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A ny time I had considered what may lay beyond the Wall, I’d never once envisioned what lies before me now in the town of Xecelsion.

People bounce from store to store, and the warm smell of baked goods floats in the air from an open front store. Oversized flowers grow in pots dotting every corner, offering splashes of color in bright hues. Even in the early morning, people are jovial. A woman hums as she strolls by, a man wishes us good morning as he passes; strangers greet and gossip all around us. Just behind the buildings, creating the picturesque downtown, I notice a snow-capped mountain range artfully dotted with lush green pines.

“We’re going to have to teach you to keep your mouth shut before you become a fly trap,” Lamond tells me, pushing up on my chin.

I snap my mouth closed, giving him a disapproving glance. “Well, you gave me no indication of what I should be anticipating, and based on how you’re dressed, this is certainly not what I was expecting.” I gesture toward his fitted black garb, black chunky boots, mud-caked to the soles. My loose fitting, light colored tunic felt so stark next to his sable attire. “And where did Ganthral go? Is he not allowed to be here?”

“You ask many questions, never when I expect you to.”

“Well, you give shitty answers,” I retort, drawing my attention to children laughing and chasing each other through the throngs of people on the streets. “Do the people of Xecelsion have powers, like fire?”

“Gods, that was another question.” The sight of my nose wrinkling and brow furrowing seems to amuse him. “Phoenixes tend to stay out of the main city. They don’t have a reason to come here, and civilians don’t typically tether to Phoenixes. Why would I need to answer the second question when you could simply look around?”

Sure enough, I notice the floating mystic lights outside the storefronts, a little boy who is practicing his power of wind to push a ball down the street.

“They summon power freely here,” I state, still absorbing the etherealness of this place. Taking in everyone’s appearance, my heart warms seeing the vivaciously colored clothing, the genuine smiles being shared between friends. And every single one of them has pointed ears. I notice a woman waving her hand over a wilted potted plant; moments later, bright blooms emerge. “They all have different powers.”

“Indeed. There are powers that can’t be seen. There are Fae, and there are spell-masters. They have the gift of calling on spells instead of a power that lives within them,” Lamond says, nodding. “Once your power develops, it’s important to utilize it, or it could drive you mad. Or worse, take over areas of your life that you don’t want it to. Like, for example, the fire you summoned without realizing it.”

I nod, chewing my lip. I would need to get a firm understanding of how to control my fire sooner rather than later.

“Ready?” Lamond asks, indicating I follow him. I let him lead me through the crowded walkway. People smile at us, others are too invested in their conversations or shopping to even notice us. A group of children rush past, heading the same direction, toward a large building at the edge of the city. I can only assume that means they have the luxury of a proper education here.

One of the open-front shop owners leans forward as we approach. From the smell wafting out of the space, it’s a bakery. Warm cinnamon hits me like a wall, a pang of sadness with it. I recall the mornings my foster mother and I would stand side-by-side at the kitchen counter rolling out dough for homemade cinnamon rolls. We’d laugh at the mess we’d made, not bothering to clean it until after we’d polished off several helpings. It was rare we had the coin to purchase the ingredients; but when we did, we’d overindulge ourselves in the baked goodness. The warm scent tugs at my heart. I didn’t even tell her goodbye.

Snapping out of my memory, I notice the shop owner clasping a small brown bag in his hand. He grins wildly, thick-rimmed glasses sliding down his nose. “Lamond, my boy.” The man beams as Lamond saunters over to the shop counter. “Our gratitude, as always.” The man clasps Lamond’s hand as he slides the bag over.

Lamond smiles, murmuring words I can’t decipher. I shift my attention to the street behind me. Now that we’re closer to an intersection, I notice houses line the roads outside the heart of town. Xecelsion appears slightly smaller than Torrent, yet it buzzes with more life.

Appearing back at my side, Lamond tears into the brown bag as we cross the busy street, popping a bite of a flaky treat into his mouth. To my surprise, he extends the baked goods my way, offering for me to try it. I lean away, giving him a skeptical look.

“It’s a croissant. Do you not have croissants in the Human Realm? No wonder it emits such despair.” He smirks as he tears another bite off the decadent looking dessert.

I wrinkle my nose at him. “You can’t possibly think I’ve never seen a croissant before.”

“Then you think it’s poisoned?” He raises an eyebrow at me, stifling a laugh.

My gasp is so loud that the man passing by jolts. “I didn’t until you said that.”

Lamond snorts, still strolling down the street, offering smiles to the people of Xecelsion. “Why bother bringing you here and answering all your questions, then?”

Narrowing my eyes, my stomach growls in protest. Loudly.

Lamond fights the grin off his face, not commenting on my stomach's howling complaints. The buttery aroma hits my nose and my mouth waters. “You can never be too careful,” I reason .

I relent when he offers once more, pinching off a piece. The croissant is fluffy and warm between my fingers. I pop it into my mouth and groan at how divine it is. “Wow. This is…” I fumble for the words to describe the flavor.

Save me a bite, Artemis begs. Her voice feels like she’s next to me, like we’re much closer to her now.

My laugh bubbles over. No chance of that, you’ve been holding out on me by not telling me about this place. Our tether grows stronger with every passing moment I’m in the Fae Realm.

“Sinful, isn’t it?” Lamond laughs and picks up his pace as we weave through people coming in and out of shops. I try to hide my pleasant surprise when he pulls out a second croissant, extending it in my direction. “Asked him for a second one, on the off chance you decided to trust me.”

My heart flutters, a blush creeping across my cheeks. In the daylight, I can see small dimples on his cheeks when he grins, the way those icy eyes sparkle when he laughs. Here, in his element, this male radiates charisma.

