Page 122 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“Yeah, except now, the cloud is moving,” he points out.

Turning my head, I find that the cloud has indeed started to swirl violently, shifting it away from us and moving it more to the sides. I lift my forearm and hold it over my nose and mouth as those countless yellow specks begin spreading dangerously.

While taking a step away from the spreading cloud, Alistair shifts his gaze to Draven and arches an eyebrow. “Couldn’t have gone for more of a precision blast?”

Draven gives him a sidelong glance. “Loud and messy.”

Alistair snorts.

“Enough yapping,” Isera interrupts. “We’ve bought a head start. Let’s use it.”

Leaping into action, we spin around and take off in the other direction. Not the one that the White Faction came from, in case they left some traps or other nasty surprises. That yellow cloud is rippling and swirling after Draven’s blast of wind, but we keep a safe distance from the edge while running around it instead. The panicked yells and incoherent mumblings of the White Faction quickly fade as we cover more ground.

But the farther in we get, the thicker the woods become.

Above us, the leaves stop rustling and the canopy grows so thick that the distorted sunlight can barely pierce it. Those curtains of purple moss hang unmoving like death shrouds from the twisted branches, and not a single bird or insect can be heard.

I pull at the collar of my fighting leathers. It feels as if the air isn’t moving at all in here.

While wiping sweat from my temple, I scan the area around me.

Alarm shoots up my spine.

I whip my head around, but when my gaze lands fully on the space between two trees, the looming shadow I thought I saw is no longer there. My heart beats furiously in my chest, and I draw in a deep breath to calm myself. I’m just jumpy from that encounter with those strange beings in bronze breastplates.

We continue deeper into the forest.

Those pale blue mushrooms that grow on the tree trunks look unnaturally bright in the gloomy forest, which seems todarken with every step. And the air is getting thicker. I pull at the collar of my clothes again. Why is it getting so freaking hot?

A dark shadow streaks past through the woods.

I snap my gaze towards it.

But yet again, I can’t see anything.

My heart pounds. I give my head a firm shake. Mabona’s tits, pull yourself together.

“Uhm,” Lyra says from a little to my left. “Not to be an alarmist or anything, but is anyone else seeing things?”

We all whip around to stare at her as we blurt out, “Yes!”

Surprise and relief crashes through our group like waves as we glance at one another. Apparently, we were all starting to hallucinate things. But just like me, no one else dared to say anything.

“We should probably get out of here,” Galen says, glancing suspiciously at the pink flowers and yellow lichen and pale blue mushrooms that seem to be getting more numerous. “There’s so little… air.”

“Yes,” I gasp out.

My heart is still slamming against my ribs, and the air seems to press in on me from all sides. It’s so warm and stifling that I can barely breathe. I pull at the collar of my leathers again. Goddess above, I want to take them off.

We pick up speed, trying to get past this section of the woods faster. The yellow cloud is no longer visible next to us, and I’m not sure when we lost sight of it. It’s getting increasingly difficult to keep my wits about me. To think at all.

Something is wrong.

The thought echoes through my skull. But I can barely concentrate.

“I’m not actually a descendant of the Seelie Queen,” Isera blurts out. “I just made that up.”

I snap my gaze to her, my mouth dropping open.

---