Page 65 of Raven's Dawn

Like a bunch of toddlers in day care, we joined hands. Laila stood at the front, Jeremy behind her, Iliantha behind him, followed by Graham, Ezra, Rain, me, Amara, Luci, and Connor. Like a snake, or an ominous conga line, we followed each other’s footsteps, twisting and winding around the lake to the entrance closest to the yellow ball thingy.

Once inside, the trail snaked jarringly side to side. Unlike the dirt path surrounding the lake, this trail was made of cobblestone and checkered with dazzling gems. This path was narrower, too, barely giving me and Luci enough room to move through it. A few steps deeper, and chills swept over my skin.

“Apart,” a voice whispered in my ear.

I jumped.

So did everyone else.

Amara released my hand.

She squealed.

I spun in that direction, just in time to watch the branches on either side of us wrap around her.

Rain gasped.

By the time I turned back around, bushes had engulfed her.

“Don’t let go!” Ezra yelled.

I couldn’t see him anymore. All I saw was a bush on my left, and a bush on my right, and the vague shape of a person in the middle. With all my strength, I held on. I knew Ezra did too, but words wouldn’t leave me fast enough.

Then the bushes parted.

Suddenly they were on the left and right of me again.

Amara was gone. So were Iliantha and Laila at the front.

In Rain’s place, I held a bundle of twigs in the shape of the hand.

“Gods damn it.” With glowing eyes, Graham flapped a hand in Jeremy’s direction. “Literally, god damn it.”

23

RAIN

I didn’t realize what was happening until I was already covered in vines and shrubbery.

This was not my first time falling through a bush. As a kid, it was actually quite common. Even when there was not a thorn in sight, the fall was painful. The green needles would poke my skin while rough sticks scratched me all over. These ones didn’t, though. Not to say that they were soft or silky to the touch, but they were alive, and they were gentle with me. It was as though they made the conscious decision to handle me gingerly. Like their intention was never to scrape my skin or roughhouse me.

It was almost entrancing, being held by nature itself.

Maybe that was the mushrooms.

They spun me around, tumbled me a bit, and then they released me.

Much like the last corridor we’d entered, I found myself in a hallway of bushes. Ahead was a winding pathway, dimly lit by the stars and moon above.

Behind me, Warren exhaled deeply. “What the hell was that?”

“I guess they wanted us to split up,” I murmured, looking over his shoulder. There was only a foot of clearance. “Dead-end. I guess we gotta go that way.”

Following my gaze, looking behind him, left and right, he held out his hand. “Guess so.”

I accepted, then recoiled at his touch. He was warm. His skin was as smooth as always, but warm. “Hey, you okay?”

Walking past me, taking the lead, he glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”