It’s #BookQW, where tripping can be good ‘luck’.
More from Chapter 5:
Looking out the door, Fern stumbled on the steps. She hadn’t been on the “tree” side of the bus when they drove up, so had had no warning. The park was as Mr. Acer described—a rocky hill topped by a spreading oak—but she hadn’t expected the sheer size of such a tree. The limbs alone were the diameter of the trunks of the Ponderosa pines back home. The trunk could house a one-room apartment as easily as the Scots pine on the Isle of Giuthas did. That the mound was surrounded by shops in old, stone row houses was sad, but at least the natural ground around the tree extended twice as far as the limb spread. It didn’t even look stomped to death, though there wasn’t a fence.
“Excuse me?” someone huffed. “Others would like to exit the bus as well.”
“Sorry.” Fern swiveled to apologize and came nose to nose with Cor. He was inches shorter than she was, but his indignant attitude made up for it. She needed out of here, fast. Three strides got her away from the bus, but she didn’t stop. Ahead, worn stone steps led in a spiral up the mound on which the oak grew. She took them to the top, where a stone walk circled the outer limbs.
Mr. Acer hurried the others along behind her. Fern moved around to the far side. She couldn’t remember what type of oak Mr. Acer had said this was, but she could take a leaf back to ask Mimosa. Several feet away, a nice mahogany-colored one was caught in a clump of the tall grass that carpeted the ground. She stepped toward it—
Smack! Fern slammed into a solid surface, bounced off it and stumbled across the stone path. Beyond, the hillside fell away, and she threw out her hands to catch herself—
Magic buzzed over her, jerking her to a stop. In midair.
She sucked in a breath and squinted against the blinding, pulsing light of the five or more energies suspending her. Everyone began talking at once. Several wizards ducked close and asked what had happened.
“Ohmigod,” she mumbled. Why me?
“Here!” An arm shoved through the magic, sending sparks flying. The wizard grasped her hand in a strong grip and pulled her up and back onto the stone walkway. “Reel it in, everybody,” he muttered.
The various magics snapped back to their owners. It was as if the sky had suddenly gotten cloudy. Fern blinked to adjust her eyesight and found herself once again facing Cor.
“Being the oldest in the city, the tree is protected,” he said. “Magically protected. From your accent, I gather you’re not from around here.” His tone was deadpan. No hint of sympathy, but neither was there ridicule. Curiosity traced his face.
“Uh, no. Colorado.”
Then Lady Pina jostled Cor aside. “Mistress Fern, you could have been severely injured and are most certainly lucky that so many saw you fall and took immediate precautions, but are you all right?”
Fern drew a breath, then inserted, “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you, everyone, for your help.” She made sure her look around included Cor, but added, “Thank you,” to him alone.
Lady Pina’s cronies clucked like mother hens around her, then, thankfully, Mr. Acer resumed his lecture. But Fern couldn’t focus. She’d made a fool of herself with a klutzy accident. Just what she needed, to be the center of attention when she knew so little about forestry or magic. At least it had been a physical accident. No one knew she was bad at magic.
* * *
Want to know more about Guardian of the Pines? Meet Cor here.
Buy this second book in The Windborne series for just this last week at .99
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