Page 89 of The Eye of the Fifth
‘What did it look like before?’
‘Much like the other islets of Loros,’ Naal said. ‘Thick rainforests, small coastal villages, palm trees so tall the inhabitants have some relief from the unforgiving midday sun. You will see. Blythrie will not be our only port of call whilst we are in Corla’s domain.’
Kyra remembered something Kawai had said. ‘Do you know the king? Personally?’
Naal’s reply was crisp. ‘Unfortunately.’
‘Kawai mentioned him before… something about him favouring the capital over the other islets of Loros.’
‘Yes,’ Naal said. ‘Not a pleasant male, nor one I am particularly proud of knowing.’ She sighed. ‘Though I will have to face him before our trip here is concluded. A meeting I am not looking forward to.’
There was something in the way she said it, like there was a sour history there. But for once, Kyra didn’t pry.
???
The quick, breezy pace of Blythtrie reminded Kyra of Avaldale. Metropolitan citizens darted from one destination to the next. They were a rich people, all dressed to impress it seemed, in light dresses, skirts and floaty garments of silk and gossamer to accommodate the heat in this tropical climate.
Sweat already dripped relentlessly down Kyra’s back, and she envied them their breathable clothes.
Though shedidn’tenvy the thick cosmetics that coated their faces; a popular trend by the looks of most of them, and somehow not melting off in the humidity. It hadn’t felt this hot when she and Naal had disembarked theThilene.Perhaps the fumes billowing from the city’s strange mechanisms made it so.
The logistics of the city’s power was not even the strangest thing about Blythtrie.
It was the fact that nearly everyone, in every corner of every street she looked, was fae.
Humans were the minority. They were there, but Kyra’s gaze skimmed over them, for they were dressed far less extravagantly, with their heads down as though desperate to remain as inconspicuous against their fae counterparts as possible.Theywere the ones who appeared to keep the city running. The ones who worked tirelessly to provide for their families, all whilst ensuring the fae kept their rich comforts.
Kyra expected to feel some sort of gratification to see humans treated like this.
But all she felt was pity. She knew what it was like to be them.
Whilst Naal’s wings were still invisible, it didn’t stop the Lorish from staring at her with great interest. Her snowy skin stood out unmistakably against the sun-kissed, brown faces around them. Where her hair was cropped and silver, those around them were varying shades of rich browns. Kyra was overlooked comparatively; she matched their bronzed complexions.
She could only imagine their reaction if Naal were to reveal her wings.
Their brash curiosity didn’t seem to bother Naal at all. She strode through the streets with her head held high as it so often was, and Kyra practically trotted at her side to keep up.
Finally turning a corner, they steered away from the main street and clusters of fae. Down a significantly less grand avenue, the smells of fishy food vendors and strong perfumes faded away, replaced instead by a damp, piss-like odour that made Kyra’s nose wrinkle. The stench was not dissimilar to Avaldale’s slums.
At the front door of a slightly wonky home of steel at the end of a line of townhouses, Naal came to a stop. The street itself was long and very narrow, and Kyra couldn’t tell if she found the warped houses charming or a little sad and neglected.
After rapping her knuckles on the door, Naal pulled her hood back and waited. Her hands clasped together in front of her.
Seconds later, a great bolt clanked on the other side of the door and it fractionally creaked open. Wide enough to see a sliver of a woman’s face, one beady golden-brown eye peering at them cautiously through the gap.
It was familiar, somehow.
‘Maressa Astaveron,’ Naal said gently. ‘Did you receive my-’
The woman ripped the door fully open then, her rosy-cheeked face instantly brightening with a wide smile as she beheld who stood at her doorstep. Kyra had expected an older woman in her seventies, eighties even, but Maressa couldn’t have been any older than forty. ‘Naal? Naal Westerra?’ she asked in breathy anticipation.
Naal gave a kind smile. ‘You remember.’
‘Of course I remember!’ Maressa exclaimed, throwing out a bony hand for Naal to shake, tears brimming in her eyes. She began gushing at a high speed, ‘How could I forget? We were thrilled,thrilled,to receive your letter! I apologise for not replying, had we the means to, we would have-’
‘No matter at all, I am just glad you received it.’
Maressa peered anxiously around the door, then ushered them in. ‘Come in, please, come in! Selwyn is upstairs, I will fetch him, he will be most pleased to see you! We could hardly wait once we heard youwere coming. It hasn’t been easy since… well, you know! Tea! I’ll make some tea, shall I? You have travelled a long way! Are you hungry? I can cook something-’ Maressa seemed to only just notice Kyra was there. ‘Oh, my manners! And who are you?’
