“Does that mean you’re not coming with us?”
“I do not think it would be wise. The whispers in the roots feel like a warning. They sing of weakness, and darkness, and some sort of unnatural tampering.”
The lump in Sophie’s throat made it hard to whisper, “The plague.”
“It’s possible,” Calla agreed. “That’s why I need you. The plague only harms plant life, and plant-related things. You and Biana will be able to search the forest safely.”
Assuming there were no ogres running around infecting the trees. . . .
Biana must’ve shared Sophie’s worry because she leaned closer and whispered, “I’m guessing you aren’t carrying a melder?”
“I wish. But I have my Sucker Punch. And Dex’s panic switch. And I can inflict. And you can turn invisible.”
“I also brought you these.” Calla pressed a cool, smooth crystal into each of their palms. “They’ll leap you to a forest in the Forbidden Cities, should you need to make a quick getaway. I will find you there and return you to Alluveterre.”
Sophie squeezed the crystal, trying to convince herself it would be enough. All they’d need is a few seconds and a beam of light and they’d be far away from any danger—they could do this!
The pep talk didn’t ease her nerves nearly as much as she wanted. Especially when the roots screeched to a stop.
Calla hummed a new song and the soil parted above them, letting light stream into the tunnel, burning their eyes like laser beams.
“The roots say to follow the sun,” Calla whispered.
“And you don’t have any idea what we’re looking for?” Biana asked.
Calla shook her head. “But I suspect you’ll know it when you see it. I’ll leave the tunnel open so it’s easier to find when you return.”
Sophie nodded, tucking her crystal into her easiest to reach pocket. Biana did the same and latched onto Sophie’s hand with a death grip as they climbed the slippery soil wall and emerged into the forest.
The scene looked normal enough—mossy trees, overgrown paths, an abundance of green and brown. But something felt wrong.
Sophie tried to tell herself it was only her paranoia, but she still scooted closer to Biana as they shoved through the ferns and bushes.
“Bet you’re wishing you hadn’t gotten up to spy on me, huh?” Sophie whispered.
“Actually, I was already awake.” Biana twisted her hair into a fancy knot to keep it from blowing in the damp wind. “It’s hard sleeping in a strange bed.”
An earth-shaking ROAR! drowned out Sophie’s reply.
“What was that?” Sophie glanced over her shoulder, sure she’d spot some sort of hungry beast come to devour them.
Biana pointed to a high branch, where a black parrot-size bird watched over them with glittering dark eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s just a boobrie.”
“That’s seriously its name?”
“Yup. You should hear the jokes Fitz and Keefe make.”
The bird’s head was crowned with a yellow feather Mohawk, but its most distinct feature was its long, curled eyelashes. It looked like it should be doing a mascara commercial as it batted its eyes and let out another ROAR!
That was when Sophie realized what was wrong with the forest.
It didn’t rustle.
Or crackle.
Or make any of the sounds trees normally made.
Other than the roaring boobrie, the whole place seemed to be holding its breath.
“Come on,” Sophie said, checking the sky to make sure they were heading in the right direction. “We shouldn’t spend too much time here.”
They doubled their pace, chasing the sun as it curved across the horizon. Sophie tried to make a mental note of each place they rerouted around rocks or streams or overgrown patches, but she wished she had something to mark their trail.
“How much farther do you think we should walk?” Biana whispered when they stopped to catch their breath.
“How about we count to one thousand, and if we still haven’t found anything, we double back on a different path?”
They counted every footfall, and at step seven hundred and ten, they curved around another rocky outcropping and froze.
“What is that?” Sophie breathed, pointing ahead to a small thicket, where one of the trees was shrouded under a dome of pure white light.
“It looks like some sort of force field,” Biana whispered.
Sophie grabbed a small stone and flung it at the tree. As soon as it touched the force field, white lightning flashed, and the stone ricocheted toward her head at ten times the speed. She barely managed to duck before it streaked past, embedding in a nearby trunk.
“I don’t get it,” Biana whispered, pulling Sophie behind the rocks to hide. “Why would anyone shield a tree?”
Sophie had a theory—and it wasn’t good news. “I need to get a closer look.”
Biana grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Do you think it’s safe?”