moved farther from the entrance, many of the buildings I passed were boarded up. The coverings were neatlyplaced, aligned so at first glance they seemed to be only a part of the existing architecture. But in addition to these boards, heavy locks hung from most of the doors, of both shops and houses alike, and beside them there were often cryptic inscriptions that read like requirements for entry.

Moving freely in this place was clearly not going to be as easy as I’d initially thought.

After walking on for some distance—through another gate that required more precise timing and a diversion to slip through—the scenery began to change.

Gone were the colorful stalls full of sundries, the sweet and sultry scents of food, the chatty gossipers. They were replaced by neatly organized, drab tents; the scent of metal and rust; groups of solemn-faced elven soldiers everywhere I looked.

The street was also less crowded. I could see to the end of it, and at its terminus stood what looked like barracks that could have easily held hundreds.

I moved toward it with determined steps, despite the sick feeling growing in my stomach.

There was no mistaking this city for what it was at this point: Precisely the rebellious stronghold we’d feared.

A stronghold preparing for war.

I wandered through this budding war zone for what felt like hours. My head was spinning. My chest ached as though it had been cut open by Andrel’s knife all over again. And all the while, horrible images tormented me—scenes of the last battle I’d fought against my own kind, when they’d broken their way into the divine realm.

I’d been so sick to my stomach during that battle I could hardly stand. I wasn’t sure I could do it again, regardless of whatever loyalty I now held to the gods.

Looking around me now, I wondered if I’d have a choice.

Many of the elves walking around in the area wore insignia I recognized—the symbols of familiar elven houses, though often altered in some way. There were even a few carrying a symbol of the ancient bloodline I belonged to: The feather-wrapped sword and the jeweled goblet of the once-powerful House of Mistwilde.

The legacy of that house was so tarnished, and buried so deep, I’d rarely given much thought to it while growing up. Some still clung to the power it had once represented; I was not one of them. Even when I’d still considered myself a part of the rebellion, I’d been more focused on my family’s future, rather than its history.

But I still silently cursed myself for not thinking of bringing something of my own that featured my house’s symbol—it would have helped me blend in. I didn’t have any of the actual items from my old home, but I could have fashioned a replica from memory easily enough.

Not everyone wore symbols, at least. They all seemed to have a purpose, however; there was no idle standing around. Like cogs in a machine, they darted this way and that without ceasing. I was going to stand out if I didn’t figure out a role for myself.

I walked on with purpose, covertly scanning and studying things more closely.

All the information I could glean proved frustratingly superficial. The doors were all locked. The conversations were all hushed, difficult to eavesdrop on, even with my excellent hearing. I was drawing too many curious stares—though less than when I’d initially entered the city; the ones in this area seemed more interested in their own duties.

I was preparing to hide somewhere to regroup and come up with a new plan when I heard a voice that brought everything else to a jarring halt.

Dread twisted my stomach. My muscles seized, making it painful to move, but I forced myself to walk toward the sound,and then to peer toward the side street where it was coming from.

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