Tower of Dove

Chapter 13: The Council

Tower of Dove Chapter 13: The Council

The sun was just rising when Lilyana woke. Posy was curled up next to her in the floral pattern blankets, her dark hair still curled from the previous night. Faye and Miette had left maybe about three hours earlier, and Lilyana had passed out almost as soon as they’d left.

She bit her lip, thinking of how Faye had no idea that she was leaving and remembering the long hug Miette had given her. Lilyana had promised to mail her under a false name, but still, she would miss her face and her voice, the way she pouted and put her hand on her hip when Lilyana was being stubborn or just whining.

She sighed and pushed the covers off of herself, being careful not to wake Posy, and quickly dressed in the blue jeans and light pink blouse she had laid out earlier. She squinted as she moved to her bathroom, struggling as her eyes adjusted to the dark lighting. She quickly fixed her hair—it was still half up in a bun from the night before and the other half wasn’t too frizzy. She brushed her teeth and was sure to stop by her vanity on the way out to throw on a little makeup. It helped her to not look totally haggish.

By her bed, she found the beige bag she had packed the night before. It was the one she always carried when she went shopping in the market, so it wouldn’t draw any suspicion to her the way a backpack would. She had also, rather sourly, sneaked a heavy amount of money in it . . . just in case she and Hiero ran into an emergency somewhere in their beginnings.

She swallowed hard once, the beating in her chest ringing in her ears. She was really doing it. She leaned over Posy and brushed the child’s hair off of her forehead and left her a kiss. Posy’s nose wrinkled slightly, but her skin soon smoothed out and she stayed sleeping like the little princess Lilyana would always think she was. Lilyana choked back the stinging in her throat and crossed the room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

She was quick following along the hallway and walking down the stairs, being as quiet as possible so as not to wake her mother or the servants. She slipped on her white shoes and, without even one last look at the silent, peach-colored house, crossed the threshold and left.

She went down the garden path, her head filling with the strong aroma of her mother’s conceited flowers. Once she reached the gate, her hand paused at the latch. The dark sky was gradually getting brighter, giving way to the sunrise as the tips of blue hinting at the horizon melded with the pinks and oranges. How long would it be before she saw this place again? Would she ever see it another time? She shook her head and pushed past the gate, heading down the cobblestone road lined with tall trees. The early morning was still; not even guards could be seen. Birds’ chirping sung in her ears and she let her eyes focus on the blossoming pink of the early sky. It was so pretty. She wondered if Hiero was watching it, too.

By the time she reached the town square, nearly all the sky was blue. Shops were beginning to open, but besides the owners there were hardly any other people out. An elderly man smiled as they passed each other and a few guards clopped around on their horses, but that was about it. She was just about to take the steps that led to the forest path when one of the guards—a man with dark hair and the beginnings of a beard—came riding up to her on his grey horse.

Lilyana’s heart leapt. She tried not to look panic stricken as she turned to him and said, “Hi, do you need anything?”

The guard looked down at her with curious eyes and said, “Premier Oakleigh has requested that I bring you to the council’s discussion room.”

Her heart was banging in her ears, like a thousand drums ringing off the walls of a small space. “W-why would she want me to come before the council?”