Vivian nodded in satisfaction. “Now, Eleanor won't be able to use her element to escape.”
I lifted a brow at Slate, who stood beside me in his hulking Gargoyle form. He had shifted before we left Coven Cay, leaving his fancy clothes behind so they wouldn't get ruined. Vivian had supplied him with a leather loincloth—mainly so that the other men wouldn't grumble—and it made him look utterly barbaric. I loved it. In fact, I planned on asking him to wear it around our palace later. Slate grinned at me as if he knew what I was thinking, flashing his thick fangs.
Unlike Slate, Gage hadn't shifted. He needed his human form to wield the sword he'd picked up in Kyanite when we passed through it on the way to Eleanor's island. He'd also taken the opportunity to change into his Griffin armor, which consisted of a lot of hardened leather and bits of steel. Cerberus and Verin had also remained as they were. If we had to enter a building—which was likely—they wouldn't fit. So, they waited to see what we were dealing with first.
So far, all we could see was jungle. We had arrived on the beach—cerulean water behind us, a harsh sun overhead, and wild foliage in front. The Witch Leaders headed into that untamed jungle, each of them with a hand extended before them, sensing for magic. We made it about twenty feet before Odin held up his fist to signal a stop. He flicked out a finger and pointed somewhere above and to the right. I followed his gesture to a camera. It was attached to the trunk of a palm tree, its glassy eye peering down at us and a red light blinking on its black body. Glinda waved a hand and the camera went flying away.
“Eleanor knows we're here,” Vivian concluded. “Everyone prepare yourselves; she'll attack soon.”
Fifteen minutes later, we were still waiting for that attack while we trudged through the humid undergrowth, over all sorts of jungle debris. I was getting a little antsy. There were no buildings in sight and no other signs of life beyond the occasional security camera. I was beginning to think that Eleanor had escaped before the Witch Leaders managed to cast their ward. But then a few of the witches in black started shouting stridently.
We started toward them but someone cried out, “Watch out for toadstools!”
“Fuck me,” Odin snarled and scanned the ground.
“Toadstools?” I asked.
“There's one.” Odin pointed at a large mushroom that looked as if it belonged in a Tim Burton film.
Pale blue with yellow spots over its bulging cap, the mushroom gave me a creepy feeling despite its bright colors. A wave of Odin's hand and the earth opened beneath the magic mushroom and swallowed it whole. Nearby, other witches were performing similar acts of shroom handling. I walked behind Odin, letting him clear the way for us, and my guys followed directly behind me. We came to a circle of witches, all of them staring at something on the ground between them.
“Well, don't just stand there, catch him,” Vivian ordered. “The spell will wear off eventually but we can't let him wander around the island like that.”
“Her, Ma'am,” one of the witches said. “That was Helen.”
“Then catch Helen!” Vivian growled.
I peered around Odin's shoulder and saw a witch launch himself at a large toad.
I gaped at the toad. “Wow, Eleanor went old school.”
“Toadstools do that?” Banning asked as he scanned the ground around us warily.
“When they're enchanted by a witch, they do,” Odin said dryly. “Don't step on one or we'll be chasing after you too.” He turned around and headed back in the direction we'd been heading before the toad incident.
“I thought you guys were on magical alert?” I asked Odin. “How did those toadstools get past you?”
“We can sense magic, not potions anchored in fungus,” Odin snapped.
“All right, no need to get testy about the toadstools.” I scanned the undergrowth for anything weird.
After that, everyone focused their attention on the ground—which was exactly what Eleanor was counting on. Something beeped off to my left. More shouts followed the beeping and then a brilliantly plumed bird flew across my path. It cawed furiously, its tail feathers trailing like ribbons behind it.
“Birds of a Feather,” Glinda noted. “That's a difficult one to master.”
“Excuse me?” Slate asked.
“The potion.” Glinda waved at the retreating bird. “It changes people into birds.”
“There are motion sensors,” a witch reported. “Chris set one off and a pouch full of potion burst above him.”
“Motion sensors on the ground?” Odin asked.
“Attached to the trees. Shoulder height.”
Odin scowled.
“I told you to prepare for this,” Vivian reminded everyone. “Lookeverywherebefore you take a step.”
