Chapter 18

**“YES**, I know soldiers who will be more than happy to join us,” Maple said patiently.

We—Birch, Maple and I—were standing in front of the leaders of both the rebel camps. One of them was Sir Sorrel, an old Council member, who’d retired after my

father’s death—he’d joined the rebels when Ivy had killed his wife and two daughters.

It was another reminder that Ivy hadn’t harmed only me, but so many others.

They were getting all the information they could out of Maple and I, as we’d lived there. But they weren’t getting much done. They didn’t know how to move forward. To attack the palace, they’d have to send messages to the other rebel camps, organize and plan everything…but they’d still be outnumbered. Ivy was too strong.

Maple gave the names of plenty of soldiers, while I told them about the secret passageways that they hadn’t known about. I’d memorized where each of them were, the knowledge just another thing my sisters had passed down. Of course, Ivy knew about each of them as well.

Finally, they dismissed us, but kept Birch with them. Aiden and Arden were waiting for us outside the tent—they’d been quite offended at not being allowed inside. We walked to the edge of the Forest, away from our little camp, to talk in peace.

It was the first time the four of us had been alone anywhere.

Somehow, over the days, we’d become a group—the distance between Maple and I decreasing. As much as I hated what she’d done, this was the girl that had been by my side since we were toddlers. I couldn’t let go of her because Ivy had forced her to betray me. But there was still tension between us, and I knew that wouldn’t go away anytime soon.

“How did it go?” Aiden asked as we sat down in a small circle.

I shrugged. “We told them everything we could.”

“It’s going to take a lot to defeat the Queen,” Arden said, his eyes thoughtful. “All the camps are prepared, but now even the Queen’s soldiers are learning how to use the Forest like us. We’re losing our advantage.”

“We have to attack soon,” Aiden said, voice grim—almost tired. We’d been working hard nowadays, but it was more than that. We were all afraid. I’d had nightmares, Maple too. We didn’t talk about them.

We looked up as a girl came in. Fawn, the girl whose house we lived in. “Lunch.”

“Thank you,” I said, as she nodded and scurried away. Fawn was about a year younger than us, only fifteen, but she seemed much younger. She had so much hope that things could be better, even though she was born in a rebel camp, constantly in danger. Danger that came from my mother.

She had to be stopped. She was ruining our Forest, putting threatening shadows on elves like Fawn, who deserved to live full lives, not go through attacks on their home and running for their life from place to place.

We had to stop her. And we would.

***

“We have to go somewhere, I think the four of you should come,” Birch said.

“Where?” Arden asked.

“Our old camp.”

I glanced at Aiden before turning back to Birch. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Why?”

“We need to pick up some things, supplies, from there. Many of us are going—I thought you might want to,” Birch said.

“What if the Queen has soldiers waiting there? What if it’s a trap?” Aiden said, eyes dark.

Birch’s mouth tightened. “There’s no one, we sent a scout beforehand. But there’s plenty of damage done. If you can’t handle it —”

“I think we should go,” Arden said. I didn’t want to, but I nodded. As did Aiden and Maple.

“How are we going, though? Surely it’s too far to walk?” Maple asked.

Birch raised an eyebrow, eyes mischievous. “Ask Elvina. We’re going the way she came from the Palace.”

I groaned. “Maple, brace yourself.”

***

“That…was awful.” Maple groaned, bending over and clutching her stomach.

I wasn’t much better, even though I’d done it once. Birch had flung us through the trees for so long I had begun to wonder if we’d ever reach. But we did. And I could easily ignore my nausea at the sight of our camp.

It was horrible.

The camp had been ransacked. We were in the tents’ area, where the strategy meetings used to take place. Tents were lying on the ground, muddy and torn, boot prints all over them. We gazed ahead, horrified, because without the tents we could see the cottages where the families of the rebels used to live.

There were many others around us, staring with shock at what was once their home.

Birch moved first.

He sprinted ahead, followed by Aiden, and Arden, then Maple and I. Birch stopped at his cottage and glanced back at me. “Be careful. They could have left a trap here.”

We nodded, and he cautiously pushed the door, which was hanging on one hinge, open.