Glancing around, every face I pass is etched in unique beauty. It’s an effort not to rudely gawk.

Polishing off the last bites, I can’t refrain myself from licking my fingers. “I can’t help but notice we’re leaving the city.”

“You possess no patience.”

“Yet you’d call me a fool if I followed you without asking any questions.”

Lamond snorts. His eyes drift toward me as we near the end of the main road. “You make a good point. We’re heading up,” he replies, indicating up the mountain.

“And you prefer to walk instead of taking your bird?” I don’t mind scaling the mountainside—I’d done plenty of that in Torrent going to the valley—but if presented with the opportunity to fly my bird, I would much rather do that.

“Ganthral and Artemis are meeting us closer to the base of the mountain.”

Artemis’s presence is still coiled in the front of my mind like a cat in front of a hearth. Our tether has been intensifying since I arrived, ingraining itself further into my soul. It felt more like an extension of me rather than a connection. I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped walking until Lamond comes to stand in front of me.

The only way to get information out of Lamond seems to be by tiptoeing around it.

“My tether with Artemis feels much more intense in the Fae Realm,” I hedge.

Lamond nods like he understands, at least for my benefit. “We’re meant to have a strong tether with our Phoenixes; it’s vital to our survival.”

Welcome home, Aledrya, I remember Artemis saying after I’d been spit out by the Wall. Artemis’s presence beckons to me, instincts launching me into a brisk walk, side stepping Lamond.

Even though he says nothing, I can sense him following along the dirt path behind me. We leave the city within minutes, now surrounded by towering trees.

A rock skitters from under his feet, causing me to shift my attention behind me. He’s walking a few paces back, observing the woods surrounding the path as if checking for any danger. His giant sword gleams in the morning sunlight, his muscles practically ripping to escape his fitted shirt.

His thigh alone is the size of my torso.

Facing forward again, I can’t help a small smile that this behemoth of a man was considerate enough to get me a croissant.

Concentrate. You’ll never survive here if you get distracted by every attractive man you come across. They are everywhere, Artemis snaps, a far cry from her comforting words earlier.

Always so temperamental. Her presence tugs harder, urging my feet to move faster. When I close my eyes, I can see it, embody it; the tether that connects us hums with life.

Despite all the time I’d spent scaling the hills in Torrent, it had not properly prepared me for climbing a mountain. As it turns out, I am deplorably out of shape. Lamond has closed the gap behind us, his breath even and controlled, unlike mine.

“How often were you able to sneak in training?” His tone is curious, but the question grates .

I force myself to breathe shallowly, muffling the sound. “Not as often as I would have liked,” I pause, deciding to opt for full transparency. “I used to go into the valley outside of Torrent to practice swordplay and sparring movements with a wooden sword.”

He flicks his gaze in my direction again. “Then why are you gasping for air over there?”

“This sudden breathlessness must be the croissant you demanded I eat earlier,” I retort under my breath.

He laughs in response, returning his gaze to the path in front of us. “There’s that attitude. Put it to something useful and keep going.”

Not chancing taking my eyes off the now rocky path, I keep my head down. “What, will you kill me if I don’t keep up?” I quip sardonically.

“I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop asking questions,” Lamond mumbles.

His response elicits a laugh from me, despite the dark connotation. Silence settles over us, the only sound the scuffle of our boots.

Lamond peers over at me again. “I promise you’ll find out why you’re here soon. It’s easier to show you.”

I hardly hear him, because a tug comes from Artemis through our tether.

My feet plant firmly into the dirt. The bond pulsates, and it yanks me to the side of the trail, where the side drops off and looks incredibly unstable. You’re kidding. There has to be a better way.

Phoenixes don’t joke, Artemis snarls.

Testy bird.

I heard that.

Ignoring her, I step down off the side of the trail, and rocks skitter away. “Shit,” I breathe, noticing their rapid descent.

Lamond follows me without a word. I peek over my shoulder at him before slowly shuffling down the hill. We’re both mostly sliding, but thankfully I only lose my balance once, only injuring my dignity. Lamond, of course, never once falters .

“You have a lot of trust to follow me blindly,” I say as we near the bottom of this drop off.

“I still retain my own sight.”

The terrain smoothes out, and I finally notice why he didn’t question me for stepping off the path. Our birds await at the bottom of this hill, pecking at one another.

I saw that fall. We need to work on your balance, she tsks, Ganthral ruffling his feathers and straightening up. Together, they look absolutely menacing with their massive frames and sharp, yellow irises.

Do you know where he’s taking me? I press as we close the distance to our birds.

Nerves are worming their way in; I’m an amateur when it comes to flying. I have no idea where we’re going, but I imagine we’re going pretty damned high up this mountain to get there.

Yes. It will be fine. You’ve trusted me this long. For Abovesake, you went with a bird and a man you don’t even know.

I hate when she’s right, and it’s not like I have anywhere else I can go now. I will not allow that fear to kick in right now.

Please do not get sick on my back, Artemis grumbles as Lamond checks the birds over.

How did you even know I was nauseous? I ask as I pull myself up onto her feathered, muscular back. Her broad wings stretch out, reminding me how incredible these birds are.

Our tether is stronger than ever; we will be able to sense more things about each other if the feeling is strong enough. It will keep us both safe in battle.

What do you— Before I can get my question out, she launches skyward, and I scramble for purchase around her neck. I straighten up quickly, refusing to start this flight off with a fall.

I might be vulnerable, but I’ve discovered that I have fire .

A door just opened, and I have the key.