“Uh… what was?—”
Before Ren could finish, a hidden mechanism snapped beneath his boot, triggering a series of clicks in the underbrush. A net, woven with vines and bones, shot upward from the ground, wrapping around his legs and yanking him into the air with such force he let out a strangled yell.
Oh shit.
The crew stumbled back, weapons raised, scanning for the source.
But then the forest erupted.
The triggered trap set off a chain reaction, and a dead branch fell, releasing sharp-pointed sticks swinging from above, forcing the others to duck.
“Look out!” Esmyra screamed.
“Fuck!” Riven was yanked off his feet as a rope snare whipped around his ankle and hoisted him upside down into the air.
The crew became mayhem, tripping over one another to avoid the traps.
Fire sparked to life in Draevyn’s palm, flaring bright against the swamp’s dim light. The mist hissed where the flames licked it, curling back as he launched a controlled burst upward, searing through the vines holding Ren aloft. The net snapped, and he dropped to the mud with a grunt.
But then vines slithered down from the trees like living serpents, snatching blades from hands before coiling around wrists, and yanking them all upward—including Esmyra.
They shot from the underbrush, coiling around her legs, her arms, her waist. She cried out as they yanked her upward, the world lurching upside down. She let out a yelp of pain from the sudden movements, nausea climbing her throat. And then her limbs were pinned, wrapped tight like a cocoon.
What the fucking tits.
A chorus of startled yells erupted from the rest of their crew as more traps triggered around them. Esmyra twisted against the vines, trying to wriggle free, but the more she fought, the tighter they strained. And the more they constricted, the more agonizing the pain in her spine became.
“Shit, that hurts,” she muttered as she continued to try and free herself.
“Esmyra!” Draevyn bellowed.
She found him barreling toward her, eyes blazing. “Get her down!” he roared at Jak as fire leapt to his hands.
Another trap sprang, wrapping around Samwell’s leg anddragging him toward the trees. Draevyn spun, his flames scorching the vine clean through before it could lift his friend off the ground.
But for every snare he destroyed, two more seemed to come alive.
And then, through it all, a manic cackle echoed through the air. It rolled around them like music, bouncing from tree to tree. Everyone immediately went silent and still.
“Ohhh,” a female voice sang out, dripping with amusement, “what do we havehere?”
Esmyra remained upside down alongside several of them as they hung from the vines. As her body slowly turned, she scanned the trees, but the voice came from everywhere all at once.
And then she found her.
Perched on a high branch like some wild creature, a woman lounged with one leg dangling, a vine coiled lazily around her wrist. She looked down at them, bright green eyes glinting like a predator’s as her light-brown hair blended with the bark of the surrounding woods.
“Well, well,” she purred, leaning forward on the branch, “look what the swamp dragged in.”
Before anyone could speak, she shifted her weight and swung herself upside down, hanging by her knees as her hair tumbled toward the ground. She shot them a sharp smile before she released her hold entirely.
Gasps erupted from the crew as she dropped, flipping midair, before landing lightly on the ground in a perfect crouch. The fog swirled around her as she rose to stand.
Jak groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Jenli. Put them down.”
Jenli tilted her head, her expression shifting from predatory to intrigued. “Ugh. Always so serious, cousin. You never let me have any fun.” The last few words ended in a whine.
Oh, I knew I’d like her, Esmyra thought, as she struggled against the vines. She just didn’t appreciate being on the receiving end of her chaos.
