Gilded Cage (On Hold)

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Adeena gripped the railing of the ship, staring out to the shoreline and the city that stretched out in the distance. Of course, she'd heard stories from her family about Palrion, read texts about its history. She could practically see the written words on the pages finally coming to life in front of her eyes, glimmering in the sunlight that was rising high above the vibrant city.

She knew a lot of it from Lyv, Kalla, Allel, and Mik. Palrion had been the first major city built on the continent thousands of years before with a network of several small rivers running through it, bright colors decorating the buildings, the Temple of Vehhar and Cetia, and mountains to the south. Those mountains were inhabited mostly by the sorcerers and sorceresses with dragons since the creatures were found on the eastern continent as well. Instead of one family ruling the city, it was represented by several – the Fae family of Quinzana, the human family of Torrano, the fairy family of Loriana, and the sorcerer and sorceress family of Firesa – similar to how Dalcaine lands had different families over different territories.

So much of the city's history...and it's most devastating had yet to pass.

Knuckles turning white as her hands tightened on the railing, Adeena sucked in a breath, finally noticing the male who stepped up beside her.

"You good?" Archer asked, raising a brow in question.

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'm good. Milena?"

He hummed, squinting as he stared out at the city. "Still quiet. Watching."

"Well, it is her grandfather's ship we managed to book passage on."

"And now there's another reason."

A distant roar had both of them turning. Milena, who had been on the main deck, rushed up the steps to the opposite side of the bow. The sea stretched out to the horizon, but it wasn't the water she was staring at.

A familiar red dragon soared in the air, lowering until her talons touched the surface. Erly, who Adeena had only been around a handful of times, roared again, happily. She looked younger, slightly smaller as if she were still going through her growth spurt, and so did the female who was saddled on her back.

With dark hair braided back into two thick plaits and her green eyes sparkling with mischief, it was only mere seconds before a young Thia passed by on Erly overhead. The males on the ship barely batted an eye, probably a regular occurrence working for the Branvon family they were used to.

Milena, though, watched her mother's approach, eyes wide as dragon and rider passed over them, and continued as they flew toward land. Instead of watching as they left, Adeena carefully watched Milena's expression, seeing the heartbreak and longing for her mother, her father, and the rest of her family. Like everyone else in their group, she knew how long it would be before she saw them again, but seeing her mother like this was a gut punch, knowing she had no idea who she was.

Adeena and Archer had the same thought when they peered over at one another before crossing the deck to the blond female. Milena was wiping her hands under her eyes, streaking the few tears that fell from her eyes across her skin.

Archer playfully tugged on a strand of her hair, trying to make her smile. The corner of her mouth tilted upward as she swatted his hand away.

This time, Adeena was the one to ask, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she nodded, then took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then blew it out. "Just...this is a lot. And strange. Here we are on a ship owned by my grandfather, my mother and her dragon just passed overhead, and yet no one knows who I am, who we are. It's a little unsettling. We're in a completely different time than our own. I've known about this for a while, where and when we'd eventually find ourselves, and yet here I am, acting this way."