Page 109 of King of Storms and Feathers

Yes, I was beginning to worry about that. Perhaps home wasn’t the blissful, happy place my visions had led me to believe.

Sonail didn’t punish me for my attempted escape, and I wondered why. Could he not be bothered? Or did he figure that when we arrived at our destination, my punishment would be severe enough?

As the cart rolled through a valley that wound between a lush mountain range, I couldn’t stop thinking about Aallon. I wondered why he’d risked his life to free me, and even though it was true, I tried hard to bury the thought that I had caused his death.

Of course, there was a chance he’d planned to take me somewhere worse than wherever Sonail and his men were delivering me. He might have handed me over to an even bigger monster than Arrow or the mysterious regent who had paid for me with bags of gold. But somehow, I doubted that. My gut told me he was genuine. And thought I was worth saving. Gods knew why.

Once we cleared the mountains, we followed a river through long grasslands dotted with scraggly gray scrub, not stopping for lunch and eating dried fruit and meat as we traveled. Then a few hours later, we dropped over a hill and descended into a thick forest where the energy changed so swiftly it felt like we were approaching an invisible forcefield or barrier.

Every hair on my body prickled, my heart battering my ribcage as my eyes darted over the trees and vines that suddenly looked so similar to my visions.

This was home. But where in the realms was it?

I stopped breathing and strained my ears, hearing nothing but the scrape of our horses’ hooves over dried twigs, the gentle creak of saddles and cartwheels. No birds. No water tinkling nearby. No leaves rustling in the breeze.

This place felt like a void in time, a dead space that repelled every living being from getting too close. Standing in front of the barrier reminded me of how I felt in my dreams as I waited on a cliff edge with Ash, ready to leap into the writhing river below. Afraid, but intensely excited.

“Do you see it?” Sonail asked me.

“Are there ruins here?” I said, certain I was close to where I remembered training with Ash.

“On the eastern side, yes,” said Sonail. “But not here.”

The soldier on the white horse to my left studied me curiously, then turned quickly and stared ahead.

Relaxing my focus, I gasped as a convex veil of light bent over the foreground and soared as high and wide as my eyes could see. It was translucent, and yet it reflected the trees and foliage beside and behind us, like a magical mirror. A trick that made you see what wasn’t there and not see what was right in front of you.

I strained my eyes and mind trying to make sense of it.

“I see something. We’re going to go through that?” I said.

“Yes. The barrier isn’t visible to everyone, which suggests you’ve seen it before. That you know what to look for.”

“But if we can simply go through it, then surely anyone can.”

“No. Its magic works to repel folk. Most simply find a way around it without even realizing what they’re doing.”

“And what’s on the other side?” I asked.

The soldiers laughed, a heartless sound.

Sonail glared at them, then touched my arm, startling me. He unlocked my handcuffs, and I made a sound of pain and relief as I rubbed my wrists.

“Brace yourself. This might hurt a little.”

Frowning, I looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

Ignoring me, he whipped the poor horse, and we lurched forward through the strange barrier that undulated like a wave of heat shimmering off the desert sand. Tiny teeth tore at my skin, and I cried out, thrashing to escape the pain, then with a wet popping sound, we broke through the barrier and everything changed.

I made a noise of confusion and blinked at the scene before me.

People. Everywhere.

A massive crowd of humans gathered around wide iron gates as if they had been waiting for our arrival. Through the gate, a sprawling palace of black stone loomed. Its round turrets were lined with silver and countless sparkling arched windows filled with clear glass. In a semi-circular pattern, smaller dark buildings ranged around it.

Deep-green ivy and a flowering vine with black petals crawled over the buildings as if it was trying to consume the entire city. Perhaps it was. But it would fail. The city looked strong, as if it could endure anything, even its own rumored demise.

“Behold the Lost City of Mydorian,” said Sonail at my side, his voice full of pride as he lifted me from the cart. “To allow you some dignity, you can walk beside me unchained. Please note, I’ll be holding onto you very tightly, my soldiers watching your every move. Don’t make me regret my moment of compassion.”

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