I reached for the cup of water Aiden had poured earlier and drank a mouthful to soothe my parched throat.
"Sit up. We will talk first," I said softly, though my tone carried the weight of command.
Aiden obeyed without daring to protest, settling down across from me. His eyes flickered with hesitation, wary that he might provoke my anger again.
"You said this place is Forliando. Tell me more about it."
He nodded and began recounting the land to which I had been unwittingly summoned.
According to Aiden, Forliando was a realm where magic flowed as naturally as breath. From the simplest of tasks to the grandest of endeavors, everything could be accomplished with sorcery. Yet the people here were not born with such gifts. They had to study, to learn the way magic functioned, and only through incantations could they weave the energy within themselves into power.
