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Summary

A giant mountain loomed before us, taking up the horizon as we cut our way through the forest towards it. It floated in the air, like the clouds were holding it up over the city below. 
Wind cut through the trees, making the hair that had grown to my shoulders tickle my neck. I brushed it away, trying to pick apart what I was seeing. I’d waited so long to get to a sect. 
“You can see the elevators,” Celina whispered next to me. 
I squinted towards where she was looking. “Those things dangling off the side?” They looked like some sort of fruiting plant growth, but at this distance, they had to be meters in diameter. 
“Yeah. They use them to pass goods up and down between the mountain and the city. Every sect has a city at the base of their mountain; the city gets protection, and the sect gets resources and labor.” 
I heard a muttered curse ahead, followed by a rip and lots of stomping. Celina and I walked up behind Michelle, who had been using a sword like a machete to clear away the dense forest. She appeared to have stopped to rip apart a branch that had snagged her sword. The foliage was paying the price brutally under her boot. 
Clearly, she’d had enough. I squeezed her side before stepping in front of her to take the sword and her place clearing the path. She fell back with Celina. I fell into a rhythm as I slashed through the undergrowth. 
We’d flown most of the way to the sect on Aurora’s back, but we’d stopped just short of eyesight to prevent too much unwanted attention. The sect would be my new home and hopefully new family, but I had no doubt there were still power dynamics at play. I didn’t want to show my cards too early.

Duration: about 13 hours (13:15:55)
Publishing date: 2024-12-24; Unabridged; Copyright Year: — Copyright Statment: —

• Contemporary Fiction
• Science Fiction & Fantasy