Meadowcity (27 page)

Chapter Thirty Six

Slumped with her back against the cold stone wall of the Citizen’s Hall, Sylvia watched as the men and women from Riftcity and Meadowcity worked to patch the ragged holes in the treewall.  Ven, Flint, Ember and even Caylee were helping to unload great planks of wood off a trolley they had wheeled over from the woodworker’s.

The young Healer had patched her back up before going to help the others, which is why Sylvia sat in a peaceful stupor, watching them put the city back together.

Small feet came into her line of vision, coming to sit beside her.  Sonia leaned her head upon her sister’s shoulder.

Sylvia snaked an arm around Sonia’s shoulder, squeezing her again.

Two hours ago, Ven had found her collapsed outside the city, watching the backs of Skycity’s Scouts retreating into the woods.  Gingerly lifting her, he guided her back into the city, telling her about how he and Flint had gotten out of the Scouts’ custody with the help of his aunt Rekha, who managed to convince a Scout to let them go; and how they tried to rally some of the Riftcitizens into coming to Meadowcity’s aid.

They were able to convince a small but eager bunch: those who were already doing their best to subvert Skycity’s men.  They also managed to get a hold of two packs of their bombs, which were really the distraction they needed to overtake the Scouts.

The small group of Riftcitizens were now gathered in the Hall, with most of Meadowcity, as wounds were treated, mouths were fed, and nerves were attempted to be soothed.  A contingent of Riders and Gatekeepers had been stationed along the wall, a watch that would continue through the night, and, very likely, until they were safe.

When Ven had led her back through the treegate, she had heard footsteps running toward her.  Looking up, she saw Sonia flying at her, arms outstretched, her dark hair flowing behind her.  Sylvia fell to hug the girl, closing her eyes as she held her close.

Opening her eyes, she saw her parents approaching, looks of joy and pride upon their faces.

Ven reached down to help Sylvia up from her hug, and she pulled heavily on him to get up.  Lark pulled her into a surprisingly strong embrace.

“You did it,” he said.

She shook her head.

“We barely survived,” she said.  “If it wasn’t for Ven and Flint,” she locked eyes with Ven, “We’d all be sleeping on the Hall floor tonight.”  She tried a weak smile.

Ven smiled back, and took her hand, trying to lead her to sit down somewhere.

But she hadn’t let him drag her into the Hall, where Sylvia could now hear raucous boasting about the night’s events as people tried to shake it off.  People had begun to filter out of the Hall, now knowing Meadowcity would last the night.

Sylvia glanced down at Sonia, who was fast asleep on her shoulder.  She smiled. 
It was good to be home.

Chapter Thirty Seven

Sylvia looked up from the fire, after losing her gaze in it for too long.  She sat on the huge stone bench circling the fire in the Great Room, and turned her gaze to find Ven walking towards her, holding two tall polished wood cups.

Handing one to her, he joined her on the bench, staring out at the crowd.

“Some Summer’s End,” he muttered, taking a long draft of his cider.

Sylvia took a sip, watching the conversations in the Hall, void of cheer or celebration.  The city had needed the distraction, but no one had much of a stomach for the occasion.

But the children were playing, running through pockets of people, nearly causing Ell to drop a platter of sweets as two girls darted out of the doorway.

In the corner of the Hall, Sylvia spotted Anna standing by herself, a wide berth given to her by those around her.  No one wanted to talk to her since she had admitted to being nearly engaged to Sorin.

Her mind heavy, Sylvia stood and stretched her legs; the burn had been healing quite nicely since she had stopped trying to battle with it.  She fought reaching down to itch it.  Caylee had told her itching was a sign that it was healing, but not to give in and scratch.  Instead she gulped down her cider, and told Ven she would be back.

He looked at her and then Anna, nodding.

Slowly, Sylvia worked her way through the crowd, only limping slightly now in her soft leather boots.

Anna looked up as she came near, squinting her eyes at Sylvia.

“Where’s Cari?” Sylvia inquired kindly.

“Oh, Gero took her on a stroll,” she said, looking at the doorway.  Her long hair was pinned up, revealing her pale shoulders.  A muted grey gown wound around her figure, flowing to the floor. 

