Page 5

Four

Acacia

I stumbled through the underbrush, my heart pounding in my chest. The forest whispered around me, leaves rustling with secrets I couldn't understand.

I'd only meant to explore a little, to get some air and clear my head after days cooped up in Thornix's tree-home.

But now, as the light filtered strangely through the canopy above, I realized I'd wandered much farther than I'd intended.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I muttered to myself, pushing aside a curtain of vines. "You're gonna get yourself killed out here, Acacia."

But even as fear gnawed at my insides, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty surrounding me. The terramares had nothing like this. There was a riot of colors and the air was thick with the scent of earth and growing things. It was intoxicating, and despite my better judgment, I pressed on.

That's when I saw it, a clearing bathed in ethereal light.

At its center stood a circle of ancient stones, each one taller than me and covered in swirling patterns that seemed to move when I wasn't looking directly at them.

The air here felt different, charged with an energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

I knew I should turn back. This place practically screamed danger to every instinct I possessed. But curiosity won out, as it so often did. I stepped into the clearing, drawn toward the stone circle like a moth to flame.

As I approached, the patterns on the nearest stone glowed with a soft blue light. Without thinking, I reached out to touch it.

The moment my fingers made contact, the world exploded into chaos.

A surge of energy coursed through my body, lifting me off my feet.

I heard myself scream, but it sounded distant, as if coming from someone else.

Images flashed before my eyes of ancient forests, battles between creatures I couldn't name, and always, always, Thornix's face, looking at me with an expression I couldn't decipher.

Then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. My skin tingled all over, and I could have sworn I felt the heartbeat of the forest itself pulsing through me.

"Acacia!" Thornix's voice cut through the fog in my mind. He burst into the clearing, his eyes wild with panic. When he saw me lying there, he rushed to my side, kneeling beside me. "What have you done?"

I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't cooperate. Thornix gathered me into his arms, his touch sending another jolt through my system. He cursed under his breath, a string of words in a language I didn't recognize.

"I told you not to wander off," he said, his voice a mixture of anger and fear. "This grove is sacred, protected by magic older than even I can comprehend. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

I finally found my voice, though it came out as little more than a croak. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to explore."

Thornix's expression hardened. "Your recklessness could have gotten you killed. These aren't your terramares, Acacia. The forest doesn't care about your human curiosity. It will destroy you without a second thought if you don't respect its power."

His words stung, mostly because I knew he was right. I'd been stupid, letting my fascination override my common sense. But his condescending tone sparked my temper, pushing aside the lingering effects of whatever had just happened to me.

"Well, excuse me for trying to understand this world you've dragged me into," I snapped, pushing away from him and struggling to my feet.

The world swayed alarmingly, but I refused to show weakness.

"Maybe if you'd actually teach me something instead of just ordering me around, I wouldn't have to figure things out on my own. "

Thornix stood as well, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I've been trying to teach you, but you refuse to listen. You think you know better than someone who's lived in this forest for centuries. Your arrogance is going to get you killed."

"My arrogance?" I laughed bitterly. "That's rich coming from you. You act like you're so superior, like I'm just some dumb human you have to babysit. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I have something to offer too?"

"Like what?" Thornix challenged, stepping closer. "What could you possibly know about this world that I don't?"

"I know what it's like to be an outsider," I shot back, refusing to back down.

"To have your whole life turned upside down because some magic decided you belong somewhere else.

I know what it's like to feel lost and scared and angry all the time.

But you wouldn't understand that, would you?

You've probably never left this damn forest in your life. "

"You think I don't know what it's like to feel lost?" he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "To have your life changed in an instant by forces beyond your control? I may be bound to this forest, Acacia, but that doesn't mean I'm free."

The raw honesty in his voice caught me off guard. I'd been so caught up in my anger and resentment that I'd never stopped to consider how this situation might be affecting him. Before I could respond, Thornix caught himself. His expression hardened once more.

"None of that matters now," he said, his tone clipped. "What's done is done. The spell you triggered has bound you even more tightly to this place. To me."

"What?" I gasped, the implications of his words sinking in. "What do you mean, bound me?"

"The magic of this grove is ancient and powerful. It's designed to protect the forest from outsiders. When you touched that stone, it recognized you as a threat and tried to neutralize you."

"Neutralize me?" I repeated, my voice rising in panic. "You mean kill me?"

"No," Thornix shook his head. "Not kill. But it would have trapped you here, bound your life force to the forest itself. The only reason it didn't is because you're already connected to me through our match. The spell latched onto that connection and intensified it."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "So what does that mean? Am I stuck here forever now?"

"I don't know," Thornix admitted, and the uncertainty in his voice scared me more than anything else. "This kind of magic isn't meant to work on humans. I can feel the change in our connection, but I don't know what the long-term effects will be."

"Great," I laughed humorlessly. "So not only am I stuck in this forest with you, now I'm magically super-glued to you too. This just keeps getting better and better."

