Chapter Seven
CHAPTER SEVEN
Liam stepped out into the cold and rainy morning, dressed in his raincoat and thick boots. A lazy drizzle fell among the trees, the leaves and fronds of the ferns slick with collected water. The coffee in his thermos was still hot, and he took a quick sip that burned his tongue but warmed his body.
As the warmth of the coffee faded, he shivered.
With each step, the newly formed scabs on his leg stung as they pulled tight. The pain had lessened after a fresh bandage and a night of rest, but walking on it was an unpleasant reminder of all that had happened. Being back in the trees didn’t help either, and he walked on, hoping he wouldn’t face the end of a gun again today.
A branch cracked somewhere in the distance, and Liam’s eyes darted around. You’re just being paranoid, he chastised himself.
He’d left Maple at home that morning, trying to keep her out of the way, just in case they ran into unexpected company. “I’m going to meet our strange visitor this morning,” he’d told her. “If I don’t make it back in a few hours, call someone?”
Maple had only sat and stared at him with a sweet, if vacant expression.
The prospect of going out into the depths of the forest with a strange woman who claimed to be something impossible—was, surprisingly, only a little terrifying. Liam hadn’t stayed awake long enough to really consider all that she’d told him, hadn’t drawn any conclusions about her one way or another. But he had replayed to himself the vision of the maple seed, sprouting right before his eyes. If it was some sort of trick, he hadn’t figured out how she’d done it.
For now, he’d decided to indulge his curiosity, just a little longer.
It wasn’t hard to believe there were beings out in the world mankind had yet to discover. After spending nearly every minute of his childhood in this forest, Liam knew better than anyone that it kept secrets. A being that had been watching over him his whole life… It should have terrified him. He should be more skeptical. But he wasn’t either of those things.
What did terrify him, however, was the lack of progress he’d made on the house, and the scolding his sister was sure to give him about it. Not only that, but he’d gotten himself roped into a problem he wasn’t sure he could solve. Regardless, his complete inability to say no to anyone had led him back into the forest.
His feet carried him to the clearing unconsciously, and he arrived before he’d even realized. He studied the tree, considering the strange tale Iona had woven. If true, it challenged everything he thought he knew of trees—their importance to the life of the creature he’d met, and to the protection of the forest as a whole.
Intrigued, he placed a hand up to the moss-covered bark of the tree once more. The tree seemed to hum beneath his palm, the warmth of it spreading up his icy fingers and warming him to his core.
Iona materialized beside him, and Liam jumped backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. “Shit!” he cried, before catching himself and regaining his balance. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“I did not mean to startle you,” she said with an apologetic smile. “I am able to take this form whenever I choose, though I was around before revealing myself to you.”
“Oh,” was all Liam found himself able to say. He placed a hand on his chest, willing his heart to slow.
Her smile was beautiful, illuminating her features with a glow that seemed to radiate from her. Liam wondered what the other Acernae looked like, if they were all so striking. He shook his head to clear it.
“How is your leg today?” she asked. Her delicate brows pinched with concern.
“It’s alright,” he said, glancing down at it. He’d replaced the bandage that morning, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. “Not fun to walk with, I guess.”
“No, I suppose not. I can take you directly to the fallen trees; it’s a little ways from here. It would be quicker than to walk, and likely less painful for you.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” he asked warily.
“Take my hand,” she said, instead of explaining.
Liam eyed her skeptically, but his curiosity won out and he did as he was told. His fingers curled around Iona’s dainty hand, warm in his, clearly less impacted by the cold. No sooner had he finished the thought when the world vanished.
Liam felt like he was falling. His stomach dropped, the air was sucked from his lungs and the world blurred around him. Then, as abruptly as it happened, it was over.
He sucked in a breath as the world around him stilled. Then he bent over a nearby stump and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the muddy ground.
