The boy was taller than her and older, too. He and his band of four followers had been chasing her around the city, calling out to her, taunting her, and nothing could send shivers down her spine like being pursued by a group of angry boys. Nearly men, they looked for their revenge, and in her, they saw an opportunity to let their rage take over.

She hadn’t grown tired, but as she fled, her fear had flipped over, and anger had taken hold. More anger than even the boys who pursued her had. She had a lifetime of rage, too, just like they did, and she was just waiting for the right moment to set it free.

She stopped running.

It was easy, her magic. It came out of her like a spring from the earth. Sometimes it was just a trickle. Other times, it was a waterfall. She couldn’t always control it, but she wasn’t totally wild.

She walked up to the boys, who had also stopped running; they looked surprised. But the one in the front, the leader, with his locks of blond hair falling into his eyes, smiled wide.

He advanced, ready to attack.

But he didn’t know who he was dealing with.

“Looky here,” he said, taking a few measured steps in her direction. “A little witch come out to play.”

She raised her eyebrows, smirking. She could feel the power rising up through her body, ready to explode.

“You think I don’t know what you are? We know. They all know. And it’s only a matter of time before you’re cast out for good.”

“Walk away, Finn,” she warned.

She knew him, had seen him in town throwing advances at girls who wanted nothing to do with him. Even in his fine clothes, most of the girls could see right through him. But the girls who didn’t want him, he wanted.

Was that why he was so angry? Because those beautiful girls rejected him? Humiliation could do a lot of damage to a person.

But Bree … well, she was special, wasn’t she? So much more than just a girl.

He didn’t walk away. Instead, he got closer and closer, licking his lips as if he were preparing to plant a kiss on her mouth.

She let him get close. Her skin crawled as he slid his hands around her waist, then slipped them down her backside.

The boys were impressed by their leader’s boldness, and they hooted as they watched the scene unfold.

“You see? Little Bree. I’m not so bad, am I?”

She moved her hands until they were both resting on his chest, and as he moved in for a kiss, she let her magic fly.

The force blasted Finn back a full ten feet, leaving him sprawling at the boys’ feet.

At first, they looked surprised. One of them even laughed. But then their humor turned to anger once more.

Another approached, and this time she hit him without even needing to touch his body.

Ten feet.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

The last one gave pause, looking at his friends down on the ground, one howling with pain, cradling his arm where it had cracked on the cobblestone. Another holding onto his head, moaning.

Finn was just starting to get his feet under him.

“What are you doing?” he shouted at this last standing friend. “Get her!”

Bree saw the look on the boy’s face, and it was clear he had learned his lesson at his cohorts’ expense. He approached, eyes wide.

She knew what he was thinking. He would be beaten either way, though maybe even more so by Finn than by her.

She walked up to him and put her hand up and behind his neck. Then she did the thing that she knew would drive Finn out of his mind.

She kissed him.

The boy pulled away, surprised. And in another moment, Finn was back for more. He grabbed her away from the other boy and kissed her forcibly.

She did the only thing she could do. She waited for him to calm down, waited until his lips were soft against hers.

And she bit him.

He stumbled backward, his hand clenched to his face, screaming in agony.

“You terrible witch!” he shouted, looking down at his hand, which was now covered in blood.

He regained his balance and advanced again, but this time when she hit him, she gave it everything she had, throwing him all the way across the road with just one hand.

She turned, looking at the boy she had kissed, considering. If she tossed him as well, he would avoid a beating from Finn later on.

But she wasn’t feeling very generous. She walked up to him and spat in his face.

“Go now,” she recommended.

He stepped back, hands outstretched to break his fall if she were to attack him, too.

She looked around at the people in the market as she caught her breath. Many of them smiled, nodding their heads. Others looked fearful, stepping back from their tables as they waited for the lawmen who would undoubtedly come.

“Get out of here, girl!” one of the sellers called, an old woman. “They’ll have you in the stocks for this!”

As if their stocks could ever hold her.

