Page 125 (1/1)

Holding her hand more securely, Aldrec reached out and touched the mirror's smooth surface

"Srohed"

As soon as he forness As it had in the journey from her home, it lasted for only the briefest instant The next ht, surrounded by a wall of green life Dense trees and undergrowth surrounded them Aldrec stood beside her, their hands still entwined

"Where are we?" Mericlou said

"Look behind you," Aldrec said, and gestured in that direction

Mericlou turned, and then nearly fell backwards

By sheer size, she could tell that the tree was beyond ancient, with branches the thickness of a house that reached high into the forest canopy, and with leaves and e like the beards of a congregation dwarf elders At its thickest, it resembled tiers upon tiers of bushy walls that pushed back the enfolding canopies of younger trees Fro petals

The tree radiated an ageless beauty, as if there were no need for the shower of light Strangely, it made Mericlou think of Aldrec Its bark was a deep brown like that of its arboreal surroundings; its broad, oval leaves were ht was beyond entle breeze and the continuous gentle din of chi; no crickets were chirping, and Mericlou could hear no forest anirowth But this quiet was not unnerving, as it should have been Instead, it seeic that per

"My god …" Mericlou at long last choked out She had stood, captivated, for what seelade in the Orobia Jungle near Skainhart," Aldrec replied, gesturing toward the monolithic tree "She's reith"

"So you're saying," Mericlou said, gesturing towards the tree, "that a o, ere inside of … that?"

"Yes The bedroom, the silence roohed

"So funny?" Aldrec said, not offended, but curious

"Oh nothing," she replied "Just a s, really I just find it funny that you address your tree as 'her,' as if it were alive"