The eerie forest winked away and the Morphos Court appeared as if out of a dream.
An enormous tree rose before them with sprawling branches and dark green leaves and pale pink blooms. The small hollows in the trunk or on the branches held tiny homes. Hundreds of glowing butterflies fluttered among the branches. No—pixies. They worked either to gather pollen, flowers, or tended to the roots. A shimmer of gold dust hovered in the air like living magic. The flowers seemed to twinkle with the light of the sun.
Dyna gaped up at it with wonder. Rawn, Lucenna, and Klyde appeared beside her next, staring with equal bafflement.
“Welcome to my court,” Princess Keena said, holding out her arms proudly. “This is our Aurora Tree.”
“This is … incredible,” Dyna murmured. “This tree is the Morphos Court?”
Lucenna nodded. “All small fairy folk like pixies and sprites rely on some sort of source of magic grown within nature,” she reminded her. “Their kind survive off of the Aurora blooms.”
That’s right. Dyna did remember Keena mentioning their court’s wealth was based on their perfume trade with the rest of Urn.
An alluring fragrance of flowers filled her senses. It was sweet and indulging, but beneath it lingered an odd scent. One that reminded Dyna of decaying plant matter.
The breeze blew a few Aurora petals by her boots. They were blemished with brown burns, as if held too close to a candle. She picked one up, inspecting it up close with a frown. Whatever it was, more browned petals lay scattered around the tree.
Keena’s hazel eyes saddened at the sight of the petal. “Our Aurora Tree has stood in these woods for hundreds of years. It has fed us. Clothed us. The perfume created by its blooms is our source of our fortune. But this tree is also our home, and it’s dying.”
Dying? How could their tree be dying?
Keena flew over to the tree roots, and Dyna followed. Up close, she noticed they were blackened with rot, and it had spread into the earth. Dyna knelt by the tree, inspecting it with dismay. How could this have happened? The tree otherwise looked healthy. She placed a hand on the trunk, hoping to feel something, but couldn’t with her magic trapped behind a barrier.
“What happened here?” Rawn asked.
“A mystery yet to be solved.” Another fairy flew down to join them. He bore a crown over his long braids, and an elegant robe woven from leaves. In his hands, he held a scepter made from a branch of the Aurora Tree, a tiny blue gem embedded at the top.
“Father.” Keena greeted with a soft smile. “This is Dynalya Astron, the girl I told you about. Dyna, this is my father, Kalan, King of Morphos.”
She quickly rose to her feet and lowered into a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”
“Please, the pleasure is mine.” Kalan dipped his head. “I am honored to meet the girl who saved my daughter’s life.”
“She saved mine first.” Dyna exchanged a smile with Keena. “May I introduce my companions?”
Holding out her hand to the others, they quickly exchanged names and greetings.
“I wish you could have come at a better time,” King Kalan said with a sigh. “I would be most pleased to bring you up into our tree, but that may be detrimental to your health. If you can smell it, there is a sickness in the air. Many of my court have already become ill.”
Zev and Rawn nodded to confirm they could smell it. Was that what Dyna had smelled?
“What sort of illness?” she asked. “I am a Herb Master. I could?—”
Keena shook her head and took a seat on her shoulder. “I am afraid there is no remedy that can heal them. We feed off the nectar, and if it’s contaminated, so becomes our food. They will only heal when our tree is healed, or die when it does…”
That was awful.
She wanted to help but didn’t know how. If only she had her magic.
“We are connected to the Aurora Tree,” Kalan said as he motioned for them to follow him. He brought them to the other side of the tree, not visible when they first entered, and Dyna found more decay climbing up the trunk. “Its magic keeps us alive, and it gives life to the Wyspwood.Without it, we will not survive, and wisps in the woods will either fade as well or become sluagh—dark wicked things. I have sent for all healers and those knowledgeable in plant magic. Druids, Magi Masters, Earth Magus. They all say the same thing. Our tree will not survive the year.”
That was a horrible thing to face. They were losing their home and dying because of it. She had never seen such an illness fall over a tree before.
“What could have caused this?” Dyna asked.
Lucenna frowned at the tree thoughtfully and placed her palm on the trunk, closing her eyes. Soft purple mist flickered around her fingers. “I sense odd magic here. Did you cast any spells on your tree recently?”
Keena and her father shook their heads.
