The carriage slowed as it rolled into the Erebus Citadel's marketplace, its sleek, horseless frame gleaming under the sunlight streaming through the vaulted arches above. Those same arches framed the busy marketplace scene like a painting, a living river of colour and motion, where the hum of people chatter blended with the melodic calls of merchants hawking their wares.
Sienna-Rose stepped down first, her hand naturally extending for Claire. The moment Claire's fingers curled into hers, she followed with a bright grin, her eyes darting eagerly to the vibrant scenery spilling out before them.
Dozens of heads turned. Whispers rippled through the crowd, not just at the sight of the strange and magnificent carriage that moved without any horse to pull it, but at the women who emerged from it. Two beauties unlike anyone the market had seen, one regal and poised, the other radiant with unguarded curiosity, and together they seemed to pull the sunlight toward them.
