Eluvie followed her guides, both of whom seemed tense, as they flew over the river and through the fog. She allowed herself an occasional glance back, but there was little to see. Other Illrum were stripping the guards of their weapons and lifting the humans onto their shoulders.

  "Do you have a preference in accommodations?" Yira asked.

  Eluvie drew her eyes away from the scene behind her and looked at Yira. "Space," she said, "and plenty of light."

  Yira smiled. "Naturally. Any other requests? We have accommodations by the water, and a more secluded one if you enjoy quiet. You can also request any scenery you like."

  "How will I breathe?" Eluvie asked. "You said your air is dangerous."

  Yira waved away the concern. "Inside your accommodations, we can remedy that problem. Going outside will be difficult, but you will not be here long."

  As they traveled, the fog seemed to part around them, revealing new territory while concealing those behind them.

  After the river, they flew through a forest of spectacularly tall trees. Between the trees and the fog, it seemed impossible to tell what was ahead.

  Then, they exited the forest and entered a colorful valley.

  They flew over the water. With each foot they traveled, they discovered new scenery hidden by the fog.

  Below them, green vegetation predominated, but there were spots of yellows, reds, and even blues. The housing they flew past was odd. For one, most had no roofs, as if the occupants could not be bothered to shield their beds and living quarters from prying eyes. That confused her for a moment. Then, she recalled that Illrum grew stronger in sunlight. She was yet to see the sun in this place, but the light that suffused the environment was strong and warming.

  Illrum gathered in clusters all over the landscape: some out in the open and others within unroofed walls. When she flew lower for better sight, her guides did not stop her. That permitted her to observe both the people and their activities. The activities were varied. Some Illrum appeared to be gardening. Others were working at various crafts or reading at desks. She saw a group of small ones running about a meadow, playing the universally-recognizable game of tag.

  By observing their clothing, she counted six ranks of people. The majority wore black clothing. The youngest children and some of the adults wore unornamented black. Then, there were black-clad Illrum with brown, orange, pink, and pale-blue sleeves, in order of frequency. The last set of Illrum wore white clothing with dark blue sleeves. They were so rare that she could only pick out one every so often.

  They left the more populated areas behind before her curiosity was completely sated and landed on a hill.

  "This will be yours," Yira said.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Eluvie stared at the scene. The hill contained only an empty meadow dotted with crawling, orange-leaved plants. Its sole likeness to a house came from the broad trees that lined its perimeter, forming a large square between their trunks.

  "Do prisoners not get walls?" Eluvie asked.

  Both Yira and the man, Maso, laughed.

  Yira bent down and placed a palm on the ground. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then, the hill began to change. Wood rose up from the ground to form a floor, then wooden furniture sprang up from the floor and covered themselves in soft cushions of unknown source. Stone rose up to form walls, then grew horizontally to form a roof. The final structure was a spacious single-room structure, sparsely furnished, but comfortable-looking, with glowing lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

  "You may modify it to your taste," Yira said. "Just touch the ground and think of what you want. If you do not wish to sleep in human form, you may have the bed removed. The roof can be removed as well, for more light."

  Eluvie really wanted to modify it. The structure felt too square for her comfort. But she reminded herself that this was not her home and she was not safe. Indulging in such a situation would be foolish.

  "Thank you," she said.

  Both of her guides smiled.

  "Would it be possible to find something to eat?" Eluvie asked.

  She half-expected Yira to spring something from the ground. Instead, Maso offered to fetch something from the kitchen and left through the building's sole door.

  Eluvie busied herself by walking around the room and touching the furnishings. They felt comfortable even though she could not tell what the cushions were made of.

  Halfway to the bed, something occurred to her.

  She turned to Yira.

  "I had a barrier that kept me closer to my - to the others."

  "I removed it," Yira said. "Do you need it?"

  Eluvie stared at the stupid woman. "No, they were using it to imprison me."

  Yira frowned. "How?"

  "Because I couldn't remove it," Eluvie said.

  Yira blinked twice in quick succession. Then, her mouth formed a small O.

  "How did you remove it?" Eluvie asked.

  "Well, it wasn't difficult," Yira said. "It's only a safety cushion. You have to find one of its surfaces, then you pinch it between two fingers and pull it toward yourself. If you pull too hard or too fast, or push against it, it'll harden and it won't let you remove it for another minute. We use it to protect children."

  Eluvie stared at her in silence. Yira, sensing that something was wrong, remained perfectly still. Perhaps she was wondering if the violent woman would react violently to the revelation that she was about as intelligent as a child.

  "Thank you for telling me," Eluvie said.

  The knowledge that her prison could have been broken with the appropriate application of brainpower was jarring, but it was not as infuriating as it could have been.

  Let that be a lesson to you, she told herself, if you spend more time thinking and less panicking, you could be safer.

  "I was told that a human made the magic that generated the barrier," Eluvie said. "Was that a lie?"

  "I suppose a human mage could find a way to replicate it," Yira said. "But a safety barrier is just a piece of yourself stretched extraordinarily thin and tethered to a location or object. Even if a human wanted to make one, they would need an Illrum's seed or body part."

  "Like making a snake trap out of snakeskin," Eluvie said.

  "Eh, yes," Yira sounded uncertain. "Something like that, probably."