But she wasn’t a fool. With one last wink in Finn’s direction, she took off running.

She would pay for it in some way or another. Finn’s family was rich, and she guessed that the other boys’ must be as well. She winced as she thought about the one boy’s broken arm. It wouldn’t matter that he’d had it coming.

Well, it was too late now. Their pursuit of her hadn’t been warranted. She was just today’s girl to toy with. She knew what happened to some of the other girls who got cornered by Finn’s squad.

Behind her, shouts erupted, and she knew the lawmen were in pursuit. She sped up as the cobblestones came to an end, and with one last leap, she was running on the hard-packed dirt that surrounded the city. Only the inner part of Eagleview was walled, but on the outer edges, the slums, the streets simply stopped, opening up to the land beyond.

She raced across the meadow, her magic giving her speed where the lawmen had nothing but armor.

They did have arrows, though, and she started as one flew by her ear and hit the ground in front of her.

She ran faster. Another arrow. Then another. Then another.

How many were there?

She chanced a look behind her and saw that three had stayed back, pointing their arrows, while two were still in pursuit. For a moment, she thought maybe she would stop running as she had before, that she’d turn back and fight. This was the second group of five who’d chased her today, and she was getting annoyed.

But she knew better than to do that. She was already on the run, and she knew she’d be in a mess of trouble if she lost the fight.

The sleeping tree was just ahead, hidden in a grove of oak. She flew into the copse and quickly found the tree. She ran right into it, touching the bark with her hands, practically hugging it. She knew that no one else could see the magic of this tree but she and the other sorcerers who chanced coming out this far from the city.

She turned around and watched as the two men clanked their way into the trees, searching for her.

“Check the branches!” one of them called.

They both looked up into the oaks, but there was no girl there. No one to blame and take back to the city in chains.

In chains. As if.

One of the men stomped his foot, cursing.

“How could we lose her?” he asked no one.

“Maybe she’s gone on ahead,” the other suggested.

But the first one knew she hadn’t done anything of the sort.

“Listen to me, girl!” he shouted into the trees. “I know you’re in there somewhere. Don’t show your face again in Eagleview, and no trouble will come to you. But if you do …” he took several steps farther into the grove. “… know that I’ll be waiting for you.”

It was his growliest voice, and she tried not to laugh. Of course, she knew that if she were to be caught, trouble would certainly come her way. But it seemed that no matter what she did, trouble came her way anyway.

The men left the trees, and she turned to climb. She didn’t need to go far before the tree’s branches arranged themselves like a staircase for her.

A sleeping tree was unlike that of any other kind, and though she shared the city with many sorcerers, this particular tree seemed to be all hers. It served her in every way, shielding her from prying eyes, covering her during the cold night, and feeding her with sweet fruits better than anything she could find in the market.

As she reached the topmost branches, she sat back amongst the leaves, which instantly wove themselves into a strong lattice seat, cradling her as she sat back to catch her breath.

“You know, you’re not the only one who can hide in trees,” a voice came from below. “I’ve been watching you. Very impressive of late, aren’t you?”

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She stood up hastily from her seat and peered down through the branches.

“How can—who are—why are—”

“I’m Connell,” he said. He wasn’t quite a man, but he wasn’t young, either, and he rode a chestnut-colored draft horse with no saddle or reins. The horse tossed his head, but the boy stayed on like glue. “I’m from Zahn’s class.”

“Why haven’t I seen you before now?” she asked, brow furrowed in uncertainty. She had never had someone, anyone, approach her while she was in the sleeping tree. She allowed the thought that maybe it wasn’t only hers.

“My parents have kept me well hidden. It’s only in the past year that I’ve been studying under Zahn. I guess they figured I couldn’t hide it anymore. And they were right. You should come down.”

He hopped down from his horse, and Bree descended a few steps, still unsure.

The horse lowered his head and snorted as his lips moved over the green blades of grass, searching for the perfect bite.

“You’re Bree,” he said as he walked to the base of the tree.