“He’s been spending more time with her lately.” 
And not me
, Sylvia felt her leave out.

“How’s your leg healing?” Anna asked, true concern in the kind woman’s eyes.

“Much better, thank you,” Sylvia said, not sure how to broach her topic.

She noticed Ven was watching her from the fire, and he gave her a small smile and ducked his head.  She smiled back.

“Anna, I—wanted to talk to you about, well, Governor Greyling,” she said, looking everywhere but Anna’s eyes.

The older woman reached down and adjusted the drape of her dress.  “Oh?”

Sylvia finally looked at her.  Anna was staring back at her with a grave look in her eyes.  The dark haired woman spoke before Sylvia could ask.

“I think he’s serious, Sylvia.  I think he really found it.”

“What?”

“The other city—he was raving about it in the yard—I think he really found it, and he wants it,” she said throatily.

“Years ago, when we were—well, he had become obsessed with something, I could tell.  He spent long hours locked in his office at night, meeting with his Scouts all hours of the day.  He kept some old book locked in his desk.”

“He never told me anything about it until he came back from Riftcity on a trip.  I didn’t believe him then—it was so ludicrous—a fifth city?  He was ranting on about how they had incredibly advanced technology there.”

“It’s not Meadowcity or Riftcity he wants—it’s the other one.”

Anna turned as she saw Gero entering the Great Room, little Cari in his arms.  He continued into the hall, pointing out the great fire to the distractible toddler, her eyes lighting up at the bright colors.

Sylvia thought about it, wondering if it could be true. 
She
certainly hadn’t noticed another city lying about Arcera.

But Sorin was obsessed.  And with Riftcity still under his command, he would still be working towards his goal.

Both Sylvia and Anna sighed loudly, looked at each other, and then giggled a little.  It felt good to laugh at something.

Anna drew up her shoulders to go talk to Gero, leaving Sylvia to go and find Ven.  She turned to the food table to swipe an apple pastry, thinking that it was good that Meadowcity got to try and enjoy Summer’s End.  The past week had been a tense time as the Council, Gero and the rest of the city tried to come to terms with the war.

There was no question that Skycity was still watching them.  The Gatekeepers spotted a Scout or one of their beasts prowling the woods nearby at least once a day.

They were keeping their distance for now; it seemed they didn’t want a taste of their own weapons, which the guards now carried at the treewall.  But he had three other Cities to fuel his war with, and that was far too many.

Sylvia wandered the subdued crowd, nibbling her pastry, when someone grabbed her bicep.  She spun on her heels, nearly forgetting where she was before she came face to face with Ven.

She let out a deep breath, and shook off the fear that had bubbled up.

“Sorry,” Ven said, recognizing the look in her eyes.

She shook her head and brought a smile to her mouth.  “Not your fault,” she said.

“Want to go for a walk?” he asked, cocking his head to the door.

She nodded, following him through the arched doorway.  The Great Room led out into a long hallway running the length of the Hall.  Their footsteps made no sound in the nearly empty corridor.  The cold stone walls of the Hall reminded her now of Riftcity, and she shivered.

They came out to the courtyard, where bitter memories seemed to hang in the air.  Ven quickly steered them down the perimeter path, but the new patches in the treewall were like scars, standing out harshly even in the dark.

As they passed one of the patched holes, Ven took her hand.

She turned, and saw him grinning sheepishly at her.

They walked through the night, void of any fireworks, celebrations or myrrh, but the simple fact of Ven’s hand in hers brought a content smile to her face.

Maybe some time as they fought the first war in a thousand years, she would figure out what it meant.

Chapter Thirty Eight

Lady Naomi Blackwater sighed contemplatively as she leaned back in her chair, waving her hand once over the display so that the images of the other city disappeared.

She brought her long fingers together, thinking. 

If that lunatic from Skycity was down to attacking his own cities, perhaps she should keep a better eye on him from now on.

About the Author

Raised in the Northeast, LIZ DELTON has spent a lot of time in both woods and cities. While living for five years in Philadelphia, she got a taste for the city, but didn't find it green enough, and currently resides in what some would call “the middle of woods”.
Visit her website at
LizDelton.com