I always wondered why anyone would choose to stay in Drandok, but that’s clearer now: a rehab centre for ravaged soldiers trying to keep a grip on their minds. The Royisin Heights is more straightforward: a place for witches and wizards wanting no part of modern Society life.
Lots of realms in the S.P.M.A. choose to have no ties to the above-ground world, having no interest in rubbing shoulders with the unmagical masses. The Royisin Heights takes this to the extreme, though, as if the people that stay up there have checked out of life altogether.
The large mounds of soil frame the homes inside — homes that are much bigger than the mounds suggest, the benefits of magic being the one thing the inhabitants haven’t abandoned. Part of me wonders if it’s the place Alice Aradel used as a hideout once her life as the evening witch disintegrated. If it is, we’re likely to find more interesting characters hiding up there, looking to be left alone for different reasons.
The majority are left alone, of course, the Society respecting all ways of living that don’t threaten its existence. Odin and Neve don’t pose a real threat, but choices have consequences. Their choice of releasing a Silverback in our direction in Drandok has limited their future to two options: rehabilitation or judgement.
I’ve got the feeling they aren’t going to accept either choice, meaning we’ll soon meet again in unfriendly circumstances.
“Do you think Zoe really likes Noah?” I ask Conrad as we get ready to leave, returning to the ground floor where our Williynx will soon appear.
“It’s hard to say,” Conrad replies, taking a black T-shirt from my wardrobe.
I have a habit of borrowing his clothes which doesn’t bother him — until he can’t find them, that is. As he changes T-shirts, his toned torso marked by the scar running diagonally across his body, I feel a touch of sympathy for Lucy, not knowing how I can help without offending either friend.
If I try to help Lucy, she could brush off my good intentions with a flat out denial or, worse, anger at my prying nature. If I ask Conrad to mention it to Noah, he’ll probably refuse. Even if Conrad does mention it, Noah might wonder why he’s bringing it up when he’s finally got a chance with Zoe.
The most obvious reason for not bringing it up is not knowing how Noah feels about Lucy. They’re close but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, considering we’re a group of Night Rangers who spend a lot of time together. You have to be close because you’re entering shady situations, relying on your comrades for back up.
Conrad gives me a hug, kissing me on my lips.
“You’re overthinking things,” he says, always knowing when I’m preoccupied. “Let Noah enjoy his date and leave Lucy to work things out. If she doesn’t know what she feels, anything we do to help will almost certainly backfire.”
“But, they’d be good together.”
“We don’t know that, Guppy, so let’s not create an imagined romance which could mess up a friendship.”
“We were friends first.”
“True, but I knew you secretly loved me.”
I pinch his waist. “You’re getting a bit too confident. It must be all the attention you’re getting from Lorena in The Chattering Tap.”
“Lorena flirts with everyone.”
“Especially you.”
“I’m just a likeable guy,” Conrad teases with a smile that always wins me over.
“You’re a cocky guy.”
“And you’re a beautiful girl.”
I’m close to calling off our trip to The Royisin Heights, wondering if Lucy’s better off left alone, working out her feelings as she watches Noah on his date. No doubt, she’ll have a Panorilum or Follygrin to hand, so should we risk interrupting her fun when there’s fun to be had here?
I keep my arms around Conrad’s waist, moving in a slow dance in the bedroom, Churchill observing from the windowsill he’s now perched on, wondering if we’re ever going to leave.
21
The Royisin Heights
We agree to meet Lucy in The Winter Quarter where she’s decided to hang out for the evening (no need to guess why). We find her on the Sinking Bridge, looking down into the river with her yellow Williynx perched on the bridge alongside her, adopting a smaller form.
Lucy has used her penchant — a ring on the middle finger of her left hand — to illuminate the bridge in the colour of her penchant stone: a gentle citrine yellow lighting up the darkness. Lucy’s enacting a Society ritual for couples on first dates.
The Sinking Bridge has a few layers magic, including the ability to transport cars to other magical realms. Romantics like it because of the way it shimmers into life. Couples step onto it, placing their penchants on its wooden surface, watching as the bridge glows in the colour of their penchant stones, lighting up The Winter Quarter.
What couples really hope for, though, is the sight of the bridge spilling its colour onto the water below: the true mark of love, apparently. Noah and Zoe will have to wait and see if they can light up the bridge with their penchant stones.
The bridge is currently illuminated by a dull yellow light, reflecting Lucy’s emotional state. Never one to show her feelings, her sullen posture on the bridge says it all. The fact she’s chosen to meet us in The Winter Quarter is a sign of how much she’s struggling with her feelings … even more reason to talk about how she feels.
Maybe she views it as weakness, but mildly stalking a boy you secretly like when he’s on his first date with another girl isn’t particularly healthy.
“We get her into the sky as soon as possible,” Conrad suggests as we walk past Velerin’s, catching a glance of Noah and Zoe as the
