Her fingers twitched with the desire to try again. Not to control it, but to touch the pulsing strands. To wrap it around her like the coat.
In some ways, the energy reminded her of the threads of the portal that Phoenix had created. Those strands had been different, alive like the energy here. That was why she couldn’t control them.
She needed time to understand the differences, but she was still afraid.
What if I can’t touch it here? What if I’ve lost the ability to control it?
“Everything will be alright. I’ll teach you.”
Alice swallowed and nodded. Geoff watched her with quiet curiosity as the threads flickered between his fingers.
“What if I can’t?—”
He gently squeezed her hand. “The magic here is your ‘energy’. Just… tuned differently.”
Geoff’s fingers moved through the threads of magic like an artist guiding brushstrokes. Alice nodded slowly, her breath trembling.
For the first time since falling through the portal, she didn’t feel quite so lost. She glanced toward the tree’s wall, the glow of the fire casting moving shadows across it. Somewhere, out there, her friends were facing their own challenges. She hoped they had found someone to help them like she had. Hugging the coat closer, she sent a silent wish that they were safe.
The faint scent of roasted nuts and wood smoke greeted Alice as she stirred the next morning. She blinked at the dappled light filtering through the narrow opening in Elder Oak’s trunk. For a moment, she lay still, disoriented by the strangeness of waking inside a tree. Then her eyes widened.
Geoff was gone.
She sat up quickly, heart thudding—until she spotted his satchel leaning against the far wall and the fire sticks still glowing with their soft, steady light. The warmth of his coat wrapped around her. His woodsy scent mixed with the early morning breeze cutting through the opening.
Relief washed over her, and her lips curved into a small smile when she saw the leaf platter near the fire: three golden pieces of fruit with pale blushes on their skin and another of the delicious cracked nuts they had shared last night.
He left me breakfast.
She slid into the coat, hugging it around her shoulders like armor, and stepped cautiously out of the tree’s open side. The morning air was cool and damp, kissed with the sweet scent of moss and flowers. The forest shimmered with the aftereffects of last night’s rain. She took a tentative breath and looked around.
Geoff was nowhere in sight.
Then, from behind a low copse of ferns, he suddenly appeared—grinning, his brown hair tousled and his eyes bright with early mischief.
Alice jumped, then laughed softly, her cheeks flushing.
“Morning,” he said cheerfully. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me. Much.”
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, only tilting his head. “If you’re looking to clean up, there’s a stream about a hundred yards that way,” he said, pointing toward a narrow path between two gnarled trees. “Just follow the moss—it glows a little in the shade.”
Alice hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Thanks. I… kind of need to, um, freshen up.”
Geoff lifted the small fish he held by the tail. “Take your time. I’ll add this to our breakfast menu.”
Alice turned quickly, biting her lip to hide her smile. She was bemused—more by herself than him. She was a Curizan princess. She had trained in martial arts, quantum harmonics, and political debate. She could command a warship. And yet, here she was—blushing over a boy who could light fires with a whisper.
She followed the trail, ducking beneath a low branch. True to his word, the moss glowed faintly green where the light couldn’t reach, guiding her to a gentle brook that danced over smooth stones. The water sparkled in the morning light.
She glanced around warily.
“Okay… any talking trees nearby, please avert your eyes.”
The only answer was the chirp of birds and the soft rustle of leaves.
She did her business behind a thicket, then crouched at the stream’s edge to wash her face and hands. The cold water shocked her skin awake, and she sighed with pleasure. She caught sight of her reflection and winced. Her hair was a tangled mess.
