Logan’s map was wrong or exaggerated. They were still high enough that they couldn’t make out details of the landscape below, but the general layout, green land and blue water and so on could still be discerned.
“Where exactly are we heading?” Tryst sounded like he could already guess, but needed confirmation. Kyle wanted to know as well. The ground below looked like it would be challenging at the best of times, let alone under a tight timeframe.
Logan glanced out of the window briefly before standing up and heading to Tryst’s chair, leaning over the leopard to point out of that window instead. “We have to land there on the outer part of the city because there are no other secured areas to do it where we wouldn’t be detected and probably arrested or end up victim to one of mother’s traps. The swampy area there, next to the beige stretch of land is the first part we need to get through. Mother spelled everywhere around her home for miles and miles so she’d never be caught vulnerable.”
Logan paused, letting them all soak that in and Kyle stared at the area Logan had described. “A few people have tried to get to her before now. No one made it through the swamp.”
“How can she spell a desert, swamp and jungle next to the city without anyone noticing?” Mack’s nose scrunched up. Leopard shifters weren’t fond of deserts.
“You grease the right people’s palms and you can get away with anything. I think the mayor is blaming it on global warming.” Logan frowned and pointed out another part that was coming into view as the plane ducked lower in its descent.
“And that’s the river with all sorts of magic nasties waiting in there. I remember one time a salesman somehow got through when she was renewing the wards and the magic was thin—it’s amazing what those guys will do for a commission—she fed him to her pet scaly monster. After that, she made a jungle of black trees and plants that sprout up out of the ground. It moves. Then there’s the river...at least I think it’s a river. It has a current, but it doesn’t go anywhere, only around the property.”
Kyle’s brain had reached overload point. This was getting more impossible the more informed they were. “Wait a minute. Your mother has a moat?”
Logan shrugged as if that was even remotely normal when Kyle glanced at the wolf. “What can I say, she likes the classics.”
Kyle looked out of the window. He could just about make out the cluster of dark tall jungle that Logan stated Katrianna’s house resided. Like Logan described, there was a ring of dark water surrounding a thick layer of dark, dangerous looking forest. Katrianna’s house was in there.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
There was no way they’d be able to get through all that and defeat Katrianna before the spell killed Jay.
“I never said this was going to be easy,” Logan told them darkly.
“Fuck easy, I was just hoping for possible,” Tryst spat, face pressed against the small aeroplane window.
The landing wheels finally touched down and Kyle watched with cool detachment as Merrick drove them into a hangar and parked the plane. The journey to even get to Katrianna was going to be much harder than he’d anticipated. But he wasn’t turning back.
This was his only hope of getting Jay back so any obstacle was either going to get out of his way or be mowed down and left trampled in his wake.
Mack and Logan were filling Rogo in on the area. The black lion shifter must have come out of the cockpit when they landed, no longer being needed to serve as a co-pilot. Mack was being his usual smartass self, joking that this was one of those medieval quests that turn into a great literary classic because everyone dies at the end.
Kyle didn’t find it funny this time. It was too close to the bone.
“If you don’t want to come, stay here,” he said harshly, getting up and grabbing one of the backpacks of provisions that had been in the truck with
“Where exactly are we heading?” Tryst sounded like he could already guess, but needed confirmation. Kyle wanted to know as well. The ground below looked like it would be challenging at the best of times, let alone under a tight timeframe.
Logan glanced out of the window briefly before standing up and heading to Tryst’s chair, leaning over the leopard to point out of that window instead. “We have to land there on the outer part of the city because there are no other secured areas to do it where we wouldn’t be detected and probably arrested or end up victim to one of mother’s traps. The swampy area there, next to the beige stretch of land is the first part we need to get through. Mother spelled everywhere around her home for miles and miles so she’d never be caught vulnerable.”
Logan paused, letting them all soak that in and Kyle stared at the area Logan had described. “A few people have tried to get to her before now. No one made it through the swamp.”
“How can she spell a desert, swamp and jungle next to the city without anyone noticing?” Mack’s nose scrunched up. Leopard shifters weren’t fond of deserts.
“You grease the right people’s palms and you can get away with anything. I think the mayor is blaming it on global warming.” Logan frowned and pointed out another part that was coming into view as the plane ducked lower in its descent.
“And that’s the river with all sorts of magic nasties waiting in there. I remember one time a salesman somehow got through when she was renewing the wards and the magic was thin—it’s amazing what those guys will do for a commission—she fed him to her pet scaly monster. After that, she made a jungle of black trees and plants that sprout up out of the ground. It moves. Then there’s the river...at least I think it’s a river. It has a current, but it doesn’t go anywhere, only around the property.”
Kyle’s brain had reached overload point. This was getting more impossible the more informed they were. “Wait a minute. Your mother has a moat?”
Logan shrugged as if that was even remotely normal when Kyle glanced at the wolf. “What can I say, she likes the classics.”
Kyle looked out of the window. He could just about make out the cluster of dark tall jungle that Logan stated Katrianna’s house resided. Like Logan described, there was a ring of dark water surrounding a thick layer of dark, dangerous looking forest. Katrianna’s house was in there.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
There was no way they’d be able to get through all that and defeat Katrianna before the spell killed Jay.
“I never said this was going to be easy,” Logan told them darkly.
“Fuck easy, I was just hoping for possible,” Tryst spat, face pressed against the small aeroplane window.
The landing wheels finally touched down and Kyle watched with cool detachment as Merrick drove them into a hangar and parked the plane. The journey to even get to Katrianna was going to be much harder than he’d anticipated. But he wasn’t turning back.
This was his only hope of getting Jay back so any obstacle was either going to get out of his way or be mowed down and left trampled in his wake.
Mack and Logan were filling Rogo in on the area. The black lion shifter must have come out of the cockpit when they landed, no longer being needed to serve as a co-pilot. Mack was being his usual smartass self, joking that this was one of those medieval quests that turn into a great literary classic because everyone dies at the end.
Kyle didn’t find it funny this time. It was too close to the bone.
“If you don’t want to come, stay here,” he said harshly, getting up and grabbing one of the backpacks of provisions that had been in the truck with
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