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I was going to kick her asssohard when I found her.
Panic clawed through my chest. What if Ididn’tfind her? Kyla had a head start on me. What if she’d gotten into the kind of trouble that I couldn’t help her with?
No. I refused to think that way.
Stuffing the bag from Aubrey inside my backpack, I zipped it up and slung it over my shoulder. My heart rate tripled as I popped the ring into my mouth. Danica had warned me how strange it would feel to suddenly be invisible, and I took a deep breath through my nose. It was disconcerting not to be able to see my own hands as I locked Liam’s car and slipped the keys into my pocket.
And then I was walking toward the portal, my palms sweating. Ihatedbeing unprepared. But Kyla had been right about one thing—if Taraghlan was planning to move the sword, we had to strike before it was even more difficult to steal.
I stepped into the portal, skin burning. A few moments later, I was in the seelie realm.
I very carefully avoided glancing at the dense forest to my right. That forest had almost killed me once, and if I looked for too long, I’d find myself wandering toward it, eager to lie down on the soft grass among the wildflowers.
A lush meadow stretched out before me, and I broke into a light jog down the dirt path that would take me to the castle. I knew what I’d find when the path curved to the right, but it was still impressive.
I might hate Taraghlan, but even the least romantic person in the world would admit his castle was like something out of a fairy tale. It gleamed welcomingly, the towers and turrets stretching toward the sky, where they caught the sunset, reflecting it across the land. The surrounding moat was as blue as the ocean. As I approached, I caught sight of jewel-like rocks strewn across the bottom, as if the seelie king had thrown them out his window in a temper.
Taraghlan’s guards wore white, and all of them seemed alert, their gazes sharp as they examined anyone who approached. They were stationed on the bridge leading to the castle and every six feet or so along the moat.
I slowed my steps, careful not to draw their attention. Carriages carrying various well-dressed fae were coming and going, and the guards were checking each one. My stomach clenched. How the hell had Kyla snuck in without being seen?
Or maybe shehadbeen seen, and she was currently being tortured for information while I dithered here.
That thought was enough to make me launch into action. I pulled the map from my backpack and studied the castle in front of me. According to Entaris and Tilella, I needed to skirt the creepy forest and mosey around to the back of the castle, where I’d find the seelie king’s emergency exit, beneath his moat.
I sucked in a deep breath, eyeing the forest.
Nathaniel wouldn’t hesitate if he were here. I was pretty sure he wasn’t scared of anything. My chest tightened. Later. That was a thought for later. Because if I allowed myself to picture the frustrated fury on Nathaniel’s face, if I allowed myself to mourn what I’dthoughtwe had, I’d be useless to Kyla.
I strode toward the forest. Last time I was here with Meredith, we were almost killed by a fluffle of bunnies. Vas and Bael had swooped in to help us, but the only reason the forest had allowed us to leave was the demon fire Vas had curled threateningly around his hand.
If I used my new fire trick, would the fire be invisible? And if itwasinvisible, would the forest be threatened?
I felt the forest shift the moment I stepped off the path. I couldfeelit paying careful attention to me. With a glance over my shoulder, I focused.
My hand lit up, and the forest went still. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I also don’t have time to be chased by your killer bunnies,” I said in a low voice. I had no doubt it could hear me.
I stepped deeper into the forest. I’d only have to walk around the edges to get to the spot I needed, but I had no doubt that the forest could kill me regardless of how deep I wandered.
Already, I could feel my lids growing heavy. There was a spot beneath a tree to my right where the grass was so thick it would almost feel like a mattress…
No. I snapped myself out of it and brought the ball of fire close to that tree. I couldfeelthe forest’s annoyance, but my head was suddenly mine again.
Allowing my fire to disappear, I made my way toward the back of the castle. I cursed as I stood on a stick and it snapped, the sound louder than a gunshot to my ears. One of the seelie guards turned his head toward me, and I froze.
“I know that was you,” I told the forest. “If you draw attention to me, you won’t like what comes next.”
Yes, I was threatening a sentient forest. Life was weird.
I could practically feel the forest pouting, but I slowly continued on, and the forest stopped exaggerating the sounds my steps made.
Eventually, I was standing at the spot I’d marked on the map. I surveyed the castle. The moat was about ten feet wide at this point, and while there were a few guards on duty here, the seelie king obviously didn’t figure anyone knew about his little escape route. That thought gave me the warm fuzzies. He’d betrayed us in the worst possible way. Nowhe’dknow exactly how it felt.
It was petty, but I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he learned we’d stolen his precious sword from right under his nose.
Of course, for that to happen, we had to find the swordandsomehow stay alive.
I peered through the gap in the tree branches, surveying the tunnel entrance in front of me. As I’d been warned, it was invisible, the entrance impeccably tucked away within the walls of the moat. Taraghlan was hiding his little exit in plain sight, so it looked like just another of the huge stone blocks containing the water. If he’d been an honorable king, this little secret would have stayed just that—a secret. Instead, he’d been sold out by people who were determined to stop him from wreaking havoc on the realms.
