across the ground from their weight. Creeping vines cloaked each bough in green moss and tiny white blossoms. I had never seen anything look more alive.
“I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before,” Allura interjected. “They just can’t seem to grow them like this in the human world.”
“You’re right about that.” I chuckled. My eyes traveled from the base of the trunk up and over the thick branches. It stole my breath.
“There’s a bough for every kingdom,” Declan explained.
I counted the large limbs that extended out widely. “So, in all, there are seven kingdoms?”
“Seven,” Declan confirmed. “We are the only one in North America. Rymidon is in Ireland. Callastonia is in Russia. Elfland is in Finland and so forth.”
“Why did they spread so far apart?”
“Why not? We can get to any of the other kingdoms in a matter of seconds through the Waking Oak.”
I looked over at him, puzzled. “How exactly were the new kingdoms created? If Faylinn is like this parallel existence to the rest of the world, how did the other kingdoms create that?”
“It was the strangest thing,” Declan began to explain. “When a new kingdom was established, ready to break away, a new branch grew like a new lifeline. That new branch created a portal for another kingdom, almost as if it was meant to be—almost as if we were always supposed to divide.”
My eyes continued to study the Oak. “That’s crazy.”
“No. It’s true,” Allura said with wide eyes.
“No, I just mean that it’s remarkable the way it worked itself out that way. So the tree used to be much smaller?”
Declan nodded. “We used to utilize it for traveling around, but not to other kingdoms, just to other forests around the world.”
I looked back to the Waking Oak and noticed Kai on the far side lying across its roots with his flute in hand as he gazed up into the branches, separating himself from us. He looked so relaxed; I wanted to perch myself beside him and bask in the rays streaming through the branches without a care.
He must have felt my eyes on him because he gradually turned his gaze on me and it was as if a fire ignited in my body and spread into my face. I stifled a gasp and shifted my attention back to Allura and Declan who seemed to be standing rather closely. They weren’t talking. It was as if they didn’t even realize how closely they had drifted to one another.
When Declan caught me staring, he darted a look at Allura and stepped away, almost like he felt guilty. I didn’t mean to make him feel that way. I still wasn’t sure what I felt when I saw them together. They were close. I knew they had to be. And though I felt something for Declan I couldn’t explain, I didn’t know if I could say the thought of them together made me jealous.
“Calliope, are you ready for dinner?” he asked.
My stomach growled in response.
Allura chuckled. “Yes, I think she is.”
“Do you want to come for dinner?” I asked Allura.
“Why not? I could eat. What’s on the menu?”
“Radik,” Declan answered.
“What’s a radik?” My brow furrowed.
Allura took the lead on this one. “They are small animals that like to get into the Harvest Borough and eat all of our produce. They’re kind of a nuisance.”
“A delicious nuisance,” Kai contributed from the roots.
“The meat is very tender,” Declan agreed.
My face obviously held concern because they all laughed at me. “Don’t worry. It’s good. I promise,” Allura tried to reassure.
• • •
As it turned out, I really enjoyed the radik. Though as soon as one of the fae serving us put the full animal on my plate I nearly gagged. It was a little rodent, probably the size of a small rabbit, and they hadn’t removed the head. It was skinned and placed whole in front of me, it’s tail dangling just off the plate.
Declan saw my alarm and took care of the head and tail for me before putting it back on my plate, chuckling during the whole
“I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before,” Allura interjected. “They just can’t seem to grow them like this in the human world.”
“You’re right about that.” I chuckled. My eyes traveled from the base of the trunk up and over the thick branches. It stole my breath.
“There’s a bough for every kingdom,” Declan explained.
I counted the large limbs that extended out widely. “So, in all, there are seven kingdoms?”
“Seven,” Declan confirmed. “We are the only one in North America. Rymidon is in Ireland. Callastonia is in Russia. Elfland is in Finland and so forth.”
“Why did they spread so far apart?”
“Why not? We can get to any of the other kingdoms in a matter of seconds through the Waking Oak.”
I looked over at him, puzzled. “How exactly were the new kingdoms created? If Faylinn is like this parallel existence to the rest of the world, how did the other kingdoms create that?”
“It was the strangest thing,” Declan began to explain. “When a new kingdom was established, ready to break away, a new branch grew like a new lifeline. That new branch created a portal for another kingdom, almost as if it was meant to be—almost as if we were always supposed to divide.”
My eyes continued to study the Oak. “That’s crazy.”
“No. It’s true,” Allura said with wide eyes.
“No, I just mean that it’s remarkable the way it worked itself out that way. So the tree used to be much smaller?”
Declan nodded. “We used to utilize it for traveling around, but not to other kingdoms, just to other forests around the world.”
I looked back to the Waking Oak and noticed Kai on the far side lying across its roots with his flute in hand as he gazed up into the branches, separating himself from us. He looked so relaxed; I wanted to perch myself beside him and bask in the rays streaming through the branches without a care.
He must have felt my eyes on him because he gradually turned his gaze on me and it was as if a fire ignited in my body and spread into my face. I stifled a gasp and shifted my attention back to Allura and Declan who seemed to be standing rather closely. They weren’t talking. It was as if they didn’t even realize how closely they had drifted to one another.
When Declan caught me staring, he darted a look at Allura and stepped away, almost like he felt guilty. I didn’t mean to make him feel that way. I still wasn’t sure what I felt when I saw them together. They were close. I knew they had to be. And though I felt something for Declan I couldn’t explain, I didn’t know if I could say the thought of them together made me jealous.
“Calliope, are you ready for dinner?” he asked.
My stomach growled in response.
Allura chuckled. “Yes, I think she is.”
“Do you want to come for dinner?” I asked Allura.
“Why not? I could eat. What’s on the menu?”
“Radik,” Declan answered.
“What’s a radik?” My brow furrowed.
Allura took the lead on this one. “They are small animals that like to get into the Harvest Borough and eat all of our produce. They’re kind of a nuisance.”
“A delicious nuisance,” Kai contributed from the roots.
“The meat is very tender,” Declan agreed.
My face obviously held concern because they all laughed at me. “Don’t worry. It’s good. I promise,” Allura tried to reassure.
• • •
As it turned out, I really enjoyed the radik. Though as soon as one of the fae serving us put the full animal on my plate I nearly gagged. It was a little rodent, probably the size of a small rabbit, and they hadn’t removed the head. It was skinned and placed whole in front of me, it’s tail dangling just off the plate.
Declan saw my alarm and took care of the head and tail for me before putting it back on my plate, chuckling during the whole
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