He reached out his hand to take hers, to kiss it, maybe. But she wasn’t having that, not after the afternoon she’d had.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

He stepped back.

“Nothing, my lady, but to lay my eyes on your beautiful face.” He smiled, joking.

She scoffed.

But there was something about this boy. She inherently felt … not safe … but not in danger, either. He was neutral to her. An equal, even.

“Why are you out here?” she asked. “Doesn’t your family worry that you’re out of the city?”

He shook his head.

“They know they can’t control me. I do as they ask out of respect, but there is no reason for me to be stuck at home today, and Zahn is busy with the king.”

“How lovely for you,” Bree said, smirking. “Are you far off from being busy with the king, yourself?”

He shrugged.

“I can’t say. But in any case, not today. Come down from your perch; the men are gone.”

She peered through the branches and saw the last two of the lawmen in the distance, their armor glinting in the sun as they walked back to the city.

“Why would you have me come down?” she asked suspiciously.

“So that I don’t get a crick in my neck from looking up at you, of course.”

She rolled her eyes but obliged him and stepped down the staircase until her feet hit bare earth.

“Don’t your feet hurt?” he asked curiously. “I mean, I understand that you are without means, but certainly, you could trade a spell or two for some moccasins.”

She blushed at this shortfall of hers. She used to be ashamed of her bare feet, and even now, with his attention on them, she felt somewhat helpless. But the truth was that she was better off without them, and she told him this.

“I find that my power is more concentrated when my feet are on the earth,” she said. “Maybe you should take yours off.”

He considered. Then, out of what seemed to be respect, he removed his boots and stood in the grass, his soft toes curling in the dirt. He took a few steps in one direction and nearly fell.

“Ouch!” he said. “How can you stand it? The clods of dirt, the rocks and pebbles. You must have hooves like Chadwick here.”

The horse grunted and chewed, his teeth razing the grass.

Her shame was gone, replaced with anger.

“You can leave now,” she said, turning to walk up into the tree again. Her tree.

“Oh, come on now, Bree. I was hoping you’d come for a ride with me.”

She looked back.

“A ride? With you on the back of that brute? I don’t think so.”

“Please, Bree,” he begged. “I’ve been waiting to meet you for so long.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“I just mean, what I meant to say was, I’ve seen you around the town since I was a child. And I’ve always wanted to talk to you. But I’ve never had the nerve. Now, Zahn is sending me to the mountains to train, and I won’t be back for over a year. Before you go off and marry some other fool, I thought I’d at least say hello.”

“Marry some other fool?” she said, incredulous. “I’m fifteen! I’m not marrying anybody.”

He smiled at this.

“Good. That’s good. But please come with me. I promise you can trust me. On Zahn’s magic, I promise you will not regret it.”

She turned back and regarded the horse. She didn’t know how to ride. Things like bread and meat had been hard enough to come by during her childhood, much less lessons on the back of a horse.

“I’ll fall,” she said, shaking her head.

“You won’t. And besides, even if you did, you would surely be able to break a fall with your own power. Now, come on.”

He moved over to the horse and hopped onto his back so easily she had to look twice.

“How did you do that?”

“Magic,” he teased.

He rode the horse up to the side of the sleeping tree’s staircase and held out one hand.

“Now, just slide over and grab onto my waist. I promise I won’t let you fall.”

She raised an eyebrow, but she did as he suggested. As she wrapped her legs around the horse’s middle, he moved a little, still searching for grass to nibble. She gave a little squeal of surprise as he shifted his weight.

But then she was on. She hesitated, not wanting to touch the boy after what she’d just been through in the market, but she found she was so frightened that she must hang on to something. She settled on gripping the sides of Connell’s coat with her hands.

“Okay,” he said. “Shall we go?”

“Okay,” she said, more bravely than she felt.

“Come on, Chadwick,” he said. “Snack time is over.”

The horse raised his head and walked away out of the grove, snorting and tossing his mane.

