The Tree's Heart

XVI

Clover had no idea how long she had been on the island before she saw Willow again. She had lost track of time a long while ago, before she had even come here. Clover had learned to accept that she wouldn't know what time or even what day it was. She had been keeping herself busy with collecting food and water, with dancing and singing and swimming. And with thinking about what she wanted to do.

Clover thought that she knew what she wanted. She had been giving it a lot of thought, and she was almost entirely sure that she wanted to leave. She wanted to go back, out of the forest, back to the people she had known all her life. She wanted to finish college. After that... she wasn't sure. Maybe she'd return, maybe she'd stay out of the forest. But she could figure that out when the time had come.

One morning, the nymphs were waking her. They seemed excited about something and told her to get ready and make her way to the shore, because there was a visitor for her. For a while Clover was worried that it might be Avery, but of course they had agreed to keep him away from the island. Clover had no doubts that he was trying to find her, but she was glad that she hadn't heard a single word from him ever since she had gotten here, which was a great relief. Still, she wondered how they managed to keep him away.

Still, it took her a while to think of who else might be visiting her – the only options were Willow and Dras. She hoped that it was Dras who had come to see her, because she still didn't know whether to trust Willow. She was aware that if she wanted to go back, she likely wouldn't have any other choice, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to go back just now. But when she got closer to the shore, she could see that it definitely wasn't Dras waiting for her. This person was clearly human – it was Willow.

Clover didn't know how to feel about that. She was glad to see Willow standing there at the shore, the little boat behind her, her curly hair blowing in the gentle breeze. She was wearing a dark cloak and her usual earthy colours. It was good to see her being her same old self again. But Clover was also nervous about why she had come here. What was she going to say? Had something terrible happened?

As the nymphs were leading her towards the shore where Willow was standing, Clover found herself flowing down. She wondered what she was so afraid of. Willow hadn't managed to change her mind with anything before. Clover had always been able to go off and do whatever she wanted, but she was still hesitant about trusting her. Maybe it was the whole experience with Avery that made her a little weary.

Nesaea seemed to have noticed that she was wavering a little. She fell back to talk to her, with a smile on her face and a reassuring hand on her back. There was a certain concern in Nesaea's smile, which Clover appreciated. She had found it a little discomforting to see how she seemed to intuitively know how Clover was feeling, but she had gotten used to it. She was glad she didn't have to explain much.

"Are you okay?" Nesaea asked.

"I don't know. I'm a little nervous."

"Willow is your friend, isn't she?"

"Yes, but we fought before I came here. I'm not sure how this is going to go. And I haven't seen her in so long..."

"I see. I think it'll go well. She wouldn't have made it onto this island, if her intentions were bad." Nesaea said with a grin.

"How so?"

"Magical protections. That's how we manage to keep Avery out. Or anyone else that would wish us harm."

Clover nodded. Of course, she should have known. Everything out here was magic. If she was honest, Willow's magic almost seemed to dwarf in comparison with everyone else in this forest. Most other creatures out here seemed to have innate magical powers they could use at will, whereas Willow had to work for everything. She had to make potions and use herbs and rituals to get the same results.