If nothing else, she was looking forward to the end of their journey and a good year off duty, though she doubted she would be given that.
The thought got her through the day, and it took that long just to find the village of Abarimon as they seemed to have moved from where Daemon recalled.
They didn't seem to have gone all that far and they came across the village by nightfall.
The Abarimon were not generally that easy to spot, given they looked like perfectly ordinary humans with one difference. Their feet were on backwards.
Regardless of that fact, they were some of the fastest creatures in either world and that was proven when they were suddenly surrounded.
One second, they had been approaching the village and the next they had been stopped by no less than ten spears and Etani was getting more than a little tired of it.
"Can we just cut out the games? I want your magic because this world is going to die if I don't, and I really don't want to keep this up for another month. We have one week, and I'll kill you all if you refuse," she said it all in one breath, suddenly feeling very tired.
The Abarimon seemed more than a little taken aback by her and her speech, but she wanted nothing more than to take a nap. Was it really so hard for her to just have a break? More than just a few hours? For a year? Just a break for one year?
She was ranting to herself, and she forced herself to focus, the male and female couple before her looking like she was a crazy person. But it seemed that her threat was effective, if nothing else.
The spears lowered and they moved away from the trio, whispering softly.
"You know, something dawned on me just now," she said, watching them.
"What's that?" Daemon asked, watching the discussion.
"How lucky we are that there isn't a language barrier," she said, and Daemon snorted.
"Luck has nothing to do with it, unless you count your bad luck. The average Faerie creature can understand all languages, you're one of the few who can't."
She looked up at him, indignant. "Well, that's just not fair," she said moodily.
"You might gain it if you become Queen," Uzo said and she sighed, frustrated by her massive amount of magic, and yet her lack of magic in the areas in which it mattered.
"You'll just have to learn them the hard way," Daemon said and threw his arm around her shoulders.
She elbowed him in the ribs, and he grunted, letting go of her.
She offered him a sweet smile and stepped away from him, the Abarimon turning back to them and approaching.
Etani smiled slightly at the approaching male, and he nodded to her, looking confused and wary but it seemed they had no real reason to doubt her. Or maybe it was that they simply didn't want to run the risk of her being correct and their being the result of her failure.
Whatever the reason, she didn't bother to ask and she was just glad for a chance to have an easy win.
His lips were tender and brief, but not so brief that he forced his magic into her, it was gentle, like the brush of a mother's hand against her cheek
She was eternally glad her feet didn't turn backwards but she felt the burning in her lower muscles from her abdomen down, hardening and strengthening in a way she had never expected. Having never paid any attention to her muscles before, she didn't realise just how much they had to change in order for her to be as fast as she was.
He looked pleased when he parted and she grinned at him, grabbing the man and kissing him hard on the cheek to make him blush.
"Thank you," she breathed, and he nodded.
Her ability to run at such speeds was one of the things she had missed the most, the freedom and power that made her feel like a mythical creature, her ability to fly across the land.
Looking at Daemon, she grinned wickedly, and his eyes immediately narrowed on her.
"Should have held onto her…" Uzo said, and Daemon lunged for her but she was already gone, screaming her pleasure as she flew.
The Abarimon had scattered, and their hoots were loud as she was able to finally run again.
Her legs burned in the best way and she immediately knew that if anyone tried to take that off her again, she would kill them without a second thought.
For over an hour she simply ran, keeping in a relatively close circle around the vampire and demon, but she wasn't about to let them catch her.
Only after she started getting tired did she fly back to them and came to a skidding stop before the two, her hair a wild mess and her skin littered in tiny scratches as she zipped through the underbrush without a care.
"Better?" Uzo asked and she nodded, her smile sheepish as she looked to Daemon.
He looked angry, but not likely to try and tie her down and she took his hand willingly.
"Thank you," she said as she kissed his knuckles and he grunted in disgust.
Uzo only chuckled and took her free hand in both of his, the three stepping through the tear and out into a dense forest.
***
The air was thick and humid, and she sucked in a breath though it seemed to require two breaths to get the same amount she was used to.
Daemon paused to give her and Uzo time to adjust, the Fae seemed to be having the same trouble.
"Lightweights," Daemon sniffed, and she glared at him from her position bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to get in enough air.
"Where are we?" Uzo demanded, his hands on his hips and his head back in an attempt to expand his lungs as much as possible.
"I recall you made friends with one of the jungle tribe cats. Hopefully we can get him to help," Daemon said, and she looked up at him, frowning.
"How do you know that?" she demanded but Uzo was looking guilty.
"That was my fault. We were discussing the war, and I may have mentioned your fans and how angry Epharis got whenever the soldiers paid attention to you."
Sighing, she straightened up, but she still felt starved for oxygen.
"Jagum lives here?" she asked, turning in a slow circle to examine the massive trees and the thick canopy. Staring up, she was still studying the weird cracks that had formed in the canopy, no two trees were actually touching, and it gave the ceiling of leaves a weird, dry earth look that she found fascinating, when the sound of a puff and Uzo yelped.
Looking down, a second puff had Daemon jerking in alarm.
Uzo pulled a dart from his lower back and swore, his voice covering the third puff, but she threw herself backwards, just in case.
"What is it?" she demanded, Uzo lifting the dart to his tongue and then spat it out.
"Sleep toxin," he snarled and turned on the spot.