“My apologies. I should have realized it would be a bit… jarring for you.” Iona spoke softly behind him, but her voice held the faintest bit of humor. “It is a gift of the Acernae, the ability to step through our forest. I’ve never brought a human with me before, though.”
“I’m fine,” he croaked, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”
He could have sworn Iona giggled, but when he turned to face her she was suspiciously stoic. As she took in the scene around them, any hint of amusement at his expense faded away.
It was a massacre.
Not only had the trees been crudely cut at the base, but the epiphytes that grew and thrived atop them had been destroyed, the detritus littering the muddy ground. Deep welts from the machine’s tracks carved into the dirt, leaving heavy ridges where water pooled, unable to drain into the hard soil. Many of the fallen trees were Douglas fir, but among them were a handful of red cedar and western hemlocks.
It had been years since he’d stood in the aftermath of a clearcut forest. The effect had not diminished with time. “You haven’t seen them out here again, have you?”
Iona shook her head. “No. The forest has been quiet today.”
“I’m going to take some photos.” Liam pulled out his phone and captured the scene around them as he spoke. “I’ll take them to the authorities, along with this location. We’re on National Forest land, I think, so logging here without prior approval is pretty illegal. This is sloppy work, definitely not done through the proper channels.”
“You think your people can police their own?” she asked.
There was an urgency to her question that tightened the growing knot in his stomach. He wanted to tell her not to worry, but his pragmatic mind knew better. “Well, it’s a good place to start. The rangers might have some other ideas, as well.”
“Okay, if you think that’s the best course of action.” She seemed to deflate, before pulling herself back together. “My friends and I will keep watch, in the meantime, and do what we can to heal the scar these men have left.”
Liam watched as Iona placed her hands on either side of one stump, closing her eyes in concentration. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a flood of magic rippled through the air around them as the wood of the fir stump began to decay rapidly, small shoots rising up around the edges. New life, growing from what was left behind.
Liam watched, awestruck. Either he’d lost touch with reality completely, or everything she said was true. At this point, he could no longer decide which felt more likely.
Iona paled, however, and swayed a little as she stood. Liam reached without thinking, catching her elbow and helping to stabilize her.
“Thanks, that took more strength than I expected,” she said.
“Maybe it’s best if we walk back?” Secretly, he was thrilled at the idea and had no desire to travel back the way they had come.
She gave a weak smile. “Yes, I’ll show you the way. It’s only a few miles.”
** *
To Iona, walking beside this human through her forests, showing him her world felt strange. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it also felt right , for him to be there with her.
He appeared surprisingly unbothered by all the revelation, and had asked very few questions so far. In fact, as they walked on, he was nearly silent. Every so often, Iona would sneak glances at him, trying to discern what he thought, but he remained frustratingly impassive.
He walked gingerly, nursing the wound on his thigh, but didn’t seem to be in excessive pain. Guilt flooded through her, knowing it would have been possible for her to bring them back in an instant. When Liam suggested they walk, she’d been too eager to spend the extra time with this human, even if it meant causing him more harm.
She soothed herself with the thought that if it truly hurt too much, he would say so.
As they traveled, she inhaled the damp and wooded smell of the surrounding forest. The heavy loam of the soil, and the faint smell of wood smoke from houses scattered among the trees. It was her favorite season in the valley. Though the coniferous trees changed little throughout the year, the maples brought plenty of their color to the surrounding life. Vivid oranges and rusty reds colored their leaves, many of which had already fallen to the ground, like a carpet beneath her feet.
Iona twirled one such leaf between her fingers as they walked. Her tree was considered mature within the valley, but nothing compared to the impressive foliage of some of the Elder trees, whose leaves could reach over a foot and a half in width. They were beautiful in the autumn season, and though Iona was sad to see them fall, she knew the order of things, as all her kin did. The leaves that fell only did so because it was their fate to fall, making room for new growth in the spring. The humans, however, had taken life from their forest before its time had come.
“You really are… what you say you are,” Liam finally murmured.
