Blue Blood (Series of Blood Book 3) by Emma Hamm (books to read this summer .txt) 📕

World Tree sees all but does not interfere. It is merely a guide for all of us to find our way.”

Something like a god, then. Jasper made certain not to step on any of the exposed roots. Though he doubted the tree would mind if he made a mistake, it still felt like sacrilege to trod upon the ground this being rested on.

A bird flitted through the air in front of him. It was tiny and brown, an insignificant looking bird. It did not want to leave him alone, flapping its wings until it was nearly still in the air before it began to circle above him. There was something so strange about this behavior that Jasper paused.

He narrowed his eyes at it. “Do you want me to follow you?”

The tiny bird dove towards him. Jasper raised his arms to protect his head, but was startled when the bird did not immediately make contact. Instead, it chirped very loudly in his ear and clipped the top of his head with a harsh whack.

When he lowered his arms, it was in the air before him again.

“I’m going to take that as a yes. A rude yes. You’re very small.”

It chirped again,  flapped its wings angrily, and whizzed past him to the other side of the tree. His brows furrowed. This place was a prison, lost to time and memory. But a bird knew the way to guide him.

“I really don’t like this place,” he grumbled. “If I have to go into another dimension, I am going to lose my mind.”

His quiet footsteps were muffled by moss as he carefully made his way around the trunk. The entire time, he prayed he wouldn’t round the corner and see a portal.

Thankfully, there appeared to be nothing strange on the other side of the tree. The bird was circling above him again, but there were no warped edges to the air around it. No portal.

He could be thankful for that, at least.

“What did you want me to see?” he asked the tiny animal.

Then he saw it — red splashes of color revealed between the gnarled roots. He never would have even noticed the bright autumnal colors if the bird wasn’t hovering above them frantically.

Strange that there would be a spot of red in all this emerald. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully stepped forward. There was no way he could get to it without stepping on the roots.

“Sorry.” He reached down to gently pat the nearest root. “I mean no disrespect. I only wish to satisfy my curiosity.”

Jasper flinched when the tree groaned. It was only the tree settling, he told himself, not that the World Tree was responding to his words. Dead trees could creak like old houses, but this tree was very much alive.

“I’ll just...go ahead then,” he stammered as he walked upon the roots.

He hadn’t realized how high the spot of color was until the forest floor disappeared beneath him. He climbed farther and farther until a drop to certain death made him begin to sweat. His boots slipped in the moss covered branches, forcing him to climb on hands and knees.

At the top was a small plateau of roots, so tangled he couldn’t tell one from the next. Strands of the bright red were visible from between the gnarled wood. It resembled a bird’s nest of twigs and brightly colored ribbon.

He lost his breath. That wasn’t fabric or leaves. It was hair. Long streams of red hair woven into the moss and roots.

“Shit,” he said quietly. “I damn well know a tree isn’t growing hair. Bluebell, there’s a person in there.”

“Prison,” Bluebell replied. “The Wisp said this was a prison.”

“So all this was to keep whatever this tree is holding locked away?”

“It would make sense. Jasper, I’m frightened of what it holds.”

He patted himself on the shoulder. “I know. Me too.”

There was no knowing what these roots held. He hoped it was a creature he could handle. Or, perhaps, one that would be grateful to be released.

This was the creature he was meant to collect. This was what Malachi wanted. A bit of red buried beneath the earth.

He hoped that this didn’t end up resulting in his untimely demise.

“How do you think I get them off, Bluebell?”

“Maybe ask?”

It was worth a try. He leaned back on his haunches and placed his hands on his knees. “World Tree? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you to release your prisoner.”

He held his breath. Asking felt like it was too easy. But it wasn’t wrong to wish for something to be easy just this once.

The tree did not budge.

“Right.” He bit his lip. “Well, I made it all the way here for this thing you’re hiding. I hope you don’t mind me digging at you a little. You’ve got enough roots holding you down, I suspect a few branches won’t hurt.”

“Jasper.”

“Not now, Bluebell.”

“Are you talking to the tree? I meant to ask the creature it holds to come out.” Her voice bubbled with giggles.

He paused to cast his eyes towards the sky. The Fairy conveniently forgot she used to talk to trees on a regular basis, but he was the one being teased for just that. Arguing could come later. For now, he had to figure out how to get this thing out.

The sinking feeling in his stomach suggested that there might be something bad coming. All others had some weakness exploited by this prison. He had not. Jasper figured it was bound to happen at some point, and he hated waiting for the inevitable.

He scratched the back of his neck. Superstitions and gut feelings aside, this was definitely the center of the maze. Why he hadn’t been stopped was a question he could ask much later, from the comfort and safety of his hammock.

“Bluebell, is there any way to cut through these branches and not harm the tree?”

“Well, it’s just a tree. I’m sure it won’t mind if you gently break a few off.”

“Even though it’s the World Tree?”

“I