It was funny, but as he walked, she could feel the power within him; not the ordinary power one might feel on the back of a horse, muscles and sweat and flared nostrils, but something much stronger. Suddenly, she didn’t feel ashamed of her bare feet; instead, she felt honored that they would be compared to the hooves of such an animal.

“Are you ready?” Connell asked.

“Ready for what, exactly?”

He looked back at her, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Hold on!”

“Hold onto—”

But her words were ripped away from her as the horse broke into a canter. Immediately terrified, she gripped her arms as tightly as she could around Connell’s waist, her resolve to keep her hands to herself broken in an instant.

“Stop!” she cried.

“What’s that you say?” he asked. “You want to go faster?”

“No! I—”

“Faster, Chadwick!” he bellowed.

It was funny, but the faster the horse went, the smoother the ride seemed to be, and after a few moments at a full gallop, she seemed to forget her fear.

She wrapped her arms even more tightly around Connell and let the wind take her, whipping around her so fiercely that it brought tears to her eyes.

Connell laughed from up front, and gradually the horse slowed. Beyond them, the mountains stood reaching high up into the sky.

He had led them to a flow of water, not a stream, but not a river, either. Chadwick splashed into the water and began finding his way across the uneven rocks in the bed. Little droplets sprayed the bottoms of Bree’s feet, cleaning them of the dirt she so often wore like sheer, brown socks. Then, Chadwick stopped, sticking his muzzle several inches down into the water to drink. His nose made bubbles in the water as he slurped it up.

She relaxed her arms around Connell’s waist, suddenly aware that she was still holding onto him. She blushed, but he couldn’t see it from where he sat.

“Where did you get this beast?” she asked as the horse finished his drink and stepped from the water. She reached back and stroked his hair.

“I found him,” Connell said.

“You found him?”

“Yes.”

“And he just miraculously came to your service?”

He laughed.

“I guess you could say that. You could say that we struck a sort of bargain with one another.”

“And what sort of bargain is that?”

“Well, I’m sure you can tell that he’s a magical being. The two of us trade-off. Sometimes he carries me, and sometimes I fill his cup of magic by transferring my own.”

She paused, confused.

“How do you do that?”

He picked up one leg and swung it over Chadwick’s mane, jumping to the ground. The horse’s head was up now, alert but not alarmed.

“Move forward,” he said. “All the way up to his withers.”

She did, gripping onto his mane now that Connell was no longer there to hold onto.

“Now, lay yourself down on his neck. Wrap your arms around him, and put your ear to him.”

She shook her head, raising one eyebrow.

“Just do it,” he said with mock irritation.

Gradually, she let her body sink toward Chadwick’s neck, and when her head was close enough, she pressed her ear to him.

Instantly, a surge of magic bellowed out of her, and she could feel that it was filling the horse up as if he were a great vessel.

“Okay, now,” Connell said. “Sit up. I think that’s enough. He’ll have more energy than he’ll know what to do with.”

She sat up gradually, the tendrils of magic joining her to the great horse slowly separating.

“Wow,” she said.

Connell smiled, but this time it was genuine; no jokes.

“So you see now,” he said. “You’ll have to keep him company until my return. I leave tomorrow.”

She didn’t know Connell, only from this afternoon, but a part of her felt sad that he was going away. It took her a few long moments before she could think of something to say.

Then, she realized she had nothing to say.

Connell jumped onto Chadwick’s back, this time behind her, and the animal took the journey back at a walk. Neither of them spoke, and she liked the feeling of the gentle breeze on her face, Connell’s unassuming hands at her waist. So different from Finn’s just hours ago.

The sun was starting to sink as they approached the oak grove, and when they arrived and she hopped down into the grass, Connell finally spoke.

“May I stay with you tonight in the tree?”

She frowned.

“No,” he said. “You misunderstand me. It’s just that, though I’ve seen this particular tree in my travels around the outskirts of the city, I’ve never taken advantage of its protection. Though I am a follower of Zahn’s, it would be nice to have one night off before I travel.”

