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Which is when a swirling mass of white exploded into my mind.

“What?” I yelped, yanking my blockade back up. With a tilt of my head, I stared up at Billy. “Was that you?”

The opossum froze with a lizard tail hanging from its mouth.

“Sorry,” he said before gulping the lizard down and licking his lips. “My mother says I smack too much when I eat.”

“No, not that. I mean…” How could I explain what had just happened? My eyes shifted to the kapok tree itself, and I whispered, “Was that you?”

Its humming intensified again, and now my mouth fell all the way open.

Trees didn’t have brains like humans, faeries, and animals did. I knew that, and yet… that had definitely been my Mind Manipulating power receiving a thought from the giant plant before me. A mental image of swirling white mist.

Sounds like her magics are working together, not clashing, Sasha had said in the lighthouse so long ago, but she’d been referring to my ability to read animals’ thoughts. This… this was something else entirely.

“Can you show me again?” I asked hesitantly.

Yes, said the kapok.

I placed a palm against it and lowered my blockade again. Instantly, my mind bloomed with that image of swirling white mist, like a giant, looming wall—not something I’d ever seen with my own eyes, but something I’d heard about in scary bedtime stories, oftentimes told to small Esholian children prone to wandering.

A forbidden place that swallowed people whole.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what the jungle was trying to tell me.

Back in the Wild Whisperer house, a small party was brewing in the foyer, groups of people from other sectors trickling in as music thumped up and down Bascite Boulevard for the second night in a row. I scoured the room for signs of Emelle or Wren, but found someone else staring at me instead.

Our house princess.

“Come over here, Drey,” she called before I could duck my head.

Shit. With a sigh, I wove my way toward her, where she was lounging on one of the sofas next to two of her friends, a drink in each hand.

“Yes?” I asked. Polite. Cordial. Itching to go tell the others what I’d learned.

She eyed my hair, and I instinctually ran a few fingers through my mess of curls, catching on a few twigs and leaves. Oh, fantastic.

“Where were you just now?” the princess asked.

I stiffened, but decided to tell the truth. Or part of it. “Talking to the trees.”

She frowned, pursing her lips. “And where were you and your friends last night, after I told you to stay put?”

Okay, so she wasn’t going to let that go even though Coen had Mind Manipulated Mrs. Smetlar. I tried to keep my expression neutral. “Like we told you, getting some fresh air. I’m sorry we disobeyed your orders. It won’t happen again.”

The princess leaned toward me. On either side of her, her friends continued sipping their drinks, pretending not to eavesdrop but definitely eavesdropping anyway. “Look, Drey, I don’t want to punish anyone, but with no new Wild Whisperers this year, the Good Council will be scrutinizing my leadership. And I have to demonstrate that I’m doing my job. Do you understand?”

Something’s wrong with our sector, and someone has to be the scapegoat. Those were the thoughts blaring from her mind right now, and I didn’t even blame her. House princes and princesses were supposed to keep everything in line, and right now, everything seemed to be slipping.

I just couldn’t afford to be the scapegoat. Already, too many eyes seemed to be flickering in our direction, curious gazes slashing across the room.

“Yes,” I said sincerely. “I understand. I’m sorry.”

“Good.”

The princess leaned back again and waved me off. I whirled around, snatched a handful of peanuts from one of the snack trays sitting on a coffee table, and hurried upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.

In a rush, little hurricane?