The sorceress’s brow pinched. “It feels almost like a…”
“A hex?” Keena suggested.
Lucenna quickly drew her hand back.
Dyna inhaled a soft breath. “Has someone placed a hex on your tree? How? When?”
The fairy shrugged her small shoulders with a sad sigh. “We have never seen this happen to a fair folk tree before, but no one in our court would ever do this. The Aurora Tree showed signs of failure the night after we held a feast during the Summer Solstice. Many courts were in attendance that day.”
Kalan sighed heavily. “Perhaps it was done out of envy, or a grudge unbeknownst to me. Regardless, we have no proof of who did it or why—” He cut off with a wheezing cough. His daughter quickly flew to him, supporting him against her. Oh, no. He was ill too. “We are running out of time.”
Who could have been so cruel as to do this to them? And why? Did Morphos have enemies they didn’t know about or was it merely jealousy?
“I am sorry this is happening to your court, King Kalan,” Rawn said. “Have you contacted trustworthy courts for aid? Perhaps there is another Aurora Tree you can find or grow a new one.”
“That is where our problem lies, Lord Norrlen. There may not be a court who can take us, for the Aurora Tree is not of Urn. The first tree grew on an island half a world away, and its seeds were brought here to plant.” Kalan held out the scepter to show them the tiny kernel within the jewel. “This is the last seed, and it requires the pure soil from which it was born. But that soil does not exist in Urn.”
Dyna knew then why they were here. There was only one place that held pure, untouched soil that could grow enchanted trees. She glanced at her Guardians, and each nodded their approval. Lucenna and Zev had the foresight to distract Klyde by taking him away to watch the fairies turn pollen into nectar.
“We can help,” Dyna said.
In a whirl of gold dust, Keena appeared at full size beside her. “That night in King Dagden’s court, Leoake told me one day you would come and help us.”
The mention of the Druid made Dyna’s geas throb. She took Keena’s hands. “Princess.”
“Call me Keena, please. We’re friends.” She looked at her worriedly. “It’s all right. Tell me the truth.”
It was the only thing Dyna could offer her now.
She gently squeezed Keena’s hands and gave her a small nod. “I am sorry to say the other healers were right. Your tree cannot be saved, and the soil here has been festering with some sort of rot that has infected the land. It’s no longer viable for any Aurora Tree to survive here.”
Tears welled in Keena’s eyes, and her wings drooped. “I don’t understand. Leoake said you would come when I needed you.”
Dyna hugged her. “I came here for you, Keena, my Guardian of Strength. I can take you where you will find pure soil untouched by anyone. The same soil that birthed that seed.”
They told Keena and her father about the prophecy and Mount Ida. The fairies listened with uncertainty at first until Rawn brought out Azeran’s enchanted map. Keena’s eyes lit up with awe as the ink swirled across the page, revealing Mount Ida.
The first spark of hope filled the court like the coming of spring. Dyna had missed that feeling. The optimistic belief that good things were still possible.
“Join us,” she told her. “And you will find what you need.”
But the fairy’s hope faded beneath apprehension as she looked up at her tree. She clutched her arms around herself, worrying her lip. Rotten petals coasted on the wind, tainting the air with a sick sweetness.
“Go with her, Keenali,” Kalan said softly.
“But Father, I am needed here. You have fallen ill. We don’t know how long we have left. What if…”
“What if you don’t return in time?” He cupped her cheek. “Then that is fate, daughter. But I have faith. The Aurora Tree has always beenprotected by the Queen of Morphos. Your mother protected it, and now that task falls to you.” He handed her the scepter, and Keena’s tears spilled as she accepted it. “Find the soil we need and plant it. If the seed takes root, you will have saved us all.”
Maybe there wasno such thing as hope anymore. Dyna looked up at the glowing blooms against the night sky. Their light seemed to dim in and out like struggling breaths. She felt her own lungs struggle to fill for the past three months. The tree was fighting to live, but it didn’t have long.
The soft tinkling of bells hovered from the branches where the pixies slept in their tiny homes. Kalan invited them to stay for the night as Keena debated on what she should do. They laid out their bed mats a couple of yards away from the tree. No campfire tonight, but Lucenna set up an enchanted flame for Dyna to use as she stirred a sticky mixture within a bubbling pot. The scent of sap and pine masked the scent of flowers and decay. She didn’t know what she had expected to find in Morphos, but it certainly wasn’t this.
Rawn, Lucenna, and Klyde slept soundly, tired from their trek through the woods. Only the wolf was awake. He sat on the edge of the fairy ring, his yellow eyes fixed on the dark trees.
“He can rest,” Keena said, flying over to her. “No need to stand guard tonight.”
Dyna perked up at her presence, hoping it meant they had an answer. She still carried her father’s scepter, and the blue stone glinted in the light. “Zev sees something in the forest that is keeping him on alert.”
