Page 127 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

Nola followed Cassia on the narrow path leading to the Whispering Woodlands. As her feet dug into the grainy sand under her boots, the earth trembled, stopping her from moving.

“They know what you are, Nola,” the queen said. “Though they do not welcome strangers, they will allow you to pass today.”

“Who does not welcome me?” Nola asked.

“The forest,” she answered. “It is as alive as we are, and it hasn’t been happy lately, for the giant had been destroying it; we hadn’t been doing much about it up until now. Hopefully, that has changed in our favor.”

Nola looked up with the queen at the tall trees that grew close to one another, blocking out the sky.

“We need to stay on the path,” Cassia said, “...and don’t touch the lilacs. They may be beautiful to the eye, but the forest won’t be too keen on a siren tainting their land.”

Tainting?Nola repeated the queen’s words in her mind.

“Am I that repulsive to everyone?” she asked.

“Not everyone,” the queen said, then stepped deeper into the path, instructing Nola to follow closely behind.

Was the queen implying the forest has an intelligence of its own?She asked herself. Great. What could go wrong?

As they moved through the shrubs, a gentle whisper tickled against her skin. It sounded as if someone was standing right behind her, nuzzling up to her ear. Nola turned around, but no one was there. She could almost sense a spirit brushing up against her, grabbing her attention but not ready to reveal itself.

The siren heard a soft chuckle from the queen. “Ignore them.”

“The trees?” Nola looked up again, and all she saw were branches connecting like interlinked arms covered in bright green leaves.

“Yes, Nola. Just stay on the path, and we’ll be fine.”

The trail was surrounded by lush greenery and delicate flowers covering each branch. It was a narrow and long path. Being exposed from behind made the siren feel unsafe. Any creature in the Woodlands could come up behind her at any moment.

A mild gust swooped through the trees. Nola placed her hand over her nose. “What is that rancid smell?” she asked once they reached a fork in the path. The scent spun her head as if she were in a daze. Then, Nola looked ahead, watching the queen turn left at the fork.

“That would be the trolls. But do not worry, they will only try to eat you if you walk onto their land,” Cassia explained. “Stay on the trail.”

Bile rose to her throat as it was becoming harder to breathe. “It’s awful,” Nola said. “It’s making me ill.”

“Yes, a troll’s manure has been used as a weapon before to ward off their enemies. Try to breathe through your mouth.”

Nola continued to follow the queen until she stopped abruptly and looked around as if she were lost.

“Oh, dear,” the queen said, “not now,” and rolled her silvery eyes as she turned to face the siren, clearly worried by the situation.

“The trees are playing tricks on us. They really aren’t fond of you being here.”

“What now?” Nola asked. When the question left her lips, she looked up as the trees swayed, the ground trembled, and the bushes along the path shifted, moving the trail in a different direction.

A rush of adrenaline moved quickly through her body. “Are they—?”

“They’re trying to get us lost. That’s what they are doing,” the queen said, irritated. “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been on this land; if I don’t stay on the path, I won’t be able to guide us back.”

But the path is different now, Nola thought. It looks nothing like it did before.

“And if we get off the path to find our way, then the trolls—” Nola said.

“Then they will eat us,” the queen finished in a sinister tone. “Don’t think because you’re a siren, you can get us out of this, Nola,” Cassia said. “The trolls from this land are resistant to your powers; they are deaf and blind. They will find us by tracking our scent or the vibration of our movements.”

Nola’s heartbeat picked up wildly, making her dizzy again. She was being hunted by a creature she had only read about in fairy tales. There was no weapon for her to defend herself, nor did she know what she was up against.

Why would the queen take me on a walk in such a dangerous place?Nola wondered.

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