The world shrank under the press of plants, her breath reduced to shallow gasps. Serenna flinched as the crystal—momentarily forgotten—thrust itself back into the forefront of her mind with a keening wail. Though she couldn’t see it, she felt the gem’s pull—an insidious force that devoured Vesryn’s magic and unleashed it back at him in a screeching eruption.
The prince’s struggle roared through the bond, his magic wild like a caged storm. Each wave of Essence ricocheted off the earthen walls, the chamber pulsing with the chaotic pressure of his power.
The vines only seemed to tighten as he fought back, the crystal continuing to emit piercing whines. A tremor wracked through Serenna as one shoot unfurled toward her face, its serpentine movements eerily deliberate. She whimpered, breaths coming in trembling bursts as she willed the plants to release her.
But her control slipped through the cracks of her panic as images flashed unbidden—the shoots burrowing into her nose, twisting through her eyes, slithering down her throat. Fear roared too loudly, drowning her beneath the crushing pain of the constricting vines.
“Stop!” Serenna shrieked at the prince, choking on terror. His efforts would only provoke the tree—and the crystal—further. “Stop channeling Essence!”
The bond quivered with Vesryn’s reluctance, a silent battle fought in the space between heartbeats. But then his power ebbed, the pressure of his magic fading.
The chamber fell quiet once more, the crystal no longer emitting shrill sounds or bursts of Essence. Serenna’s heartbeat drummed in her ears. The vines stilled, but they didn’t loosen, hovering around her with an unspoken threat.
Vesryn’s footsteps approached the barrier. Though they were only feet apart, the thicket between them felt like an insurmountable divide. Serenna’s breath hitched as her pain suddenly vanished, absorbed by him through the bond.
“Don’t!” she pleaded, the word cracking. “Using our power might make it attack.”
Each ragged breath Vesryn drew fractured the air between them. The plants muffled the prince’s words, his voice tight with frustration and guilt. “I’m sorry.” He exhaled a sharp curse, relinquishing his intervention in a reluctant surrender.
A breaking wave of pain crashed back into Serenna’s body, tearing a helpless sob from her lips. She could feel the tree’svengeance, every puncturing thorn a promise that it would shred her alive and bury her beneath its wrath.
The faint whisk of Vesryn unsheathing a knife sent her heart pounding even faster. “Don’t harm it,” she croaked.
The prince paced around the verdant prison, cold fury simmering at his powerlessness. “I—I don’t know what to do. The tree should’ve attackedme. Not you.”
Serenna caught a glimpse of his hand as he tried to plunge it through the vines. His fingers stretched, brushing against the leaves as he strained. But he couldn’t reach her.
“I could…” Vesryn began, hesitation expanding through the bond. “I can portal to Jassyn. If I bring him back, he—”
“No,” Serenna hissed. “I can do this. I’m the one who opened this stars-cursed tree.” She clenched her teeth as cool leaves brushed her face, mixing with the warm blood trickling from her wounds. “If I can just focus…” She inhaled sharply, pushing past her pain and their shared worry. “I can steer the vines away myself.”
Before she could even begin, her concentration fractured as the other bond flared—Fenn was back, a blazing presence in the jungle.
His usual calm sharpened into urgency as his voice entered her mind.She-elf?
Serenna spilled what had happened in jagged fragments—the descent into the tree’s depths, the Heart, the lethal shard, and the vines trapping her.
Hang on,Fenn replied, the words both a command and encouragement.I’m warping down.
Don’t use Essence or damage the plants,she warned.
“What is it?” Vesryn asked, obviously reading the subtle change—the relief swelling in her chest.
“Fenn’s on his way.”
“And what’s he going to do?” Vesryn snapped. His fingers clenched around a vine, trembling like he was on the verge of tearing it apart. “I thoughtyouwere going to move the plants.”
Serenna ground her teeth, scowling up at the leaves obscuring her view. Now that she’d stopped struggling, the tree had stilled, seeming content to cradle her in this tangled prison.
As Fenn drew closer, a warmth spread through her chest, soft and steady like streaks of sunlight breaking through clouds. Finally, he warped out of the tunnel, materializing beside the prince.
“You’re hurt,” Fenn said quietly through the screen of plants, his protective concern wrapping around Serenna like a comforting shroud.
“What gave it away?” The prince’s question was clipped. “The trail of blood or your bond?”
“The bond first,” Fenn replied, unfazed by Vesryn’s barbed remark. “But the blood—”
“It was rhetorical,” Vesryn interrupted. “Now that you’re here, what’s your brilliant plan? Stating the obvious?”
