The League of Illusion: Destiny by Vivi Anna

his fingers would’ve pierced her flesh. He poured the contents into her mouth and then plugged her nose. She couldn’t spit it out but had to swallow if she wanted to take in any air.
    He released her nose and pushed her away. The other elf let her go. She fell to her knees, shoved her fingers down her throat and tried to retch.
    “That won’t help you,” Acari said as he loomed over her. “It will do much worse coming back up. Besides that, the Brahmi has already entered your system. You’ll be telling us everything we need to know in less than thirty minutes.”
    Drea had never heard of Brahmi but she could definitely taste the mushrooms in the tincture. By the way she was already sweating she figured it was aminita muscaria now poisoning her system. It wouldn’t be long before the hallucinations started.
    She sprang to her feet and ran into the trees. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the elves weren’t giving chase. They didn’t have to. She’d turn into a paranoid blubbering mess soon enough and they could just pick up the pieces. But she still ran. She didn’t want to make it any easier for them. And any delay in their travel meant more time for Sebastian to find her.
    As she ran, her limbs started to feel like noodles. All flimsy and wobbly. It felt as if there were no bones in her arms or legs. She stumbled forward and tripped over a rotting log. She tried to stand but found her legs ineffectual, so she crawled forward, dragging her right leg. There had to be something she could do to inhibit the drugs coursing through her. A plant she could eat to counteract the effects.
    She scrambled ahead, searching the plants and bushes for something she recognized. Names of her herbs that grew wild raced through her mind, searching for one that could be beneficial. Yarrow. She spotted it to her right. It was an all-purpose herb that helped maladies of the head, heart and stomach, and even had a calming affect. Maybe it could help stagnate the increasing effects of the mushrooms and Brahmi. It was at least worth a try.
    She dragged herself toward the plant, her arms barely able to support her weight. She reached for the white flowers, tore them off their stems and shoved them in her mouth. But she didn’t get a chance to chew before she fell onto her stomach on the hard ground. The flowers fell out of her mouth.
    It made her belly hurt but that made her laugh for some reason. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the trees gazing down at her. One tree was reaching for her with its bony stick fingers.
    “Don’t touch me, stupid tree.”
    There were footfalls next to her and she looked over to her left to see a man gazing down at her. He had short dark hair and was dressed quite gentlemanlike. Maybe he was going to a wedding. She liked weddings. Maybe he’d take her with him.
    She smiled at him and lifted one noodle arm toward him. “Are you here to help me?”
    He smiled and it made her stomach hurt even more.
    “Oh my dear, of course not.”

Chapter Sixteen
    “Are you going to scry in the flames?” Skylar asked Sebastian as he touched the pile of wood and it burst into flames.
    “Yes, that’s the idea.”
    “Do you have something of hers to use as a focus?”
    “No, but she has something of mine.” He sat cross-legged in front of the fire.
    His brothers stood behind him. Miss Stratton as well. Claude stood off to the side, obviously uncomfortable with what was about to take place. Skylar had settled in beside him, apparently fascinated with what he was about to do. She was the only other person here, as far as he knew, who could scry. It was not a normal ability that sorcerers possessed. He imagined Skylar had learned it during her many years in Druid tracker school.
    “Skylar, my love,” Jovan said, “maybe you should leave him to it. You don’t want to be in the way.”
    “I’m not in the way, am I Sebastian?”
    “No.”
    “You see?” She gave Jovan a look. “Now, I’ve never