The Poison Season(91)

She was setting out for a different world now, one that she had always believed was full of unimaginable evils. But how could that be true, when it had brought her Jaren? Her only regret was that she had not vanquished the evil she’d grown up with.

Without thinking, she closed her eyes, and a song she’d never sung before poured out of her. It was an Endlan song, wordless and haunting, and though her voice rang out alone, she could tell it was full of magic. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t sung it before, or even heard it. Leelo knew in her bones what it was.

A farewell song.

It came from a time before Endla and the Wandering Forest. A time when her people passed only stories on to their children instead of lies. A time of peace and prosperity that required nothing more than the sacrifice of hard work and patience, rather than blood and innocence.

The Forest’s reign had come to an end.

When at last she finished singing and opened her eyes again, the Wandering Forest was gone.



Chapter Fifty-Five


By some miracle, Leelo and Jaren made it to the mainland unscathed. The boat’s hull, however, was cracked in several places, and Jaren knew Fiona had been right. It wouldn’t make it back for another voyage, and a new boat was useless without the sap to protect it from the poison. In the distance, Endla sat small and smoking, the pine grove gone from the horizon. For a few minutes, they lay side by side on the narrow beach, their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breath.

“What now?” Jaren asked. He knew what he wanted more than anything: to see his family. But from here, it was impossible to tell what had happened on Endla when the Forest vanished, and he knew Leelo must be desperate to learn what had become of her mother.

Leelo sat up, staring out over the black water. “I know we can’t go back now. I just wish I knew if she was all right.”

Jaren helped her to her feet. They were both exhausted, but staying here for what remained of the night was unimaginable. They began to walk, and while Jaren had once believed it was Endla calling to him, he knew now it had been Leelo all along.

By the time they made it to his house, daylight was just beginning to creep among the tightly curled ferns and damp undergrowth. Leelo’s mouth was open in awe for most of the journey. Every now and then, she would pause to pluck a berry from a bush or a flower from the ground, and she would pause, listening and waiting, to see if the forest would retaliate. And every time it didn’t, she smiled at Jaren like she was witnessing a little miracle. Those smiles kept him going, though every muscle in his body ached and he was unable to stop his mind from spinning, knowing he was about to confront the truth he had just learned, that he was not who he had always believed he was.

Klaus’s rented cottage had never really felt like home to Jaren, but seeing it now, quiet and nestled among a small copse of birch and elm, he felt the relief he’d been longing for since he landed on Endla. Having Leelo with him, his missing puzzle piece, made it even more profound.

They paused at the door, Leelo looking at Jaren expectantly. Should he knock first? Walk in and surprise them? He knew that for his family, his appearance would be like he was coming back from the dead. He didn’t want to scare them. But the thought of waiting even one more minute to see them was unbearable. Hesitantly, he knocked.

It took several moments for the door to creak open. It was Stepan, his beard several inches longer than Jaren remembered. He rubbed at his eyes as if waking from a dream.

“Hello, Father,” Jaren said, before he was engulfed in an enormous bear hug and the air was squeezed from his lungs.

“Girls!” Stepan shouted, and a moment later three familiar faces were at the door behind him, their eyes bright and shining with tears. They surrounded Jaren, exclaiming and squealing like a trio of elated squirrels.

“You’re home! I can’t believe you’re really home!”

“Saints, we’ve missed you.”

Someone pinched Jaren on the arm, hard, and his eyes shot to Tadpole’s.

“What was that for?” he demanded.

“Just making sure this isn’t a dream,” she chirped and went back to jumping in delight.

“That’s not how it works!” he shouted, but he was laughing, too.

Finally, when they had all affirmed that he was indeed alive and well, they stepped back and noticed for the first time that Jaren was not alone.

“Hello,” Leelo said shyly, and Jaren’s heart threatened to explode in his chest from happiness.

He pulled her against his side. “Father, Summer, Story, Tadpole—”

“My name isn’t Tadpole,” Sofia hissed.

Jaren ignored her. “Everyone, this is Leelo Hart. She came from Endla. She’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

Jaren’s family made a valiant effort not to react in a way that would offend Leelo, but he couldn’t help noticing the way Summer shrank back a little and Tadpole gasped in wonder.

“Like, a real Endlan?” she asked. “Not like Tate.”

Jaren was about to admonish his sister for being rude, but Leelo’s face broke out in a radiant smile.

“You know my brother?”

“Of course we do. He’s staying with Lupin.”

Now it was Jaren’s turn to gasp, but Tadpole had already grabbed Leelo’s hand and pulled her into the house.