Donn looked about as out of place here as a rainbow unicorn in Mordor.

He was content to hack away at the base of the tree, until he saw me. A destructive fire of pure Chaos burned in his eyes. He advanced on me, buster sword held high.

But if the tree spirit was to be believed, I needed to ignore him and start-a-climbing. Hard to completely shirk him off when he had a sword longer and thicker than a snowboard.

I spun and ran around the tree, this time careful not to run widdershins. With a hiss. Donn pursued.

As I wondered how I’d get up the tree, a large fungi bulged out of the bark, giving me a platform to leap up on. I stole the opportunity. The fungi depressed under my Chuck Taylor’s like a firm sponge. Up and in front of me another fungi bulbed, and another.

Upward I ascended with Donn hot on my tail.

His dark aura tainted this place, spreading out around him like a toxic mist. The fungus ceased sprouting and I leapt up, finding a handhold in a massive knot in the tree’s bark. A familiar knot. This was the same knot I used as a hand and foothold as a kid to scale the tree, just much, much larger. It dawned on me that the tree resided in two places at once, bound up in two realities. Or maybe my tree was a reflection or shadow of the true tree.

The bite of a sword cleaving the bark next to my head broke my nostalgic thoughts. Donn clung to the bark with one clawed hand while the other swung the blade at me again.

With renewed vigor I climbed higher, somehow without getting my legs cut off.

The death lord seemed slower. I wondered why he did not shoot orbs of dark magic at me. But how could he? This place was the antithesis of his power. I realized that I had the upper hand, this place dampened Donn’s magic, if not canceling it outright. But the sounds of the buster sword hacking into the tree spurred me to climb faster and not underestimate him.

Heaving myself up onto a ledge I found myself at a juncture where all of the largest branches of the tree stemmed from and shot outwards in different directions. Unlike the mirror tree back home, this one was large enough to have a grove of plant growth, a treetop oasis as it were. Lush grass and short foliage decorated the landing. Flowers of every color bloomed in radiant vibrance. The smells amazed me, further drawing me in, enrapturing my fear and anxiety.

The beauty left me in awe.

I should have kept my bearings. It was hard though because this place spellbound me with its peaceful perfection.

It had no such impact on Donn.

His backhanded strike almost broke my jaw. I staggered back, but he raked his claws against my chest, tearing at the skin. The flat of his blade battered into me, shoving me backwards.

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My head blasted into the rock-like bark of the tree. I saw stars and tasted blood. A slender armed uppercut rocked my rib cage. The wind rushed out of me.

His leathery webbed fingers wrapped around my neck and he hoisted me up high. Suspended by his chokehold, the weight of my body strained on my neck. My spine cracked under the pressure.

Spinning, Donn flung me down and I found that under the lush greenery and shallow soil, the treetop was still hard enough to hurt.

Pain attacked my being. Defeat battled my soul. I curled into the fetal position. Donn’s strong kick sent me sprawling.

I landed face down with a mouthful of blood, grass, and dirt. My eyes watered. Everything turned blurry.

Donn laughed.

His shadow fell over me. I didn’t even have time to flip over on my back and look him in the eye.

Without warning, his sword plunged through my lower back, exploded out of my gut, and pinned me to the tree.

Pain like I had never felt imploded in my body and mind.

I screamed.

Of their own volition my fingers clawed at the grass, but I could not get away.

Donn knelt beside me and whispered in my ear. “Now you will suffer with the tree for your rebellion. You should have knelt and worshipped at my feet.”

His footsteps faded away and I heard him begin blasting at the tree with foul magic.

As for me, things were not looking good. Unimaginable torture assaulted me. And my will to fight leaked out along with my life liquid. Coldness crept over my body, my being. I was dying.

This was my end. I’d come close before, but never like this. Why had the tree spirit sent me up here?

Tears of pure agony ran down my face. Groans and moans escaped my lips. But nothing eased the pain.

The pain subsided on its own. Numbness settled in, deep in my bones. It crept up my back and into my head. Soon I’d die.

A small hand brushed my face.

The tree spirit knelt beside me, weeping.

“No,” I wheezed. “Run.”

“I did not mean to cause you so much pain.”

I attempted in vain to push her away, but she was too naïve.

“It was unwise of you to reveal yourself, spirit. Now you will suffer.”

Donn’s voice sent waves of fear through me. Pinned and dying, there was nothing I could do to protect her.

Terror gripped her too, rooting her in place.

Donn’s hand clapped over her mouth and he held her down. Her little fists hammered against his webbed fingers, but she was too tiny. He threw all his weight on top of her, smothering her. Her complexion deepened from bright green to dark green to blue-green.

Indignation raged in me, battling the weakness of my frail body. A clarity of mind washed over me. My vision cleared a little. All I could make out was the grass in front of my hands.

Wait. What was that?

A lone leafed stem lay hidden in the grass just in front of me.

It had four leaves to be exact.

A four leaf clover.

The perfect shamrock.

Of all the places for Donn to impale me, of all the blades of grass, of all the clovers, I’d been left before this rare symbol of blessed fate.

It wasn’t just good, it was pure luck.

With everything I could muster, I willed my dying fingers to reach out and plucked the shamrock.