Burning Night: A Tale of the Everburning City

Chapter 16, Part 2: Natalina

The train was bitterly cold; the cushionless metal seats drank the body's heat and left Natalina nearly numb by the time she arrived at Leveerise station, across the river from Central.

She greedily pushed her way through the doors as soon as the train stopped, hugging her coat close around herself as she walked. The falling rain pressed on her back and soaked her coat almost as soon as she stepped off the platform.

She paused by one of the small exhaust ports and held her hands close to the flame until the stinging pain receded. As she warmed her hands, she couldn't help but stare at the several apartment towers ahead of her.

Unlike the fortifications that warded against Gloam and Golems, the levees were milk-white concrete, almost as smooth as glass, and rose out of the streets and sidewalks like a cresting wave.

The apartment towards she stared at were a dozen buildings set into the levees, made with the same milky cement, jutting up above the levee walls.

Despite how close those apartments were to the heart of Central, it was difficult to fill the homes inside. Not everyone could abide being so close to the water, especially during a storm.

Natalina smiled as she picked-out a window, halfway up the tower, with a warm orange light and three small figures waving.

She was home.

Natalina marched with renewed vigour, gritting her teeth and squinting her eyes as she reached the entrance to her apartment building, and pushed her way through the door.

Just inside, a man well past the prime of his youth leaned against the wall. His arms had lost much of their youthful strength, a hairline busy fleeing from the back of his head, and a smile that looked as if it had to pull a small pile of wrinkled skin each time he smiled, as he did now.

Argente Casper. As far as Natalina was concerned, the most handsome man alive.

It helped that he was holding a mug of tea in his hands.

"Nat, you're home early," Argente said, as he handed her the mug of tea. "Early for you, anyway."

"Nonsense! I'm normally home a lot earlier than this," Natalina insisted, cupping her hands around the mug and enjoying the nearly painful sensation of something warm in her hands.

"Past midnight doesn't make you early. Only very late," Argente said, as he kissed her on the cheek. "If I were the jealous type, I'd begin to think Vance causes calamities and makes up conspiracies just to spend more time with you."

"Why would you think that?" Natalina asked as she coughed, nearly spilling her first cup of tea.

"Because I would, in his place," Argente answered, as he opened the door to the elevator. "Welcome home, love."

Natalina followed him into the elevator, and leaned against the back wall as Aegente closed it. She breathed a slow, relaxing sigh just as her husband shut the door, and set the elevator into motion.

"The kids refused to go to bed until they saw you," Argente said, he smile fading from his face. "I..."

Argente's kindly, smiling face twisted into a grimace, as if he had eaten something unpleasant.

"I know I'm tiptoeing over our rule, that work doesn't pass that elevator door, but your work seems to have taken an unusually serious turn lately," Argente continued.

"I don't want to talk about the details, Argie," Natalina replied. "You know why."

"Yeah. I don't want the particulars. But give me a blunt answer, can you keep doing this assignment?" Argente asked.