Page 40 of Eternal Thorns

The Elder Willow stepped forward, her power pushing back the encroaching darkness. “Which is precisely why someone must take the first risk. Must choose trust over suspicion, possibility over fear.”

“And you think that someone should be me?” Frost crackled through Thorne's voice. “After everything that happened?”

“Because of everything that happened,” she corrected. “Who better to break the cycle than the one who helped create it?”

In that moment, Thorne recognized the truth he'd been avoiding: there was no safe path forward. Every choice carried risk. The only question was whether he'd let fear of repeating the past prevent any chance of a different future.

“Well,” he said finally, his form stabilizing as resolve crystallized within him, “I suppose it's time to see if an old guardian can learn new tricks.”

14

FIRST STEPS

“Okay, that's definitely not normal,” Kai said, pausing in his methodical packing to watch the magical display. “The paths keep changing every time your magical necklace does its glowy thing.”

Silas leaned closer to the map, fascinated by how the routes transformed. “I don't think they're changing so much as revealing different layers. Look at this.” He lifted the key from his chest, holding it at different angles over the parchment. The paths shifted accordingly, some brightening while others faded. “It's like they're responding to intention.”

“Great. Magical paths with attitude.” Kai returned to sorting through the witch's supplied herbs, his familiar sarcasm barely masking genuine concern. “Because regular paths through a potentially hostile magical forest weren't challenging enough.”

The key pulsed again, stronger this time, drawing Silas's attention to a particular route. Unlike the others that showed clear physical landmarks, this path seemed to follow currents of magic itself - flowing between points of power like water finding its level.

“I think I understand,” he murmured, more to himself than Kai. “The map isn't just showing us how to get through the forest. It's showing us different ways of approaching it. Look.” He gestured to where multiple paths converged near an ancient oak. “This route follows the safest physical path, but this one” His finger traced a more meandering line. “This one follows lines of magical resonance.”

“And that matters because?”

“Because whichever path I choose will tell Thorne something about how I view the forest.” Silas sat back, mind racing with implications. “Taking the safest route suggests caution, maybe even fear. Following the magical currents shows trust in the forest's nature.”

Kai paused in examining a particularly ornate compass. “You're thinking like them. The forest spirits, I mean. Starting to see things from their perspective.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. Just unexpected.” Kai held up the compass, which pointed steadily toward the Eldergrove regardless of how he turned it. “Like this thing. Agnes said it follows forest magic rather than magnetic north. But you figured out how to use it instantly, like you already knew how it worked.”

“It feels natural,” he admitted. “Like remembering something I always knew but had forgotten. The way the magic moves, how it wants to be worked with rather than commanded.”

“Yeah, that's not creepy at all.” But Kai's tone held more wonder than worry. “You're different since that dream. Not in a bad way, just…”

“More attuned?” Silas suggested. The word felt right, describing how forest magic now sang at the edges of his awareness.

“I was going to say 'more magical and slightly terrifying,' but sure, let's go with attuned.” Kai tossed him a small bag of protective crystals. “Just try not to get so attuned you forget some of us are still normal humans who'd prefer not to be turned into trees.”

Silas caught the bag, noting how the crystals hummed against his palm. Another thing that should have felt alien but instead seemed perfectly natural.

Turning back to the map, he studied the various paths with new perspective. Each route now told a story. Others traced paths of power that predated the separation between realms.

“This one,” he said finally, indicating a route that balanced practical necessity with magical harmony.

“You're really doing this, aren't you?” Kai's voice had gone quiet. “Walking straight into their territory, trusting that your shiny necklace and newfound magical understanding will keep you alive.”

“Not trusting the key.” Silas touched the warm metal through his shirt. “Trusting what it represents. What Thornhaven was meant to be - not a barrier between worlds but a bridge.”

Kai rolled his eyes at him but was still smiling.

“Besides,” he added, trying to lighten the mood, “you'll be there to make sure I don't do anything too stupidly heroic.”

“Oh sure, throw responsibility for your continued survival on me.” But Kai was smiling now, the tension broken. “Just remember what Agnes said about the herbs. Sunleaf for clarity, moonvine for protection, and-”

“Thornroot only in absolute emergencies,” Silas finished. “I remember.”

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