Page 40 of The Stone Curse
Levi brought the bus to a halt, and Orix jumped out and jogged to the gates. He pressed a button on the intercom fixed to the door and waited.
“I wish we weren’t here for such a sad reason,” Ginia said. “Arcadia is beautiful.”
“Oooh, we should go to the bakery on Maple,” Palia said.
“I’m going to go home and shower,” Curi said with a sigh.
Orix opened the bus door. “We’re good to go.”
“We’ll need somewhere to stay,” Touron said.
“You can stay with me,” Orix said to Touron. “We have a guest house on grounds.”
But my attention was on Shar, who sat silently across the aisle from me. The tightness in her jaw spoke volumes. She wasn’t happy to be back here.
“Hey, Shar, is it okay if I stay at yours?”
Shar sat up straighter. “What?”
“Can Derek and I stay at your place while we’re here?”
She looked momentarily thrown, then her expression warmed. “Sure you can.”
I woke Derek, and we all clambered out of the bus and followed Orix to Arcadia’s gates. My stomach trembled with excitement and apprehension as a smaller door in the mammoth gates trundled open.
“Home sweet home,” Shar said, her tone laced with bitterness.
Orix ran his hand through his golden hair, teasing the darker highlights into disarray. “Let’s just get this over with. Funeral is tomorrow afternoon. We can leave straight after and be back at the academy in time for a late supper.” He lead the way into the stronghold.
This had been Romi’s home, but it had also been Serath’s, and now…Now I would be a part of it, even if only for a little while.
There wereno vehicles emitting gasses into the air in Arcadia; instead, sturdy trams designed to carry goyles ran all over the city. There were trees and bushes wherever I looked. They bordered every street and dappled the many gardens that could be found here. The buildings were huge squat affairs with balconies built for landing and taking off. Everything was larger—more space, more air, more everything.
My eyes struggled to take it all in as we rode the tram across the city to the elite quarter. Even the night couldn’t hide the beauty of this place.
“The air smells clean,” Derek said from his seat beside me.
“All the trees,” Palia explained. “Arcadia is committed to a greener world.”
The guards had given Derek a wide berth as he’d entered the city, but Orix assured me that there would be no issues. They understood that he was a shield and only a threat to anyone who tried to harm me—Lionel Basque’s daughter.
Was he here? My sire, my…father? Should I go and visit? No. Not without an invitation. That would be awkward.
The street widened out, and an arch came into view up ahead.
“Elite quarters,” Ginia said excitedly, sitting forward in her seat.
We passed through and onto a woodland-lined road. There were gaps in the trees at regular intervals—roads leading into deep woodland.
“All the properties are farther back,” Palia explained to me. “They overlook the lake.”
“This is my stop,” Curi said as the tram came to a halt. He hopped out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” His gaze snagged on mine for a beat. “If you need me before then, just call.” He began to walk away.
Call? How? “Hey! Curi, I don’t have your number.”
“Just ask the operator to connect you.” He threw the words over his shoulder. “Everything here is connected.”
The tram set off again without him, and there was no denying the empty feeling his absence evoked. I was getting too attached to the blue-haired goyle.
