the trunk glows the heart. You may take it to heal yourself, but do not be distracted by the lights as you travel.” He started toward the edge of the settlement.
“What lights?” Tarron asked.
“The faerie lights. Ignore them and head upward. It will be obvious.” He gestured for us to follow, and we did.
He led us to the far edge of the town and pointed into the distance. “It’s not far. Go that direction and follow the slight slope of the ground. You will reach the Oak Heart if you do not stray off the path.”
“Thank you, Foress.”
Tarron nodded in thanks.
“Go now.” Foress disappeared back through the trees, silently and swiftly.
Tarron and I set off, moving quickly through the trees. The earth below shifted and moved, dirt tumbling in small piles as the arms underneath the ground moved.
I shivered. I hated zombies. “This place is horrible.”
“The stuff of nightmares.”
I kept my eyes off the ground and on my feet and hands, flicking between the two to make sure that every handhold was solid. I tried to avoid looking into the forest, but it was impossible not to catch sight of the faerie lights at the corner of my vision.
They pulled at me, fiercely strong. Desire surged within me, a desperate need to follow the lights.
They would lead me to the Oak Heart. And then to the key to leaving this place.
They will give me whatever I want.
Why wasn’t I following them?
It was stupid not to follow them.
I lifted my foot, intending to turn and let the faerie lights lead me to my deepest desire.
No.
Something screamed inside me.
No.
“Can you feel them?” I asked Tarron.
“Yes.” The word sounded like a growl. He was clearly fighting their pull.
“What do they drag you toward?”
“You.”
“What?”
“You. And the Oak Heart.”
“Oh.” Wow. I could feel it so intensely inside me. The faerie lights dragged me toward my deepest desire. They must be doing the same for Tarron.
And his deepest desire was…me.
I swallowed hard and kept moving, stashing that away for later. The lights tugged me toward him as well.
It took everything I had to resist the faerie lights, even biting my tongue until it bled. They pulled at me until my muscles and bones hurt and my mind screamed. But finally, we reached the edge of the branches.
Ahead of us, a massive oak tree sat in the middle of a clearing on top of a small hill. It was gnarled and ancient, beautiful in its own way. The base of the trunk glowed golden and bright, with a red light at the center.
“The heart,” I said.
Tarron grunted. “The ground is still moving around the tree.”
I looked down, spotting a flash of fingers beneath the loose dirt. “There have to be hundreds of arms.”
“We won’t make it to the Oak Heart,” Tarron said.
“Not if we walk.” I reached up and gripped the amulet around my throat. “I’ll use the amulet to access my wings. If I can fly to it, I can bring it back.”
Tarron looked torn by the idea. “I don’t like you going alone.”
“I don’t see how there is much choice.”
He grunted, clearly unhappy.
“You can try to get to me if I fail.” I glanced at his sword. “You’re pretty fast with that thing.”
He smiled, a cocky twist of his lips. “Fast? I’m the fastest.”
“Not as fast as me.” I shot him a grin that was just as cocky.
“We’ll live through this, then we’ll have a competition.”
I quite liked the sound of that. “All right. And I’ll kick your ass.”
“Get that Oak Heart first. Get well. Then I’ll kick your ass.”
“It’s a deal.” I gripped the amulet tight, feeling my magic surge to life deep inside me. It was weaker than normal.
Wings.
I imagined my wings working, magic flowing through me so they could help me fly.
My wings flared to life, and I looked back, grateful to see them fluttering behind me, looking like sparkling silver water.
“Be careful,” Tarron said.
“I will be.” I launched myself into the air, joy surging through me as my wings carried me high. I hadn’t been flying for long, but damn, did I love it. It temporarily masked the pain of missing my magic.
Quickly, I flew over the fields of grasping hands. Somehow, they seemed to sense me. They shot out of the earth, waving blindly and reaching for me. I shuddered. Fortunately, they couldn’t reach any higher than a couple feet off the ground.
I reached the oak in record time, dipping down to hover in front of the glowing red bark.
The