Crow of Flame

Chapter 21

Sapphire

We arrived in a great hall made from grey blue stone bricks. It had dark wood beams along the ceiling and gold and black tapestries hanging from the walls. There were windows made from ornate stained glass and they were fashioned into pictures of people. One was of Eboni, with her flowing black dress, her cascading black curls, and her blood red smile. In the grey glass eyes there was an aura of depression.

There were two windows on wither side of her depicting men with black hair that was cut short and styled in a messy fashion. Their clothes were the same, black shirts that fit their muscles, black pants, and black shoes. It kind of reminded me of Ambrose. If not for their pale skin, they'd be near copies. The only difference between the men seemed to be their eyes, one had deep hazel eyes full of malice, the other had blue eyes that were lighter, almost happy. Both men had features near identical to Eboni, the strong jaw lines, the high cheek bones, and the lengthy figures were all the same.

"Are those your brothers?" I asked quietly.

"Yes." She said with smirk painting her features. Without warning she took my arm to the crook of her elbow, "come with me, little one." She glanced at the others, "you all should follow as well, your quarters will be in the same area." Without another word she led us from the room and through winding hallways. All of them were decorated in gold and black, and they all had pictures of identical men painted and framed in golden wood. We walked for a long while until we reached a set of golden doors.

Eboni placed her hand on them and they opened to reveal a sitting room. There were white couches around a dark wood coffee table, and a grand window facing a forest behind them. A fireplace roared to my left next to a black grand piano. "Ask the palace for any instruments you'd like my dear, it has been instructed to provide for you." Eboni said as she noticed my gaze. I took a few more steps into the room. There were four sets of double doors branching off from the main room. "If you'll all follow me," Eboni said as she walked to the one farthest left, "this shall be yours..." her voice trailed off as she gestured to Obi.

"His name is Obi," I said placing a hand on his stiff shoulder. I gestured to Lynx, "and this is Lynx. And you know Ambrose already." I said.

She nodded, "Obi, these shall be your chambers," she opened the door and walked to the next one over, "Lynx, these are yours." She directed. Her voice was gentle, almost like she thought this a fragile situation. "Little one," she said opening the next door, "these are yours," she walked to the final door and opened it turning to face us. We were still in a small pack. "Ambrose, your chambers are these."

"Thank you." I said.

"Of course, little one. I will leave you to get settled with your friends. Please be ready in two hours to be called upon. There are some people I'd like you to meet." She said as she walked from the room. The door shut and I felt everyone release a tense breath.

I turned to look at them. "Well..." I said, "I suppose we should get ready."

"Sapphire, you can't seriously be proposing we comply with her," Lynx said crossing his arms. His red eyes were tense.

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting. If I'm going to figure out what's up with her, I'm going to need her to trust us. That means we have to show that we trust her." I said. "Hades and I set it up well with the fight earlier, but now we have to build on that momentum."

"You weren't really mad at Hades?" Obi asked with a shocked expression.

"Oh I was fucking pissed, but I made a bigger deal out of it to divert her attentions. Away from scheming minds." I said as I walked into my room. It was grand. There was a four poster bed with black and gold tule curtains, next to that, on wither side, were small gold tables. A golden vanity sat across from the bed, and a small library next to that. There was a hearth framed by shelves of books the glowed with a familiar purple flame. Before the library were two golden chairs, and a black couch. There were two doors, one I assumed to be a bathroom, the other was probably a closet. In front of me were two glass doors that lead to a training area nearly identical to the one at the golden palace. There were weapons, a trampoline, a sparing ring, and even a ruminator next to a pond. I know it shouldn't have felt good to be in Eboni's home, but it felt so familiar that I knew it would be easy to forget where I was.