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The path had disappeared, and I prayed to any deities listening that we hadn’t made a huge mistake.
Continuing on in silence, we moved as quickly as possible through the dense plants. We didn’t know where we were going, but with luck, the stag would reveal himself soon.
Goosebumps crawled across my skin, and a chill seeped into my bones. The temperature hadn’t changed, but something around us sure had.
We were being watched.
16
MONDAY AFTERNOON
My heart thundered against my ribs, and I glanced around the trees as discreetly as possible.
“Do you feel that?” I whispered to Ivan.
Beneath nearly translucent eyelashes, his eyes were narrowed like mine. He gave a clipped nod without taking his gaze off the trees. “I can’t figure out where it’s coming from.”
Ahead of us, Thane stopped, and his shoulders stiffened. Lena growled beside him and took a defensive stance.
Oh shit.
“What’s going on?” asked Angela’s high-pitched voice behind me.
Brushing off Ivan’s attempt to keep me back, I pushed through the snagging branches to stand by Thane. My eyes widened, not sure what I was seeing. Ahead of us, the trees were moving. Like, on their own.
Rumbling and cracking sounds spread through the air as the trees tugged their roots from the ground, upheaving dirt clumps and the distinct scent of wet earth. Bark crumbled from their trunks, and eyes blinked open, staring straight at us.
Their intense gazes didn’t appear pleased, and a menacing presence pressed in around our group. More noises erupted behind me, and I whirled to find more trees uprooting themselves and closing in.
Surrounding us.
I raised my empty, though slightly shaky, hand. We trespassed on their turf. “We’re here to see the Keeper of the Forest and mean you no harm.”
I didn’t think it was possible, but a few trees growled. Then again, I never thought trees could grow eyes, and look how wrong I’d been about that.
“Only the worthy shall pass,” a ghostly voice whispered through the leaves.
No tree had formed a mouth, so I had no idea who had spoken.
It was also the only warning we got.
The trees charged forward, moving much faster than I would have expected for something having roots for legs, and snapped their branches toward us like whips.
Instinct kicked in, and flames whooshed across my body and limbs as I drew a knife. The branches closest to me jerked back, and Ivan and Lena also called forth their fires. The three of us formed a protective triangle around the others.
“What do we do?” I asked no one in particular as I deflected a daring branch with my blade. We were all out of our elements in this situation.
“Leave this to me,” Kit answered, her eyes taking on a green glow as she raised her palms to the sky. The moss-covered ground rumbled and burst as vines shot out beneath the attacking trees and wrapped around their branches.
The trees groaned and heaved, trying to break the vines’ hold. A few snapped, but Kit called more from the ground, overwhelming the trees.
When she’d contained the last, Kit closed her fists, her eyes darkening as she focused on our attackers. The vines tightened as she closed her hands, and an inhuman squealing emitted from the trees.
I rotated in a slow circle, prepared for another surprise attack.
Her face stricken, Angela grabbed Kit’s arm. “Stop! You’re hurting them!”
Kit blinked and shook her head as if waking from a trance. She flattened her palms toward the ground, and the vines loosened enough to stop the squeal while still containing the trees.
