The wind still whipped dust across the open wastes as the trio pressed on. Luna led, steps light yet sure, moving as though the desert were mapped upon heartbeat. Flaxseed huffed, “How much farther to Eastshire’s walls? My legs are singing their own funeral hymn.”
Days of relentless travel had drained him, and the promise of finding the Sixth Hall drove an impatient spark through every weary muscle.
“Almost there,” Luna replied, pointing to a rise of dunes ahead. “Cross that ridge and the city comes into view.”
Moments later, the ridge broke, revealing colossal blue-stone ramparts spearing upward, sunlit faces gleaming like tempered steel.
Soldiers lined the parapets shoulder to shoulder. Every spear-tip tracked the horizon, as though the city itself awaited an unseen storm.
Dust swirled at the battlements’ feet. yet not a single guard allowed the haze to dull his vigilance. Flaxseed scratched his beard. “All right, guys, how do we get inside that fortress?”
Flaxseed shifted the burlap sack on his shoulder and asked the question that had been troubling since they first spotted the walls. He knew ordinary towns enforced strict entry rules. Eastshire District, rumored to plot with the Sixth Hall of the Celestial Palace, would be far harsher.
“I carry the Linford name,” Luna explained, steady but cautious. “The gate wardens will open for me. The two of you, though, ought to disguise yourselves.”
“Disguise?” Flaxseed echoed, bewilderment creasing his tattooed face.
“Exactly. if they spot strangers, we invite trouble we don’t need,” Luna said, lowering voice.
“No need for costumes.” Jared’s tone was effortless. “We’ll walk straight in.”
Without waiting for agreement, Jared set off toward the iron-bound gates, boots ringing against the flagstones. Luna and Flaxseed traded a helpless glance, then hurried after him.
The sentries atop the archway snapped to attention the moment the trio approached, spears crossing to bar the road.
“Hold it! Identify yourselves,” the lead guard barked. His hawklike gaze raked over Jared and Flaxseed, suspicion sharpening every line of his face.
“I am Luna of the Linford family,” Luna said, stepping forward with practiced grace. “These two are my companions. We seek entry.”
The guard looked Luna up and down, recognized the family crest on cloak, and softened, but only a little. “Ms. Linford, of course. But these two…”
Before could finish, Jared moved. An unseen force unfurled from him, as heavy as a mountain storm. Air bent, and every soldier felt their lungs seize under the invisible weight. Armor clinked as knees threatened to buckle.
“Step aside,” Jared said, voice low and immovable. Compelled by raw instinct, the guards stumbled back, clearing the path. Jared and Flaxseed strode through the gate as if the street already belonged to them, Luna hurrying to keep pace.
“Jared, why flash your power like that? Now every spy in the district will sniff us out,” Flaxseed whispered once they were beyond earshot.
He smiled. “Precisely. The sooner they know we’re here, the sooner the one we’re looking for steps into the open.”
“But that means the district lord will hear of us, too,” Luna warned, fingers tightening around cloak. “It would become dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” Jared let out a mirthless laugh. “In Eastshire, nothing alive has the weight to threaten me.”
His words sounded arrogant, yet the iron certainty behind them left no room for doubt. Luna and Flaxseed exchanged a silent agreement and fell in behind him.
Broad, spotless avenues cut through Eastshire District, flanked by elegant timber-and-stone buildings that whispered of old money.
Merchants shouted prices, silk banners rippled overhead, and the scent of spiced pork mingled with incense, prosperity painted in bold strokes.
Anyone unaware of the lord’s alliance with the Celestial Palace would mistake the city for a haven of peace.
“So, where to first?” Flaxseed asked, adjusting the charm beads at his belt. “Horne.” Luna decided after a beat. “l need to know whether Father has returned to the Linford residence.”
