Page 47 of Kingdom of Chaos
“Okay, we’re in the area,” Talon says, reducing our speed to a near crawl. “Keep your eyes open.”
According to Talon and Imogen, the gate will look like part of the environment. It will be a ring or an arch shape, but it’ll be disguised, hidden in plain sight. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll activate the gate and get through before the monster can fully wake and reach us.
If not, we’ll have to fight.
We round a bend and the narrow waterway suddenly opens into a dense wooded area that’s too thick for the airboat to pass through.
Talon looks to Imogen, who gives a single nod. That’s our path forward.
“All right,” Talon says. “We’re going by foot from here.”
With our packs strapped to our backs, we unload one by one from the boat onto a soggy patch of grass. Cold water immediately seeps into my shoes, but I knew it was inevitable. Searching a swamp for a hidden gate to another world isn’t exactly a dry adventure.
When did my life get so weird?
We trudge through the marsh in relative silence, accompanied only by the quiet hum of wildlife and the squelching of our footsteps. We try to stick to raised patches of ground, but more than once we’re forced into the water. Beforelong, I’m soaked up to my calves. I really hope the human world has showers, because the minute we get there, I’m going to need one.
The vegetation grows thicker until we’re completely surrounded by tangled trees and underbrush. Titus takes the lead, hacking through the dense foliage with a machete or pushing it aside with subtle waves of fae magic. I pass my necklace up to him to make his job a little easier.
We’re passing through a particularly tight spot when a sharp hiss makes me freeze. I glance to the side just in time to come face-to-face with a black snake coiled around a branch at eye level. Its belly is a vivid, angry red.
I yelp and jerk back, slamming straight into Talon, who’s bringing up the rear. His arm wraps firmly around my waist, steadying both of us and pulling me flush against his chest.
“Easy,” he says, his voice low and calm. I can feel the vibration of the words where our bodies touch. “Just a swamp snake. They’re not dangerous.”
I glance back just as the snake slithers down the tree and disappears into the murky water. A shiver runs through me. Dangerous or not, snakes seriously creep me out.
I silently renew my hope that Talon isn’t a snake shapeshifter.
“You really don’t like snakes, do you?” Talon chuckles as he lets go of me.
“That’s an understatement.”
I step forward cautiously, and as we push through a dense patch of brush, my mind drifts to everythingexceptwhat it should. Snakes, Talon, Becks . . . even Imogen and my parents. Ishouldbe scanning for the gate, staying alert. Instead, I’m chewing my lip and letting my thoughts run wild.
Ensley stops abruptly, and because I’m not paying attention, I plow right into her.
“Shoot, sorry—” I begin, but the words die as I glance past her and see what made her freeze.
There’s a break in the trees ahead, and beyond lies a wide, glistening lake. Patches of grass and clusters of trees dot the surface, and thick forest surrounds the open water like a natural barrier.
The five of us step closer to the edge for a better look. The water looks deep. Maybe too deep to wade through, and there’s no obvious path across. Still, a tug in my gut tells me the gate is out there, somewhere in that clearing, waiting to be found.
“The gate’s somewhere in there,” Talon says, echoing my thoughts.
Imogen grimaces and casts a mournful look down at her already-waterlogged knee-high boots. With an exaggerated huff, she trudges forward without waiting for the rest of us. The moment she steps into the swamp, she sinks nearly up to her hip in the murky water.
“We should’ve picked a gate in the tropics,” she mutters. “I could’ve worn a bathing suit while we searched white sand beaches. But no, we had to pick the one in the nastiest, most miserable location possible.”
“Do I need to remind you thatyou’rethe one who found and suggested this gate?” Talon calls after her.
“I don’t remember it that way,” Imogen tosses back as she reaches the first grassy patch where a few trees rise from the soggy ground but nothing else stands out.
The rest of us share a look, then start wading in ourselves, fanning out to explore different directions.
I keep my eyes locked on the dark, opaque water, scanning for the flash of scales or a ripple too wide to be harmless. The thought of snakes or lizards lurking beneath the surface makes my pulse spike, and I hurry toward the nearest patch of grass.
When I reach a patch of spongy, semi-dry land, I stop to scan the marshy expanse, but nothing stands out. No arch. No circle. No hint of anything magical. My heart sinks. I didn’t expect it to be easy, but I’d hoped we might at least catch a glimmer ofsomething.
