Page 104 of The Cerulean Sister
The bell is slow and deep in pitch, and it swings lazily in each direction.
"It's a mourning bell." I release him, realizing we are not in danger.
Priestesses have died today, likely more than the few I saw, and the sad, slow toll of our temple's bell reflects that.
99 arranges some of the furniture differently and grabs his weapon, pointing it at Lord Hollis's body, then pauses.
He intends to make it look like the coup spilled into this room, that Lord Hollis was cut down by weapons of First Son. He glances at me like he knows he should wait until I leave before opening fire, afraid to show me this side of him. I have seen his rage, the violence that comes forward when he is protecting, but this is a colder version of that.
For some reason, it doesn't scare me. What does is the sudden wave of despair that falls over me, the sound of the mourning bell calling me to witness death rituals for my priestess sisters. It defaults me back in time once again, muscle memory pulling me like a ghost wandering the Estate halls, carrying out the repetitive tasks it once had.
"I should go," I whisper, afraidhewill see this side ofme.
He nods.
A cold, stony barrier passes between us, erecting itself in the absence of our tether. We both feel it.
We have forgotten what it is like to speak when I cannot feel his constant amber affection, when there is a buffer filling in emotions where words fail us.
The sting of that reality is more painful than any of the injuries Lord Hollis afflicted onto me.
I keep close to the walls, each corridor darker and more ominous, littered debris everywhere, displaying the effects of the coup. I can hear people cleaning up the aftermath of the attack, and I catch a glance over a balcony of an Estate guard lifting a body on a flat board and carrying it away.
I even see some Viathan commanders talking with Estate guards. There are people all around me protecting the Estate from the ones who did this, but I still do not feel safe.
The way to my chambers is blocked by a busy hallway of people and I need to remain unseen. So I choose a different path and turn down the corridor toward the kitchen, physicians wing, and lesser priestess quarters. I pause, realizing the physician's room is close and it has preventative tea inside.
99 and I were not thinking. We were too caught up, and even now, I can feel the result of our frantic reunion spilling out of me and down my leg.
The door is off the hinges when I enter, the contents inside mostly destroyed. There is blood on the floor and the furniture has been moved to create a barricade.
I tiptoe over glass, lifting my skirt to reach the back of the room where the teas are stored.
The one I seek is not popular in the Estate, so the glass jar is full to the brim when I pull it out. But when I lift the lid, it slips out of my sweating grasp and falls to the floor, shattering the glass and sprinkling the tea with it.
I curse myself and drop to my knees to pick out the glass shards from the only little, salvageable pile left.
Footsteps in the hall pass and I pause, frozen with two fingers in the dry, leafy pile. When they are far enough away and I have what looks like the same amount that 99 normally places in a teacup, I leave.
I can't go through the Estate cupping this as I walk, so I decide to place the ground up leaves in my mouth, sucking on the bitter flavor, hoping it will have the same effect.
As I reach my wing, I am so nervous that this method will not be enough, so I swallow them whole. Thankfully, this part of the Estate is empty and silent, untouched by the day.
I slip past the heavy door and lock myself inside. I wash the blood from my skin and discard my dress under my bed between a trunk and the bottom of the mattress.
By the time I have changed into a new gown, pounding at my door makes me almost jump out of it. My hands feel like fire, and when I look down, they are flickering green.
My gifts are back, making me feel like myself again.
"The highest priestess requires all temple members," the guard shouts.
As I open my door, I see a guardsman pounding on another wooden door down the hall and shouting the same thing.
"High Priestess Ferren?" a voice behind me says.
I turn to find another Estate guard at my door, looking at me expectantly.
"Yes?"
