oblivious, “Obviously Skycity didn’t expect us to find out about the Riftcity attack, but how would they have kept us from finding out, with our Riders going there?”
Sylvia focused.
“It is strange. But when I spoke to the other Riders this morning, it seemed like no one had even been there in weeks, maybe a month. How come there wasn’t any business going out there?”
“Maybe...maybe they kept us from sending Riders there,” he said quickly. “They could have someone here directing business away from Riftcity.”
Sylvia puffed out a breath. “Yeah, maybe.”
Her gut clenched. That meant someone in the city knew what was going on, and they weren’t on their side.
“We’ll have to talk to Gero in the morning,” she said shortly. There was nothing else they could do tonight.
“Obvious candidates are the out-of-city apprentices—Gannet, Liam,”
“Asity,” Sylvia added. She had just arrived from Skycity a few months ago.
They were walking slower now as they moved through the woodworker’s section, passing by all of the deserted shop fronts. They passed a weapons shop with knives gleaming from the window in the moonlight.
Sylvia had a thought. “Skycity’s working in a pattern. They gave Riftcity the message, and then attacked them when they didn’t agree. They wouldn’t attack us right away—they couldn’t have the—” she searched for the word. “Army. To attack both.”
Her mind flitted to lessons when she was a child. The history of the Four Cities was taught to every child in Arcera. The Cities had risen out of desperation, after the people had destroyed each other, leaving nothing behind. She had learned very little about armies, only that they once existed to protect various cities. But they had learned that they were never really just for protection.
Meadowcity had no army. But logic said that Skycity did. Just what they were planning to accomplish with it was something she desperately wanted to find out—and put a stop to.
They turned a corner on the stone path, and Sylvia’s villa came into view. She was surprised at how quickly they had moved through the stone paths.
It sounded very quiet inside as she approached the door. She opened the latch and entered. Her mother and Sonia were sitting at the table eating what looked like ice-cream. Adeline had a somewhat guilty look on her face, and her father was nowhere to be seen.
Her mother started, “We had to start without you honey, it was going to melt. Oh hello, Ven, come in!”
Ven stepped into the villa behind Sylvia and shut the latch.
“Where’s Lark?” Sylvia asked, as she sat back down at the table and eyed the ice-cream intently.
Adeline stood, gesturing for Ven to sit at the table, “Sit down Ven, have some ice-cream. We’re celebrating Sylvia’s birthday.” She looked at Sylvia, “Your father was called away, just like you—mysteriously.”
Her mother looked at her, raising an eyebrow, but Sylvia couldn’t divulge the reason she had been called away without worrying her mother. Their trip had to remain secret—at least until they were gone. Then the city would be sealed.
Her mother doled out several scoops of ice-cream into bowls for Sylvia and Ven. Sylvia put a spoonful in her mouth, and was immediately contented. The taste brought back memories of the times she had made ice-cream with her mother when she was younger. She remembered rolling a large can across the floor, and being delighted when the liquid inside turned into a delicious, cold creation of their own.
Sonia finished her bowl of ice-cream and clattered her spoon into the bowl, sitting back in her chair. Sylvia felt guilty at having to leave her sister, as she did almost every time she went on a journey. But this time, she had mixed feelings about leaving —which would protect Sonia, staying or going?
Adeline, Ven and Sylvia eventually finished off their ice-cream
Sylvia focused.
“It is strange. But when I spoke to the other Riders this morning, it seemed like no one had even been there in weeks, maybe a month. How come there wasn’t any business going out there?”
“Maybe...maybe they kept us from sending Riders there,” he said quickly. “They could have someone here directing business away from Riftcity.”
Sylvia puffed out a breath. “Yeah, maybe.”
Her gut clenched. That meant someone in the city knew what was going on, and they weren’t on their side.
“We’ll have to talk to Gero in the morning,” she said shortly. There was nothing else they could do tonight.
“Obvious candidates are the out-of-city apprentices—Gannet, Liam,”
“Asity,” Sylvia added. She had just arrived from Skycity a few months ago.
They were walking slower now as they moved through the woodworker’s section, passing by all of the deserted shop fronts. They passed a weapons shop with knives gleaming from the window in the moonlight.
Sylvia had a thought. “Skycity’s working in a pattern. They gave Riftcity the message, and then attacked them when they didn’t agree. They wouldn’t attack us right away—they couldn’t have the—” she searched for the word. “Army. To attack both.”
Her mind flitted to lessons when she was a child. The history of the Four Cities was taught to every child in Arcera. The Cities had risen out of desperation, after the people had destroyed each other, leaving nothing behind. She had learned very little about armies, only that they once existed to protect various cities. But they had learned that they were never really just for protection.
Meadowcity had no army. But logic said that Skycity did. Just what they were planning to accomplish with it was something she desperately wanted to find out—and put a stop to.
They turned a corner on the stone path, and Sylvia’s villa came into view. She was surprised at how quickly they had moved through the stone paths.
It sounded very quiet inside as she approached the door. She opened the latch and entered. Her mother and Sonia were sitting at the table eating what looked like ice-cream. Adeline had a somewhat guilty look on her face, and her father was nowhere to be seen.
Her mother started, “We had to start without you honey, it was going to melt. Oh hello, Ven, come in!”
Ven stepped into the villa behind Sylvia and shut the latch.
“Where’s Lark?” Sylvia asked, as she sat back down at the table and eyed the ice-cream intently.
Adeline stood, gesturing for Ven to sit at the table, “Sit down Ven, have some ice-cream. We’re celebrating Sylvia’s birthday.” She looked at Sylvia, “Your father was called away, just like you—mysteriously.”
Her mother looked at her, raising an eyebrow, but Sylvia couldn’t divulge the reason she had been called away without worrying her mother. Their trip had to remain secret—at least until they were gone. Then the city would be sealed.
Her mother doled out several scoops of ice-cream into bowls for Sylvia and Ven. Sylvia put a spoonful in her mouth, and was immediately contented. The taste brought back memories of the times she had made ice-cream with her mother when she was younger. She remembered rolling a large can across the floor, and being delighted when the liquid inside turned into a delicious, cold creation of their own.
Sonia finished her bowl of ice-cream and clattered her spoon into the bowl, sitting back in her chair. Sylvia felt guilty at having to leave her sister, as she did almost every time she went on a journey. But this time, she had mixed feelings about leaving —which would protect Sonia, staying or going?
Adeline, Ven and Sylvia eventually finished off their ice-cream
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