Page 31 of Eluvonia (Rift of Ages #1)

Wooden huts are nestled high in the trees, their slanted roofs dusted with moss and sunlight filtering through the thick canopy above.

Intricate bridges made of intertwined branches crisscross between the huts, swaying gently as Fae stroll across them.

Golden lanterns hang from the railings, their soft, yellow glow giving the entire village a warm, peaceful ambiance.

Smoke spirals lazily from the chimneys, blending into the dappled light streaming through the leaves.

Birds chirp a harmonious tune, and laughter echoes somewhere, faint and carefree.

It’s… beautiful. My breath catches, but then reality sets in.

I glance around and realize I’m inside a cage suspended from one of the huts.

The bars creak softly with every movement, an d when I shuffle toward the edge to look down, my stomach tightens.

Darkness yawns below me, an endless void that stretches far beyond what I can see.

Falling from this height wouldn’t just kill me—it would obliterate me.

“Great,” I mutter under my breath, gripping the bars for support. “I don’t know where the fuck I am, but it’s gorgeous.”

“Glad you approve,” a smooth male voice drawls from behind me.

Startled, I twist around, the cage swinging dangerously with my movement. Leaning casually against a guard rail on a nearby platform is the silver-haired Fae. That smug grin is plastered across his face as he watches me like I’m some kind of amusing sideshow.

“Is there a reason I’m in a cage?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “Also, where the hells am I?”

He chuckles, the sound low and maddeningly nonchalant. “I can’t tell you where you are. You might signal your Dragon buddies somehow.”

I snort, rolling my eyes. “Yup, totally possible while dangling in a cage probably hundreds of miles away from them and the ground. Makes perfect sense.”

The Fae shrugs, unbothered. “You have magic. Who knows what you can do?”

His words hit me like a slap, and my breath catches. My mind flashes back to the vines that erupted from the ground, tearing through his camp and tossing his people like ragdolls. Shit .

“See,” he continues, his voice dripping with amusement, “at first, you were just going to be useful for information before I passed you around to all the willing Fae males here. But now…” His grin darkens, and his eyes glint with malice.

“Now you’re going to tell me how you have magic, what you did to access the leylines, and how we can get our magic back. ”

I gape at him, anger flaring in my chest. “I didn’t even know I had magic until recently!

” I snap. “That attack was the third time in my twenty-two years that I’ve used it.

I have no idea how it works or where it came from.

All I do know is that the Dragon Commander figured out I had it and that’s how I became Kaida’s Líer. ”

His expression shifts as he rubs his chin thoughtfully, but his smugness doesn’t waver. “Interesting,” he murmurs. “Too bad you don’t want to tell me.”

I blink, incredulous. “Did you not hear a word I just said?”

“Oh, I heard you.” His smile widens, but it’s all teeth now. “I heard you loud and clear.”

He waves a hand, and a guard emerges from behind one of the huts, striding toward my cage. Panic surges through me as I watch the silver-haired Fae turn and stroll away, his hands clasped behind his back like this is all a casual stroll through the woods.

“I don’t—I don’t think you did!” I yell after him, my voice rising. But he’s already out of sight.

The guard unlocks the cage door and pulls it closer to the platform. He’s tall and broad, his armor creaking as he steps inside. “Make it easy for me, will ya?” he says, holding out a hand.

I force an innocent smile. “Depends on what happens after I leave this cage.”

He sighs, clearly unimpressed. “Hard way it is, then.”

Before I can respond, he lunges for my ankle. His grip is ironclad, and I yelp, twisting and kicking at him. My heel connects with his arm, but it barely fazes him. He grunts and drags me toward the open door, my nails scraping against the wooden bars in a desperate attempt to hold on.

“Fucking stubborn,” he growls, his muscles straining as he tries to pry me loose.

“Oh, you have no idea,” I hiss, twisting wildly. My foot catches him square in the nose with a satisfying crack.

“Fuck!” he roars, releasing me to clutch his bleeding face. I scramble back into the cage, my chest heaving as I grip the bars for dear life.

“Look,” I say, my voice pitched high with false cheer. “I really don’t want to find out what happens when I leave this cage, so maybe we just—”

“Enough.” His voice is cold now, his eyes murderous as he glares at me. Blood drips down his face, and he wipes it away with a snarl. “You’re coming out one way or another.”

He turns and shouts over his shoulder, and another guard appears. This one is armed with a spear, its gleaming tip aimed straight at my throat. My blood runs cold.

“Get out,” the second guard says flatly. “Or die. Your call.”

My throat tightens, and I swallow hard. Slowly, I release my grip on the bars and raise my hands in surrender. “Alright,” I mutter. “No need to be dramatic.”

The first guard snorts and winces. “Says the one who broke my fucking nose.”

I shoot him a look as they drag me from the cage, bind my wrists with rope and push my forward, my legs unsteady as I’m forced to move onto the platform.

The silver-haired Fae is waiting for me, leaning against a hut with that insufferable grin. “Welcome to the party,” he says smoothly.

I glare at him, my wrists aching from the ropes biting into them. “You know, for someone who needs information, you’re not exactly great at making friends.”

He laughs, the sound sharp and mocking. “Oh, we’ll be great friends, just you wait.