Page 168 of The Spider Queen
“I asked for their permission to enter. They are ancient trees. This is my domain, but they have long memories. It’s important to respect the trees.”
As we entered the shelter of the forest, I hesitantly reached out to touch one, but I looked to Thane for silent approval first. He nodded and I set my hand against the trunk. It was cool on contact, and I felt the magic in it. It hummed with energy. Ancient, knowing, all seeing.
I sent gratitude through my touch. The tree shuddered, and one of its branches brushed my shoulder. Looking up into the navy-colored night sky littered with stars and three moons, I smiled.
Some things were too impossible to believe.
Chapter 15
“Are we sleeping on the ground, then? Is this what you meant by shelter?” I asked.
Thane smiled and turned us away from the main path. “No. Wait and see.”
How had I been tired moments ago, and now I felt energy welling up inside of me? Was it the forest? Was it the excitement that soon Thane and I would stop, bathe, eat, and eventually sleep in each other’s arms?
We walked for a few more moments, and then Thane stilled. I had no choice but to follow. He pointed up. There, in the trees, was a shelter.
“No,” I whispered. “A treehouse?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“But how?”
Thane shrugged. “This forest is ancient, and the treehouse has been here for as long as I can remember. It will give us whatever we need.”
“How?”
He shrugged again. “It just knows.”
“How do we get up there?”
“Curious thing, aren’t you?” Thane smiled. “I’ll show you.” He took my hand again and led me toward the treehouse trunk. He murmured a few words in the same language he’d used to greet the trees. The green bark rippled and transformed into a smooth wooden staircase.
“Wow,” I marveled.
“You said something about wooing? How am I doing?”
I laughed. “Pretty good. Saving me from an insane beast. And now this? What’s the language you just spoke?”
“It doesn’t have a name. It’s primal and belongs to the forest.”
“I thought I recognized it. Before.” I shook my head, trying to clear it.
“It’s the language you use to call your spiders. A variation of it, anyway.” He placed his hand on the tree, and the staircase morphed back into a trunk. “It is our shelter for the night. We’ll return after we bathe.”
I followed him as he led me to a shimmering blue lagoon, tranquil under the Cerulean moonlight. It was nearly enclosed within a mountain enclave. Gray, craggy rocks and a glistening waterfall completed the beautiful landscape. Every now and again, something underneath the water would flash with light.
“What are those?”
“They’re lagoon merrows,” Thane explained. “The blazes of light are reflections from moonbeams hitting their silver scales.”
“Will they be upset if we bathe in their home?”
“No. They’re not like their larger brethren. They’re welcoming.”
I swallowed, thinking of Hunter. Thane watched me carefully, and I sent him a tremulous smile. His answering one eased the pain in my heart.
He took my hand and led me down to the bank where he immediately started stripping. He shucked his boots and then threw his tattered, stained clothes into a pile. When he was fully naked, bathed in Cerulean light, a wicked grin spread across his face. I was still sitting on the bank, trying to muster the energy to remove my suit. Adrenaline was quickly fading.
