Page 49 of Prisoner of Darkness and Dreams
“Turns out there’s a lot you don’t know about the magic you hid from me all my life,” Ana says bluntly, refusing to meet Etusca’s gaze.
Pain passes over the dryad’s face, but rather than responding, she focuses again on the fox.
“To win the loyalty of a korigos is a very special thing. If there’s a safe route for us through the Miravow, he will guide us to it.”
We let Dots take the lead as we ride beneath the restless trees, groaning their warnings to us. There’s a distant noise of movement through the forest. Sounds of small scurrying animals rustling in the undergrowth and the chirping of birds scattering from branches. Nothing that seems to present a danger to us—yet. The magic of the Miravow has given rise to a whole host of unusual animals, some of which are incredibly dangerous. I heed my own advice and keep my eyes peeled. More than once, I catch the flicker of movement at the corner of my vision, only to turn and see a tree root lying still and innocent against the mossy earth.
Eventually, the sun’s light fades from the leaves, and the forest is blanketed in purple as dusk falls.
“Were we planning on stopping for the night?” Alastor asks eventually. “Creepy trees or not, I’m afraid I’ll fall off my horse if I don’t sleep soon.”
“We all will,” I say, looking around at the group. The constant watchfulness has worn on them. I can see it written on their faces, especially Ana. She’s had to deal with the reunion with Etusca on top of everything else, and I know—canfeel—how that hasn’t been easy for her.
We find a clearing that comfortably fits us all. One side is formed by the huge roots of a tree bending around to create a kind of hollow. As we’re unrolling our bedding, a canine whine sounds in the gloom.
“Dots?” Ana looks around as the korigos pads over to where she sits on the ground. His tails hang down behind him, and he bends his head to tug at her pack with his teeth.
“He doesn’t want us to stop moving,” Ana says, concerned. “Maybe we should keep going.”
I take in the exhaustion on her face and shake my head. She’s not been sleeping well during our journey, with me having to pull her out of her nightmares most nights.
“He’s right that stopping is dangerous, but so is trying to stay alert on no sleep.” I bend down, taking her hand. “We’ll take watches, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She bites her lip but reaches out to Dots, scratching behind his ears and making soothing noises.
“Settle down, Dots,” she coos, and though the animal lets out another whine, he begins to arrange himself on the ground. Tucking his tails beneath him, he reluctantly lays his head on his paws, watching Ana.
“See?” I say. “If there was any serious danger, he wouldn’t have given in so easily.”
Reassured, Ana climbs onto her bed roll as the group discusses the order for the watch. I agree to take the first hour, and when I’ve finished my time listening to the creak and rustle of the forest, I wake Mal to take over. Then I find a spot beside Ana, breathing in her jasmine scent as I close my eyes and try to sleep. It’s only focusing on that smell, and the soft sigh of her breathing, that I manage to eventually drift off.
I’m woken by a woman screaming.
Ana. That’s the immediate thought that jolts through me, panic flaring. But no—she’s beside me, waking with a gasp at the sound just as I did. The scream mingles with a deep, angry noise, like a lowing beast. I look up to see Tira on her hands and knees at the base of the tree.
The roots have moved, raised up to reveal a dark space beneath the giant trunk. Tira lifts her head, eyes wide with panic. She screams again as she’s jerked backward, toward the gap.
“It’s got her legs!” Mal shouts, spotting the thick root wrapped around her ankles just as I do. It’s like the tree is trying to swallow her up. But no sooner has Mal spoken than a shower of splinters flies past Tira with an explosive crash. She frantically scrambles across the ground, away from the tree, revealing one of the roots lying in smithereens behind her.
“Good work,” Alastor congratulates her on her geostri magic, but another root shoots out from beneath the tree and coils itself around Tira’s waist.
She explodes the wood again, shattering it into a thousand pieces, but flecks of blood splatter across the ground as the splinters catch her stomach.There’s already another root tendril snaking toward her, from a neighboring tree this time.
“Don’t use your sword,” Ana says to me, though the thought had only just flashed through my mind to draw it.
“She’s only making it angrier!” Etusca shouts. She’s right. For every root Tira explodes, there’s another darting toward her, and the branches above us shake and moan with rage.
“Useyourgeostri power,” Ana cries to me. “Move the earth rather than attacking the roots.”
I plunge my power into the rich, dense soil, instantly feeling the vast pulsing network of magic beneath the forest. It’s like every grain of dirt is alive, fizzing with energy.
I part the earth, shifting soil to open a hole beneath the nearest tree, drawing the dirt away from its roots. I do the same to the others, and the response is immediate. The roots trying to claim Tira stop, retreating from the pit I’m creating just as Tira starts to sink into it.
“Grab onto one!” I instruct her, and Tira leaps on a fleeing root, using it to pull her out of the pit, where the others wait to grab her. As soon as she’s free, I release my hold on the earth, letting it move back together. The trees, clearly startled by the sudden shift of the ground beneath them, bury their roots deep into the earth defensively. They continue to creak angrily, but their bases go still.
“Fela estwe ralim costatius,” Etusca mutters frantically beneath her breath, approaching the nearest tree to lay her hands upon it. “Salva em prolea, prolea de.”
“She’s praying,” Ana explains as she goes to Tira, checking her friend’s injuries. “She’s trying to calm them.”