Iona turned and saw his look of dazed awe, as if it had taken him that long to truly believe. She laughed, letting her hair fall behind her as her head tipped back. “Yes, of course I am. I would not lie about such things. ”
He studied her curiously, then as if waking from a dream he let loose the questions Iona had been expecting much earlier.
“Why are you tied to the maple trees, instead of just any old tree?” Liam asked, watching the leaf she spun in her hand.
“I don’t know. There are other guardians, tied to different aspects of the natural world. They belong to the mountains, rivers and oceans in this land. There are still more who are bound to other trees, like the mighty oak or ash trees, sometimes even the fruit trees, or orchards as a whole—though there are none within the bounds of our valley.”
“Hmm,” he hummed, as if to himself. “And do they all… look like you?”
Iona felt herself blush, and swept a few stray hairs from her face, tucking them behind her pointed ear. “No, the shapes they take differ from mine. For instance, you may call me female. But among my kin there are some you may call male. Others are both, or neither. Not unlike humanity. The features of the forms they take vary too, often reflecting the season in which we were created, but with other traits which make us unique.”
“And they can all do the things you do?”
“More or less, though we each have our strengths.”
They walked on in silence for another few minutes, as Liam mulled over all he had learned. It would be strange, she thought, to live one’s entire life not understanding the true expanse of the world, only to have one’s eyes opened one day without warning. Though it was also true that the full extent of the human world was a mystery to her as well. She saw only what little the visitors to her valley could show her, a tiny sliver of the universe beyond. Often, it was enough for her, but sometimes curiosity drove her to madness.
“Where did you go? I used to see you in these forests so often, and then you left.” She regretted the question as soon as it left her lips, afraid to disrupt the rapport building between them.
But Liam answered, glancing sidelong at her as he spoke. “First I went to school, at the University of Washington—it’s across the water, in Seattle.”
“I know of it,” she said. Researchers from the university had visited the forests in the valley many times throughout the decades she’d watched over them .
Liam nodded. “Then, I stayed in the city, and worked a few different jobs since then.”
“Do you like it? In the city?”
“Sure,” he answered. His eyes scanned the distance as he thought. “There’s a lot to do. Definitely more than there is out here.”
Iona stilled, recoiling from the sting of his words. Of course, she knew they were true for him in his world, but they still hurt her nonetheless.
A look of guilt flashed across Liam’s face. “I didn’t mean—”
“No, it’s alright. It is simple, out here for you, I am sure.”
He flushed, the color bringing out the warmth in his brown hair. He looked as if he was going to say something else, but a chiming from his pocket interrupted them.
Iona inclined her head, indicating he should take the call. She moved a few steps away to give him some privacy, but it did little good. A sharp voice spoke as soon as Liam had answered, and she could hear every word.
“Oh good! I wanted to see how things are going—are you making any progress?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s coming along,” Liam answered reluctantly.
The line was quiet for a moment.
“You haven’t gotten anything done, Liam, have you? Come on! I was counting on you. I never ask you for anything, except this one time.” The woman sighed. “We can cover the payments another month, but we’re cutting it close as it is. And I want to have this off my plate when the baby gets here; it’ll be any day now.”
Iona dared glance back at Liam, who held the phone to his ear and gazed off into the trees, flinching at the woman’s harsh tone. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it messy and tangled.
“Look, Rebecca, there’s some… cut trees on the edge of the property. Someone’s been out taking the trees down illegally.”
“So? Do you know how many trees are out there?”
“Well, it’s illegal,” he said, then hastily added, “and it’s bad for the property value.”
“Don’t worry about that, Liam—just focus on getting the house squared away. Please? It’s really important. And anyone who’s stealing timber off the property you probably don’t want to mess with, anyway. It’s not worth it. ”
Liam bit his lip, his brows furrowing. When he did not speak, the voice continued.
