Ashtium: City of Sun

GRETA

Wanting to see him clearly again, I carefully pull his head down to mine and search his face for his eyes. I laugh seeing his face clearly, blushing a little when his eyes dilate as his smile grows in my peripheral vision.

The moment I look away from his eyes, everything is reduced to a silver blur.

“Do not cry, little pearl. This secret will stay between us. Not even my son and wife know of my true origin. I am just like you.”

“How do they not know?”

“I hide it well,” he laughs.

His hand leaves my arm, but I remain on his lap. I can’t stop myself from staring into his eyes. It’s oddly addicting.

I think I’ve been looking too long. Tentative, I sit back, but I get the feeling he’s still gazing at me. It’s kind of awkward and makes a strange feeling flutter within my stomach.

“What is your name?”

“Greta,” I whisper, unintentionally finding his eyes again.

He stands up. No more is he a blur or mushed together silver. I can see his body and black tunic clearly as my eyes adjust. All that’s missing is color...

I wonder what Enoch looks like?

“You’re welcome to sleep in my temple, Greta. It is not very safe to be out here on your own. My guards have been watching you here, but there are new dangers that I cannot get rid of immediately. Enoch would tell you the same.”

Temple? Could this be Enoch’s father? He doesn’t seem as dreadful as Enoch made him out to be.

“How do you know?”

“He’s my son as I mentioned, but he’s sleeping right now in the palace, little pearl.”

Palace? It must be him...

I shuffle my feet nervously. “Oh, I think I’ll stay here.”

“I’m sorry, it was rude of me not to introduce myself. I’m Adler.”

“The emperor,” I whisper.

“Some call me that, but I’m no more a citizen than you.”

This really must be Enoch’s father. I already spoke to him once before when Enoch warned me he was an awful person. I will keep away from the temple until he returns just in case.

“I don’t mind the fountain. It’s quite nice, really.”

I tense up, seeing him approach and grip the side of my face gently.

“That’s perfectly fine, Greta. I’m just unsure it’s the best decision. My wife has lost her mind and has a terrible habit of killing women in our empire here.”

I shouldn’t be walking away with him, but I’m curious and he’s not so mean as Enoch made him out to be. Will he tell me more about his observatory like he told me about before? Will he still be able to help me heal my vision? I want to know more about his family too.

I’m not sure what went on earlier with his wife, but is it my concern? I don’t think she’s normal either, but I’m sure they love each other.

How can his wife be so different than him?

“Why?” I ask, following him away from the fountain.

“It’s personal, but perhaps one day I will share with you the bad things I’ve done. You’ve done something horrible too, haven’t you? The desert holds your soul hostage and your heart feels buried even here, doesn’t it?”

My heart warms, finally feeling understood. “Yes!”

Only a god would be able to understand me so well. He may not be Enoch’s father after all.

“You don’t need to keep in the dark anymore. Why stay alone out here when I offer you a better place to nap? Enoch would want you to be safe,” he says in his soothing voice.

The edge of his wonderfully soft robe brushes up against my arm. My face reddens in embarrassment with a pounding heart. Did he notice too?

I cross my arms, hoping he didn’t. My pace slows, figuring it’s best I give the god of the sun his own space. What was I thinking walking right beside him like that?

I know my god must be testing me. I have to stick by his messenger’s words. “Enoch told me not to go in the temple.”

“Enoch is afraid of me,” he says swiftly over his shoulder. “He was afraid of you too, I’m sure. Now he isn’t afraid because he gave you a second chance. He still has yet to give me another chance, but I will wait until he warms up a little.”

“That’s terrible...” I mutter.

Before I know it, we’ve reached the temple without a lull in our conversation. Effortlessly, he pulls me up to the marble building with him. His eyes don’t leave mine...or am I the one staring? Oh, I just can’t help it.

“Sorry!” I gasp catching myself watching him too long again.

He laughs lightly while petting my hair delicately. “It’s okay, Greta.”

Strange how the sound removes so much weight from my shoulders. I don’t feel afraid at all walking around with my god.

“Tomorrow, I will find Enoch for you. How does that sound?”

“Really?”

We go inside the spacious room. The dark silver-grey forms of guards move back in front of the walkway.

“Yes, don’t be nervous. You’re a guest here.”

I follow him silently over to the big chair. He guides me by my back to a small square cushion by the firepit in front of it. Uneasily, I sit down on it and look into the grey and white blur of flames. When he sits down beside me, I stiffen a little feeling too close for comfort.

“I’m not a god, Greta. According to my son, I’m just a sad little man.”

I giggle, but quickly cover my mouth embarrassed by the noise. He by no means is little. He’s as tall as Enoch and stronger even despite the age difference. He doesn’t really seem sad either.

