Ashfall: City of Shade (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 44 | To Dream

BROMMY

"Splendid."

"Quite," I reply.

Adler clasps his hands behind his back.

No temple has been constructed in his name.

No, Enoch wouldn't have that. Adler has been instead given what was once Zard's commune.

In return, he has until the next moon to build an observatory and restore light here.

The stone collumns are still painted red. The entirety of this structure is open. There are no rooms. Only a roof.

Now, guards do stand between the gaps in the collumns. Behind them, large heavy cloth visors hang around the perimeter to give some privacy.

In the darkness, his lightless clout allows Greta's corpse to levitate in place.

Adler steps out from behind it.

I fight back a shudder as I watch the clout carry her backward out of my arm's reach and behind himself. Disturbing how quickly he can manueavor a force so deadly.

"Enoch is unhappy. You were to attend breakfast this morning. Will you join us in the morrow, Adler?"

"You were ogling her body."

"I am a man, Adler. It was a natural reaction. You are the one who chooses to keep her unclothed. Do you not do the same?"

"I thought you were not attracted to her. Of course, you are though. We are of the same blood."

"I have not come for Greta. I have come for you," I begin. Unlike Greta, he is fully clothed. His face veiled still as she requested of all males. Shards of glass and precious gemstone comprise the daggers lined in formation on his helmet. Chainmail covers his chest and stretches to his feet. "You are dressed as a war advisor, why?"

"To scare the mongrels," he chuckles. "I don't want to be bothered with attention-"

"You mean women?"

"Yes. Here, I cannot be tempted. My pearl captivates me. There are no distractions."

"I wish you did have control, Adler. Ren is with your child-"

"Kill it and her."

"Have you no empathy? You know Greta wouldn't want that-"

Without warning, he strikes me across the face. Blood leaves my mouth as I look up at him from the ground.

"What would you know?" he says, emotionless. "You're too hideous to be loved. I can ruin your other eye too, Brometheous. I will never feel guilty for using a whore-"

"You used Greta," I spit back, I rise to my feet with new fury, "You fucked her just because you could. You loved that she could forgive you over and over again. You loved that she wanted to help you. You loved that she trusted you. Then...then you defiled her. Made her deform her body!" I shout while looking at her scarred breasts. Then lower, where lacerations and infected bumps cover her womanhood. "Look at her!"