The sight was mesmerizing, so much so that I found myself trying to sit up again to take it all in, only to have the wind hit me with so much force I slammed back into Commander Talon’s unforgiving chest. His arms came around me, and again, he pushed me forward. The warmth of his body surrounded me.
“Stay down until we hit a calmer patch of air,” he said, his voice directly in my ear to be heard above the wind. Warmth crept up my neck. I should have felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable being shoved against him like this, but there was something about him that put me at ease. Which was weird considering how we’d first met.
I did as he suggested, and even though I couldn’t take in the sights as well, the sensation of flying was everything I’d always imagined it to be. It was like galloping full out on Shazeera, and then plunging over a cliff, with a drop that went on forever. Even the wind seemed delighted that I was in the air, as a warm breeze that had no business being this high curled around my neck like a scarf. I knew I shouldn’t feel like this. Guilt hung around at the edges of my consciousness, threatening to pull me under, butI selfishly ignored it. I only wanted to revel in the feeling of soaring through the sky without any of the repercussions. With Shazeera dangling from Neo’s talons, though, that was impossible.
Time passed swiftly—the speed we were traveling made it seem fast, perhaps, or maybe the fact that I dreaded the moment of arrival.
Suddenly, I could feel us begin to descend from the clouds. Below, Shazeera let out a worried whinny, and my heart rose to my throat.
Down we went, sinking through the clouds like a stone in deep water, and then the mist cleared. Laid out below us were the plains, endless grasslands, and beyond that, forest. But rising from the earth like jagged pieces of stone were the mountains, gray and snowcapped. There was an alien beauty to them, especially from this vantage point, where I was practically looking down on them.
Commander Talon leaned toward me. “We’re almost there.”
We had flown over two hundred miles, across the Mid-Plains of Equnox to the Angora Mountains in the east in mere hours. The swiftness of our travel was staggering. And just beyond the trees I could see it, rising from the side of the mountain as though it had grown there.
Golden Eagle Palace.
19
Zara
As we approached Golden Eagle Palace, which loomed as gray and forbidding as the mountainside, I felt impossibly small. The scale of it took my breath away. The Zephyrians had carved an entire city out of the rock, transforming outcroppings of Crane Mountain into buildings. It was Naharu, the capital city I’d only heard about. The city spread out across three wide mountain peaks, and above it all was the palace. Countless turrets with flags bearing the insignia of the emperor—the golden eagle—flew from the red-tile roofs. A massive waterfall plunged from within the center palace like a yawning mouth, spilling over the side and down far, far below. As we came nearer, the water roared and showered us with a cold mist. No doubt it came from a spring in the heart of the mountain.
Neo banked, and I leaned precariously over the edge for a moment before Commander Talon reached forward and steadied me. The eagle flew toward an enormous opening in the palace, where guards were stationed in regular intervals, carrying spears with golden flags that hung from the base of their sharp tips. When the guards caught sight of Neo and Commander Talon,they saluted with left arms crossed over their chests. They wore elaborate golden armor and serious expressions that made something inside me grow cold.
Neo descended, his wings once again buffeting the air painfully into my ears until I couldn’t hear anything at all. But then it became obvious why he was doing so. He was hovering to give Shazeera a chance to gain her footing. I leaned over the side of Neo to see, hand reached out toward Shazeera as if I could help her. She stumbled once or twice as her hooves met the granite floor, but then she was standing on her own.
Neo landed just behind her, keeping his wings stretched wide so that his back would remain level.
“Neo says he hopes you enjoyed your flight,” Commander Talon said from behind me, and as I looked at him, something danced in his eyes that was almost like mirth.
“Tell him thank you for getting us here safely,” I said, though I couldn’t quite bring myself to smile at him. My legs quivered unsteadily, and I didn’t think it had to do with the flight as my mind raced with thoughts of what was to come. What would the emperor be like? What did the Zephyrians expect from marriage? The concept of agreeing to marry someone for political reasons was so foreign to me it was incomprehensible.
Neo turned his head so one of his huge bright eyes met mine.
“He heard you,” Talon said from behind me. “I’ll get down first, and then I’ll help you, all right?”
I glanced over Neo’s wing. It was a long way to the floor. “Yes, all right.”
Commander Talon swung his leg over Neo’s back and slid down smoothly, landing with a heavy thump. “If you turn to face outward with both legs on the same side, you can just slide down from there.”
Carefully, I did as he said, swinging my left leg over Neo’s neck. Talon held out his arms to me and caught me easily as I slid down, his large hands spanning nearly my entire waist. I was glad for his help, as it was a much farther drop than I was used to, and my legs felt like jelly after being folded on Neo’s back for so long. I glanced up at Talon when my feet hit the floor, and for just a moment, our eyes met. “Thank you,” I murmured.
After another breath, he released me and took a step back with a bow of his head. “Of course, Future Empress.”
He turned back to Neo and retrieved the leather bag I had brought with me from the back of Neo’s saddle.
On shaky legs, I ran to Shazeera and untied her blindfold. She shook out her mane as she took in our surroundings. We’d flown into a veritable chasm, with a ceiling so far above it could only just be detected. Guards lined either side of a wide expanse. It was clearly to give eagles room to land and spread their wings comfortably, but we were lost in the middle of it, like field mice in the midst of a widespread meadow.
Immediately, a heavily armored guard approached Talon and saluted him with one hand over his chest. “Commander, the emperor has requested that you bring the future empress to the throne room.”
I saw Talon’s jaw flex once. “Does the future empress have time to change before her first appearance?”
The guard hesitated. “Briefly, sir. The emperor is waiting.”
Talon nodded, then turned to me. “Come. I’ll show you to your chambers.”
I found my voice suddenly didn’t work, so with my hand on Shazeera’s neck, I followed Commander Talon into the depths of the palace. Neo stayed behind, though I saw him spread his wings again as if he meant to fly away. We passed many more silentguards, servants dressed in gray who never met our eyes or even stopped to stare in curiosity, and people who were dressed in fine clothing whodidstop and stare, but with guarded expressions that made it impossible to guess how they felt about my arrival.
