The whir of the aircraft's engine shifted pitch, pulling me from my restless sleep. I blinked away my exhaustion, my body still aching from three days of constant movement—hiding, traveling, changing vehicles, all while being seven months pregnant.
"We're here," Kaelen said softly, squeezing my hand.
I peered through the small window beside me, expecting to see an airport or landing strip. Instead, what greeted my eyes made me gasp.
Below us sprawled the most breathtaking landscape I'd ever encountered. A vast, crystalline lake stretched toward snow-capped mountains that formed a natural protective barrier. But what truly captured my attention was the city that appeared to be floating directly on the water's surface.
From this angle, the entire metropolis looked like an enormous ball of light—shimmering, iridescent, catching and reflecting the morning sun in ways that seemed physically impossible.
"What am I looking at?" I whispered, pressing my face closer to the window.
