Through the Ether (Force of Nature Book 5) - Amber Lynn Natusch Page 0,58

it was terrifying, “she is not.”

“Then this should be incredibly enjoyable to watch…”

Just as he finished his sentiment, we reached the end of the corridor. Beyond its open maw was the evergreen of Faerie—my mother’s realm—waiting for us. The sun shone brightly, and the realm teemed with vibrant life. It was everything the Ether was not.

“Time for you to keep up your end of the bargain, bastard princess,” he whispered in my ear.

In front of the opening, the air rippled like a heat mirage. As I moved to leave, it pushed forward in front of me, elongating to create an enclosed passage all its own. It was unnerving to be able to see the land that lay beyond Etherian’s barrier, but not well enough to know what was there—what might be coming. It was a blindness of sorts, the loss of a sense that I needed, and I couldn’t shake how vulnerable it made me feel. I didn’t have the vampires’ or werewolves’ sense of hearing or smell, or the witches’ and warlocks’ magic to rely on. All I had was my connection to a land that I didn’t dare draw upon for fear that it might trigger some kind of warning to my mother.

Everyone in the group was painfully quiet, none of us willing to bet our lives and the mission on Etherian’s ability to contain our voices. So we walked on in silence, packed in close together, waiting for our opportunity to present itself.

And it did so soon enough.

We’d only been trekking along for about fifteen minutes when even I could make out what looked like perfectly aligned objects in the distance. Like rows and rows of trees—or soldiers. I slowed a pace and Merc slammed into me, scooping me up so I wouldn’t eat dirt or cause a pile-up, which would have been a disaster for sure.

“I see them,” he whispered in my ear.

“But I can’t smell anyone,” Knox said softly. “This barrier is blocking me, so I don’t know what they are.”

“And I cannot hear them.”

“Etherian.” My hushed voice seemed to reverberate through the magical cage. “What’s out there?”

“An army,” he replied matter of factly.

“And the royals?”

“No…I don’t believe so, but they will not be far away from their forces. We will need to get past them to find where Larken and Phineas are stationed and take them out. Quickly.”

“Then we should hurry,” Merc replied, setting me back down on my feet.

As we approached the army, it became clear even through the distortion that it was Larken’s crew. Their bright green uniforms were burned into my memory from the last time we’d met. I could only imagine how those that had heard about what I’d done to their fallen brothers would feel about me being so close to them—the revenge they’d seek if given the chance. And this time, my mother would have her husband’s power to help her. I wondered if I would be enough against them both; if our army even stood a chance.

Doubt clouded my mind as we edged past the outer boundary of the legion, Etherian not leaving nearly as much of a buffer between us as I’d have liked. But we were safe in there. We would be all right.

I dared a glance back at Merc to seek reassurance in his eyes. But while I found it in his expression, my foot found a root in the path and stubbed it hard. I flew forward, biting my tongue hard so I wouldn’t cry out—so I wouldn’t draw attention to our hidden entourage. Merc or Knox or someone caught my leg and hauled me backward, but not before my top half hit the ground.

I looked up to see hundreds of royal fey guards and militia, armed to the teeth like they were about to go to war. Their heads turned in eerie unison to stare at me right before I was yanked back into the Ether. But it was clearly too late. The way the fey had all smiled like beautiful wolves who’d trapped a lamb told me all I needed to know.

Our element of surprise had been totally fucked.

Chapter Twenty

Before they could move, a hand fisted in my shirt and dragged me to my feet, but I knew the jig was up. Our cover had been blown at the worst possible time, and a part of me wondered if I hadn’t just signed all of our death warrants with one tiny misstep.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as Knox spun me around in