Seraphina and Cael flew for an hour before they paused.
The landscape below had changed. The academy was long gone. The city was a distant memory.
Below them stretched jagged mountains and dark forests, untouched by civilization. The air grew thinner as they ascended, colder with each passing minute.
Seraphina descended. Cael followed.
They landed on a rocky mountain peak. The wind was stronger here, colder. It whipped against Cael's face, carrying the smell of salt and distant rain.
A few scattered clouds drifted below them, painting the valley in shadows.
Cael looked around as he asked,
"Where are we?"
Seraphina slowly turned her head toward the horizon and answered,
"The borderlands."
Cael's eyes widened. He had heard of this place. Everyone had.
The borderlands were where humanity fought against wraiths and vampires; the borderlands were considered the battlefield for supremacy.
