What the… My words strangled in my mind.
Surrounded by flagstones, the sprawling tree had so many red leaves it looked like it was bleeding. The ashy bark rounded over knots and boles covering its multiple trunk sections. Roots pushed through the flagstones at its base like you would push pillows around a couch. The tree stood proud, settled in its favorite spot, with a small stream running through the room and… blue sky with sunlight peeking out behind its crown of leaves. It looked like it had everything it needed, including a bevy of people tending to it.
Everyone turned to look at me. For some reason, I forgot this ritual would make me the center of attention, and I immediately tried to use Ward’s bulk as a distraction to find the nearest exit. Too bad our hands were still locked together because when I went to take off, he used my momentum to swing me forward into the room. Ruby and Dane pushed through the throng of druids and the tree shivered behind them. I swallowed hard as the branches moved, straining to get to the woman while the roots grew up between her and her druid.
“Ruby!” Dane, now separated by at least a foot or two of roots, had no way to come to her or any of us.
“Easy, big guy. I assume Dane needs to help,” Ruby said, and the roots fell back into the floor. She turned to Ward. “I hear you get to be my minion while we fix up the bar.”
“When I come back,” Ward said.
Right. On his schedule and on his terms. I knew the uncharitable thought wasn’t fair. If more relics were causing the havoc I saw in the temple, they needed to be stopped. And it wasn’t like I wanted to tag along. I was more of an indoor kid.
“Let’s get started, then.” Ruby clapped her hands, and the discussion stopped. “The Danu Tree has agreed to help—” I bet it did. It was still trying to reach for her, tiny roots caressing her shoes. “—and the wizard gang has a plan. Take the snake girl over there.”
It didn’t look like Ward was going to let go of my hand.
I’ll be fine,I reassured him.
It took a few moments before he moved back, but his eyes never left me.
“Shift,” Dane directed.
Ward nodded like I knew anything about what I was doing and I let my concerns and my skin melt away. The entire room gasped. Shifting bodies rustled throughout the room as the low hum of conversation started.
Do I have something on my tail?I asked Ward.
You’re just a bit large for a snake, mate. You’re beginning to make humans look snack-sized.
Great. I was weird even in a magical land.
“Stand here, Ward,” Ruby directed.
He waited across the stream with arms folded over his broad chest.
Dane walked over to give Ward instructions. A group of druids started chanting, lighting up magic to spread designs all over the floor as the volume of their chant grew. It looked like I was sitting in a neon prism and it took my breath away. The glyphs raced across the stream as the roots of the tree arched and snapped to form something like a door just at the water’s edge.
Keegan and Dane set black candles around the outline of the floor design and one at the apex of the triangle I stood in. The shape formed an arrow pointing toward the tree door. The room’s pressure built, despite the silence following the floor’s decoration.
“Step west, fellow traveler.”
That must be me. I acted like this was perfectly normal and not the start of a cult initiation, and followed the arrows. I waited for more lights or at least an instruction or two, but nothing—only the increasing pressure as I got closer to the door. All those eyes on me were making my scales crawl. I focused on Ward.
Way to give a girl performance anxiety.
Ward barked a laugh into the silence, and a bit of confidence welled in me. What a time to forget he could hear me. His smile propelled me forward, even with it getting hard to breathe. I was almost to the door, my heart racing, and finished it like I read a book - fast and dirty.
My very human foot landed across the stream among a mirror image of the sigils I just slithered through. The rest of my naked but human body followed, and a cheer went up from everyone in the room. Ward’s spell activated, and a giant sheet draped over me, so I didn’t have to guess if they were cheering for my body or the fact I had a human one again. I smiled up at Ward as the assembly whooped and hollered their success. I didn’t feel the least bit snake-like.
“How are we supposed to tell if it work?—”
My back arched into an unwilling line. Another presence scooped me out, using my body like a meat puppet. Rising off the floor, my hair floating to the unthinkable sky, I tried not to scream. The Goddess took hold of my mouth instead.
“You dare to dilute my power with your druid magic?”
Everyone flattened themselves to the floor except Ward.
I saw him through the Goddess’ eyes and felt ‘champion’.