She considered this.

“Okay,” he said. “Your answer is no.”

Chadwick turned to go as if he understood every word they’d spoken.

“Wait,” she said. She was still deciding, but when she saw the hopeful look on his face, she relented. “If you so much as touch me…” she warned.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Fine, then, You should stay in one of the lower branches. They’re stronger than those I sleep in.”

“That is no surprise.” He dismounted and looked up into the tree. Then, with one last pat on Chadwick’s neck, he ascended the steps.

Already the tree was preparing for him, its branches weaving together to create a sort of hammock. He sat back into the seat, a little worried, but then his concern cleared, and he smiled.

“Wow,” he said. “It’s very comfortable.”

“Yes. Here. For your dinner.” She held out a fruit to him, but he frowned at it. “They’re very filling,” she said.

She turned and climbed higher into the tree until she found a good spot for her bed. Then, sinking down into the protection of the wood, she grabbed two fruits from its branches and bit into one.

She was used to the tree’s fruits, crunchy and just barely sweet. Just one was enough to last her an entire day, though on days she was forced to use so much of her magic, like today, she required two.

“It’s very beautiful in here,” Connell said. “You can’t tell it from the ground, but the protection is very calming.”

“Yes. And I need protection.”

“I suppose you do. Why don’t you train with Zahn while I’m away? I’m sure he will need another apprentice soon. You wouldn’t need protection, then.”

She thought about this, but the idea of handing over her magic to another sorcerer made her nervous. And besides that, she’d once trialed with Zahn when she was a young child. She’d been sent away, shamed by him about her wild fire magic. Zahn would never let her in.

“I think I’d rather keep my power to myself,” she said.

“Oh, he won’t take it from you. He’s magical enough on his own. But you may find even the most basic lessons could help you control the energy you carry.”

She didn’t speak. She was getting drowsy, and while she was still a bit wary about sharing her tree with him, she knew it would protect her if he were to try to make an advance.

She didn’t think he would, though.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” he said as the stars came out above, just visible through the branches.

She rolled over to one side so that she could keep an eye on him, just in case. But she was tired from the day, and it became harder and harder to keep her eyes open. The tree knew this, and it wrapped its branches around her, cocooning her.

Connell still had his eyes open and on the sky. The branches did not envelop him yet, as he was still wide awake.

But as she closed her eyes, Bree decided she was safe with him there, not for her defense, but because his company was pleasing. Slowly, as she watched him watch the sky, she slipped into sleep, as comfortable in the branches as she would’ve been in any feather bed.

* * *

She woke with the sun as it burst from the tips of the mountains in the distance. As the world came into focus, the tree removed its protective branches, and she sat up. Below her, the pod that had belonged to Connell was empty, its branches retreating. She looked around, thinking that he must be down in the grass with Chadwick, whom she could hear munching on his breakfast.

But as she descended the stairs and the tree slowly moved back into its original form, she saw that he was gone.

“Chadwick,” she said. “Where did he go?”

She approached him and stroked his neck.

He was gone, and she was sad for it. Gone for the year as he’d told her. He must’ve gotten up before dawn.

“Why did he leave you here?” she asked.

The horse raised his head and put his muzzle into Bree’s outstretched hands.

“To ride? On my own?”

She regarded the horse, the slope of his back taller than the top of her head. She wondered if she could even manage to mount him without help.

But she tried. She started at a run, and as she tried to jump, she simply ran into his back and then fell to the ground.

Chadwick whinnied. Laughing? Then he did something very kind. He bent down onto his front knees to allow her to climb on. She did so unsteadily, but as he raised up again to his full height, she felt secure in her seat. She was certain now that she would not fall, even without Connell there.

The two of them journeyed out from beneath the trees, and when they were clear of the hanging branches, Chadwick broke into a slow and easy canter.

She didn’t slip. She didn’t fall. It was as easy as riding on a cloud. And she bent over and whispered the word she knew she would be using with the great animal very frequently from now on.

“Faster.”

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