:I certainly could.:
Clayton waited, but the tree said nothing else. “Will you?”
:I think I’ve helped you enough for now. It’s unwise to give children too much help; otherwise, they’ll never learn to survive on their own.:
“Okay… I think the tree is done helping us,” Clayton said, mostly concealing the urge to pout.
:For now:
“Right.” He wasn’t certain why, but he felt comforted knowing the tree wasn’t going to ditch him entirely.
“Have either of you seen Jack?” Marshall was up and shooting Mal a dirty look. “I can’t contact him with my magic.”
Mal sneered at him and didn’t reply.
:Tell him his friend is fine. Just throwing a tantrum. He’s very upset with me right now.: The tree sounded rather proud of herself.
“Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name, madam?”
:What a polite boy. You may call me Astraea.:
“My friend Astraea told me to tell you that Jack is ok. I don’t think he’s allowed to be here for some reason.”
Astraea sniffed haughtily.:He certainly is not. But you’ll see him again once you leave here.:
“She said we’ll see him again once we leave.”
Marshall’s expression was complex, but Clayton could tell he was relieved. “Thank you, Clayton. Can you ask Astraea why I can’t use magic here?”
:You can tell him that I’m not a tour guide.:
“I don’t think she wants to answer any more questions.”
Marshall frowned but accepted Clayton’s words. “I won’t be much help finding your kids without my magic.”
“Are you missing children too?” A feminine voice cut in as a woman popped into view.
Marshall startled badly and whirled on the newcomer. “Where did you come from? Why didn’t I sense you?”
Marshall’s face paled as understanding sank in, and Clayton felt sorry for the man. He’d been relying on magic his entire life to help sense the world around him. Losing access to it must have been like losing his eyesight or hearing.
“Easy, stranger. We mean you no harm.” This was from a man who had, like the woman, seemingly stepped out of thin air.
Clayton took them in. They were both tall and willowy. The woman had long, golden hair, and the man had a glorious mess of red, artfully tousled hair. Clayton caught a glimpse of a pointed ear peeking out from the man’s hair. When he examined the woman closer, he saw she had pointed ears as well.
“I’m sorry to have startled you, but I need to know. Are you also missing children?” The woman asked anxiously.
Clayton was too preoccupied to connect the dots right away, so he didn’t answer, assuming Marshall would take the lead as usual. There was something familiar about her voice that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
“Clayton, do you understand her? I can’t use magic, so you’re our language guy.” Marshall admitted sheepishly.
Clayton perked up immediately, happy to show off his skills in front of Marshall for once. “Yes, madam, we’re missing an entire boat full of children and their caretakers. Do you know anything about it?”
“We don’t know about a boat, but we’re also searching for missing children,” the man said.
His voice was also eerily familiar, and something about it made the connection click. They were the voices Clayton had heard the last time he’d been stuck inside Astraea’s tree.
“Can you tell us what’s going on? I can’t understand them.” Marshall reminded him.
