“The capital guards are coming. Zynath saw them approaching from the hills.”
Those words make my heart hammer in my chest. Oh my god, are we going to get caught? I don’t want any of us hurt,even his brothers, and I don’t even know them. But we’re moving at a quick pace, their footsteps silent and graceful. And before I know it, we’re on the path that leads toward the portal.
It’s all too easy, I think. At any moment, someone is going to jump out of the trees and take us. They’re going to capture us.
My fear abates only a little when we come to a skidding halt, and Cielo uses the key to activate the portal. I frantically glance over his shoulder as he speaks to his brothers, but while I’m so sure that something is directly at our heels, we are alone.
I breathe a little easier, but it only lasts a moment. Cielo’s brothers are through the portal, and now it’s our turn.
The way out is just as bad as the way in, and my head spins as I blink wildly. Thankfully, I have Cielo to hold onto.
Zynath and Alvayn are there waiting for us, their ears fluttering, their tails wrapped around their thin waists. And then someone appears from beneath one of the concrete overhangs, making my heart leap into my throat.
But my panic only lasts a second. It’s Quilliyn.
Zynath and Alvayn crouch down, their claws out, their tails whipping around them. But Cielo trills at them, speaking quickly. They straighten suddenly, and then they are bowing.
“There’s no time. The guards are coming to the village,” I say to Quilliyn. “Can they get through here?”
Quilliyn nods and holds a hand out toward Cielo. “Give me the key.”
Cielo does without hesitation, and Quilliyn runs his thumb over it in a strange pattern. There’s a bizarre feeling that hits the air—almost like pressure from an oncoming storm. And then it settles, and the humming sound I can always hear whenever a portal is nearby is gone.
“What did you do?” I can’t help but ask.
Quilliyn rolls his shoulders back. “Disabled it. The portal in Erethar will also be gone, but it’ll leave traces. It probably won’ttake them long to figure out where the portal key led. We need to get away as quickly as we can.”
I don’t hesitate as Quilliyn turns and starts to run, his claws clicking on the pavement. He doesn’t move toward the fence that Cielo scaled earlier. Instead, he heads toward another part of the old subway station. We follow, of course, unable to do anything right now but trust that he knows a way out of this.
We climb up a set of stairs, graffiti lining the walls, and then he vaults over a rusted metal railing. Cielo and his brothers follow, and before I know it, we’re in an alleyway.
My eyes blink wildly as we continue to move through puddles and around heaps of trash, following Quilliyn silently. He must know exactly where to go because his movements are assured, and he doesn’t even hesitate.
And then we’re turning onto a busy street, the cars and flashing lights making Zynath and Alvayn’s movements stutter. They hesitate, their eyes wide, their tails wrapping around them protectively. Quilliyn and Cielo must clock this because they step up beside them and bring them in close, taking turns talking to them. They must be reassuring them, guiding them forward on unsteady feet.
It must be a lot.
Earth is loud, bright. It is so different from what I saw of the Outerlands.
This is going to be a huge adjustment. I’m going to have to make sure that they’re okay. And I’m sure when I tell Amara and Gia about them, they’ll come running. And don’t even get me started on the socks my mom will make them all.
Quilliyn stops in front of a car that is parked on the street and points to it.
Cielo continues to speak in Eretharian as Quilliyn opens the back door and gestures for them to get in. It must be so scary, having to get into this weird contraption.
They glance back at Cielo, and I see the strain on his face.
But they do as they’re told, and then Quilliyn is bowing toward Cielo and me and saying, “I will take good care of them. I will send you the address for you to visit.”
Cielo gives a shaky nod and then steps back, and Quilliyn jumps into the driver’s seat and pulls away from the curb into traffic. It leaves us to watch the car lights disappear in silence.
It’s only when we’re alone that I speak. “You can put me down now.”
Cielo trills and then shakes his head, words infiltrating my mind.“I would like to hold you if I may.”
“Of course. Always.” I nuzzle up to him, knowing that people are staring, but I don’t really care. “Are they going to be okay? Are you?”
“I was afraid, for them and you. But we are safe now. Quilliyn will take care of them. And tomorrow we will visit. But right now, we must move. I think someone is watching us.”
