Page 158 of Wrath of the Fae

Reid rests my hand on Cyrus’s temple. ‘Look into his memories. See the forest he’s thinking of and use that as an anchor. And then we go.’

We start to cough when we step through the portal, and I taste toxic air.

‘Where are we?’ I gasp, shutting down the portal. ‘Why can’t I breathe?’

‘Fuck…’ Cyrus splutters, pressing some fabric over my mouth. ‘What the hell are they?’

‘What?’ I press his hand harder over my mouth, keen not to choke.

‘Bats. Birds,’ Reid replies, choking just like us. ‘They’re poisoned.’ I hear him walk away, coughing and groaning in disgust. ‘Cyrus. You need to see this.’

‘Stay here,’ Cyrus says before leaving.

‘What is it?’ I call out.

Reid takes my hand in his after a few seconds. I see the truth of what he sees. The sky is dark green and filled with smog. It swirls slowly, like a building vortex. The cave's ground is littered with dead creatures, with bile and blood oozing from every orifice.

‘What is this?’ I grimace, pulling away.

‘It’s a storm,’ Reid coughs. ‘They used to happen sometimes back home centuries ago. When the balance was disrupted. It should pass or fade in a couple of hours.’

‘Can you think of somewhere further inland?’ I ask Cyrus. ‘Away from the storm?’

‘The trees I know are a few miles up the coast. This is all I have.’

‘We can’t stay here. We can’t breathe!’

Reid has me in his arms.

‘Cyrus, lead the way. Raven, breathe through the fabric.’

We take flight. The air is agony to inhale. Within a few minutes of flying, there’s a high-pitched shriek, followed by countless others.

‘Dark Fae,’ Reid whispers. ‘Your nose is bleeding through the cloth. They can smell you. Fuck, my nose is bleeding too. We’ll choke to death before they get a chance to tear us apart.’ He calls to Cyrus. ‘We have to dive.’

‘Agreed,’ Cyrus rasps back.

We plummet down.

‘Hold your breath,’ Reid orders. ‘When you need to breathe, pinch me, and I’ll break the surface briefly. Take your breath quickly and then hold it again. Understand?’

I nod. It’s all I can manage through the coughing.

We sink beneath the waves.

The water is icy cold. It fills my ears and crushes my lungs with its ferocious chill. He uses his wings to glide through the water, surging us onwards.

I hold as long as I can before pinching him, and we break the surface to breathe before sinking back beneath the waves.

I have no idea how long this goes on for. I’m exhausted, so fuck knows how they’re holding up. All the way, Reid never loosens his grip. They never slow or stop. Not even when it starts to rain and the toxic storm is blown past us by a fierce gale that pounds against the waves.

Finally, as we break the surface, the guys stop. The air is breathable, but we’re tossed about in the waves. It’s hard to keep my head above water.

‘Don’t you dare let me go,’ I warn, clinging to him.

‘Don’tyoudare let go!’ he counters, treading water.

Cyrus directs us back to land. We all fall on the beach, too weak and exhausted to stand. The waves crash against us as we take in as much air as possible, and we all groan at the unholy stench assaulting us.

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