Nentarli [COMPLETE]

~ Twenty-nine ~

I settled into the ride from there on out, making small talk with Emy and Kayle but otherwise staying quiet and letting my thoughts wander.

Our lives had changed so drastically in such a short time, I was surprised that Emy or myself hadn't had a meltdown already. I liked how eventful and strange it was though, as with everything it had its annoyances and worries but I wasn't missing my old life one little bit. Maybe I was finding the bond I had always meant to have with this world, maybe it was growing on me day by day, as it would have if we had grown up here. 

I must have lost track of the time and the journey because the parents came to an unscheduled stop. The landscape was starting to change and I could see a ridge up ahead. They turned and pulled the horses in so we were all in a tight huddle, as close as we could get on horses anyway. 

"Eribourne's protection is up ahead, we have to enter singly so they can scan each of us." Alacor explained quietly and I got the feeling that the parents had been here before, more than once. 

"Kind of like airport security?" Emy asked.

I smiled as the parents nodded, the escorts and Blaike and Kaleb, just looked puzzled. 

"Yes, Emily. Like airport security but with magic instead of electronic scanners," Alacor continued to explain. "Once we are inside, we must wait for our Host to greet us and lead us to our accommodations, then onto the Capital building."

I crinkled my nose at the formalities, everyone had said that the dinner would be easy and we would be fine with what we knew already. But we hadn't even arrived inside yet and it was already more formal than anything I'd ever experienced. 

"Once we are inside the wall, be careful who you talk to and where you go. Eribourne is a vast city and there are a great many people here, we do not know if there are Scavengers lurking nearby, which should not be possible but it has been known to happen. Expect everything and nothing can surprise you. That being said, I do not want anyone to go anywhere alone, is that clear?" 

My mum's voice was stern and I was surprised at her words, I figured those restrictions would only apply to Emy and I. However, everyone else nodded without protest and the parents turned their horses around after a quick glance at Emy and I. They proceeded to ride over the ridge and we followed closely behind. The formation was a little tighter than it had been for most of the journey. The path we were on had a few bushes dotted here and there, a scarce number of trees with fruits growing on them that I didn't recognise.

There was nowhere to be ambushed by hidden attackers, and yet the atmosphere grew more tense the further we went. I wanted to ask why the capital of the Sector would make them react this way but we reached the ridge and I got my first glimpse of Eribourne- I lost my whole train of thought. 

The landscape laid out in front of us was like something from an alien planet, albeit a beautiful one. Surrounding the city were lush green fields for miles around, willowy trees spread out as far as the eye could see and they were blowing in the wind. A hillside led into one side of the city and disappeared through a huge waterfall, which fed a shimmering, blue river.

The river wound across the scenery and through the city ahead of us. The cold of the season made it look crisp and magical. The leaves on the trees closest to us had all but left the branches, and yet they weren't littering the ground as they should in autumn. I had barely even taken in the beautiful sights when my attention was brought to the city itself. We were still quite a distance away but I could easily make out the buildings, they were huge, oddly shaped structures. 

Some looked like mini castles, with turrets and ramparts, while others looked like manor houses similar to the one we lived in. Each building was a different colour or shade of a colour, I had never seen anything like it, not in my books or on television. It felt like everywhere we went in this world, we were faced with a new surprise and very often it was something as basic as buildings. I couldn't wait to see how different the people were. I watched my parents and Emy's place their hands against what I assumed was the invisible wall of protection around Eribourne.