CHAPTER 74

Emery tumbled from her shoulders and disappeared into the forest. She fared only slightly better as she crashed through the trees, splintering branches as she tumbled through them. Folding her wings in to protect her body, she slapped her tail into a thick pine to alter her trajectory at the last second and crashed into a shallow stream. The ice exploded as she came to a halt.

"What the fuck was that?" She stood up and shook the water off of her wings. "Emery? Can you hear me?"

There was no answer from the imp. Grumbling, she splashed her way out of the stream. Broken branches littered the forest floor, and she contemplated them for a moment. She frowned, realizing that she had forgotten something.

The phone! Gasping, she ran back to the stream and stumbled in. It took her almost a minute to find Mike's phone beneath the water. It was supposed to be waterproof, but the giant crack on the screen wasn't a good sign.

"Merde!" She tried to power it on, but it was no use. It had broken in the crash, and water was leaking from the case.

Abella stomped out of the stream toward the trees, determined to find Emery. As she walked, her path was blocked by the thick branches of the trees, so she was forced to walk around, calling Emery's name as she went.

"Big sister!" When Emery finally replied, it sounded like he was above her. Abella saw that he had gotten caught up in a thick cluster of branches. His wings were spread wide by forked limbs, and he was upside down.

The tree was thin, so she clobbered it with her tail. The trunk split, and she pushed on it until it crashed to the ground with Emery safely on top. The branches snapped beneath her feet as she made her way to his side and untangled him.

"Was that the barrier?" she asked, referring to the energy that had blocked her flight.

"It was not," Emery replied. "I've visited the barrier many times, but it has never prevented anyone from leaving."

She narrowed her eyes at the imp. "You sure?"

He nodded lamely. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Abella groaned. "I was afraid you would say that. Come, let us walk this time. It will be less traumatic."

They navigated the difficult foliage for almost half an hour before coming to a break in the tree line. It was a short field, maybe a hundred feet across. As she neared the edge, she could feel the distinct tingle caused by passing through the barrier. It wasn't until she was almost through that she felt the air harden and resist her forward movement.

"Interesting." She motioned for Emery to stay back and then shoved her way forward. At first, the air felt like it was stretching in an attempt to hold her in place. However, she made it far enough that the crimson bands of light manifested and wrapped themselves across her body. The magic stank of blood and copper, and she allowed it to push her back in place.

"This is troubling," Emery declared from his place on a rock.

Abella looked at him in exasperation. "You don't say?"

"I...just did say." The imp was fidgeting now. "Perhaps we shouldn't mess with it?"

She debated trying to push her way through, but if it had been able to resist her while flying, it was likely she would do no better down here. Using her feet as giant scoops, she dug through the snow until she found a rock the size of a basketball and hurled it forward. It passed through the boundary without an issue, and the crimson bands failed to appear.

"Targets living creatures, including me." Abella frowned. This was the sort of thing that Yuki needed to see, for it was far outside of her experience. Her kind was largely magic resistant because her body was made of living stone. The fact that the spell recognized her as alive spoke volumes of the caster's skillset.

Looking up at the sky, she wondered how high it went. She beckoned to Emery to follow her and then took off. Once she was above the treeline, she tried to fly out of the boundary at an angle, only to see the crimson bands reappear. Since she was skirting the edges, the pull wasn't as violent this time, allowing her to adjust course and stay aloft.

"Do you suppose it goes all the way around?" she asked Emery. The imp was close enough to land on her shoulder.

"That would be unlikely," he said. "I imagine it would take an incredibly powerful sorcerer to accomplish such a thing, and they would still need time to set it up."

Abella frowned, her thoughts immediately going to the Society and Amir. How had they known they would be here? If they did, it could only mean that someone on the inside had informed them of their trip. If such a thing had taken so long to set up, then the Arachne were the only option. But if that was the case, then why would Velvet let her go last night?

It had to be something else. She needed to stop clinging to the idea that the Arachne were up to something because now it was blinding her to other possibilities. As for the Society's involvement, that didn't make a lick of sense either.

"Let's find out for sure," she said, then climbed even higher. The edge of her wing grazed the barrier, creating an eerie red smear in the air. The visual made it easy for Abella to track its path. The miles passed by beneath her and a feeling of dread settled in her gut. The magical barrier had been placed just outside the boundaries of the land. It had clearly been built long before Eulalie had come for help. Had it even been intended for them, or were they just unlucky?

The sun reached its zenith and then began its descent toward the horizon. Abella had covered almost a hundred miles and failed to find any part of the barrier that would allow her through. The land wasn't perfectly circular, and the boundary had been tailored to fit. Should she keep going all the way around and confirm there was no exit, or would it be better to head back now and let everyone know?

Deciding to err on the side of caution, Abella performed a tight spiral and headed back toward the cabin. If she kept going like this, she wouldn't be home until tomorrow. If something was going to come for them, it would likely come tonight when everyone was sleeping.