At least, not right now.

A silver form steps out of the shadows of the corner of the room diagonal of us. “Adler, dear. What are you doing with this woman?”

“She’s one of Enoch’s friends. She came looking for him, my lovely Femke.”

“In here?” she begins in a tart tone. I scramble behind my god seeing her draw out the whip. “She’s a street whore,” she states flatly.

She comes close enough to the fire that I can see her shape clearer in the corner of my vision so long as I keep my eyes on my god’s.

“How many times must I watch over this place of filth to keep them at bay? Your guards are guilty of the same sin. Did you invite them in here to watch or is she to be shared?”

I don’t move fast enough. The whip strikes across my face. I yelp as pain sears across my left cheekbone. When I look up, I see Adler grabbing Enoch’s mother by the shoulders.

He pushes her back into the arms of his guards. They drag her away as she claws at them and screams. I cower back behind the big chair, unsure of my decision to come in here.

Adler’s voice sounds strange, “It’s okay, Greta. I won’t hurt you. Come here.”

Reluctantly, I step out from behind the big stone chair. I jump, startled to see him standing just on the other side of it. He reaches for my face, but I shrink back feeling it pulse in pain. His left hand sneakily grips the other side of my face that’s uninjured. His other hand easily lifts me by the waist over the chair and onto the side where he stands.

My heart hammers when he finds my gaze. Streams of shiny liquid trail down the corners of his eyes, captivating my attention as I reach a shaky hand out and catch a teardrop before it drips from his chin.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes, but I’ve felt worse. It is a small cut.”

“I’m sure you have, Greta.”

“Why are you crying?”

He swallows and then pulls away turning his head so I can’t see his eyes.

“I just can’t believe I’m not alone. I’m...so happy,” he pauses, then speaks softer, “That Enoch has met you. It makes me want to work to earn my wife’s love seeing you two together.”

I don’t know how he could ever love someone so volatile, but I dare not question his taste in others. Enoch never really described his mother to me, but I am disappointed in what I have discovered so far. I should not feel anything though when I don’t even know what Enoch is to me, but at the same time, I think I have a little right to hold some resentment seeing as she slashed me across the face.

Is she truly the wife of my god?

Can his messenger and I even be considered friends? We certainly are not on the level his father thinks we are. I kind of admire Adler for wanting to mend things with his wife, whatever that includes. If he’s my god, I thought he would take it upon himself to do such a thing.

It’s none of my business I suppose.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s how things are between us.”

“I’m sure it will be soon. You have my blessing.”

Does he not know of my great sin? Am I being tested again? I can’t lie about the past.

“I shouldn’t have come in here,” I say while backing away from him. “I’m sorry, I’ve failed you!”

“Failed me?” His voice turns tender, “It’s my fault. I should have known she’d be in here waiting.”

The god of the sun lets go of my face and raises his hand while lifting his gaze. His voice takes on a more condescending tone and it takes me a moment to realize he isn’t talking to me, “Give her salve for her face. I want the palace watched tonight. Make sure Femke stays in it.”

I turn around seeing three tall silver shapes step toward me.

“It’s okay, Greta. You’ll be safest with them - they’re my personal guards. Enoch will come for you soon. No more hiding back there though. Stay near the fountain.”

“Am I going back?”

“Of course.”

One of the blurry guards hands him a light grey tunic. It looks too small for him. I know my own is ruined from the blood dripping down my face.

It’s still wearable though, but surely stained.

“Look at me, little pearl,” Adler says while bending down to my eye level. His eyes dilate as they capture my own.

A squeak escapes me feeling the guard behind me remove my tunic in one thrust of his arm. It rips completely off, then the heavenly warm cloth gets swiftly pulled down over my head by my god’s very own hands.

“There,” he finishes after helping me into the clean, much softer tunic.

This tunic is far more comfier than my old one. I remain mute feeling his hands slide away from my arms as he breaks eye contact.

Anxious, I don’t move from his side and glance up into his face instead, hoping he notices my dilemma as I grip the side of his tunic.

His hand covers my own, making me shiver as I watch the guards around us. One by one, he gingerly peels my fingers from the material of his robe.

“You will be safe with them, I promise. They’re just going to walk you back to where I found you, Greta. Goodnight.”

One of the guards puts a bracelet on me. “Goodnight,” I whisper, flinching as the icy cold metal clamps around my wrist.

“Get that off of her,” my god tells the same guard in a soft voice. “You will not make the mistake twice. Stay here, please.”

The bracelet comes off. The two guards begin walking off with me while the other stays behind.

A faint, ragged cry comes from behind us, back in the temple. Then, a quiet moan, followed by silence.

“Did you hear that?” I ask the men.

Neither of them answers. They leave me at the fountain without sparing a word.