Page 11 of Eluvonia (Rift of Ages #1)

AERIS

I wake up to a sickening sway, the world tilting and lurching as if I’m a leaf in a storm.

Wind claws at my skin, cold and relentless.

I blink my heavy eyes open, the situation snaps into focus—I’m in a cage.

The bars, twisted iron marred with rust, enclose me like a predator’s maw.

My stomach churns as I claw at the bars, my hands shaking, desperate for something solid, something to anchor me to reality.

I’m alive.

The realization crashes over me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping. I don’t know how, don’t know why—but I’m still breathing, my heart still hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against my ribs. But panic claws up my throat, a suffocating grip that tightens with each passing second.

The cage lurches again, and my fingers dig into the metal bars, white-knuckled and desperate. I have to get lower. The thought is sudden, instinctual. If I stay up here, dangling like bait, I’ll lose myself to the terror clawing at my mind.

Breathe, Aeris. I force air into my lungs, but it’s shallow, uneven. The wind whips past me, cold and biting, tangling my hair and tearing at my clothes. My pulse pounds so loudly I can barely hear anything else. I need to focus.Need to think.

The Dragon’s claws grip the top of the cage with effortless strength, black talons gleaming like polished obsidian. Each ripple of its midnight scales sends a shiver down my spine. It doesn’t even acknowledge me, as if I’m nothing more than cargo.

Insignificant.

Replaceable.

I swallow hard, my throat raw. I have to get out of this. I have to figure out what comes next.

My legs are weak, shaking beneath me as I press my forehead against the bars. The endless green sea of trees below is too far away, the ground nothing more than a hazy dream. The distance makes my stomach churn.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a brief moment, gripping the bars so hard my fingers throb. I can’t afford to panic. Not now. Not when my survival hinges on keeping my head straight.

I just need to get lower. Need to breathe. Need to figure out what the hell I’m going to do next.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to look up at the Dragon.

It’s worth a shot, “Hey!” I shout, my voice cracking against the howl of the wind.

“Can you fly lower?” I let go of the bars and flail my arms in a frantic wave, but the Dragon doesn’t so much as flick an eye towards me in acknowledgment. Its massive head remains fixed forward.

My voice is stolen by the wind, swept away into the vast sky, leaving me with nothing but the ragged hitch of my breath and the eerie metallic groan of the swaying cage.

A sudden gust slams into the cage, sending it swinging wildly.

I’m thrown against the bars, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.

The cage door creaks, then bursts open with a deafening snap.

My heart drops as I’m pitched forward, the world spinning into chaos.

For a single, heart-stopping moment, I’m weightless, tumbling through the air with nothing to catch me.

The wind tears at my clothes, my scream lost to the abyss.

Before I can even process the fall, a crushing force wraps around my waist. My ribs groan in protest as a massive claw closes around me, yanking me out of free fall.

Dazed and breathless, I look up to see the Dragon holding me in midair.

The scales on its claw shimmer with an unsettling beauty, but the sheer size of it—and the ease with which it holds me—sends a new wave of terror crashing over me.

What idiot stands up in a swaying cage hundreds of feet in the air? A voice booms in my head, sharp and dripping with disdain.

My head snaps up, eyes wide. “Who—”

Again, we’re hundreds of feet in the air. Who else would be talking to you? the voice snaps, laced with irritation. My gaze locks onto the Dragon’s enormous head, its molten sapphire eyes narrowing.

Realization dawns like a slap to the face. “You… you’re talking to me?”

The Dragon huffs, a plume of smoke curling from its nostrils. Yes, I’m talking to you. It’s called telepathy—try to keep up. I’m reaching into your mind, sending thoughts directly to you. Try not to strain your pigeon-sized brain figuring it out.

“Pigeon?” I echo, confused .

A low, rumbling laugh vibrates through the air, rolling like distant thunder. Exactly, he drawls, his tone almost amused. Now, what on Eluvonia possessed you to stand up in the cage?

Heat rushes to my face, embarrassment prickling my skin. “I was trying to get your attention,” I mutter, my voice barely audible over the wind.

For? His tone is mockingly patient, as if humoring a child.

“I thought maybe you could, you know, fly lower?” My cheeks burn hotter. “I’m… not great with heights.”

The Dragon’s eyes blink slowly, and then his laughter booms again, louder this time, making me wince. THAT was your grand request?

