The scene from the beach earlier played like a broken record in Mike’s head as he followed Marina and Charlie. Each step seemed to increase the number of questions he had and emphasize the strangeness of the situation.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. More than once, Marina stopped and held up her hand. He could tell she was listening to the sounds around them before she started forward again.
Farther down the trail, they came to a spot where a limb the size of his thigh lay twisted and broken. Marina ran her hand over the broken area. Mike knew his mouth had dropped open when the ravaged pieces twisted and formed a knot.
“What did you do?” he asked, curious.
Marina shrugged and continued moving down the path. “My strongest gift of magic is with the trees and plants. Mr. Tree helpe
