Manny led Calla away from the clearing where the house had previously been. Augustus joined them as soon as the house was out of sight. It was then that she realized that she had lost track of him at some point during that conversation. It made sense because that conversation was terrifying, but that didn’t explain how he appeared to appear from a shadow beneath a nearby tree.

“We’ll be walking to the Roving City. We should reach it tomorrow.” Manny said, pointing with a chisel-like hand in a direction past the clearing.

“Do you think someone will be able to help me there?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Possibly. That is where the witches of heart make their home, among many others. They know of all the hearts in the Illuminated Forest. If anyone will know about how you got here, it will be them.”

She tried to imagine this city, but could only imagine a giant city that travelled the countryside on wheels. She had seen towns like that in a movie she had watched a few years ago, but that vision felt far too much like steampunk to fit in with this setting. Maybe it was located on the back of a massive beast that soared through the air. That way it wouldn’t trample all of the trees. The one thing she knew for certain was that this city had to move. The barrier of dust would consume it if it didn’t.

“It’s a large city that walks on massive legs. It’s at the heart of the forest and the barriers move with it.” The wolf had noticed that she was trying to imagine the city.

“Oh, thanks.” She thought for a moment and her eyes widened. “Does that mean that if the city were to stop moving, the barriers would stop also?”

“Yes, but that’s not a good idea,” Augustus said.

“The witches tried that a few decades ago, the city didn’t move for an entire year. They discovered that by keeping the barriers stationary the forest grew out of control and soon there was no room for anything else. No one could live in the forest. The barriers are the only way to renew the forest and to keep it liveable.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Oh…” she said quietly.

“It’s a good idea though.” Manny continued. “Many people in the forest have wished that they didn’t always need to be moving ahead. Everyone has wished they could see a specific tree again that has long since turned to dust. It’s just not meant to be.”

“Where I come no one has to move if they don’t want to.” She says quietly. “You can keep walking forever, or at least until you run into a mountain or an ocean.”

“Your world sounds very strange.” Said Augustus.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ocean. What is it? Asked Manny.

“It’s… a really big body of water. It can take weeks to get across it in a boat.”

“Oh, so like a massive pond.” Manny nodded. “You should tell me more about your world sometime.”

“Sure.” She wondered what type of things she would have to explain to him. She also wondered about all of the things he would have to explain to her. Their two worlds were very different.”

Augustus sniffed the air near her wrist. Then he sent a glare at Manny. When Calla saw it a shiver went up her spine.

“Why is there a curse on her?”

Manny sighed. “It was the only way my mother would let me leave. She’s become even more protective than usual. She says it’s because of my face after I came home the last time, but I think there’s something else going on. I don’t think anyone could have convinced her to let me go without the curse but don’t worry. It will be broken automatically as soon as I get back home. It’s slow acting too so we have a few weeks.”

She felt a moment of dread as she looked down at her currently wooden wrist. “If you take more than a few weeks to help me get home, does that mean that I will just become a tree?”

“Of course not.” He shook his head. His voice grew cheerful. “It just means that I will help you for a week and then I will pass you on to the witches of heart. I’m sure that there’s something they can do.”

“Okay.” She said quietly as she tried to push the possibility of becoming a tree and turning to dust out of her mind.

“I don’t like it,” Augustus sighed, “but if you know what you’re doing, I trust you.”

They continued to walk through the forest. Manny pointed out a few trees and told her what kind of trees they were. Weirdly enough he also mentioned personality when explaining the trees, but to Calla, everything in this forest seemed weird.

She worried about how things were going at home. Her mother was likely very worried. If she hadn’t already, she would call the police to declare her missing. People would look for her, but they wouldn’t find her because she wasn’t in that forest anymore. She was in the Illuminated Forest now. Hopefully, she would be back sooner rather than later. It hadn’t even been a day and she hadn’t liked that town much before, but in the moment she was missing it. She would go home. If Augustus trusted Manny, then she would too.