“The magic of the elder tree needs somewhere to go.” Lady Chaliko spoke up, her voice sad. “Please. Help us grow a tree that is strong enough to take the knowledge Riini bears.”
“And then we’ll all have peace?” I tried not to let the bitterness seep into my words, but Lady Chaliko flinched away from it. “I don’t want some prophecy from Spider. I want to speak to the animalia herself. I’ll help when I can have a guarantee that I can speak with Spider afterward.”
“Alright.” Riini bowed her head. “If you give me a tree, I will give you Spider.”
“Is that a promise you can really make?” I asked.
“Yes.” Riini stared at me, her fluorescent eyes changing color as she blinked. “Yes.”
“What do I need to do?” I tapped my finger against one of theleaves, the spark for my fingertip moving along the leaf and down the trunk. “This?”
“More than that. That is flint knocking together in the dark. To grow a tree you must know the basics of elven magic.” She gestured for me to come forward.
“And I assume you don’t mean to give me a cup of tea and skip the lesson?” I couldn’t keep the bite out of my voice.
“No.” Riini blinked, her eyes losing their color, turning into the same brown as Sagam’s eyes.
“Have you seen your brother yet?” I asked.
“Isawhim. I saw Joxii. And it made me realize I can’t face them until…” She blinked, her eyes flaring bright green.
She gestured to the ground, drawing her fist up, and the wood under our feet screamed in protest before shifting and creating two stools for us to sit on.
Then she began to teach me. The premise was very similar to what Naî had already taught me. The dragon shifted back into her natural form, curling at my feet and snapping at the smaller forest dragons anytime they came too close.
Ice magic relied on desire, on wanting something deep in your bones, needing to have it, despite the cost. Fire magic was emotions: rage that couldn’t be contained, fury that melted your own heart, jealousy and hatred that spilled from inside.
But as Riini spoke, I saw that forest magic—elven magic—was about connection. It was aboutgivinginstead of taking. Forest magic was about exchanging your knowledge, your power, your life, for the betterment of the entire forest.
“So when you do anything to shift the trees, you’re sacrificing something of yourself?” I knocked my knuckles against the wooden stool I sat on. “What did this cost you?”
“An hour, a year, does it matter? In the end, the forest will pay me back if what I’m doing helps it. Just as the tide brings back sand that it pulled away when it retreated. If what I’m doing is to the benefit of the community, to the benefit of thetrees, then in the end I will get it back.” Riini made it sound reasonable, but I thought about the massive roots that had exploded out of the earth, nearly trapping Iradîo and me.
“And what if what you do doesn’t help the forest?” I asked.
“Then I have sacrificed my life for nothing.” Riini shook her head.
I knocked my fist against the wooden stool again. “How will this help the forest?”
“Regrowing the elder tree helps the forest.” Riini’s face grew fierce, her features sharpening. “Without the elder trees’ guidance, the forest has grown out into the ocean. It will continue to grow, taking over more of the sea and more of the land. Without the elder trees, there is no balance.”
“Wouldn’t that be good for the elves? If they have more land?”
“The trees will starve or steal the nutrients from the plants that already live there. They will provide the wrong habitat for animals. There will be too many of them for the elves to care for.” Riini stared at me, unblinking. “Or, they will steal the water and food from the elves themselves. Very few things can grow in the shade of these trees. What food could grow under branches that block out the sunlight and drink magic from the soil itself?”
“So I need to sacrifice something to help you grow the elder tree.” I looked at my hand, considering the smooth skin. I had felt old for most of my life, older than my years, but now I was faced with the reality that I might actually be giving up my youth.
“Yes.” Riini nodded. “If you and I work together, we can grow an elder tree. We can see why the rest of them are dying even though I have sacrificed to make sure they take root.”
I fisted my hand. My decision had already been made. “Do you promise that if we do this you will lead me to Spider?”
“If we do this, Spider will come to us herself.” Riini extended her hand. “Are you ready?”
Nineteen
“What do you want me to do?” I asked, feeling exhausted. “I have the basics of forest magic, but I can’t say I understand it.”
“You don’t need to understand it. You just need to follow my directions,” Riini snapped. But it wasn’t really her; it was the eons of knowledge that had once been inside a living elder tree, speaking through the voice of a child.
