Chapter 24
Esme and Lillian stood by the lagoon at the northernmost point of the city, in the midst of the ruins of an old fortress. Heavy clouds dimmed the face of the water. Wind whipped at Esme’s face and hair, and shrieked through arched stone doorways that led nowhere. Beneath her, grass and weeds ran wild between ravaged blocks of stone.
A letter had come from Celia the previous day, asking Esme to meet her at the Citadel. Lillian had brought her here, but Esme wasn’t sure why.
Maybe it’s across the lagoon, she thought.
When she searched the water to the west, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Debris littered the seafloor: hazy shapes that didn’t belong underwater, the shapes of submerged houses with crumbling chimneys. And people—she could see several figures weaving in and out am
