Mal stepped through the mist into bright dawn light. She wasn’t all that surprised to find Tazho sitting cross-legged between the sprawling roots of a great tree, its massive limbs angling outward and up like great candelabra. A large animal that looked something like a wolverine crossed with a grizzly and a lion, snuggled half on his lap, the rest of its body humped over a massive tree root. Tazho scratched its jaw as it rumbled with delight.
Mal approached, stopping a short distance away.
“Hello.”
He flashed a bright smile. “Hello.”
“Are you expecting me?”
“Yes.”
Her brows drew together, more in wonder than confusion. “How?”
“The winds and water of the wildwood travel far,” was his only reply, as if that made sense.
Maybe it did. Maybe she was just too stupid to see it. Or tired, not to mention starving.
“You bring others.”
She nodded. “They are… outsiders. They’ve been made different and now have no home and no people. They don’t know who they are or who they will be. They are seeds of something new.” Kind of like the creatures made by the glitter bombs. “I think the wildwood might be their only chance.”
His expression turned unexpectedly sober. “They may find their way, but it may not be one they like. Some get more lost.”
“It’s a chance. If you will give them permission to enter.”
He scooted out from under the sleeping beast and stood with lithe grace. “They are welcome. It is not a soft place.”
“They are not soft people.”
He walked to the threshold, holding out a hand. “I invite you to visit. I will show you my realm.”
She didn’t think he made such offers often. Mal put her hand in his. His skin was dry and warm, and his energy felt nurturing and joyfully wild, like seeds exploding with life in the spring. “I’d like that.”
He nodded and let go of her hand. The mist blanketing the entry vanished. Outside, the group of cursed female giants waited in silence, a mantle of loss and despair weighting them. The ghosts stood beside them as if to share their pain.
The giants watched Tazho without any real hope. They’d lost over and over, and now they couldn’t pretend anymore. They had to admit that they’d never regain what they’d had.
Talk about depressing. Mal sighed. All of this had been preventable. Talk about screwed up.
The forest lord gestured wide, inviting them inside. “Welcome to the wildwood, my friends. All beings are free here. Enter if you desire.”
With only a slight hesitation, the female giant Mal had first spoken to stepped through. She bowed to Tazho and nodded to Mal, one hand pressed over her heart. Then, in one shimmering movement, she shifted and leaped into the air, taking flight.
One by one, the rest of the cursed female giants followed suit. The last one paused after her bow, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as if it were her first. She looked at Mal.
“I am Miesh, sister to Yibal. I would be pleased to call you friend.” She didn’t wait for an answer but launched into flight.
Tazho bounded away a moment later without another word. Mal shook her head and stepped back out of the wood. She returned up the path to find Law and So’la waiting for her.
“Interesting idea,” Law said.
“At least it gave them somewhere to go. Maybe they’ll break the curse. Maybe they’ll find a life worth living. Did you get the others taken care of?”
So’la gave a slow, unpleasant smile. “The giants have seen the error of their ways and have all departed, never to return. They will not be welcome in this or any other auberge again.”
“Ever?”
“Ever,” Law said, voice rock hard.
