RAVENNA
After what felt like an hour, the forest opened into a village that looked like something from another world. Houses built of stone and wood, covered in flowers and ivy. Lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, streams ran clear, children laughed, and women carried baskets of fruit. It was alive and so beautiful. My mouth fell open.
"Mummy! Look!" Riven squealed, clapping her hands.
"What is this place?" I breathed.
"This," Kael said, his voice filled with pride, "is what we like to call the Capital of Nightshade. This is the heart of what we protect with our lives. We have so many borders because to protect the village, that's why it's hidden from the rest of the world. I built this for exiles and outcasts like myself."
He helped us down from the horse, and I stood stunned. "