I press my hands to my ears, scowling. “Ow! Fine, I get it, you’re loud!”

Shaking his massive head, he exhales another plume of smoke. Well, now you get the joy of dangling from my claws. Better hope I don’t get a cramp, he says, his tone almost casual. Then, with a powerful beat of his wings, he surges forward, the wind screaming around us.

The world blurs, colors smearing together as I cling to his claw.

My fingers ache, every muscle in my body taut with tension.

Somewhere in the chaos, a strange thought flickers to life: I’m alive.

Terrified, humiliated, but alive. And beneath the dread, a flicker of something unexpected stirs—a sliver of exhilaration.

As the Dragon drifts lower, the wind eases enough for me to loosen my grip and take a shaky breath. My heart still hammers in my chest, but as I glance down, awe steals over me. The world below sprawls out like a fractured tapestry, the realm of Eluvonia both stunning and scarred.

Fields of gold shimmer under the sun, yet they’re marred by long, dark trenches that gouge through the earth like claw marks. Even the forests, dense and ancient, are flecked with blackened trees, their twisted forms standing as mute witnesses to the destruction that has ravaged this land.

Rolling hills undulate like frozen waves, but here and there they crumble into jagged pits, as if ripped apart by unseen hands. Lakes glint as if they are shards of sapphire, their beauty tainted by the swirling stains of ash and soot.

Strange creatures leap from the water, their sleek forms breaking the surface with effortless grace.

For a fleeting moment, I forget my fear, my eyes drinking in the beauty—and the devastation—of it all.

My heart aches for the realm, for the scars it bears and the countless stories of ruin etched into its lands.

But the wonder is short-lived. In the distance, a dark shape looms on the horizon, cutting through the landscape. Its edges are sharp and cruel, spires of black stone reaching skyward as if clawing at the heavens. Smoke coils from its peaks, staining the clouds with an ominous gray.

I squint, pointing toward it. “What’s that?”

The Dragon doesn’t answer. His wings twitch subtly, and we veer toward the ominous structure.

As we draw closer, the details sharpen—a fortress of towering stone spires, ancient and foreboding.

The peaks rise like the claws of some great beast, reaching toward the sky.

Narrow slits are carved into the stone, windows or perhaps defenses, giving the place an air of impenetrable menace.

We pass over a sprawling settlement at its base. Dragon shifters move below, their scaled wings catching the light in a kaleidoscope of colors. Some barter in open markets, others sweep the steps of wooded houses .

Children dart between them, their laughter rising faintly above the bustle.

The sight stirs a hollow ache in my chest, a bitter reminder of what my people have lost. Memories of fallen Fae, their lifeless bodies strewn across the forest floor, flash before my eyes.

The joy of the bustling settlement below curdles into resentment, the sharp edge of jealousy cutting deep and the awe I felt fades, replaced by a gnawing resentment.

How could they live so freely, while my kin lie buried beneath the weight of their cruelty?

As I wrestle with my thoughts, the Dragon turns suddenly, his wings propelling us upward toward a structure that dwarfs anything I’ve ever seen.

It looms above the landscape like a relic of another era, its surface rough-hewn and jagged, with narrow openings carved deep into the stone.

At the summit, a massive ledge juts out, like the hand of a forgotten giant reaching into the void.

The Dragon beats his wings in a powerful rhythm, hovering in front of the ledge.

My gaze locks onto the imposing stone ledge and the dark void of the massive doorway beyond it. Questions spin through my head, tangling like threads in a storm. What is this place?

Before I can think further, his claws release me without warning.

A scream tears from my throat as I plummet.

Air rushes past, and the sharp stone below rushes up to meet me.

My body crashes against it with a jarring impact that steals the breath from my lungs.

Pain flares through my side, but relief follows when I realize I haven’t cracked my skull.

As I struggle to gather myself, I catch sight of tanned legs strolling past me. Blinking through the haze of pain, I look up—only to see a completely nude male sauntering by without the slightest hint of modesty. A strangled yelp escapes me, and I throw my hands over my eyes, heat flushing my face.

Laughter erupts, rich and unapologetically amused. “Planning on staying down there forever?” he asks, his voice deep and taunting.

Peeking through my fingers, I meet his gaze—his lazy smirk radiating confidence. “What’s wrong Fae? Never seen a male before?”