“That means we’re getting close,” I told them with trepidation. “The magic wants us to turn back and leave, but we need to press forward.”
Jason sighed. “I was worried you’d say something like that.”
“The marsh may have traps hidden within the muddy ground,” James pointed out logically. “It’ll be complicated to navigate through it safely.”
Mason nodded in agreement. “Not to mention, problematic to walk through. Just how deep does marsh mud get?”
I rolled my shoulders back. “We won’t have to walk through it,” I informed them. “I learned this from battling the Summer fae within the hurricane. Watch.”
I created a magical platform a foot off the ground and gestured to the guys to step aboard. “Once we’re all in place, I’ll create a bubble to keep us safe from booby traps.”
The twins stepped aboard, trusting my work, but James looked at it doubtfully. I’d used an illusion to make it look like a platform made from reclaimed driftwood, but he didn’t seem impressed with my decorating skills. I sighed and instead changed it to look like the floor of a military cargo plane.
James gave me a wry look, but he stepped aboard without any further questions. The twins pulled me up on the platform, and I patted them each on the shoulder in thanks.
“Brace yourselves,” I warned them. “I’ve watched Froston and Drake do this before, but it’s my first try doing it on my own.”
Jason groaned, and Mason gave him a punch in the arm. James laid his hand on my lower back, keeping me steady as we started to move.
“This is kinda cool,” Mason said hesitantly as he watched the ground skim by us.
“Keep your head on swivel,” James snapped. “Potential threats could come from any direction.”
The twins both snapped to attention and straightened their shoulders, their military training coming to the forefront.
It took all my concentration to keep the platform steady and moving evenly, but we gradually got closer to the magical black hole I’d sensed earlier. Inverted magic was used to hide something from those of us looking with our magical senses. However, it left a gaping hole in the natural flow of the world, meaning that you could locate it if you knew what you were looking for.
“This seems too easy,” James murmured as his sharp eyes darted around us.
“Fuck,” Jason cursed.
“Now you’ve done it,” Mason added. “Don’t you know that when you say something like that-”
His voice cut off when my platform slammed into a barrier, and we all flew off to land in the marshland mud.
The breath was knocked out of me when I slammed into the ground, and I struggled to draw air into my lungs.
“Anna!” Jason called out as he rushed to my side.
I tried to speak, but just ended up gasping for breath like a fish pulled out of the water.
“Relax,” Mason murmured as he stroked my hair gently.
“Don’t panic,” Jason added from my other side. “That’ll make it worse.”
I closed my eyes and tried to relax my spasming muscles. It felt like an eternity until I was able to draw in a breath, but once I got the first rush of sweet air into my lungs, my panic started to subside.
Jason helped me sit up, while Mason cupped my face in his hands and worriedly looked into my eyes.
“I’m okay,” I rasped out. “Just help me up.”
“Take a drink of water first,” Jason urged me as he pulled out his bottle.
I gratefully took a few sips and looked around to find James. He was prowling around us, keeping us safe from any threats that could have crept up on us while the twins were hovering around me. His eyes darted toward me, and I felt a flood of relief through our bond.
Mason pulled me to my feet, and I grimaced at the marsh mud that was now covering me. At least I wasn’t the only one. All four of us had been flung into the muddy ground when we’d hit the barrier. My clothes were uncomfortable now that they were cold and wet, and my hair was caked in mud. I had a feeling it was only going to get worse once it dried.
A giggle escaped me when a memory of the first time I’d ever spent time with the twins hit me. That time, it had been the three of us covered in mud, and James that had scolded us. I had to admit, I got some satisfaction from seeing mud