Insight (Web of Hearts and Souls #1)(92)

Patrick smiled at me and bowed his head slightly. He then extended his arm, inviting us through the doorway. The room was dark. You could see a simple table, bed, and desk aligned on one wall and a fireplace on another. The floor was made of wood, and there was no color to the walls. At one time, they may have been white, but now they were a dull gray. Patrick pulled the long thick gray curtains shut and lit a row of candles that lined the mantel over the fireplace.

“And who might this young man be?” Patrick asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Dane.

“This is Dane. He and Clarissa are one now,” Ashten answered.

“Ah, and he’s here because…?” Patrick asked.

“Dane has a gift as well. The string is visible to him,” Ashten replied.

Patrick was either unaware of how sensitive my gift was or simply didn’t care if he was revealing. He was astonished as his eyes danced across each of us. The uneasy feeling coming from Ashten and my father was making itself known.

Patrick walked by us one by one, looking up and down. As he reached Landen, and me he stopped and stared into my eyes. A smile then came across his aged face, and his eyes seemed to lose a few years.

“Have you brought something to cover the color in your eyes? Especially Willow’s? I would dare say even an old man like Donalt could see them in a crowd,” Patrick stated humbly.

I took an uneasy breath and leaned back into Landen, to afraid not show my fear. Landen put his hands on my shoulders and kissed my head softly, taking my fears away and filling my soul with calming warmth.

“People here only have brown eyes. We have to wear a film over our eyes to change the color,” Landen explained.

“Like a contact lens?” I asked.

“Yeah, just like that. It doesn’t hurt.”

My father pulled a box out of his pocket and passed out the lens to change our natural color to a stone black. Patrick walked over to a small closet and pulled out a long black scarf.

“You’ll want to cover that sovereign gem upon your neck, unless you’re seeking attention I’m not aware of,” Patrick said to me.

“Should I put it in my pocket? Isn’t it hot? I’ll stand out in a long coat and scarf.”

“No,” Landen and the others said in unison. It was easy to feel that they all thought it was protecting me, or at least feared it would be lost as well. August took the scarf from Patrick, walked over to me and explained, “It is always cool here. The sun doesn’t shine. The sky, like everything, is gray.”

A loud chime could be heard outside Patrick’s home. Anxiety filled the room. The only one who still had his peace was August.

“Ah, it is time. Shall we?” Patrick said as he blew out the candles.

Clarissa and I left the home first. I didn’t look to see who followed behind us or how closely. I only concentrated on the one that I knew was Landen and walked forward. There was no grass, plants, or trees to be seen, and the birds didn’t sing. The silence was screaming at all of us.

I kept my pace shoulder to shoulder with Clarissa. Several others, all dressed in black, were walking in the same direction that we were. From most, I could feel the sorrow they had, and from others a void that was as real as it was when Drake was at my side.

Like in my dreams, the buildings were all the same. On the street level, there were what looked like food and clothing stations, and above them the rest of the buildings were tall with gray, perfectly spaced windows. As a river would flow, the people streamed toward the palace. My eyes were held straight, not touching anyone but Clarissa.

To my right, I saw Ashten and my father flank off, and to my left, Brady and Marc did the same, leaving Dane, Landen, and August behind us. At the end of the alley, a large wall could be seen. Men dressed in black cloaks lined the top of it, facing a much higher structure.

This structure was indeed the palace. It was over a mile wide, eight stories high, and solid gray. Windows were sporadic, and wide diamond-shaped balconies were on every level.

Along the rooftop, a line of men stood, staring out into the crowd with daring composure. We halted just past the gate. As we stared forward, I couldn’t imagine how we’d find Livingston in this crowd of solid black. I could feel my father and Ashten widening their path further away from us, and Brady and Marc mirrored them.

The air filled with the chime of a large bell that rang three times, and the crowd grew still. On the fourth balcony, the doors opened. From the darkness emerged two figures. One was undeniably Drake; he was dressed in a black suit. It was easy to feel that the females in the crowd were attracted to him. He smiled, and I heard a few breaths let loose from the women. I wondered if they even cared how dark he was. He brought new meaning to fatal attraction.

Beside him, a much older man stood. I was sure it was Donalt. He was smaller than Drake and had long white hair. His face held no expression; neither of them held any emotion that I could feel. The bells chimed again as they stepped closer to the edge. I had expected the crowd to roar at their approach, but the silence rained on. It was then that I felt someone staring at me. They were in the palace, and my eyes searched from window to window, balcony-to-balcony.

In the window above the fourth balcony, I saw a small figure. Squinting my eyes, I saw him smile at me. He was the little boy with blue eyes in my nightmare, the one that only needed to be loved. He smiled and waved his little hand. Air wheezed through my lips as the dream came rushing back to me. My emotion didn’t go unnoticed.