Page 89 of Feathers of Ash and Hope
We reach Platoria, a little seaside town, right as the sun is setting. The red-golden sunlight sparkles off the sea and the golden roofs of a castle-like structure that dominates the center of town. It also paints the mainly white buildings and the light face of the cliff in gold and copper hues.
To the west, the city descends in terraces until it finishes in a massive port. Ships of all sizes and flying various colors are anchored, coming in, or just leaving. All in all, the harbor seems bigger than the size of the city justifies.
“Stunning, isn’t it?” Zaza asks me, and there is pride in her voice. “It’s where Tanner and I come from,” she lets me know, which explains her feelings.
“It’s beautiful,” I agree. And it is. The town rests on a cliff reaching into the ocean, escaping the mountains to the north. The buildings are of the same white stone as the cliff, which makes them seem one with their surroundings. Vibrant green dots the areas between the structures and surrounds the massive but elegant castle with its golden roof. Gardens, I realize.
Platoria is much prettier than any city I have seen before.
“What is that building?” I ask, pointing at the imposing one with the golden roof.
“The king’s summer castle,” Zaza answers.
Of course it is. I’m not surprised that he or his ancestors chose such a pretty place for it.
We land not far from the summer palace in a courtyard surrounded by white buildings. Caretakers hurry toward us, fussing over the birds as soon as we dismount, while a boy comes over, ready to show us our rooms.
This is much bigger than any of the outposts we’ve encountered so far, and we’ve never received such a welcome either. There is much more commotion, and the units of training warriors and riders we see off in the distance tell me this base is much better staffed too.
“We’ll go out for dinner tonight.” Tanner declares when we reach the corridor where our rooms are. “So take a shower and rest a bit. We’ll meet back here in an hour.”
Exploring the city does sound good, but I have no idea what to expect from an evening out with the flight.
…Tate doesn’t get attached at all.
… see if Kyronos wants to warm my bed…
Zaza’s words from days ago and the casual way the girl last night informed her friend…shit. Even thinking about sitting there quietly while another woman is all over him lets anger and something else explode in my chest.I’m also still confused about him telling Jared about me. What does that mean? Is he the only one who knows?
The thought of the whole flight knowing makes my insides heavy with dread. Surely someone would have slipped up if that were the case?
I bury my face in my hands, once again relieved that I have the room to myself. Shit.
Unease writhes in my gut like snakes, and for a second, I think about staying back. I could simply eat in the dining hall and go to bed early.
No.
I straighten. No fucking way am I missing out on seeing this beautiful city and having a great time tonight because of Tate Kyronos.
I get up and get dressed.
He made pretty fucking clear what he thinks of me the night he caught me coming out of Joel’s room. Or the night before that, when he accused me of spying. And how fucking dare he spill my secrets to his friend?
I embrace the anger and feed it. By the time I leave my room to meet the rest of the flight, a nice glow warms my chest. Tonight will be fucking epic.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
TATE
We sitat a table wedged between all the other patrons. The Golden Boar is well-frequented, as always. Sturdy tables crowd the room, leaving only small trails of scuffed wooden flooring for the serving girls to wind through. Oddities from all over the continent decorate the whitewashed walls, and a bar takes up half of the back wall.
Music and the chatter of voices compete with each other in volume, so it’s impossible to hear anyone outside a two-step radius.
I watch Ara, who, to my annoyance, sits at the opposite end of the table, wedged between Tanner and Boko, and seems to enjoy herself. She hasn’t even once looked in my direction.
“You two are pathetic. You know that, right?” Jared asks me.
