Chapter 156: The Splendor of High Fen City
Nyrielle was unwilling to enter High Fen City during the day. While she had a greater measure of trust for the people who served High Lady Erna, the harassment that Ashlynn was subjected to wasn’t something she would tolerate again.
A year from now, Nyrielle was confident that she could leave such matters in Ashlynn’s hands with ease, but for now, her young Seneschal was still too new to dealing with the Eldritch and had yet to master her powers to an extent that would make people fearful of drawing her ire.
Because they waited for nightfall, Ashlynn’s first look at High Fen City was when they topped a small rise that revealed a vast, glittering jewel in the dark of the night. For several minutes as the carriage rolled along the ancient road leading into the city, Ashlynn could only stare at the sight as her mind struggled to come to terms with the size of the sprawling city.
She had seen Blackwell City from ships in the harbor and she’d seen Lothian City from the highest tower of the imposing Lothian fortress. Both cities were old with tens of thousands of residents packed densely into the city walls. At night, the lamps that burned by people’s front doors turned the city into a miniature starscape like a piece of the night sky fallen to the earth.
High Fen City, however, was much, much too large for Ashlynn to think of it the same way she thought of the cities she was familiar with. There were just too many lights! The sky above the city itself seemed to possess a faint glow, like the sun refused to completely set on the sprawling city.
"This can’t all be the light of the city," Ashlynn said, looking to Nyrielle for confirmation. "Is there an Eldritch Clan that glows in the dark, like fireflies? Some of those lights are moving, I think, but... it’s so bright!"
"High Fen City never sleeps, not really," Nyrielle said with a smile that revealed a hint of her fangs. "You’ve seen the Muckins and the Glass Eyed Clan, but the Clan of Painted Masks are almost completely nocturnal and there are many of them here."
"The scaled clan is also more active at night as well," the vampire added. "It’s one of the reasons that I’ve been able to build a comfortable relationship with the High Lords and High Ladies that rule here. At a certain surface level, we actually have much in common."
"What’s High Lady Erna like?" Ashlynn asked. Compared to her visit to the High Pass, Nyrielle had barely spoken of the lord that would be hosting them when they arrived in the city.