Chapter 3

I stay awake the entire trip. The air is thin, and my chest begins to hurt. I cough feebly, and I think the bird notices because our altitude decreases. We pass tiny specks of islands and countless miles of ocean. My muscles ache from being stuck in the same slung-over position for hours.

Finally, we reach the location. I assume it's the location because the bird slows down and spreads his winds wing above himself, catching the air to slow as we descend. The tower before us is dark and dreadful. I could've sworn that is was morning when I was taken. We had only flown for a few hours at the most, yet the sky was dark as dusk. I see the fins of Gyorgs circle in the unforgiving waters below. I gulp, and the bird lands. He gently drops me a few inches off the ground before placing his full weight on his claws. I look up to see magnificent gilded feathers, midnight, and emerald, and ivory, and silver speckle his plumage. He's beautiful.

And dangerous. The bird suddenly rears its head close to mine and sniffs. A mask of metal adorns his face, and I can see through the eyeholes that his head is delicate, like a gulls. I don't dare to reach out and touch the feathers, even though my hands long to know if the down is as hard as the Kargaroc's claws. Abruptly the bird raises its head and stands at attention, looking hard at the stone beneath it. I am tempted to do the same.

I take the moment to gather my bearings. The bird has taken me to what I assume is the top of a tower. The circular landing pad is surrounding by a gate of spikes, and I can see a broken ship across a stone pathway. Guard posts and searchlights are dotted around the tower, and I assume that we are in the place of nightmares, the palace of pirates, the goddess cursed hideaway…

"The Forsaken Fortress," a powerful voices thunders from behind me. I flinch and slowly turn around. A sweeping cloak of elaborate design sweeps over the cobblestone. I look up into the red eyes of a green skinned man with ginger hair. He looks like someone left in the ocean for too long, with saggy skin and a sour complexion. His robes are ornate yet torn, as if it had been through one fight too many.

He seems to welcome my examination with good humor. He glides over to me and looks me hard into the eyes, yet speaks to the bird, "My Helmaroc King, this one seems a little young to be the chosen bearer. Her eyes are too innocent, but perhaps a proper inspection will reveal what I'm after." He snatches my wrist and tugs it upwards. I squealed in surprise. He looked thoughtfully over my left hand for a matter of minutes before sighing. He threw my hand back to me.

"Another failure, my pet. She is not the heir." He turns his back away from me, and calls for an escort to lead me away.

"Can't I just go home?" I blurt, tired and scared. I don't know why I'm a failure, or even why I'm here. I just want my brother, and my grandma. A cackling laugh erupts from deep within the man.

"You, my dear guest, are never going home. You may not be what I'm looking for, but I will find a use for you."

I want to saw something sassy, but my breath catches. A goblin-like creature grabs my arm and leads me down a dangerous wooden ladder. Below the flight deck is a laboratory-looking room that smelled of spices and potions with a touch of lavender. A wooden cage stands to the far side of the room. To my surprise, two girls not much older than me lean against the bars, lazily greeting me with a glare. The goblin throws me into the cage, and I scrap my knee falling.

The door clangs behind me, and a key jingling in the lock. I don't bother begging for my freedom; I have a feeling I'll be here for a while.