City of Bones

Chapter One

The City of Luminis always smelled faintly of blood.

It was one item on a very extensive list of things that Suriel hated about the City, primarily because there was no way to escape it; as it was, the scent clung to the clothes of the City’s residences, seemingly stitching itself to one’s skin, for even a shower didn’t seem to work.

This scent seemed particularly bad this afternoon. She’d noticed it that morning whilst flying in for class, and she once more wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smell wafted in with every breeze that made it’s way through the gaping windows, mixing in the worst way with the smell of cleaning chemicals.

A bead of sweat trickled down the Angel’s neck as she let the mop drop from her grasp, the wooden handle cracking against the now reflective surface of the floors. She soon followed suit, a breath of frustration slipping between her lips as she once more allowed the day’s events to come to the forefront of her mind.

She had been so sure that she had been getting better.

For the third time during that training session alone, Suriel could recall the wind being expelled from her lungs.

Black spots had danced across her vision as she dropped to her knees with a gasp, excruciating pain pulsing from the sensitive area between her wings. She could no longer feel her wings let alone her shoulders, and thus was unable to defend herself as she felt Temeluch’s lean, muscled arm lock itself around her neck.

Exasperation washed over her; she didn’t think it was fair that Rizoel always forced the two to spar together.

Even now, the feeling had only just returned to Suriel’s wings, and she knew very well that when she awoke the following morning, there would no doubt be a scarlet bruise in the very center of her back.

She didn’t bother to return the cleaning supplies she’d used back to the closet all the way down the hall; she hadn’t won a single match since coming to Luminis, and as a result, Rizoel only assigned cleaning tasks to her. Thanks to her, the Training Hall hadn’t smelled of sweat in weeks.

By the time she exited, the training grounds had been completely cleared.

This was typical; being paired with a brute like Temeluch usually left her physically hindered for at least an hour after the initial fight while her body repaired itself, then the cleanup itself took two hours on a good day.

The sun had begun to dip as she headed in the direction of home, the gentle, cool breeze ruffling the vanilla colored feathers of her wings.

Outside, the stench of blood only grew stronger, carried by the periodic gusts of wind. Suriel thought nothing of it, her fingers tapping a pattern unconsciously against the strap of the old leather bag she carried, her feet carrying her along a familiar path that led out of the central City area that the Training Hall was located within.

She vaguely noticed a pair of her classmates brush past her as they exited one of the few recreational shops that was allowed within Luminis’ walls. Her mind attached their names to their wings rather than their faces – Ayil and Laylah, twins with a set of matching speckled cream-colored wings – and then they hurried past, pretending to have not even noticed her existence.

Shrugging it off, she increased her pace until she was on the outskirts of the City.

Not many were willing to make the trip once they were already inside, and for that reason alone she knew that she didn’t have to worry about the majority of population discovering her activities in the thicket of forestry that acted as an impenetrable wall.

The sun was almost gone by the time she reached the cover of trees, narrowly dodging a tombstone that had been there for longer than Luminis itself.

It was more out of feel rather than actual knowledge of her surroundings that she once more found her favorite of all the trees, its gnarled roots appearing sporadically from beneath the dirt every now and again like a whale breaching the ocean’s surface. The thick trunk leaned slightly to the left, its branches expanding just far enough out to provide adequate shade on the warmer days.

Settling between the arching roots, she flipped open the leather flap of her bag, lifting out a slender, carved wood box.

The latch was worn down from constant use, the once shiny face now dull.

Her fingers lightly caressed the smooth, unfinished surface, the dark Jacaranda woodwind instrument immediately bringing her comfort in spite of the day’s events.

Bringing the wood to her lips, she blew a thin stream of air into head, relishing in the deep timbre that she was rewarded with. She nimbly traced each of the five holes along the flute’s body, ghosting the melody that had been fabricating itself in her mind throughout the day. The notes strung themselves together aimlessly, the melody dipping into the lowest note that the flute could offer before rising once more with no transition.

The thought of Temeluch suddenly crept up, and as a result a shrill, sharp note was produced.

Allowing the flute to fall into her lap, Suriel rested her head against the rough bark, frustration swelling within her chest.

She couldn’t have been sitting there for long, in complete silence. That was when she heard it.

Although healthy and teeming with plant life, there were absolutely no animals that lived in the forest that protected Luminis. Perhaps it was because in the forest particularly, the smell of blood was at it’s strongest. Maybe it was because one could not walk a yard in any direction without coming across a tombstone, each marked with the name of a Guardian Angel that had fallen during the first Great War. Both reasons were enough to keep the inhabitants of Luminis out.

Whatever the reason, there were none, and this fact was enough to cause the hair on the back of Suriel’s neck to stand at the distinct sound of footsteps atop fallen branches.

On her feet in an instant, the flute dropped into the dirt with a dull thud.

She stilled, holding her breath as she tried to zone in on the location of the sound. If it was coming from the direction of the City, then at the very least she knew it had to be a Guardian. They were the only ones who left the walls of Luminis, but she had never personally run into one.

The sound seemed dropped off just as she thought she could identify at least the general area.

It didn’t really matter at that point, her heartbeat in her ears enough to drown out whatever she could’ve picked up on anyways. Her flesh pricked with an almost overwhelming presence, an uncomfortable thrum settling atop her skin.

A few seconds passed as she waited for whatever it was to make itself known, but nothing happened. The tense feeling grew to be less and less, and then seemed to dissipate completely.

Suriel didn’t make any moves to leave until she felt a substantial amount of time had passed, hastily packing up her flute. Shoving the box into her bag, she began the trip back into the City, chewing the inside of her cheek nervously.

She had only lived in Luminis for a short period of time, but she had never felt anything similar before.