The respect and reverence in his voice, the glow the Galinta still shared with him, it was all very mystical and incredibly emotional to experience. Something inside my tight chest, where the darkness was hovering, waiting to pounce, eased. We were insignificant to these beings, but at the same time, being near them made me feel like I was more, that I could strive further and reach new heights.
Marsil and Star moved forward. “We need to cross into your land now,” Marsil told Chase. “It’s not safe for us to linger out in the open like this.”
Chase turned to the tree and placed his other hand onto it. “We ask for safe passage to the village ofCharwin.”
There was a moment’s pause, then a rumble jolted me. At first I thought the platform was shaking, but it turned out to be the trees – Galinta – in front of us. They vibrated hard and fast, leaves drifting down. I fought against the urge to pick one up and see how it felt. Magic trees might possibly be the coolest thing I had seen in Overworld to date.
When I finally lowered my head from watching the leaves fall from above, I choked on my next breath.What in the…?Right in front of me was a large rounded pathway through the canopy.
The branches and boughs had shifted and bent themselves to form the path, which was level with the platform we were on. It was like those wooden bridges that hang over gorges, the ones with the planks and small gaps between each board. The boards in this case were tree branches, so we’d have to watch our steps, but it looked relatively safe.
“Well,” I said with a breathy gasp, “no wonder they think we’ll be safe from Laous here. No one gets in without the blessing of the trees.”
“Exactly.” Star clapped her hands. “I love this land. We only ever came here a few times when I was a child. But it was so much fun. Their houses are built—”
“No spoilers,” Marsil cut her off. “Let them discover it.”
She shut her mouth, a chuckle escaping from between her tightly-pressed lips. Emma and I exchanged a look, and I wondered if I looked as excited as she did. I certainly felt an unusual level of anticipation. I wondered if this was what it was like to be a kid at Christmas. You know, for people who didn’t have a mother like mine. She had refused to celebrate the holiday, calling it a waste of time and money.
“You okay?” Emma asked.
She must have caught my scowl. “Just thinking about my mom,” I admitted. “She’s been on my mind a lot.”
“Do you think she’s actually dead?” Emma’s voice was laced with new pain, and I knew this would be reminding her of the death of her own family.
I kind of nodded and shook my head, before letting it fall to rest on my chest. “Honestly, I don’t know. The part that worries me the most is that I’m upset, but … also okay. I think there might be something wrong with me.”
Like I was a sociopath masquerading as a normal person.
Emma grabbed my hand. Star, who had been listening in from the side, took my other hand. “From the little I know, your mom treated you terribly,” Emma said fiercely. “You might think you have to grieve just because she was your mom, but the truth is, she doesn’t deserve your sorrow.”
“You didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.” Star sounded so sure of this and it made me want to hug her. She thought I was a better person than I actually was.
“No, I didn’t want her to die,” I agreed. “But I did want to be away from her. I dreamed about escaping all the time. And … now I’m free, and it’s … great.”
Besides the almost dying and having my mind wiped part, I’d never actually been happier. Emotions were no longer a thing I would hide from. Numbness was safe, that was for sure, but it was not living.
“You’re a good person, Callie,” Emma said with real emotion. “Don’t take this guilt on. It’s not yours to own.”
Before I could reply with the heartfelt thanks she deserved, Chase stepped into the first part of the trees, startling the three of us. Both girls gave my hands a last squeeze, then released me so we could follow his path. There was enough space for us to walk side by side, but it seemed safer to go one at a time. I decided not to think about my mom anymore, focusing instead on where I was stepping.
There was a thick canopy above us, which made it really dark. As this darkness grew, my nerves kicked in hard. Reaching out, I gently rubbed my hand across a nearby golden trunk. I was seeking something, reassurance, comfort, the knowledge that I was no longer stuck in my own head.
“Thank you for helping us,” I whispered randomly.
A low thrumming noise echoed through my mind and I almost fell over. I was pretty sure the sounds were words, in another language. The noise had the cadence and tempo of speech, each word filled with wind and melody and multiple voices. I must have squeaked, because Chase was at my side in a moment. He moved amongst these trees with more grace than I’d ever shown just walking on flat ground.
“Is everything okay, Callie?” he asked, green eyes darting around me, searching for a threat.
I patted his arm, my heart rate starting to slow after the shock of the trees talking to me. “Yes, everything is great. I just … I touched the tree and then there were words in my head. Not in English, though, so I guess it could have just been noise.”
“The Galinta spoke to you?” He sounded surprised.
I shrugged. “I … think so.” When he didn’t reply right away, I started to get worried. “Is that bad? Are they going to kill me now?”
Chase shook his head, no hesitation. “Definitely not, it’s a great honor actually. They used to greet all who walked through our land, but the last few decades this occurrence has grown rarer.”
Star nodded. “Yes, they did when I was a child. They sound so beautiful. Like a collective of wind and song.”
