Red wasn’t sure what she was witnessing. Wasn’t sure what to call it or what to do.

All she found herself doing was watching with wide eyes.

The roots of the Great Tree were growing calmer and calmer. They slowed down, as though gathering themselves.

Meanwhile, the Crones got closer and closer. Red swallowed. A part of her was afraid that they would harm the Great Tree, just as the half-Crone had intended before—

Red’s throat convulsed as she recalled the half-Crone’s corpse. She focused on what was happening to banish the image, though it wasn’t much better by any means.

The roots were taking over the Crones’ bodies. They were all falling to the ground, where the roots were now wrapping over their forms and crushing them in much the same way they had done to the half-Crone earlier. The only difference was that they were allowing themselves to be consumed by the Tree.

Red stared. Was this a good thing? Or had she unleashed something horrific? Would the Great Tree then attempt to consume her? It had certainly felt like the tree was going to come after her next, with the way it had attacked the hut. She just couldn’t tell.

But what she could do was get out of here, now that she had a chance.

Just as she was about to head out, however, she froze. Great ma was out there too. She wasn’t a Crone, far from it, but she was still behind the mass of hags laying down their lives for the Great Tree. What was she doing with them? The way she was approaching the tree…

Growling under her breath, Red headed out. It was dangerous, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her from reaching Great ma.

The roots didn’t bother her. Red was thankful for it. She edged around the wide circle of roots and bodies, stopping only when Great ma finally looked around to see her approaching. The old goblin’s eyes had already been wide at the sight of the Great Tree, but now they widened even further. Perhaps she had realized that it was Red who had brought this about.

“Great ma,” Red said. “Stop.”

“Dear.” Great ma’s voice was faint. Her eyes had fallen to the wound left by the half-Crone. “Was… did you do this?”

For a second, Red felt like nodding. She wanted to explain everything that had happened since Great ma had unceremoniously left her. But Great ma had lied. I will always be by your side. “You did this, Great ma.” She swallowed, hardly believing the accusatory words coming out of her mouth. But then, it wasn’t uncalled for. “Remember the tincture?”

She knew it now. It was the only possibility, especially going by the look on Great ma’s face. Shocked, yes, but fearful too. Almost in a regretting way.

Like she had known something like this would happen.

Great ma looked past her, staring at the Great Tree. “I was always afraid it would come to this.”

Her laughter was a little broken-sounding. It struck a stake through Red’s heart, and all the anger she had felt at the way Great ma had left her started to evaporate. How could she remain mad at the old goblin? “You know how the Great Tree turned into this, don’t you, Great ma?”

Great ma slowly shook her head. “The curse of the Great Tree. It was always like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you see, dear? Where do you think all the magic we used came from? It has to have a source. It can’t come from nothing. Yes, it comes from the Great Tree, but the Great Tree needs to take it from some place, yes? Energy cannot be created from nothing.”

“So, to create magic, it needs to consume something?”

“Yes. Exactly.” Great ma stared at the Tree, partly in reverence, partly in revulsion. Red couldn’t tell which was more dominant. “This is the original form of the Great Tree. The blood-seeking form. It takes in blood to create the magic that our clan has used for time immemorial. But blood is barbaric. It was seen as savage. That was why the curse was established.”

Red slowly shook her head. “That… that isn’t right. They just shifted from one horrific source to another.”

“Perhaps they did. But it was seen as the better alternative.”

“Better for them.”

Red realized suddenly how those who had decided that blood was too steep a sacrifice had come to this decision. How easy it must have been, to determine that the aged and old had no further use in goblin society, so they could go on to bear the curse—the burden—of the Great Tree.

“I never used any blood, originally,” Red said. “But it was in your tincture. It’s one of the ingredients.”

Great ma’s slow nod confirmed her deductions.

Red slowly turned around. The Great Tree seemed calm for now. It had had its fill of blood for the time being, so the roots lay dormant. But for that to have occurred, all the Crones had died. Red had a sinking suspicion that none of the hags were left alive anywhere.

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“How long before it will need more blood to sustain itself?” Red asked.

Great ma grimaced. “At least another week. Perhaps a few days longer. It has… consumed a lot.”

She didn’t seem regretful about the dead hags. Nor did she seem sad that her predecessor, the last caretaker of the Crones, had passed away too. All she looked was fearful. Afraid of what was to come.

“Let’s chop it down,” Red said.

Great ma started. “What?”

“I’ve had enough of cursed Trees. Enough of magick that asks such a steep cost. If power requires us to sacrifice our own lifespans in such a manner, then it isn’t worth it.”

“You cannot!” Great ma looked more resolute than she had done in a while. “It isn’t a decision for you to make alone, dear.”

Red stared at her. “Is magick and power really worth it if you can’t even live beyond five decades to enjoy it?”

Great ma held her by the shoulder. Despite her age, her grip was solid. Strong. “Is that a decision you should be making on your own?”

Red looked down. All of a sudden, she felt tired. She wanted to go home. To actually sleep and get away from all this.

It appeared Great ma understood that way. “Come on, dear.” With her solid grip, she started nudging Red towards the hut. “You’ve done so much. For me, for us. So much. You deserve a break.”

