Page 53 of Eluvonia
A shudder racks through me as the memories surge back, raw and relentless. The betrayal. The capture. The pain. They crash over me like a tide, pulling me under, deeper and deeper, until I can’t breathe.
I see her face etched into my mind like a cruel brand. My best friend. The one person I trusted above all others. I remember the way she looked at me. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before—the false warmth in her eyes, the sickly-sweet smilethat hid the dagger poised for my back. Every whispered promise, every shared secret, reduced to nothing but a game I never knew I was playing.
I had laughed with her, we learned together, lived together, survived together. And when the moment came, she handed me over like I was nothing, betrayed me like I was nothing. My body aches, a constellation of bruises blooming beneath torn clothing. Blood crusts at the corner of my mouth, the taste of iron thick on my tongue. My limbs tremble, weak from exhaustion, from pain, from the weight of knowing—no one is coming for me.
I am not rescued.
I am alone.
Blinking away the grogginess, I shove down the whirlwind of thoughts threatening to pull me under. Now isn’t the time to break. I force myself to take in my surroundings, every detail, every possible escape. I don’t need a savior. I’ll get myself out of this.
Wooden huts are nestled high in the trees, their slanted roofs dusted with moss and sunlight filtering through the thick canopy above. Intricate bridges made of intertwined branches crisscross between the huts, swaying gently as Fae stroll across them. Golden lanterns hang from the railings, their soft, yellow glow giving the entire village a warm, peaceful ambiance. Smoke spirals lazily from the chimneys, blending into the dappled light streaming through the leaves. Birds chirp a harmonious tune, and laughter echoes somewhere, faint and carefree.
It’s… beautiful. My breath catches, but then reality sets in. I glance around and realize I’m inside a cage suspended from one of the huts. The bars creak softly with every movement, and when I shuffle toward the edge to look down, my stomach tightens. Darkness yawns below me, an endless void that stretches far beyond what I can see. Falling from this height wouldn’t just kill me—it would obliterate me.
“Great,” I mutter under my breath, gripping the bars for support. “I don’t know where the fuck I am, but it’s gorgeous.”
“Glad you approve,” a smooth male voice drawls from behind me.
Startled, I twist around, the cage swinging dangerously with my movement. Leaning casually against a guard rail on a nearby platform is the silver-haired Fae. That smug grin is plastered across his face as he watches me like I’m some kind of amusing sideshow.
“Is there a reason I’m in a cage?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Also, where the hells am I?”
He chuckles, the sound low and maddeningly nonchalant. “I can’t tell you where you are. You might signal your Dragon buddies somehow.”
I snort, rolling my eyes. “Yup, totally possible while dangling in a cage probably hundreds of miles away from them and the ground. Makes perfect sense.”
The Fae shrugs, unbothered. “You have magic. Who knows what you can do?”
His words hit me like a slap, and my breath catches. My mind flashes back to the vines that erupted from the ground, tearing through his camp and tossing his people like ragdolls.Shit.
“See,” he continues, his voice dripping with amusement, “at first, you were just going to be useful for information before I passed you around to all the willing Fae males here.But now…” His grin darkens, and his eyes glint with malice. “Now you’re going to tell me how you have magic, what you did to access the leylines, and how we can get our magic back.”
I gape at him, anger flaring in my chest. “I didn’t even know I had magic until recently!” I snap. “That attack was thethird timein my twenty-two years that I’ve used it. I have no idea how it works or where it came from. All I do know is that the Dragon Commander figured out I had it and that’s how I became Kaida’s Líðr.”
His expression shifts as he rubs his chin thoughtfully, but his smugness doesn’t waver. “Interesting,” he murmurs. “Too bad you don’t want to tell me.”
I blink, incredulous. “Did you not hear a word I just said?”
“Oh, I heard you.” His smile widens, but it’s all teeth now. “I heard you loud and clear.”
He waves a hand, and a guard emerges from behind one of the huts, striding toward my cage. Panic surges through me as I watch the silver-haired Fae turn and stroll away, his hands clasped behind his back like this is all a casual stroll through the woods.
“I don’t—I don’t think you did!” I yell after him, my voice rising. But he’s already out of sight.
The guard unlocks the cage door and pulls it closer to the platform. He’s tall and broad, his armor creaking as he steps inside. “Make it easy for me, will ya?” he says, holding out a hand.
I force an innocent smile. “Depends on what happens after I leave this cage.”
He sighs, clearly unimpressed. “Hard way it is, then.”
Before I can respond, he lunges for my ankle. His grip is ironclad, and I yelp, twisting and kicking at him. My heelconnects with his arm, but it barely fazes him. He grunts and drags me toward the open door, my nails scraping against the wooden bars in a desperate attempt to hold on.
“Fucking stubborn,” he growls, his muscles straining as he tries to pry me loose.
“Oh, you have no idea,” I hiss, twisting wildly. My foot catches him square in the nose with a satisfyingcrack.
“Fuck!” he roars, releasing me to clutch his bleeding face. I scramble back into the cage, my chest heaving as I grip the bars for dear life.
