The Dark Heir (SHORTLIST - Open Novella Contest 2019)

The Wizard & The Ring

Before Rose could inquire where they were, or what it was Fate had told them on the way when they couldn't hear a thing, Fate had sped out of site.  Grumbling, Gerald started walking down the sidewalk adjacent to a very tall building.  It had at least ten stories and Rose wondered how it managed to stay standing.  It seemed extremely thin, and she began to worry that a heavy breeze would push it over.  It was with this anxiety beginning to build that she hurried after Gerald. 

It was another block before both of them realized that Arien was not with them.  They hustled back to Arien, which took a while since they were jostled about by groups of hostile people wearing black with matching moods, muttering darkly about something called "overtime." Arien had begun speaking to every stranger he bumped into on the street, and strangely (to Gerald at least) the strangers' frowns lifted as he conversed with them, transforming them from angry and self-absorbed, to relaxed and engaged while speaking to him. 

Rose did her best to ask Gerald as many questions as she could about this strange place.  Gerald did his best to studiously ignore everyone.  Finally, they reached Arien and Gerald grabbed him by his rope belt and pulled him along.

"Can't take you anywhere!" Gerald huffed.

"I don't see the harm in speaking to people," Arien whined as he was dragged by the sidewalk like a child on a backpack leash*, "They're perfectly nice ("HA," said Gerald - he'd never met a 'nice' stranger in his 16 years in this future, except maybe Arien), and they're telling me such interesting stories about their lives and this city. 
"Did you know that buildings are built by something called 'Architects' or maybe it was 'Engineers' or something?  I don't really know.  It sounds a bit strange, but apparently, people here believe in Science (he said this as if it were capitalized) and their lives seem to be a mixture of really easy, and confusingly hard at the same time. Isn't it fascinating?"

"It's not fascinating," muttered Gerald. "But you're right about the really easy and confusingly hard thing.  If you ask me, their lives are hard because they're so easy."

Rose said this was all very confusing and making her head spin, though that might be the reverse vertigo she was having from looking up at all the tall buildings.  Or it might have been due to the noxious stench from various bodily fluids, including - but not limited to - urine, which appeared to coat the pavement.  At least she finally understood what all those architects she took on tours of the ruins spent their time doing.

"Are you sure these buildings aren't held up with magic**?" She said, unconvinced.  Silence was all she got as a reply, and she couldn't seem to catch Arien's attention.  He kept exchanging "hellos" with passers-by as he was tugged along, and they, startled by anyone's kindness and interest in seeing them as other human beings, responded in kind.

Rose, experiencing serious sensory overload, culture shock, and a frustrating lack of answers, was reaching the end of her rope.  Just as she was about to scream at Gerald that he was being the worst mentor she could ever imagine, he suddenly stopped and she narrowly avoided crashing into him.

She looked up at easily the tallest building in the whole city.  Rose couldn't see the top of it and thought she might vomit from the effort.  Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and there seemed to be a ringing in her ears. 

Gerald grabbed her arm and pulled her through the front doors.  As the noise and smells of the city fell away Rose began to breathe normally again, and her symptoms subsided as they walked across a large space covered in polished stone which echoed with their footsteps.  They entered a small hallway surrounded by a series of doors.  These, Rose learned, opened into "elevators" which were tiny boxes which hurtled people (and occasionally beds full of the elderly) through space (and possibly time) to another part of the building.  Rose really didn't like this part, and Arien squealed "WEEEEEEEEEEEE" until Rose kicked him in the shin.