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The procession turned down another narrow street and began making its way to an area of town that appeared to have been badly damaged by the fire. There was a difference in the size of the buildings and their construction, leading Malina to surmise that the age of this area was different then the age of the previous area. What she now saw had the look of faded glory. Ostentation left to ruin.

Malina began to take note of the statues that they passed. There were many, close to the roof tops; on the sides of buildings; or in fountains, and all had been vandalized in some sort. A power struggle at some point, the statues representing the sides of the losers.

Some of the buildings they passed seemed to have been untouched by the fighting and fire. Both others had only a portion of their walls remaining. The procession turned another corner and Malina was forced to suppress the shock she felt from reaching her face. Why do I bother? The entire block that faced her now had been destroyed. It seemed as though the casters has paid special attention to this area. Rubble was piled haphazardly along the side of the road, obviously done by someone in the army to make way for the procession, as the rest of the block still smouldered.

Her Malina could see the ocean through the gaping holes where the buildings should have been. The sun sparkled on the waves as they rippled out in the bay. Seabirds circled in the sky lazily looking for an easy meal before the tide pools filled. She could hear the birds call out as they circled and dived into the water. The juxtaposition between the destroyed building and the circling birds could not have been more obvious for Malina. Nature doesn’t even care. The destruction here was so complete, but for the birds it’s not even worth a glance.

“Except for the carrion.” She sighed aloud now noticing the black birds hopping their way through the rubble.