Finally, we made it to the bottom of the slope. As I took in my surroundings, I was surprised to find that most of the trees in the area had been toppled. The sun-bleached logs lay like scattered giant’s bones, and wildflowers grew in patches around them.
We made our way through the maze of felled trees until we reached an area where the forest grew normally once again. As we entered the wooded area, a tree caught my eye. Its leaves were shriveled and black, and the now-familiar inky-green substance leaked from its branches. Droplets fell from the limbs and plopped to the ground, creating puddles. Flies buzzed around the rotting sap.
We avoided the tree, although we quickly found another, and then another. Following the trail of trees, my heart trembled. Was this the path of death the unicorn had spoken of? And if so, what would we find once we reached the starstone’s resting place?
Dusk approached, although thick gray clouds obscured the waning sunlight. I wrapped my cloak tighter as the air grew colder.
“If we don’t find the stone’s resting place soon, we will have to make camp,” Kull said.
I dreaded spending another night in the forest. And tonight, we wouldn’t have the elder tree to protect us.
“Look over there,” Heidel said, pointing to the tree canopy straight ahead.
At first, I couldn’t see what she was looking at, but as I concentrated on the canopy, I noticed several wooden structures built around the tree limbs.
We approached the structures and soon found a staircase spiraling around a wide tree trunk.
“Who do you think lives here?” Heidel asked.
“I don’t know,” Kull answered. “I was not aware any major humanoid species lived here.”
“Could it be the wood sprites?” I asked.
“Perhaps, although these structures look much taller than anything a wood sprite would live in.”
“Plus,” Heidel added, “aren’t wood sprites nomadic?”
“True,” I said. “They aren’t known for creating structures like this.”
As I stared at the smooth-grained wooden steps carved with vines and flowers that flowed seamlessly around the tree and up to the houses, the carefully woven grass-thatched roofs, and the artfully placed trellises outside some of the walls, an idea struck me.
“These may be the homes of woodland elves.”
“Why do you say that?” Kull asked.
“I’ve heard that a group of woodland elves made their home here in the unicorn forest—but I thought it was just a story. Perhaps it wasn’t.”
“We won’t know unless we look inside,” Heidel said. “Brother, do you think it’s safe?”
He scanned the forest, his eyes alert as he searched for threats. “I see no immediate danger. To be honest, I see no signs that anyone has been here in quite some time. Still, we must be cautious.”
“I agree,” I said. “It seems unusually quiet.”
I moved toward one of the staircases when Kull placed his hand on my shoulder. I turned and found that he held a knife. It was a typical Viking-inspired weapon, with a sturdy blade and wooden handle.
“Since you’ve not been able to manage your magic, I thought perhaps you’d feel safer with a weapon.”
I hesitated before taking it. “You do realize I’ve had very little practice using knives.”
“Yes, I know, but it is better than nothing. We can only pray that you will not need it.”
“I agree.” I took the knife from him, stuck it in my pack’s pocket, where it would be easily accessible, and then turned back to the stairs. As I climbed, my leg wound throbbed, but I found that if I climbed slowly and put minimal pressure on my leg, it didn’t hurt as much.
The winding stairs led us to a door that swung open, its hinges squealing as the wind battered it back and forth. Cautiously, we entered the tree house. Inside, we found a one-room, spherical structure, with the tree’s trunk taking up the center of the space.
Spiderwebs covered most of the surfaces. The cooking counter, teapots, rocking chairs, and even the bed were all thick with greenish webbing.
I moved aside to let Kull and Heidel enter the room. They both stared with apprehension at the web-covered surfaces.
“I don’t like this,” Heidel said. “Where is everyone?”
“And what’s with the spiderwebs?” I asked. “These are unlike any natural webs I’ve seen. Could it be the work of the seranic spiders?” I asked Kull.
“I don’t believe so. While they are quite lethal, they are extremely reclusive. Most of them only spin small webs close to the ground. I would not imagine they would be capable of spinning such large webs so far off the ground.
“Still, it is odd that the sprites used seranic spider’s venom, and now we have encountered the same poison in the trees. I am not sure what to make of it, and we are no closer to discovering who created the poison or the webs.”
“To be honest,” I said, “I’m not even sure I want to know.”
“Nor do I,” Heidel said. “I cannot wait to be free of this forest.”
“What’s this?” Kull said behind me.
I rounded to find him near the wall. At his feet, under a thick layer of webbing, I spotted what appeared to be a skeletal hand peeking from the layers. I paced carefully to the corner, holding the knife with a firm grasp as Kull knelt by the cocoon. He used his blade to slice through the webbing.
Inside, a humanoid skeleton lay curled in the web, its mouth slacked open in a soundless scream.
Chapter 16
“What happened?” I asked as I stood over the skeleton.
“There’s no way to say for sure,” Kull answered. “Although, whatever killed this person is likely still in this forest.”
“How do you know that?”
“The webbing,” he said. “It appears a dark gray closest to the skeleton. However, on the outer layer and on surfaces throughout the room, it seems to have
