Chapter 7

                                    

                                          
Phantoms
                          
I killed a man.
                          
There was no other way to look at it.
                          
I sat upright on my bed, legs under the covers. I hadn't been able to sleep. The dark circles and sunken eyes made that horribly obvious.
                          
I felt worse than I looked. It was some sort of cruel joke. At some point, I thought captain Ulrich would come knocking on my door and tell me it was a hilarious ruse he does to all his friends, but I was being ridiculous.
                          
I killed him.
                          
It was raining today and service from the maids was slow. Breakfast wasn't brought up until I had asked the guards outside my door if they could bring me something to eat. Even then, the maids they called up brought nothing but Sealy cake and some water.
                          
I stared at the foot of my bed where a dark red dress sat, waiting for me to slip it on. Lady Gira had brought it to me hours ago, stating that a funeral was to be held in his honor. It took me by surprise how fast they managed to put this whole thing together. Though I've come to expect that any event coordinated by Lady Gira came together in a snap.
                          
As I stared at the dress, my ears picked up on the sound of soldiers marching across the bridge. Their steps were loud like angry stomps on the wet bridge, metal slapping the water in rhythmic fury.
                          
I got up off the bed and began to undress. Lady Gira was going to come back soon and I had to make sure I was ready.
                          
Just as I finished tidying up the lacing on the sides of the dress, the door creaked open. Lady Gira and two of her attendants stood in the doorway.
                          
"Are you ready?" Gira asked.
                          
She was wearing a black and red dress, accompanied by a string of pearls around her neck. The black Caledonian flower was embroidered across her bodice, accented by small bits of silver.
                          
I nodded at her before looking back at my own simple dress on the mirror. It didn't force me to bare skin in areas that were inappropriate for a funeral, but it was short and offered me no protection from the cold rain outside.
                          
When I was done wallowing in my plain reflection, I followed Lady Gira out of the room and down the stairs. Instead of going for the large doorway that opened up to the bridge, she pointed towards the rightmost hallway.
                          
"It's faster this way." She hooked her arm around mine. "This way, the rain won't catch us."
                          
She pulled me down the long, dark hallway, stopping only when I complained about the pain in my feet.
                          
At the end of the passageway was a black door barred shut by a metal gate. Lady Gira pulled out a key from within her sleeve and quickly unlocked the gate. Her two attendants pushed the door open for the two of us to pass through.
                          
Beyond the door was a downward staircase that opened up to the outside world. I looked around, noticing that we were further down the Hollow. When a drop of rain plopped on the top of my head, I quickly looked up.
                          
"We're under the bridge?" I asked, noticing that the large bridge that connected Luster Palace and the city was above us. "Is the funeral deep in the Hollow?"
                          
"Yes. The noble families are buried near the bottom of the Hollow. They rest in the shadow of Vagra's glory, protected by him forevermore." Lady Gira pulled me towards a thin walkway ahead that was lined by a metal fence.
                          
When we reached the other side, my feet were welcomed by a plush path of grass. It was an odd transition quite honestly. The rigid and solid structure of Luster Palace contrasted strangely against the small flower bushes and patches of grass that that flourished in the deep edges of the Hollow. I didn't even know there was such a green and beautiful place at the bottom of the Hollow. For a place often devoid of light, the flowers were healthy and light in color. I suppose that even in the absence of the sun, life persists.