The Shadows in the Mist

CHAPTER FOUR - ARRIVAL

The sky darkened, drowning in an endless sea of purple, pink and orange hues, with wings of gold and yellow, circling overhead.

The serene picturesque horizon however felt drastically out of place, as it should currently be midday, with the sun glistening on everything below, though instead I was met with the golden and crimson radiance of evening.

Conceivably, Prythian's time worked differently, or the night kingdom truly lived up to its namesake.

Another explanation could perhaps be that I had wrongly perceived the time it had taken to reach the southern border of fae territory, whatever the reason, it was unnerving to say the least.

All it did was serve as a reminder that I didn't belong here, that I should be back amongst my own kind, though as I thought about it further, perhaps I didn't fully belong anywhere, I was considered too human for the fae, but too magical for humans, nevertheless, I knew for certain my place wasn't going to be decided by others, like Alaric.

I was going to escape; I would make sure of it.

Unfortunately, I had to postpone my escaping, as true to his word, Noruan would be able to kick my ass if I tried anything.

He had been polite so far, responding to my infinite number of questions and had even, ever so slightly, loosened the rope and chains that had begun to cut into my skin.

His actions had provided me with a glimpse at hope, a chance that I wasn't being summarily directed towards my doom, though it was most likely too optimistic for such an eventuation, in particular, I doubted that any positive outcome was initiated through capture and injuring your captor's friend.

Too caught up in distinctly hopeless and bleak musings, I failed to recognise the cessation of my companion's footsteps until I had collided with his back.

"Ow, what is that armour made out of?" I grumbled, while simultaneously rubbing my nose.

"It's armour, it's supposed to have a solid exterior, though I'm pretty sure its original purpose wasn't designed for protecting me from idiots who can't watch where they're going." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. Something I discovered that I did quite often around him.

"Anyway, the reason I stopped," he continued, "is because of that."

He motioned beyond the distant line of the forest, where encased between dark mountains and a shimmering lake reflecting the magnificent multihued sky, was a kingdom like no other, not that I had much to compare it to.

The land contained an almost mythical atmosphere as I could faintly distinguish golden amber lights that shone even to where I looked upon afar through the dense fog, the lights were scattered amongst cobblestoned streets that stretched towards the glistening water and appeared as if the town had been carved from the mountains themselves.

Luscious blue spruce trees accompanied many of the buildings, each one in itself being an architectural masterpiece that humans could only dream of accomplishing.

Though most prominent, was the imposing mountain range which beheld a grandiose citadel ensconced between the deepening sky and the snow that howled through the trees.

"Welcome to Busana." Noruan remarked.

"It's beautiful." I whispered, not quite believing my eyes.

"I know, you can close your mouth now." He chuckled.

I glared at him and again tried to make my face impassive.

"Come on, it's still an hour's journey until we get there." He stated before lithely descending the hill, taking me with him.