The forest grows thicker as he heads north. The air turns damp, humming with old magic. Trees twist overhead like reaching fingers, and the ground pulses faintly beneath his boots. It's quiet—too quiet. Like the forest is holding its breath.
He finds the silver tree where the map said i
It rises out of the earth like a monument, bark gleaming with a metallic sheen, leaves a soft shimmer of pale green. Magic clings to it in threads that dance when he breathes too close. And there—curled against a root like it's a throne—is Auro.
She floats a few inches off the moss, legs tucked up, hair loose, mist swirling gently around her. Vines creep lazily up her arms like they're trying to keep her company. She doesn't look at him at first.
"I know you're there," she says, voice light and lilting.
Rowan clears his throat. "Yeah. I figured that."
She finally turns, and her glassy skin shifts with warm amber tones. "Why are you here?"
He rubs the back of his neck. "I said some stupid things."
" I wouldn't say sutpid—"
"I wanted to say sorry. Just because you deserve it doesn't mean I should have said it."
Her chuckles. " That's not an apology."
Her eyes soften, but before he can say more, she's suddenly right in front of him—hovering just a little too close, mist licking at his collar. "So," she says, tipping her head, "What did you find? That's why you're here right?"
Rowan blinks. " You need to learn not to come this close ?" He steps back.
She grins. " I just like looking at your eyes. They're so—brown."
His ears flush pink as he tries not to look at her mouth. Or her eyes. Or the glowing patterns blooming across her collarbones.
"I think your curse might be tied to an extinct bloodline of witches." he says. " But in my research witches weren't so easily killed off. So we'll have to go find one."
Her brows lift, genuinely curious. " How would we find one when they're supposed to be extinct?"
He scowls. " I have magic remember. I'll use a spell to create a pull between me and magical force."
" Does this mean we'll have to leave here?" She drifts a little closer. " I can't really leave here, I'm bound to this tree."
He steps back—into a vine that wraps around his ankle.
"Gods," he mutters. Why was she doing this to him. It was as though she enjoyed watch him squirm.
She chuckles in her usually soft tone. She floats over a distance away from him.
" I know, but you were able to stay at the tower for a few days."
She shakes her head. " I didn't."
" What do you mean, 'you didn't'?"
She straightens her posture and starts to run her fingers through her hair. " Well, I stayed there for one night but I got bored of just staring at the ceiling, so I went to check on the deers and plants."
" You stared...at the ceiling?" He narrows his gaze to her. " Do you not sleep?"
" No, I don't."
" Then why'd you ask for a bed and a room?" He asks, gears spinning in his head.
She throws her head back for a good laugh. " I never asked for a bed. I suggested sharing your bed and you panicked—offering me the room opposite yours." A smile plays on her lips as she watches his face redden. " You fluster easily."
He scoffs.
He takes the book out of his bag and gently places it on the ground before sitting him self. With crossed legs and rolled up sleeves he finds the marked page and reads the words silently.
She hovers behind him, reading the words silently. " What are you doing? " She asks in whispers.
" I'm going to find a witch with magic. Someone whose close not that far."
She looks at the book thoughtfully. " Anything I can do?"
He turns slightly. " Yes, I'm going to have to use some of your magic. But that's after I set up."
" Alright." She pauses. "Can you promise me something?"
The drop in her voice makes Rowan feel uneasy. " What?"
" You have to promise not to raise your voice at me."
She says it as though her actions didn't cause him to react the way he did. But he wasn't going to try and argue with her for no reason.
He give her small assuring nod. " I'll try."