The swords and daggers were more than I can count so quietly, I stole a dagger and tucked it underneath my gown, just in case, it's not like they are going to know it's missing, the robed man didn't notice. Good.
Once we were ready, we stepped outside. The tower loomed behind us, and the sky stretched above, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Whoa," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from the celestial expanse.
"Let me guess, your realm doesn't have skies like this," the robed man said, amused.
"Nope, wait!, am I in another universe?" I cringed at how ridiculous that sounded.
He smiled. "No, child, same universe, different realm. This is Pirar."
So the King wasn't lying. I really was in Pirar.
I looked up again. Two moons sat comfortably on the sky, stars twinkling around them like scattered diamonds. The trees swayed as if humming a song only they could hear. A soft breeze brushed my face, comforting me in a way I couldn't explain.
For a moment, I forgot my situation. I even pinched my cheeks a few times just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, every time it hurt, I grinned like an idiot.
The robed man cleared his throat. "We shouldn't keep Liam waiting any longer."
Reluctantly, I followed him to where three six-legged, winged creatures stood. Liam sat on one, looking irritated and impatient. Our supplies were already packed onto another.
"What took so long?" Liam demanded, his voice thick with annoyance.
"Miss Luna here got distracted by our realm's beauty," the robed man answered for me
Liam turned to glare at me.
Holy moly, thank the gods I stole that dagger.
If looks could kill i would be dead by now, I tore my gaze from him and focused on the creatures. They looked like horses but horses with six legs, wings, and a single horn in the middle of their foreheads. As majestic as they were, I was not getting on one.
"Don't worry, child," the robed man reassured me. "They don't bite. They are much gentler than the horses in your realm."
"Are we leaving now, or are we just going to stand here admiring the Racunies?" Liam asked, his irritation barely masked.
"Bitch," I muttered under my breath.
Gritting my teeth, I climbed onto one of the creatures, praying I wouldn't fall off and break my neck. As we started moving, I noticed how fast they were. If they could run this fast, I wondered why we weren't flying.
"Why aren't we flying?" I asked, the wind muffling my voice.
Liam smirked. "Because if you force them to fly, they drop you straight into your worst nightmare." He paused, enjoying my horror. "And they watch as you fall to your death."
I shivered.
Liam flashed a wicked grin. "Don't worry. You'll be fine." I knew he meant the opposite
After hours of riding the Racunies, we finally found a spot to set up our tents.
"Where are we?" I asked, glancing around.
There was something… different about this place. Like everything, trees, wind, even the air itself, was connected in some peaceful, unspoken bond. The air smelled so fresh, so clean, I swear I could taste it. The trees swayed with the wind in perfect rhythm, and somehow, a part of me swayed along with them. If I had to describe it in one word? Fan-fucking-ta-stic.
"We're in the wolf territory," Liam said casually, not even sparing me a glance.
I nearly tripped over the half-assembled tent.
"The what now?"
"You heard me," he said, finally looking at me, his eyes dead serious and just like that, the magical, peaceful atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a sudden, very urgent need to not get eaten alive.
Wolf territory? As in, wolves that rip people apart for fun? I've never seen one in real life, but I've watched enough movies to know that this is some serious horror-movie-level bad decision-making. The kind that gets people killed in the first ten minutes.
We fell into an eerie silence, and honestly, it didn't help my nerves.
"I'm going to get firewood and some fruit," Liam finally said, slinging a bag over his shoulder. "And you... he pointed at me, voice dripping with emphasis, "should make yourself useful by staying in the tent. I'm not coming to save you if the wolves decide you look like a snack."
Say no more
I dove into the tent like my life depended on it (which, let's be real, it probably did). Lying on the pile of leaves that made up our so-called bed, I discreetly hid my dagger beneath them. If I was going to die, I at least wanted a fighting chance.
Liam came back about thirty minutes later, carrying a very sad-looking rabbit and an armful of berries, along with some dry wood.
Damn it. I was really hoping he wouldn't make it back.
My stomach growled, reminding me that I was way too hungry to be picky.
"Why aren't we eating the food we packed?" I asked as I started helping with dinner prep.
"We'll be crossing the desert soon, better to save our supplies," Liam said, pulling out some leaves, crushing them, and rubbing them onto the rabbit like some kind of wilderness chef. Seasoning, I guess?
After roasting the poor thing, we split it between us and ate in silence. Not gonna lie, it tasted like regret, but at least it was food. Once we finished, we retreated into the tent, I hid the dagger inside the leaves beside me, the night settling around us.
And just like that, my life as a potential wolf snack officially began.