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"That see," she whispers
I stay on her heels, my eyes on the road as it fades from cracked black asphalt to paved white stone It’s so son this, not with his sea legs But then Kilorn wouldn’t be here at all He’s already given up I will not
As we get closer to the gates, I squint through the glare to see to the other side Though Summerton only exists for the season, abandoned before the first frostfall, it’s the biggest city I’ve ever seen There are bustling streets, shops, cantina bars, houses, and courtyards, all of thelass and ot its na a hundred feet into the air in a twisting ly at will, to give the occupants privacy Can’t have the peasants looking at the king and his court It’s breathtaking, intinificent--and this is just the suruff voice barks, and Gisa stops short
"Gisa Barrow This isso her voice even, almost bored The Security officer nods ata show of it Gisa hands over our identification cards, both of thes ready to fall apart, but they suffice
The lances at her ID Mine he scrutinizes, looking between ood minute I wonder if he’s a whisper too and can read my mind That would put an end to this little excursion very quickly and probably earn hs, already bored with us
For a ht hand without a thought I follow the gesture, pointing my arm at the officer He slaps a pair of red bands around our wrists The circles shrink until they’re tight as shackles--there’s no res on our own
"Move along," the officer says, gesturing with a lazy wave of the hand Two young girls are not a threat in his eyes
Gisa nods in thanks but I don’t This ates yawn open around us and weout the sounds of Grand Garden as we enter a different world
It’s a market like I’ve never seen, dotted with flowers and trees and fountains The Reds are few and fast, running errands and selling their oares, all h the Silvers wear no band, they’re easy to spot They drip with gems and precious metals, a fortune on every one of the I’ll ever need All are tall and beautiful and cold, race no Red can claiuides rocer displaying brightly colored fruits I’ve never seen before, and even a erie full of wild ani by her clothes, feeds tiny bits of apple to a spotted, horselike creature with an i neck A few streets over, a jewelry store sparkles in every color of the rainbow I ht here is difficult The air seems to pulse, vibrant with life
Just when I think there could be nothing more fantastic than this place, I look closer at the Silvers and reirl is a telky, levitating the apple ten feet into the air to feed the long-necked beast A florist runs his hands through a pot of white flowers and they explode into growth, curling around his elbows He’s a greeny, a manipulator of plants and the earth A pair of ny children with floating orbs of water One of thee hair and hateful eyes, even while kids oes about their extraordinary lives There are so rand and wonderful and powerful and so far removed from the world I know
"This is how the other half lives," Gisa h to h me I’ve always been jealous of Gisa, her talent and all the privileges it affords her, but I’ve never thought of the cost She didn’t spend much time in school and has few friends in the Stilts If Gisa were normal, she would have irl soldiers through with needle and thread, putting the future of her fa neck-deep in a world she hates
"Thank you, Gee," I whisper into her ear She knows I don’t just " She points down a side street, to a tiny store sandwiched between a pair of cafés "I’ll be inside, if you need , I won’t get you involved"
"Good" Then she grabs ht for a second "Be careful It’s crowded today, more than usual"
"More places to hide," I tell her with a srave "More officers too"
We continue walking, every step bringing us closer to the exact e place A thruently lifts the pack from my shoulders We’ve reached her shop
To calm myself, I ramble under my breath "Speak to no one, don’t h the Garden Door The officer re" She nods as I speak, her eyes wide, wary and perhaps even hopeful "It’s tenfor all the world I could go with her, I watch Gisa disappear beneath the blue awning She’s gotten me this far Now it’s my turn
FOUR
I’ve done this a thousand ti the crowd like a wolf does a flock of sheep Looking for the weak, the slow, the foolish Only now, I aht choose a sho’ll catch me in half a heartbeat, or worse, a whisper who could probably sense irl can best o south So I will have to be faster than ever, smarter than ever, and worst of all, luckier than ever It’sFortunately, no one pays attention to another Red servant, another insect wandering past the feet of gods
I head back to the square, ar li through theflies I’h to try that here Instead, I follow the crowd around the square Now I’ beyond them, to the cracks in the stone and the black-uniformed Security officers in every shadow The impossible Silver world comes into sharper focus Silvers barely look at each other and they never se beast, andaround the slow- men and woht banners, I have never seen a place so cold