Tree Singer by Jacci Turner (best novels for beginners TXT) 📕

steps until Mayten caught up. They walked in silence for a few moments, thoughts tumbling about Mayten’s mind like a feather caught in river rapids.

“Did it work?” Cather finally asked. “What did you hear?”

For the first time in days, Mayten was ready to talk. She kept her eyes on the trail. “It was more like a series of pictures in my mind. Something is taking the trees’ life or energy or . . . I don’t know how to say it exactly. And there’s this man, but he lived two hundred years ago, so I can’t think out how he figures into this, but I could feel great resentment from the trees toward him. I need more information.”

She glanced at Cather . . . who was—of course—watching Tray.

“You’re really happy, aren’t you?” she asked Cather.

Her friend smiled and shrugged. “I am. I’m sorry, I know this is important, I just . . .”

“I’m happy for you.” Mayten squeezed Cather’s arm. “What’s happening to you is important too.”

Cather blushed. “It is, isn’t it? I was afraid it would never happen. I’m so glad you understand. I feel like I’ve been ignoring you and you’ve been so down.”

“I know you’ve wanted Tray’s attention forever. What do you think changed? Why now?”

“I’m not sure. We have two years until we can declare ourselves at the gathering, but it seems like he’s—”

A shout from Tray caught their attention. “Come quick! You’ve got to see this!”

They raced up the trail, Anatolian in the lead. Legs burning, Mayten stopped on Tray’s right while Cather moved to his left. The last part of the trail had been steep enough she was soon gasping for breath and could hear Cather doing the same.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Tray asked, his voice filled with awe.

The trees ended abruptly, opening on a vista so bright Mayten’s eyes hurt. Below them a lush green valley bordered an impossibly blue sea. She blinked and squinted, letting her eyes adjust to the brilliance so different from the dark forest. Anatolian yipped like a puppy, tail wagging so hard his entire body shook.

“Look!” Cather pointed at a wooded area partway through the valley. “There’s the castle.”

Three stone-gray turrets jutted high above the oak trees. Flags flying the king’s lion crest waved as if in welcome. A gentle breeze brushed a strand of hair off her cheek, bringing strange scents along with it. She’d only visited the Ocean Clan once and memories of the smells of brine and fish flooded through her.

“We did it.” Mayten grabbed Tray and hugged him tight, Cather joining in. The relief of finally seeing their destination felt like waking up having forgotten it was your birthday and being greeted with hugs and well wishes from the family.

“Let’s go,” said Tray, echoing Mayten’s desire to get to the castle. They raced down the hillside, laughing with relief. Mayten’s heart felt free after so long in despair. She had a new sense of urgency that lifted the darkness from her soul. The soft, moist air seemed to wash her whole being clean.

Then a thought made her stop. “Wait,” she yelled.

Tray slid to a stop on the rocky hillside and Cather knocked into him. He caught her when she started to slip.

“What is it?” he yelled.

Mayten stumbled down to them. “Look at us. We can’t meet the king looking like this.”

They hadn’t bathed since they left home. Tray’s neck looked nearly black and Cather, though Mayten knew she had tried to keep her hands clean, had dirt under her fingernails. Her own hair was a tangled mess and her clothes were stiff with sweat and dirt.

“You’re right,” Cather said. “We need to find a place to wash and change before we meet the king.”

Tray squinted at the valley below, shading his eyes from the sun with an arm. “I see a lake.” He pointed at a small lake along the trail to the castle.

“Perfect,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Again, they ran laughing down the slope. Dirt clouds flew around them as they ran, causing more dust to stick to Mayten’s sweaty skin. The hill flattened out at the bottom and ended in a path of stone. They crossed the path, hurrying over some kind of short grasses she had never seen. The rich-smelling grasses made her nose itch.

As they got closer to the lake, Mayten realized they were entering the castle grounds. The trees were pink with cherry blossoms, something Mayten had only heard about. The pink color against the green grass was more than beautiful. The hedges were groomed to look like animals: lions, bears, and some fanciful creatures like dragons lined the perfectly cut grasses. They slowed as they approached the lake—which was really more of a large pond.

Tray put his fists on his hips and frowned. “Do you think it will be okay to bathe here?”

Mayten glanced around. There was no one in sight and the castle was hidden by a row of tall, thin trees she had no name for. They were planted close together as if to block the castle from view. “I think we’ll be okay. It’s better than walking into the castle like this.”

She patted her tunic, sending a cloud of dust into the air, coughing as she waved the dust away with one hand.

“See those rocks?” She pointed at a large stack of rocks that jutted into the water, creating a natural divider. “We’ll go in on the right, and you take the left, Tray. We’ll wash as fast as we can.”

“Sounds good.” Tray sprinted toward the water, taking off his shirt as he ran. Anatolian rushed past him and splashed into the water first. Mayten laughed.

“He’s got the right idea,” Cather said. “I didn’t feel dirty until now and suddenly I can’t wait to get into that water!”

Mayten ran down the lake’s edge, Cather close behind. Quickly, they stripped off their clothes. Mayten fished a lump of soap from her pack, grateful that her sister had insisted she take it.

Cather took out her rain poncho and unrolled it, pulling out