Chatoyant College Book 8: From the Earth

Chapter 35: Winter Trees

The snow was heavy and wet, and the wind was still blowing hard. Edie tried to lean into the wind and pull her hood over her face to protect herself from the flying snow, but it kept changing direction, and soon her face was damp and freezing. She could barely see where she was going, but at least all the buildings she was near had lights blazing in every window. She threw her arms in front of her face and careened through the thick snow to the environmental co-op.

She managed to reach the wall before she tripped, and she leaned against it, panting, as the building protected her—at least for the time being—from the wind. She usually liked snow, despite the need for shoveling. But then, in the past when it had snowed, if it hadn't canceled school for the day, she was at least at home with her family and hot chocolate and plenty of candles to create a warm glow against the storm outside. And it was so beautiful, especially when the sun sparkled against fresh-fallen snow. Right now, though, there was precious little beauty to be seen.

She didn't want to go out in the snow. But she couldn't let Leila down.

Having caught her breath, she edged around the side of the co-op building and finally reached the orchard. The wind practically pushed her inside, sending sharp bits of snow against the legs of her jeans, but once she was under the trees, there was a little more protection. They might have been young trees with not a single leaf left, but the staggered planting acted as a minor wind bluff.

Edie leaned against the nearest tree with one mittened hand and looked around. She didn't see Leila, and started to panic for a moment, but then her girlfriend came out from behind one of the trees and, stepping through the snow, smiled at her. She looked pale and thin, and she wasn't dressed for the snow. Edie hurriedly pushed through the snow at her feet to take Leila's hand. "Are you okay?" she asked quickly. "Aren't you freezing?"

Leila shook her head. "I do not feel the cold as you do. I am only tired."

"Then you should rest," Edie said, trying to guide her toward the biggest tree, which they often sat and leaned against. "We can do this another time."

"There is no other time," Leila said sharply. "We must do this now." In a quick, sudden motion, she tore Edie's mitten off her right hand and pressed it against the nearest tree. Then she placed her own hand on the trunk next to Edie's. "Do you feel anything?"

Edie shook her head, confused. "What are we trying to feel?"

"The tree's life. Ah, there it is..." She placed her hand over Edie's bare one. It felt just as cold as the air. "Yes. It is sealed. It will survive the winter. Come." She took Edie's wrist and moved to the next tree.

Edie walked with her, not wanting to separate, but she was still puzzled. "I'm happy to help, but don't the trees know how to deal with winter on their own? They already lost all their leaves, I didn't think there was anything else to do."

"These trees are not healthy," snapped Leila. "They have been poisoned, if you do not recall. And they must be guided."

Edie had thought the work the two of them had done earlier had healed the trees of their poison, but she didn't want to argue with Leila anymore, so she kept her mouth shut as they went from tree to tree, checking on them in a way that she didn't entirely understand. When they'd gone through all the trees, they'd found that two were dead, which Edie thought was a good percentage considering they'd been poisoned, but Leila didn't agree. Edie was putting her mitten back on and trying to figure out how to get her hand to warm up faster when she saw Leila moving away.

"Where are you going?" she asked, reaching out to catch Leila's arm. "I thought you wanted to rest."

Leila turned and frowned at her. "Not here."

Edie sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time getting through the snow. I don't want to go into the forest."

"I did not ask you to come with me."

Edie let go, stung. "I just thought we could talk a while. We haven't had much chance to do that lately. Besides, I wanted to ask you something. You know more about magic than me. Or anyone I know, really."

Leila paused, then nodded slowly. "All right. We can lean against the tree, here... I do not wish to sit in the snow. What is your question about magic?"