"It's you!" Kylie exclaimed while jumping back. Her boot heels scraped harshly against the sun-baked granite of the balcony floor, her body tensing like a drawn bowstring.
"Indeed," Faust said before walking to one of the stone benches. He moved with an effortless, casual stride that ignored the tension still lingering in the air from his recent release.
The fountain at the center of the balcony whispered with a steady, rhythmic gurgle. Its brilliantly colored tiles glowed softly in sunlight, catching the high noon rays and reflecting a kaleidoscope of sapphire and emerald light across the wet stone apron.
They depicted strange warriors and creatures carved into the ceramic—monstrous beasts with jagged scales and knights in heavy, sweeping armor whose glazed surfaces shimmered under the fine mist.
The air around the basin was cold and heavy, carrying the distinct scent of damp moss, wet copper, and old mineral-rich earth.
