Page 10 of Dark Night Golden Dawn
Her best friend’s jaw clenched. “Why would you think I’d care about that kind of thing?”
Harlow shrugged, not saying what was in her head. The sorcière cared about how things looked. They were Nuva Troi’s aesthetes. And her apartment did not give evidence that she was from one of the Order of Mysteries’ oldest and most prestigious families. She loved it, but she knew that others would not, and she didn’t think she could stand it if Enzo hated it.
“I’m coming over. Don’t argue.” He picked up an armful of clothes and began packing them for transport. The command in Enzo’s voice reminded her thathewas the true heir to the arch-chancellor’s position. That when he came of age, Aurelia would step aside and he would head the Order. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Wear comfortable shoes. It’s a climb.”
ChapterFive
“It’s no wonder your ass looks so good,” Enzo laughed, lagging half a flight behind her. “This is a workout.”
Harlow paused, shifting the bulk of the clothes she carried slightly. “It’s a bit of a hike, I know. And the building could use some work… I’m sorry the elevator was out. It’s like that sometimes...”
“Harlow, stop. I like it.”
She squinted slightly, but like most empaths, Enzo rarely lied.
“Really. I love these green walls, and the layers of peeling paint are actually very charming.”
There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, to her surprise. He saw what she did in this place: worn beauty. The Illuminated didn’t allow much to fade on Okairos. It was one of the many double binds of their rule. The world was well-kept, beautiful, and in many ways safe, but its people weren’t free. Places like this building, that showed their age, were extremely rare.
They walked the last few flights in silence. The building was owned cooperatively, and when the last owner of the penthouse had died, none of the tenants could agree on who should buy it next. Preserving the structure of the building had been important to the board, as well as not washing away the building’s history with magic. They’d been looking for someone who wouldn’t go to the Illuminated to complain about the layers of age that had failed to be restored. When they’d first read Harlow’s application and seen her name they rejected her, but when they’d heard she’d lived two years among humans, they’d allowed her an interview.
When the board finally let her in to see the apartment, she’d emptied her meager savings that day. To her, the place was perfect, but she knew it wasn’t what most people she knew would have chosen. Now, her heart fluttered nervously as she pressed her palm to the cool metal plate that scanned her DNA. The locks made a softsnicksound as the security system recognized her and the door opened softly.
Behind her, Enzo gasped. “Oh, Harlow. Now Icompletelyunderstand…”
She saw it again for the first time, through Enzo’s eyes. The exposed brick peeking through the crumbling white plaster. The ancient black steel-paned windows that arched towards the soaring ceilings, and the view of Ambracia Bay from the terrace that filled the undressed windows. There wasn’t much in the way of walls, only the bathroom was contained—and there was barely a kitchen. Only a stove, a fridge and an ancient stepback hutch remained, as the former tenant’s children had stripped the place of anything of value when clearing her estate. Harlow’s few possessions sat in boxes still, except for her bed and a few nearly-empty wrought iron racks for clothes.
“You could use some furniture… and a real kitchen,” Enzo mused. “But I love it.”
He dropped his armful of clothes on her bed and pushed open the double doors that lead to the terrace. “This is unreal,” he gasped, looking out at the blue water of the bay. The sun was peeking out from the clouds, gearing up to give Nuva Troi a rare sunset over the bay.
She joined him outside, smiling. “Do you want to change it all? Make it shiny and new again?”
Enzo shook his head. “No. I love this. I love seeing the history of the building in all its glorious layers.” His eyes closed for a moment and Harlow could feel the threads of magic shifting around them. He was probing the building. “It’s structurally sound. The sorcière here have done good work to make sure the building is safe, while allowing the aesthetic features to age naturally. It’s absolutely genius.”
Harlow grinned. “I thought so too, to be honest. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
“The Illuminated cannot tolerate age…” he murmured as he wandered back inside. “It’s a shame, really. Age and decay are nothing to fear. Everything about this place is beautiful.”
Harlow didn’t answer. They’d been over this a million times in their youth, questioning why the Illuminated were the way they were, dreaming of a better world. Enzo started to unpack the zippered bags they’d brought her new clothes upstairs in, but she shooed him away.
“You’ve done enough. I’ll hang them. Do you want something to drink? I have…” she peered into her fridge. “Water or some oat milk.”
“Not even a kettle for tea?”
She grimaced at him. “Of course I have tea and a kettle. What do you want?”
“Something dark and smoky.”
She smirked. “You sure you’re talking about tea?”
Enzo laughed. “It was very nearly a single entendre. But I do want some tea.”
Harlow took a smoky black tea blend with a hint of vanilla out of the hutch and started the water to boil as Enzo slipped off his shoes and settled onto her bed. “Your linens are lovely.”
She nodded. The fresh white bedclothes had been her gift to herself when she moved in. They were soft and silky, with half a dozen pillows piled like clouds to nest in while she watched the ubiquitous Nuva Troi rain or the rare sunset. Enzo did just that now, and when she handed him a steaming mug of tea, she snuggled in close next to him.
