The road fell behind. They pushed between trees into the heart of the forest, as a familiar tinge of sap settled over everything. The trees were taller than any she’d ever seen before and stretched like endless masts to the sky. Zhira craned her neck to look up the trunks. She held Vesta closely, like a guarded secret. She couldn’t see the treetops because of a low cloud and so the landscape around them faded from rich hues of brown and chestnut into pale fog gifted with its own luminescence. The deeper they journeyed, the less snow managed to make its way beneath the canopy.
A thousand tiny rivers ran over the ground in the fading light. The ferry sounds and bird calls grew faint. The loudest noise was the rustle of branches shedding final leaves. The papery skins would twirl suddenly o
