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She turned to the children. “Time to get ready. We’re landing soon.”

Rory looked up, his fingers still tracing the edge of a gear. “Garden?” he asked.

“Yes, there will be a garden,” she confirmed, smiling at his memory. Thraxar had mentioned it only once, yet Rory had latched onto the detail.

Talia’s ears flickered, shifting to a questioning blue. “What’s a garden?”

Her heart ached. Such a simple thing, yet unknown to a child who’d spent her short life as a captive. “It’s a place where plants grow—flowers and trees and food. You’ll see soon.”

The landing was smooth, Thraxar’s skilled hands guiding the ship down with barely a tremor. As the engines powered down, she helped the children prepare, brushing Talia’s hair and straightening Rory’s clothes—garments she had fashioned from Thraxar’s donated clothing.

He appeared in the doorway, his massive frame filling the space. “Ready?”

She nodded, taking a child’s hand in each of hers. “As we’ll ever be.”

The air that greeted them as the hatch opened was unlike anything she had breathed in years. Rich with the scent of growing things, untainted by industrial chemicals or the stink of unwashed bodies. She inhaled deeply, feeling something tight in her chest loosen.

They walked down a winding path bordered by flowering shrubs. Talia gasped at each new bloom, her ears shifting through a kaleidoscope of delighted colors. Rory was quieter but equally entranced, stopping to examine the pattern of veins in a broad leaf.

The settlement was small but orderly, with rounded structures that seemed to grow from the landscape rather than impose upon it. Beings moved about with unhurried purpose—all of them similar to Elrin, though with different coloration in their feathered crests.

“They’re staring,” Kara murmured to Thraxar, noticing the curious glances directed their way.

“They rarely see outsiders,” he explained. “But they’re not hostile—just curious.”

She nodded, forcing herself to relax. After months of constant vigilance, it was hard to believe in safety.

Elrin’s dwelling sat apart from the others, nestled against the edge of a forest. Unlike the sterile functionality of the miningsettlement or the cramped quarters of Thraxar’s ship, this place had been designed for comfort and beauty.

The house itself was modest—a dome-shaped structure with large windows and a wide porch. But the garden that surrounded it was extraordinary. Plants of all descriptions grew in seemingly wild profusion, yet Kara could discern an underlying order to the chaos. Stone pathways wound through beds of flowers and herbs. Fruit-bearing vines climbed trellises, heavy with ripening produce.

“Thraxar! You’ve returned earlier than expected.”

The voice came from the porch, where an elderly Treveloran stood watching their approach. His feathered crest gleamed in shades of orange and gold, and his beak-like nose twitched with evident pleasure.

“Elrin.” Thraxar inclined his head. “I hope we’re not intruding.”

“Nonsense. Your visits are always welcome, infrequent as they are.” Elrin’s gaze shifted to her and the children, his eyes widening slightly before his expression settled into one of gentle interest. “And you’ve brought guests. How unusual.”

She studied the older male, noting the warmth in his eyes and the genuine pleasure with which he greeted Thraxar. There was history between them—friendship, even if Thraxar seemed reluctant to acknowledge it.

“This is Kara,” Thraxar said, his tail curling briefly around her waist. “And the children, Rory and Talia.”

Elrin descended the steps with surprising grace for one who moved so deliberately. He stopped before them, bowing slightly. “Welcome to my home. Any friends of Thraxar are friends of mine.”

“Thank you for having us,” she replied, bowing in return.

Elrin’s gaze lingered on Talia, his expression softening further. “A Lumiri child,” he murmured. “How extraordinary.”

Talia pressed against Kara’s leg, suddenly shy.

“We have much to discuss,” Thraxar said, his voice carrying a seriousness that made her look up sharply.

Elrin nodded. “Indeed.” He turned to her with a gentle smile. “Perhaps the children would enjoy exploring the garden while we talk? There’s a small pond with fish that might interest them.”

She hesitated, instinctively reluctant to let the children out of her sight.

“It’s safe here,” Thraxar assured her, understanding her concern without her needing to voice it. “No one will harm them.”