I swallowed.

The sofas were overturned. The dining table had fallen sideways on the floor because two of its legs had broken off and were lying on the floor near it. One curtain was torn but hanging. The other was on the floor. The kitchen was a disaster area, with utensils and food everywhere. We turned to the hallway where our rooms had been, and I felt like closing my eyes to avoid looking at the mess.

We went to my room first. I flinched. It was as destroyed as the rest of the house. We moved on quietly, to the other rooms.

We walked through the house but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. If you can call the ruining of a house nothing out of the ordinary. I tried to ignore the flashes of grief that occasionally passed over Aiden’s and Arden’s faces.

Aiden hid it well, but I could see how disturbed he was. Arden, however, didn’t seem able to conceal how he felt. Every time I saw him looking at the ruins of his home, a pang of sorrow hit me hard.

Once we were out, Birch said “Come with me.” We walked back towards the tents, giving me plenty of time to see all the damage. Every house was destroyed like Birch’s. I felt so guilty I could hardly breathe.

Because of me, this whole camp had been destroyed, we were refugees in another rebel camp, and elves could have died. It was all my fault. Just then, Aiden passed me. When he was next to me, in that one fraction of a moment he murmured, “It’s okay now. Stop thinking about it, it’s over.”

I stared at him in surprise as he passed ahead. He glanced back once as he passed me, and in his eyes, I saw neither reassurance nor blame. Just acceptance. Then Arden and Maple appeared on either side of me, and he looked back front.

“So, what really happened in the attack?” Arden asked.

“We were just eating when someone knocked on the door. He said that Ivy—the Queen—was attacking. I went with Aiden and your mother, father and sister went another way.”

“And you’re telling me that you just walked to the next camp, no attacks or anything?” He asked, sounding concerned.

I glanced at both of them once. I thought it was best to remain silent. Arden apparently took this as a no. “What happened?”

“Ivy,” I answered. He nodded slowly. Maple glanced at me once, guiltily, before looking away.

By then, we had reached a large tent. Birch and Aiden walked in and came out with weapons and—staffs.

“We don’t have enough weapons in the other camps?” Arden asked. Aiden dumped some staffs in my arms and went back in for more.

Birch shook his head. “We’re lucky the soldiers didn’t find these—we hid them safely. We need as much as possible.”

“How are staffs weapons?” Maple asked, Aiden shoving some into her hands as well.

“I’ll show you when we reach the other camp. Take a deep breath—we’re going back now.”

Once we reached the camp, we dropped off the staffs, the weapons, but kept one for each of us.

“So, what do we use these for?” Arden asked, shifting it in his hands.

“We never used these before, because you didn’t need them. This kind of staff is very difficult to make—we infuse the Forest’s magic in them. They support us with more difficult things. It becomes easier to use the Forest,” Birch said.

“The Queen doesn’t have them?” Aiden asked.

Birch shook his head. “No. Only we know how to use them—we hid them from the Queen.”

“So, what do we do?” Arden asked.

“Close your eyes and try to connect with the Forest. Try to feel it.” Birch said. Aiden raised an eyebrow but closed his eyes. I sighed and closed my eyes too.

The staff helped.

As I closed my eyes, everything grew silent. I could hear every rustle of every leaf, the wind flowing through, even the bubbling of a nearby creek. I could even hear the breathing of my fellow elves.

My own breathing slowed, and I could feel the staff grounding me, connecting me to the Forest, closer than I had ever been. A ripple spread through me, and a voice resounded in my head.

*Elvina*.

Nalvia?

A figure formed in front of me, though I had my eyes closed. It was so ethereal I knew I’d forget it the moment I opened my eyes. Golden light shimmered and twisted beneath my closed eyelids, forming a figure of which I could barely make out the face. She was eternally beautiful.

*Yes.*

The answer flew back immediately.

*What— what’s happening? How is this happening?*

*You are the Princess. The closest elf to me. You are my chosen one. I cannot show you much—all my power cannot be with you. But, look.*

Her figure dissipated, and a scene appeared in front of my eyes.

A wedding.

And not just any wedding. My parents’ wedding.