Thornix's eyes flashed with anger again. "This isn't a joke, Acacia. Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be? How easily you could have been killed?"

"Of course I do!" I shouted, my anger flaring up once more. "You think I wanted this to happen? I didn't ask for any of this!"

"Neither did I!" Thornix roared, his usual composure shattering completely. "Do you think I wanted to be matched with a stubborn, reckless human who can't seem to go five minutes without putting herself in mortal danger? Who refuses to listen to anything I say?"

"Well, maybe if you'd actually talk to me instead of just giving orders, I'd be more inclined to listen!" I shot back, stepping closer until we were toe-to-toe. "You act like I'm some kind of burden you have to deal with, but newsflash, buddy, I didn't choose this either!"

We glared at each other, both breathing heavily. I was suddenly acutely aware of how close we were standing, of the heat radiating off his body. His eyes, usually so calm and distant, now burned with an intensity that made my heart race.

And then, without warning, he kissed me.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was fierce and desperate, full of all the anger and frustration we'd been hurling at each other. For a moment, I was too shocked to respond. Then, to my surprise, I kissed him back with equal fervor.

It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I could taste the forest on his lips, feel the pulse of magic thrumming through his body. My skin tingled where he touched me, and I felt that same connection I'd experienced with the stone, but a thousand times more intense.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Thornix jerked away as if I burned him, his eyes wide with shock. I stumbled back, my lips still tingling, my mind reeling.

"I'm sorry," Thornix stammered, looking as shaken as I felt. "I shouldn't have, that was inappropriate."

"Yeah," I agreed weakly, though part of me wanted to grab him and kiss him again. "We should, um, we should probably head back."

Thornix nodded stiffly, not meeting my eyes. "Yes. It's not safe to linger here. Follow me closely, and don't touch anything else."

The walk back to Thornix's tree-home was painfully awkward. Neither of us spoke, both lost in our own thoughts. I couldn't stop replaying the kiss in my mind, trying to make sense of the riot of emotions it had stirred up.

When we finally reached the massive tree Thornix called home, I was exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The events in the grove had taken more out of me than I'd realized.

"You should rest," Thornix said, his voice carefully neutral. "We'll need to monitor you closely over the next few days to see if there are any side effects from the spell."

I nodded, too tired to argue. As I made my way to the small alcove that had become my sleeping area, Thornix called out softly.

"Acacia?"

I turned, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I truly am sorry," he said, his expression unreadable. "Not just for the kiss, but for everything. I know this isn't easy for you. I'll try to do better at explaining things, at helping you understand this world."

The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. "Thanks," I said softly. "I'll try to be less reckless."

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. "I won't hold my breath for that."

Despite everything, I smiled back. "Probably wise."

As I settled into my bed of soft moss, my mind whirled with everything that had happened. The grove, the spell, the kiss was all too much to process.

The next few days passed in a haze of tension and awkward silences.

Thornix kept his word about trying to teach me more about the forest, but our interactions were stilted, both of us hyper-aware of the other's presence.

The memory of that kiss hung between us like an unspoken challenge, electric and dangerous.

I busied myself with learning everything I could about my new home, partly out of genuine curiosity and partly to distract myself from the confusing mess of emotions I was grappling with.

Thornix showed me how to identify edible plants, how to tiptoe through the underbrush, how to listen to the whispers of the wind for signs of danger.

And all the while, I could feel the changes the spell had wrought. It was subtle at first, a heightened awareness of my surroundings, a tingling sensation when I touched certain plants. But as the days wore on, the effects became more pronounced.

I woke one morning to find tiny flowers blooming in my hair. Another day, I absentmindedly reached for a cup of water and found vines curling around my fingers, offering me berries instead. It was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

Thornix watched me closely, his expression a mixture of concern and fascination. "The forest is accepting you," he explained one evening as we sat by a small fire outside his tree-home. "It's unusual. Humans don't typically form this kind of connection with the natural world."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

Thornix was quiet for a long moment, staring into the flames. "I don't know," he admitted finally. "This is uncharted territory. But I promise you, Acacia, I won't let any harm come to you."

The intensity of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted to believe him, wanted to trust in the connection growing between us. But the memory of my life in the terramares, of the dreams I'd had to abandon, still weighed heavily on me.

"What if I don't want this?" I whispered, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at me. "What if I can't be what you need me to be? What if I can never truly belong here?"

Thornix's eyes met mine, and the vulnerability I saw there took my breath away. "Then we'll figure something out," he said softly. "This match wasn't what either of us expected. But I believe there's a reason for it, even if we can't see it yet."

I wanted to argue, to rail against the idea that some mystical force knew better than I did what I needed. But I was tired of fighting against Thornix, against this new life, against myself.

"I'm scared," I admitted, the words barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

Thornix reached out, hesitating for a moment before gently taking my hand in his. The contact sent a jolt through me, like a current of energy passing between us.

"So am I," he said, his thumb tracing small circles on my palm.