“Liam, this is about more than just your precious trees.” Another sigh. “Please, just take care of the house by next week, okay? And… don’t mention anything to the realtor. That’s a headache I really don’t want.”
“Yeah, I said I’d get it done.”
“Alright, let me know if you need anything,” the woman said, then hung up without another word.
When Iona turned, she saw Liam standing still with his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Who was that?” she asked, unable to hide her irritation on Liam’s behalf.
“My sister,” he answered. “She doesn’t sound happy with me. I’m supposed to be clearing out the old house, getting it ready to sell.”
“That’s right. But why does she speak to you this way? Are you not family?”
Liam’s lips twisted into a humorless smile. “We’re family, but it’s complicated. She’s always been so… competent. I guess I’ve never really measured up. Now that my parents are getting older, Rebecca’s had to pick up the slack. She’s just trying to keep things together, you know?”
“They’re aging?” Iona asked, a frown on her lips.
Liam resumed walking along the path, and Iona hastened to follow. He stuck his hands in his pockets, his cheeks now red with cold.
“Well, my mom is in pretty good shape. But my dad is nearly ten years older. He worked hard in the field his whole life. It took his toll, but the life out here kept him pretty healthy, chopping wood to keep the fire going and all that. But then about a year ago he tripped on the stairs out front, and the doctors realized his vision was going. He’s something like 80% blind now, and it was just too hard for my mom to care for him out here by herself. She swore she’d never leave this valley, but it broke her heart to watch my father suffer, the stubborn bastard he is. Where they live now is pretty nice, and they can be mostly independent. Someone just comes to help with the chores. It’s a little east of here, in Bremerton. ”
Liam spoke so matter-of-fact, but Iona could tell the reality of it hurt him. Though she could not relate, she knew what it was to watch the life wither and die around you. The human lifespan was so short, their time on this earth so fleeting.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s just how it goes,” he said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. After a moment, he urged them on.
The threat of the loggers still loomed over her, but for a while, Iona let herself enjoy the company of the not-quite stranger and a long walk on such a crisp autumn day.
He asked more questions, getting more specific as they went, until eventually he began asking such scientific questions that Iona had to stop him when she did not know the answers. She asked a few of her own, desperate to know more about his life, his work—though again she understood little.
About an hour later, they arrived back at the cabin and Iona looked at it anew, the knowledge that Liam would soon be leaving her for good setting in. Of course it was foolish of her to expect him to hang around forever—much like his parents, all human life was destined to dim and fade away quickly. Losing him to the city felt worse somehow.
“Do you still draw?” she asked. Their time together was coming to a close, but Iona could not help stretching it out just a little longer. “I always saw you drawing, when you were young. I hope you still do.”
“Not really,” he confessed, “but maybe if I had more beautiful things to draw.” He smiled shyly at her, a crooked smile that made something within her flutter.
Iona felt herself blush, then chided herself for it. He was a human, and their business would be done soon. Best not to get attached.
“Good,” she said, getting back to business. “When should I expect to hear from you?”
Liam thought for a moment, the smile sliding off his lips. “I think you can come by tomorrow, around nightfall. I need to get some work done around the house, but I should have something to report by then. Do you, um, eat?” He looked uncomfortable again, and ran his hand through his still messy hair .
Iona grinned back at him. “I do. I don’t need to, and rarely find reason to, but it’s perfectly possible.”
“Okay—I’ll see you then.” He stepped backwards, turning from her then retreating back into the house with a wave.
Iona watched him go, then vanished into the forest and returned to her tree. After sprouting the saplings and the long walk back in her human form, she was exhausted.
Alone once more, she considered how solitary her eternity in this valley would be.
Sure, she had her friends among the Acernae, but the connection the humans formed was built on the assumption their lives would be short. Their ephemeral nature gave them an urgency and an intimacy that Iona suddenly yearned for.
She shoved the thoughts aside and forced herself to rest.
The next few days would be taxing without the help of the Elders, and she’d need all the strength she could get.