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Edison nodded
"We need to go," Anlyn told them both She pulled Edison toward the croay as Dani waved, then ed back into the traffic The couple marched swiftly as the crowd parted to either side, the confused ju ordered and sedate ahead of them
The crowd awked at the couple as they strode through the heart of the government district Part of the treatnifying herself as the next in line to the throne
Her large colish when you’re conferring with me," she told Edison "Few of the Circle Members are fluent"
"Understood," Edison replied "My Drenard vocabulary lacks finesse"
Anlyn reached up and put her hand in his "Nonsense I’ve never seen anyone pick up a language so fast I just hope you don’t overlearn it the way you have English"
"My understanding of that last is non-optiers "Exactly Now, re members out on technicalities Any slip-up and our voices won’t be heard"
"My fas contains both accuracy and precision Gleo"
They passed under the Clockwise Gate and into the Apex, the arbitrarily chosen "top" of the Drenard hoed in a ring, locations were given by distance from the top, which is where the Circle met One direction away frolish, but "spinward" would also work The other direction was "counterclockwise"
Not only did land value plu to distance froy could be accuratelylooked-- metaphorically, of course--down on those that lived and worked throughout the lower half of the ring Clockwise residents even argued with counterclockwise folk, as if the direction around the ring were somehow any less arbitrary than the chosen top and bottom of the planet
Once one place had been chosen as special, of course, subsequent ireat ringed city around Drenard stayed in perpetual twilight, a cone of reflected and filtered sunlight bathed the massive circle that made up the Apex
It was one of the few places on Drenard where flora grew in the open, unshielded by glass Acres of gardens spread here in a coh exterior wall to shield out the persistent wind, but otherwise uncovered The wall itself ebbed in colorful ivy that weaved around and up the barrier, popping with blooh where vortexes of wind dipped into the gardens
Anlyn strolled through the gate, taking in the fa the old sia-filled er beside her
She turned and saw hi froardens, the srass He had both ar on his fur Anlyn’s chest heaved with pride for her ho Edison’s arnized at once for sadness
"Burnback to hiht with moisture "I’m within tolerances," he said "Mere recollections of hoain "I’ative Observing reether, they strolled over extravagant pathways of real wood, none of the less expensiveto the Pinnacle, the building resting in the center of the large park
"That’s where the Circle rowled
"To you, s on Drenard, a rare luxury"
Edison swept a paw across the view, the top edge of the building just visible as it stretched across a good portion of the gardens "Massive, nonetheless," he pointed out
"It’s wide, yeah Another decadent waste We could feed or house a lot of people heredon’t get et to the top of the steps, let uards on the balcony and none of this crowd Go ahead and hold your lance, just keep the tip like I showed you"
Edison unclipped the strap that held his modified lance to his back and moved it into his hand He kept the weapon vertical, tip-down, and tucked next to his hip
The ift for their loo ceremony, but when Dani saw a de went their way, they would use it to seal their victory, endary and less likely to be overturned
As they wound their way toward the center of the Apex, Anlyn noticedin the sa had already spread, as had the rumors of multiple deaths in the royal line The entire planet buzzed with uncoy, a wild force that could be shunted toar or peace, and it was up to Anlyn and Edison to nored the attention they got froh the gardens They went past sh a fake canyon where manufactured Wadi holes leaked s, where various colorful plants swarht, silvery insects
Eventually, the path wound back toward the Pinnacle where a wide set of wooden steps awaited beyond the roup of Drenard youth stood clustered near the bottouide spotted Anlyn and her tunics, he directed the group’s attention their way and launched into an excited spiel on royal finery
"Ignore theh the crowd and up the steps, taking the first few too quickly before reet her youth She bent forward slightly, grabbed her outer tunics with both hands, and concentrated on walking with perfect grace
The tall steps leading up to the balcony ned by male workers for male strides Beside her, Edison’s probleet too far ahead She ain at the irony: when she fled Drenard, she drea for a h that idea likely came from her desire to perturb her uncles
No ed to aas her last fiancée
The ruht of worn steps and saw an entire battalion of the royal guard awaiting theht, their number quadrupled exclusively for her and her partner The commander stepped forward in his deep blue tunic; Anlyn didn’t recognize hi in his layers and the way his heavily decorated lance nearly drug on the ground His posture communicated respect, but she knew better
"Lady Hooo, the Circle is in session Your distinguished presence really is not required" His hand rose, urging her to turn away
"Step aside," Anlyn said, sweeping her arm to indicate the side she’d prefer Her voice was cool, but her eyes were aflauard stood firm, possibly out of stark terror His eyes hadup and down his tunics, obviously just now realizing they both outranked hi with the anticipation of danger
"Step aside," Edison repeated in Drenard "That’s an order"