I waved to my pack and their half-done fortress. “That’s what we’re working on now. Sorry to bring it to your lands, but we needed to hide from the phoenix, and your energy is so strong here that it’ll hopefully be enough to confuse her pursuit of us.”

There was a beat of silence, and then they all sprang into action, ducking and diving back into the foliage. I blinked in shock, wondering what had spooked them.

“She approaches,” one hissed from nearby. “We must protect the barrier.”

I felt her then, a moment after they had. Dannie, moving on swift winds, was tracking us the old-fashioned way. By literally following the magic trail of Shadow’s jumps.

Spinning, I hurried to Shadow and the others, prepared to fight her if it gave them the time they needed to finish. I wasn’t on my own, though, Inky lowering to be at my side, puffing out as sparks flashed through its center. The locals hadn’t abandoned us, either, reappearing with silver stones in their hands, which they held above their heads and started to chant. Their words were loud and fast, and I felt the power they were calling.

A cloak of energy drifted down over all of us. I shot a quick glance at my pack and the fortress, and I blinked at what the locals had done. My friends were camouflaged, taking on the form and appearance of the foliage around us. A quick glance at my arm told me I was rocking the same forest-color palette.

Holy shit. They had hidden us using the magic that protected their island.

The locals were helping us stand against Dannie, and I sent out a quick prayer that we’d have enough time for the final strands of the fortress to be complete.

It was our only chance; Dannie wouldn’t allow us to escape again.

46

The circle of camouflage pushed us closer together until I was basically standing at Shadow’s back. Inky drifted up above us one more time, adding its own protections, layering what the locals had started.

I wanted to shout my thanks to them, not to mention hug them all, but with Dannie closing in, my sole focus was on not drawing any attention our way. Tamping down my energy was number one, followed by shutting the hell up.

Dannie would find Shadow and me easier than any others, and while Shadow couldn’t do much to hide himself, still painstakingly threading energy through the fortress of binding power, I could make myself as close to human as possible.