Page 80 of The Chains You Defy

Dion’s scowl normalized as he nodded, seemingly in satisfaction. He eased up my skirts a few inches, and after a brief inspection of my boots, he dipped his chin another time before slipping the dagger into the left one. “Not the best spot for a sharp weapon, but since the blade won’t cut you, it’s safe.”

“Thank you.” My voice was shaky, and I watched as Dion pushed back to his feet, dusting off his pants.

“The portal is completed. It is time.” Antas’ expression was unreadable as usual, but all the males had an uneasy energy wafting around them, even though they donned a certain grim determination as if their attitude alone could protect them from whatever was waiting for them at home.

There was still the possibility of them being arrested for desertion or treason, not to mention the threat the High King had issued. Galrach had imprisoned the soldiers’ loved ones to force my friends to cooperate.

Ireas had told me so much one night in Ivreia when he’d held watch and I couldn’t sleep. If the High King intended to release the prisoners, or if he planned on keeping them locked away, or worse, no one could predict. And I had no illusions that there was a good possibility that we, or parts of our group, would end up in the dungeons of the Eternal Palace of Alaiann too.

The only one remotely safe from the High King’s wrath was Dion. After all, he was Galanta’s precious weapon, and his grandfather couldn’t afford to lose him. Dion’s words, not mine.

He was the first to drop his disguise, and his radiant amethyst eyes found mine. “We’re going to be fine,” he said and, after a moment of hesitation, pulled me into an embrace.

Glancing over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Antas, who’d changed forms as well. Just like Fig, I’d only seen Dion’s uncle in his human Glamour, and my curiosity won over my anxiety, but the prince shifted and blocked my view. Well, I’d have plenty of time to examine the two males once we’d arrived at our destination.

“Yes. We’ll visit Alaiann, you’ll pacify your grandfather, and we’ll rescue the hostages if he refuses to set them free. In the meantime, we’ll try to learn as much as we can about the Wild Rift situation.” Our plan in a nutshell. All parts were important, but the last one especially so.

Thanks to me, our efforts to save the worlds had been heavily delayed, and although none of us had encountered another tear in reality, there had been at least a few stories circulating in Ivreiana about disappearing animals and humans or the emergence of strange monsters, according to the males.

“Are you coming?” Antas stood in front of the portal, and I realized I’d missed Thain’s, Fig’s, and Ireas’ departure.

My throat burned, and although we’d said goodbye earlier, I wished I could hug Rewi and Bryon one last time, but everyone—including King Pritatus—had agreed that my friends weren’t permitted in the courtyard.As to why, Fig had voiced his suspicion they could be tempted to follow us, and even I had to admit he made sense. Ugh.

“Yes. Come, Naya. Let’s go.” Dion released me and, with his hand on the small of my back, guided me to the portal.

“Portaling isn’t as unpleasant as shadowwalking.”

“But still bad?”

“Just step through.”

How reassuring. Considering my luck, I’d empty my stomach in front of a battalion of fae—if not the king himself.

“Here goes nothing,” I mumbled to myself and, without further hesitation, trod into the gateway between the worlds.

If Ireas hadn’t pulled me away from the exit, Dion would have crashed into me. Off to a good start.

But everyone had to forgive me for freezing to the spot.

My eyes couldn’t believe what was in front of me. Even the slight squeezy grumbling of my stomach from portaling was secondary as I attempted to come to terms with my surroundings.

I stood on a cobblestoned path framed by fields of grass swaying in the subtle breeze. And the grass—honest to the gods—glittered, and that in a deep emerald color. Unreal.

Sweet, flowery scents I’d never smelled before battled for my attention as I tried to convince my brain that the jewel-mimicking plant life wasn’t only a figment of my overactive imagination.

Not that I succeeded, especially when I turned around. What was rising high into the air a few hundred paces down the road knocked me out.

The royal castle in Ivreiana was a splendid piece of architecture, the excellent craftsmanship visible in every stone, but compared to its fae-sibling, the human pinnacle of housing was nothing more than a hovel.

The Eternal Palace of Alaiann gleamed in the sun, its surface shimmering like a pearl, with hundreds of towers and turrets in varying sizes organically embedded in the primary structure. Where the human castle was all sharp angles and corners, this palace was constructed to flow, in the absence of a better word. The walls were rounded, almost whimsical, yet sophisticated. Colorful flowers had been planted in abundance on all the rooftops, and nature was overflowing, a symphony for the senses reminiscent of a rainbow. The sight was unreal, plain and simple. Pressure in my chest alerted me to how intense this situation was, and I was unashamed when a few tears rolled down my cheeks. “Your home is so—beautiful.”

I didn’t dare to turn around to find out if I could see the city of Alaiann behind me. The impressions so far had already been too much for me. In between all this beauty, I stuck out like a sore thumb, didn’t matter I wore a heavy velvet dress that had once belonged to an Ivreian courtier.

“Easy on the eye, yes. But there’s more than enough rot on the inside.” Dion had stepped up next to me, and he scanned me from head to toe.

In return, I observed him, his face all hard lines, jaw tight, and the amethyst glow dimmed. “We could still go back, you know?”

But Dion never answered. Instead, as the fierce staccato rhythm of perfectly synchronized steps on cobblestone echoed through the air, an aloof mask settled over his face, and he slid one hand into a pocket of his embroidered tunic.