Rose's Arc

Chapter 1 of 8

Rose wanted one wish, and only the forest spirit could grant it. Trouble was, nobody knew where the spirit lived. She had spent three days in the deep woods chasing rumors. A woodcutter swore it slept under a waterfall. A berry-picker said it lived in a hollow oak. Rose had checked both. She had found only wet boots and empty trees. Now the light was fading, and her map was just guesses. She stopped at a stream to fill her flask. That was when the water lit up. A small glow drifted over the surface, no bigger than her hand. Rose froze. The glow had wings. It was a fairy. She hovered above the stream in a dress of layered purple petals. Tiny flowers dotted her white hair. Her wings shimmered like soap bubbles in sunlight. She studied Rose with sharp green eyes, arms crossed, unimpressed. "You've been stomping through my woods since morning," the fairy said. "You scared off three rabbits and stepped on my mushroom ring." "Sorry," Rose said. "I'm looking for the forest spirit. I'm Rose." "Luna," the fairy said. She did not offer a hand. "And you won't find the spirit by trampling. Nobody does. It hides on purpose." Rose's chest tightened. If anyone knew, it would be someone who lived this deep. "Do you know where it dwells?" Luna landed on a low branch. She plucked a seed from the bark and rolled it in her fingers. "I know every root and hollow out here. I've seen the spirit twice." She paused. "But I don't hand out its secret to strangers who crush my garden." "Please," Rose said. "I've walked for three days. I only want to ask it one thing." Luna tilted her head. "Everyone wants one thing." She flew closer, hovering near Rose's face. "The spirit lives past the black pines, where the trees grow too close for sun. There's a clearing with a pool that never freezes. That's its home." Rose's heart jumped. Finally, a real answer. "Thank you. How do I get there?" "You don't," Luna said. "Not alone. The black pines twist. People walk in circles until they starve. I'm the only one who knows the way through." She landed on Rose's shoulder, light as a leaf. "So I'm coming with you. And you'll owe me." Rose almost laughed with relief. "Owe you what?" Luna smiled, and it was not a kind smile. "We'll see. The spirit doesn't like guests. It might not grant your wish at all. It might turn you into a toad for asking." She pointed toward a dark wall of trees on the ridge. "That's where we go. At dawn." Rose looked at the black pines. The wall of trunks blocked the last of the light. She no longer needed to find the spirit's home. Now she had to reach it, and win over something that made even Luna wary.