Page 91 of Interion

We appeared on top of the inner wall, and the wind whipped through my ponytail, scattering strands across my face. I gasped at the landscape, dizzy from the adrenaline coursing through my body. From up here, I could see all the neighborhoods of the median region. The gorgon district was the smallest, full of warehouses and shacks; then there was the human one, larger, simple, and gray; and finally the fae district, with its thousand colors.

The shadows swallowed us, and we reappeared in the fae neighborhood. We jumped again, landing at the edge of the district, each leap bringing us closer to the wall. Then we reappeared near the median wall. Judging by the direction, we were heading west. One more jump and we were on some kind of fishing platform over a wide river, then we appeared on its bank. Finally, he transported us to the corner of the outer wall.

When we arrived, Zion set my feet on the ground and didn’t let go for a long moment—which was a good thing, because I was staggering like a drunk. Shadow-walking made my stomach churn.

“Are you okay?” he asked once I finally stopped swaying in place. Which was kind of pathetic, since fae were supposed to have perfect balance.

“Better now,” I replied, blinking against the brightness. Then I looked around and my breath caught.

I stood in the center of what had once been a small arena. The stone stairs still held the shape of an amphitheater, but time had worn everything down. The ground was uneven, and where the stone had crumbled away, bushes and weeds grew wild. I noticed two half-destroyed portals in the right and left corners of the arena, and above our heads, the sun blazed fiercely in a clear blue sky. Even with the stands rising around us, you could still see the ruins of the ancient city, and just behind them, the gigantic wall loomed over the landscape.

“We’re in Dornéu,” I exclaimed, as if it weren’t obvious.

The place was over five thousand years old and appeared in all the city’s history books; it was where the academy’s old physical tests took place, as well as being Interion’s first neighborhood.

“Yes.” He looked around too, as if trying to see the place through the same joyful lens I did.

“By the gods! I never thought I’d get to see it. It’s wonderful—this is living history.” I pointed to a broken stone and touched it, feeling the magic flow through the place. “You can feel the energy echoing in the stones, built up from all the elemental explosions during the games that were held here.”

Zion suppressed a satisfied smile as I walked around touching everything I could, trying to sense where the energy was strongest—but the entire place exuded magic. All the greatest warriors of the past had been tested in this arena, and it had withstood tremendous damage without being destroyed.

However, this region had been the first to fall during the great war, since it lay to the west, where a secondary gate had allowed trade with the Drutes nation. Despite all the destruction, Dornéu had endured, and even in ruins, the arena still possessed a certain beauty. Around it, the ancient city lay in tatters—most of the buildings had been made of wood and suffered the worst from the Drutes armies’ assault. After the war ended, the entire population of the outer area migrated to the median district, fearing future attacks. Only a few stone walls still stood against time.

“This is where we’re going to train,” Zion announced, glancing at me.

“Seriously? We’ll come here every night?”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was excited.

“Yes, if you agree, of course.”

A smile tugged at his lips.

“You know that’s a low blow, right? Using my curiosity about the outside world to get me to accept your offer.”

He raised an eyebrow in amusement, then put on the most cynical expression.

“Part of being a general is knowing how to adapt your strategy based on your opponent’s emotional reactions. Some battles are won with psychology, not swords.”

We laughed as I pressed my ear against the stands to listen to the sound of magic echoing through the stones. Then I stood up and looked around with satisfaction.

“But at night, this place can’t have any lighting,” I mused, searching for light fixtures and finding none.

“That’s not a problem. There’s a mechanism, but I can only show you at night.”

I looked at him, confused.

“So you’re already familiar with this place.”

“For years, my tutor trained me and some friends in this arena. This was also my getaway—I always escaped here when I needed time away from the world. There’s a cabin nearby where I spent my days off.”

His eyes were squinting against the sun, but I could tell he was happy to share. I absorbed every word—any information he was willing to give was precious. That place seemed intimate to him, a little secret he was spontaneously sharing with me.

“A cabin in the middle of nowhere? Where is it?”

He scratched his forehead and gave me an uneasy look.

“One day I promise I’ll show you, but right now, we’re not here to talk about cabins.”