Maybe Red did. She certainly felt like she could use a break. But when they reached the doorstep to the hut, she paused. Then pulled herself away.

“I do need a break,” Red said. “From all this, Great ma.”

Great ma’s face fell. The look made Red’s chest hurt, but she remained firm. Great ma eventually nodded. “I understand.” She tried to summon a smile. “Can I trust that you will go home in truth, dear?”

Red took a deep breath. “Yes. I don’t want to tell anyone what happened here, though…”

“No, best not to. Not yet at least. They will be shocked by everything that has transpired.”

Shocked was a major understatement. The whole system of letting their elderly turn into Crones to create Great Trees had just been uprooted. Red could see her entire clan going into an uproar.

Well, the ones who were in charge and knew about all this, at least. This whole business wasn’t supposed to be common knowledge at all.

“And can I trust you to be safe, Great ma?” Red asked.

The old goblin laughed. A true, proper laugh this time. “Oh, how you’ve grown in only a few days, dear.”

“Have I really grown, or are you just noticing a different side of me because of all this?”

Great ma stared at her for a long while. “Perhaps it is a bit of both.”

“I suppose it might very well be.”

Bidding farewell to Great ma, Red finally departed. She stopped before she was out of the sight of the Great Tree, however. It looked placid now. Great ma had confirmed that it would remain quiescent for at least a week. But what about afterwards?

Well, she had a week to figure something out, or come to a decision.

***

A week later, on the path in the forest, Red checked her satchel one last time.

Food? Check. Fresh sets of clothes and boots? Check. A few books to make sure she wasn’t bored? Check.

Oh, and new wand? Also check.

Red’s shoulders were looser than they had been in ages as she walked through the woods. Even at the area where she had been wounded. No more threat of Crones. No more brooding gloom. No more worries of that sort.

Now she could stroll between the trees with hardly a care.

She arrived at Great ma’s hut before long. The Great Tree appeared a little taller than it had a week ago, the last time she had seen it. Great ma had clearly been taking care of it.

The door opened, revealing Great ma wearing her old apron and billowy robe. Her hands weren’t hidden in mittens any longer. They didn’t need to. Not when her fingers were once again long, thin, and tipped with curving nails. Just as a regular goblin’s should be.

“Ah, I didn’t think you would truly stick to your word, dear,” Grear ma said with a sad smile.

Red smiled back. “My decision is final, Great ma. I’m leaving. Really.”

Great ma nodded. “I don’t blame you, dear.”

“But I’ll be back. This isn’t over. I’m going to find a solution to our Great Tree magick sacrifice problem. Just you wait.”

Great ma nodded sincerely. She did believe in Red. It was heartening to see.

What was disheartening was the fact that Red wasn’t going to be able to find the answers she sought while she still remained here. There was nothing to be found at her clan, or at Great ma’s hut. She had even visited the stone house, but nothing there had been enlightening.

But in this world, the goblin clans weren’t the only ones who could use magick.

Red had a feeling she would be able to find a source of power that didn’t exact such a steep price out there in the world. From other clans, or maybe even other races.

Her clan had been against her leaving. Her mother had more or less threatened to disown her. Red hadn’t cared. Ultimately, she was the decider of her fate, and her destiny lay beyond the confines of what her clan determined was right.

“Will I see you again, dear?” Great ma asked.

They had become so candid about such things. It was the experiences of the last few days. Before, Red would have been mortified that Great ma could be referring to her own passing so blithely.

Now, Red understood that as a mere fact, nothing more, nothing less.

“I don’t know,” Red admitted. “I would like to return as soon as I can, but I can give no guarantees.” Her smile turned a little sad. “If something doesn’t happen to me, I will come back as soon as I can, and I’ll continue to send letters too.”

“You’ll be heading for the East River clan, yes?” Great ma asked.

Red nodded. “That’s my first destination. From there, well, we’ll see, I suppose.”

Great ma came up closer and pulled her into a long embrace. She sniffled against Red’s red hood. “Take care of yourself, dear.”

Red hugged Great ma back. She did her best not to cry. “I will, and you too, Great ma. Don’t let that tree get too uppity.”

Great ma sob-laughed. “It won’t, dear.”

Over the week, Great ma had winnowed down the Great Tree’s blood expectations. She had fed it only a little bit of blood and warded off the roots with fire. It was under control. She was in no real danger from it.

Great ma was also administering the tincture in controlled doses. That was why the tree had grown only a little over the entire week.

She was pretty good at keeping it under control.

Red extricated herself from the embrace and began walking away. Walking outwards from through the forest, instead of back the way to her clan. Her heart felt lighter. Easier.

She had accomplished what she had wanted, in the end. Great ma was safe. Just as importantly, she was relatively happy too. Taking care of the Great Tree had apparently raised her spirit, alongside the fact that she wasn’t going to turn into some mindless Crone.

Red frowned. So long as her clan didn’t do anything about that.

Well, that bit Red would need to handle somehow. If her clan was opposed to blood sacrifice and Red was opposed to Crone-sacrifice, then they needed a third way of acquiring magic.

Red stepped out of the forest and looked over a long plain of green and gold grass. She breathed in deep. Felt the breeze ruffle her hood.

It was time for this little goblin to meet the rest of the world.