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This is theworst.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, trying to fight the sheer panic that threatens to overtake me.
The trees didn’t kill me.
They killed everyone else but me.
And surely Corvan has heard me. I pray he heard me. He’s the only one powerful enough to fight this… whatever it is.
The wind surges again. The bare trees sway back and forth.
Be calm, child. We aren’t your enemy. You are one of ours.
The pressure at my back lessens. The restraints loosen. They’re unravelling the tight rope bindings.
The ropes fall away, and suddenly I can move my arms. My joints pop and crack as I bring my arms in front of me, trying to shake out the stiffness.
But then the cursed branches are there, twisting around my arms, suspending me in mid-air.
“Stop,” I cry out, my voice a hoarse whisper. “Release me.”
Not yet.
The tendril-like branches wrap around my neck, but they aren’t forceful. It’s a dark caress that I’m helpless to resist. They prise open my lips, and something enters my mouth.
Eat, child.
The voices in my head grow louder. I can’t distinguish one from another anymore.
And then they all start saying the same thing, in unison.
Eat.
The thing in my mouth is small and round. It tastes sweet and salty and bitter and aromatic, like cinnamon, all at the same time.
I have no choice. I swallow it.
It burns a little. Warmth enters my chest and flows through my body. A sensation close to pain—but strangely pleasant—shoots through my limbs.
Theserpenstonebracelets around my wrists shatter and fall to the ground. They were supposed to contain my unfettered power, but it seems to be all for naught. The ancient tree’s power is far, far greater.
“What is this?” I cry.
You ate my heart-seed.Now, you will carry a piece of me wherever you go.
“Who…whatare you?”
My name is Eulisyn. I am your Source.
“S-source?”
A child of Eresus. Our Creator. Hidden in plain sight. It was the corrupted blood of Hecoa that broke the seal and revealed you to us. Now you are bound to me, and my power is your power.
My body feels like it’s filled with molten lava. My limbs feel both powerful and weak. Although the voices no longer crowd my mind, Eulisyn’s presence is overwhelming.
I feel like I’m about to be swallowed alive.
“Let me go,” I whisper, icy terror coursing through me.
