But Kestrel pretended not to hear her. She would not let Elora sacrifice herself for this. It was too dangerous. Kestrel had misunderstood the vision, clearly. They needed to turn back before the monsters descended upon them.
But it was already too late.
Near the back of the party, someone screamed, a gurgling sound that coiled around Kestrel’s spine. She heard a heavy thump, then something being dragged away through the dried, dead leaves. Murmuring and panicked chatter rose like a tidal wave from the back of their militia. Not that it mattered if they were quiet, it seemed these creatures knew about their presence the moment they had entered into their domain. And now they were cutting off their means of escape, attacking from behind.
Another scream filled the air.
“Stand your ground!” yelled Efrem to his troops. “Remember your training and protect your queen!”
The queen shouted Kestrel’s name again, this time more insistent.
Still, Kestrel pushed onward. Elora was just ahead. Just barely out of reach—not that she could grab her, she reminded herself. But she would talk to her, tell her they needed to turn back before it was too late. To stop trudging forward without protection to surround her.
Glancing at the trees nearby, Kestrel saw the monsters ambling about. Some were rapid, darting from one tree trunk to another so swiftly, she almost couldn’t see their branch-like features. But there were more languid ones too. They slowly inched closer, one painstaking limp after another, as if their limbs were weighed down by swamp water, clogged and putrid. It was those ones that Kestrel could finally see more clearly. The gnarled twigs that coiled up and around their bodies for legs, arms, even their torsos. A few of them even had something resembling a face, a screaming carving that was embedded in their wood. Others just had broken stumps and splinters for hair. But all of them seemed hungry, intent on grabbing their prey and dragging it off into the trees, never to be seen again.
Kestrel finallycaught up to Elora.
“Finally,” she breathed. “We have to go. We can’t keep pushing forward like this, or they’re going to…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed the look of awe upon Elora’s face.
Elora was staring down at the ground, at a tree root that was encroaching upon their path.
Micah had cautioned Kestrel about the tree roots, calling them gravemoors and saying that they would grab unsuspecting travelers and wrench them underground. So Kestrel knew to be vigilant. She had expected the same from everyone else. But instead of watching the roots with horror, Elora watched them with curiosity. With something close to playfulness. Almost like she wanted to tempt them. But to do what?
She tilted her head and took a tentative step toward the root.
Before Kestrel could open her mouth to scream out in warning, they both watched as the tree root recoiled.
The girls exchanged a quick look before Elora tried again. This time, it retreated farther, slithering away from her foot until it had nowhere else to go but back into the tree.
Kestrel peered into the woods and noticed that the monsters lurking between the trees were also retreating. With every step Elora took toward them, they mimicked one in return by backing that much farther away.
“Did you know—” Kestrel started to ask, but Elora was already shaking her head.
“Dragon’s fire, are the rootless actually afraid of you?” This time it was Micah who had apparently maneuvered his way to the front of the party to see what the two of them were up to. “The gravemoors too?”
“It would appear so,” Elora said, still sounding utterly mesmerized.
“Well thank the sun for that.” Micah raised his hand as if to give her a hearty pat on the shoulder, but then thought better ofit. Instead, he called out to Efrem. “Looks like we don’t need the Thundersworn Brigade, we just needed an Ashen!”
“What?”
Micah beckoned his twin closer, likely not wanting to get too far away from Elora and the protection her presence apparently supplied them. Kestrel only halfway listened as the two of them discussed sending the majority of their troops back for their own safety; she was too preoccupied with the princess who was still gazing down at where the tree root had been. There was something like sadness pinching the place beneath Elora’s silver crown.
“Are you alright?” Kestrel leaned in closer so that only she could hear.
Elora’s smile didn’t light up her eyes. “Who knew that there was a benefit like this to my power.”
Kestrel wasn’t falling for her cheerful tone though. She heard the unspoken and shattering truth beneath it: even the monsters were afraid of her. This was just one more thing retreating from Elora in fear. Even if it did benefit them, she could only imagine how lonely such a life must be. She wished she could take Elora’s hand into her own, squeeze it until she knew that Kestrel would always be there for her. Instead, all she could do was offer her company, and continue being one of the few people who didn’t flinch at the princess’ presence.
Kestrel turned around just as the guard who had been responsible for carrying Elora’s chains handed them off to Efrem and then began retreating to the Hollows’ entrance with most of the small army. Only the royal family and a handful of guards remained.
“I guess it’s you two leading now,” Micah said after catching them up on the new plan. Then he flashed that crooked grin of his at Kestrel. “Think you can handle it, little bird?”
“With this one at my side?” Kestrel nodded to the princess,hoping some levity might cheer her up. “I feel practically invincible now.”
It wasn’t quite a smirk than it was an amused scoff that escaped Elora’s lips, but it was close enough.
“I’m afraid I disagree,” said the queen, closing in on them. Her eyes shifted nervously from one side of the forest to the other. “We don’t know the limits of the princess’—” she struggled to find the word “—repellent magic. I think it best if she remains centered in the group as we travel, while Kestrel leads us the rest of the way.”
