Page 183 of Sigils & Spells

Minho and I were tall enough that we could just lean in and crawl through, but Alice and Ruby were both short enough that they needed a bit of a boost.

I laced my hands for Alice to use as a stepping stool. She put a hand on my shoulder for balance, and grabbed onto the tree to hoist herself up. But she stopped, and looked at me for a long second.

“Wha-” I asked, but before the word was done, Alice grabbed my face in both hands and kissed me. My heart dropped again, and if it weren’t for her foot already on my laced hands I would have grabbed her face to kiss her back. But before the thought even finished Alice straightened and disappeared into the hollow. Leaving me shaken. My lips felt like they were buzzing.

I stood. I was alone in the forest now. For all the world it looked like I was a lost hiker.

I took a breath, stealing myself. I shook out my arms, and, as if I was about to go swimming, I dove towards the hollow.

* * *

For a millisecond,it really did feel like I’d dove into a pool. I was surrounded by the magic essence I’d seen floating around my friends, and it seemed like I passed through a pool of honey.

I gasped as I came out the other side to blinding sunlight and crisp air.

And then the gasp turned into a scream.

The hollow had only been four feet off the ground, but I popped out the other side a good ten feet, and I plummeted.

I screamed and fell into soft grass with a solid thud that knocked the breath from me.

I wheezed, unable to move. Ruby looked down at me, her hands on her hips breathing hard.

“You okay?”

I wheezed again and put a thumbs up. It didn’t feel like anything was hurt, except for my pride. A few feet away I caught Alice and Minho making their way to their own feet, both breathing hard like they’re breath was just coming back too. Minho winced and rubbed at his shoulder.

I closed my eyes and managed a deep breath that ended as a cough. I took another breath until it felt natural again and levered myself into a sitting position.

Now that I could breathe again, I was finally able to take in my surroundings.

The air was cooler than it was at home, like an autumn crisp that almost made me want a jacket, and it smelled good. The air smelled like… like… I couldn’t place it. Something like flowers or fruit. Something pretty.

We were in a glade, filled with the softest grass I’d ever felt. It felt almost like fur under my hands. Trees taller than any I’d ever seen surrounded us. I could see the hollow I’d fallen from, a good 10 feet off the ground, only on this side it was so much smaller. Ruby was looking up at the hollow too, a look of concern on her round face. He pushed up her glasses and looked around us.

Past the glade, the trees seemed so thick we couldn’t see through them.

From every tree, mushrooms grew on the bark. Lichen and oyster mushrooms and little capped mushrooms I didn’t recognize. The third ones were a pale blue, and seemed to glow. It was like seeing that sparkly aura, but without the hagstone.

The forest sounded exactly how it should. Bugs and birds and the gentle rustle of the wind filled the air, but somehow it also sounded different. Like the birds had a little too much tune in their song, and the incessant trilling of the cicadas had been replaced.

Replaced by what? I couldn’t tell.

If I hadn’t already known we weren’t home, I wasn’t sure how long it would have taken me to figure out. It was almost like being home, but in so many ways it was different. Like being in a dream.

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Alice muttered and offered me her hand. I took it and let the stout girl pull me to my feet.

It felt like I went up too quickly, and I stumbled a little into Alice. She put a hand on my chest to steady me. I blinked.

Ruby was biting the end of her wand thoughtfully, gaze on the gate we’d fallen from. “Speaking of, it looks like we’ll have to find another way back.”

A little lump of dread took up residency in my rib cage, and I bit my lip. “Will that be possible?”

Alice nodded, as if distracted, and pulled the little book out of her pocket again. She opened it, and the little book became a full sized book in her hands.

“Yes, the same spell will work here too.”

Minho came up behind Ruby and put a hand on her shoulder. “Ok, Ruby, which direction?”

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