Page 152 of Aryn

Instructions continue to pass between them, along with hearty agreements and respectful echoes of ‘Yes, Vaelor’, but Cato and I tune most of it out.

“Are you ready to go home?” I ask him.

He reaches out to join our hands and gives mine a tight squeeze. “I was born ready, darlin’.”

With one last, longing glance at the orange skies and snow-covered ground, we step through together, hands linked.

The heat hits us like a wall. The air is so thick and humid it wraps around us like a living thing. Brittle, yellowed grass crunches under our boots and kicks up dust from the dry ground. Birds chirp loudly in the trees—a sound I didn’t realize I missed until now. The sky stretches in a brilliant and endless blue above us, the sun beating down without mercy.

No snow.

No biting cold.

Just the sticky, oppressive warmth of home.

The word tears me right in half, and I wonder at what point I started considering this place mine.

Cato lets out a shaky laugh. “Fuck, I forgot how brutal this feels after so long in the cold.”

I nod, already sweating under my layers. We take a step forward to make room for the others, and he squeezes my hand before we start shedding clothes. Taryn steps through with a relieved smile, then Lillith follows right behind her. One by one, the rest of the crew follows. Ailynor emerges in the middle, her eyes wide as she takes in the new world. Her tails lash as the heat slams into her. She hisses, clearly uncomfortable, and immediately starts removing her heavier outer layers. Her guards do the same, muttering in surprise at the sudden change in temperature.

Ailynor turns toward the rift, staring as it slowly closes behind us. Her expression is unreadable, but there’s a flicker of something there—awe, perhaps, or unease—as the shimmering doorway seals shut. She stares for a long moment before nodding decisively and snapping her guards to attention.

They pass the newly tailored lightweight clothing to everyone. There’s no ceremony as we shed clothes and step into fresh ones, though Ailynor’s guards turn away and form a respectful wall while she dresses.

“I feel so fancy,” Lillith whispers to Taryn as she admires the thin woven fabric.

Cameron plants his hands on his hips and spins. “Honestly? Me too. Where’s my cloak?”

“You don’t need a cloak, mo’sziv,” Ronan says, fighting a grin. “It’ll just get dirty.”

Ailynor steps out from behind her guards wearing her matching white shirt and thin, flowing pants, with her hair pulled back into a braid. “It is always this hot?”

“This is actually the start of the cooler months,” Ronan explains with a grimace. “It’s… pretty mild.”

Ailynor’s eyes go wide as she glances around at the arid surroundings. “How do you survive?”

“It’s not all so… dead,” Cameron answers, though it sounds more like a question and does little to convince her of anything.

I slide the leather band off my wrist and pull my hair back. “Our village is much more lush.”

“And speaking of the village,” Cato says, nodding toward the trees before looking around at the group with a grimace. “How are we going to get there? The van Sovran left behind won’t hold this many bodies.”

We move into the woods, thankful for the shade. The air is thick with the scent of earth and pine, so different from the floral smell of Elyra.

The van is exactly where Sovran said it would be, hidden among the greenery. Ailynor stops dead when she sees it. Her tails go rigid, and she stares at the vehicle with open suspicion.

“What is this beast?” she demands, circling it slowly while her guards stay tense behind her. “And why does it sleep?”

Cameron grins, leaning against the side. “It’s called a van. A vehicle.”

“Vee-hick-el?” she repeats, perplexed, as she jabs the metal and then rips her hand back as though she expects it to bite.

“The humans have technology far beyond what’s in Elyra,” I explain. “It isn’t a living thing. It runs on fuel, much like the fluid used in your lanterns. There are parts inside that turn the wheels.”

Ailynor’s eyes narrow. “And you trust this… thing… this van, to carry you?”

Ronan steps forward to open the door, inviting Ailynor to peek inside. “It’s safe, and much faster than riding. Here, watch.”