Page 64 of The Forbidden Fae King

The sentry crumples and falls from the wall.

I swear softly and throw out a buffeting layer of wind to slow his descent, while ripping out of the ground a network of tree roots in a net to catch him. I lower the man to a bed of moss, binding him there in roots, then glance at Klara.

“Shit.” She hisses. “I didn’t expect it to be so potent.”

“Haven’t you made this before?” I whisper back and she shakes her head.

We wait for someone to call an alarm, but when none comes, I create a ladder out of roots up the wall.

Silvan moves first, running across the empty space while holding a ward of invisibility around himself. The magic is difficult and imperfect, especially on moving target.

There are hints of his silhouette still visible as a ripple of warped air shooting across the bare land, but it is damn near hard to spot by the unsuspecting eye. A guard would need to scrutinize the right spot to see him. It's a pity the talent is so rare and only two of my band have the ability.

His footprints in the sparse snow disappear immediately as hebrushes air over them as he passes. My soldiers are well trained, by Cyprien himself.

Silvan’s distorted body flies up the ladder, then disappears completely as he reaches the top of the wall. A minute passes. My heart crashes painfully from the anticipation and every muscle in my shoulders ripple with the need for action.

A disembodied hand beckons us from the top of the wall. There are no nearby guards.

I push Drake forward at Silvan’s signal. He makes the mad, vulnerable dash to the wall and up its height, completely exposed. It is difficult to watch, his whole body visible and completely defenseless while he climbs.

I breathe easier when he joins the protection of Silvan’s invisibility ward and winks out of view. I clap Keira on the back to push her next. She glances over her shoulder, eyes sparkling with exhilaration and a half-smile on her face.

Keira actually smiles in the face of battle.

Nervous sweat drips down my spine as she scales the wall and joins Silvan.

I tap Klara to go next.

“No,” she whispers. “You go first. I will protect your flank, sire.”

I don’t like it, but it makes sense.

I spring into action, my long, silent bounds chewing up the spans to the wall in seconds. The ropes of the ladder burn my hands from the friction of my ascent, then I swing over the top of the wall and search for the distortion of Silvan’s ward.

A disembodied hand grabs my fur coat and pulls me a few steps into it, then I am suddenly pressed into the warm bodies of Drake, Silvan and Keira. The air is stagnant under the invisibility ward, as though we huddle under a blanket and exchange breath.

Klara joins us within a few heartbeats.

The layout of the fortress sprawls before us. A series of buildings wrap around a circular core, each level set at a sharp incline, until at its peak a single huge tower stands, with a large hall with sleepingquarters for whoever commands this fortress on its top. This is where we will find Cyprien’s headquarters.

We march in a double row column down the length of the wall, our movements slow and awkward. Two guards appear suddenly as we round a corner and Klara takes them out with her spores. Both crumple to the ground.

A staircase takes us down from the wall to the fortress grounds, then we pick our way through the fortress. It is slow going. Enough to set my teeth on edge and my blood crashing in my ears.

We move in a stop-start trek through the streets, constantly scouting for enemies.

The buildings here are mostly cylindrical, painted in bright shades of red, pink, yellow, and blue. The broad door frames and windows are of quartz that glow under the sliver of the twin moons. Spires of moonstone shimmer like beacons at the top of the domed, tiled roofs. The streets would be completely lit up under a full moon.

If this fortress housed a full army instead of being practically abandoned, the stone would have been powered by fae to chase away shadows an invading force could hide within. It would reveal the shimmer of Silvan’s invisibility ward that we hide beneath.

We take an indirect path through the fortress, up narrow stairways and alleys hidden between buildings and avoiding direct roads that would have more eyes on them.

I have memorized every inch of this fortress during the last war with the Winter Court.

The night is silent except for the rush of the waterfalls cascading beneath the fortress. Not even the footsteps or chatter of guards float to my ears, though it is well past midnight.

Something sits wrong within my gut, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. We pass two more of Cyprien’s people, already dispatched by my own, and I wonder why there hasn’t been even a scuffle yet. Perhaps they are all sleeping, as I anticipated.

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