"That's not encouraging. So far you've done nothing to allow us to trust you. Why should we risk following you?"

"I have already given you reasons to follow me. As for trust, I have not killed any of you. Does that not count for something?"

Eve stepped next to Alexandra. "I trust her." Eve turned to Max for support. "Melody and I talked with her last night, Max. I believed her when she said she would not hurt us, and that there is a way to open your dad's box."

Lysander smirked. "You're just a kid, Evangeline. You're easily manipulated."

Eve scowled at Lysander. Alexandra laid her closed parasol on the ground. "Fine, if I must do this now then I will. Lysander, you hold that Maxwell's father was a good man, one to be trusted, do you not?"

"Yes, of course, most everyone in the Protectors does."

Alexandra turned to Max. "Pull out your father's box."

Max hesitated at first, but, under the cold stare of Alexandra, decided it best to do as she said. He took the box out of his backpack and held it in front of him. In one smooth motion, Alexandra slipped a small dagger out of her sleeve and made a shallow cut across the palm of her hand.

"Lysander, the Protectors trusted Peter, I know that. Well, Peter trusted me."

Blood trickled from the cut on Alexandra's hand as she walked over to Max and placed her palm on the second latch of the box. It slid open.

"Sit the box down and give me your hand."

Max followed Alexandra's instruction. She took his hand and carefully poked one of his fingers with the dagger.

"Open the other latch."

Max placed his finger on the other latch; it slid open.

"Open it, Maxwell."

Max, filled with nervous excitement, lifted the lid. The excitement faded, replaced with confusion. Eve grabbed her tail in concern.

"What is it, Max?"

Alexandra turned to Eve. "Four pieces of bark."

"What?"

Max pulled out a piece of bark an inch wide and three inches long. "Bark. Four pieces of bark."

"Maxwell, your father and I, together, put those pieces in the box and sealed it. That is the reason I give you and Lysander to trust me."

"But, what are they for?"

"Follow me, and you will find out."

"Wait, you said you're nine. How could you have locked the box? Your parents, maybe, but not you."

Lysander stomped over to Alexandra, grabbed her hand and turned it, palm up. The cut on her palm had healed, but the surrounding skin had lost all color.

"As I thought, a Spirit Leech."

Alexandra pulled her hand back. "Yes, I will not blatantly deny it, though I had hoped that you would not find out until we reached our destination."

"That is because you are an outlaw, and it is my duty to bring you to headquarters."

Max put the piece of bark back into the box and tucked it back into his pack. "No, not yet."

Lysander growled. "Maxwell, don't forget you are a Protector."

"My father helped her for a reason. I need to know why. Don't you?"

"You don't know what happened. She might have tricked or forced him to help her."

Max remained steadfast. "Do you believe my father to have been so weak or gullible?"

Lysander thought for a moment before speaking in a resigned tone. "No, I do not."

"I intend to find out what my father thought so important. We can arrest her afterwards."

"We don't know what we are heading towards, Maxwell, or what she might do."

"Then I guess we'd better be prepared for anything. Alexandra, take us in."

Alexandra gave a simple nod. "You are becoming your father, Maxwell. I hope it is time for what is coming."

Alexandra walked past Lysander and entered the forest. The others followed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

Max felt as though he had stepped into a dream. The numerous trees bulged five feet in width or more. The branches, no more than seven feet off the ground, grew as thick as Max. Together, they weaved a canopy so thick that the sunlight could not penetrate it, giving the illusion they were in a cave.

Despite the lack of sunlight, they still had fifteen to twenty feet of vision. Everything in the forest gave off a slight glow that brightened and dimmed as Alexandra and Eve pa.s.sed.

At first, Max marveled at the strangeness of the forest, but, as they walked farther in, he became aware of a heavy sadness hanging about them. It seemed to come from the very plants and trees that surrounded them.

Over time, the sadness and lack of sunlight slowly numbed them to the surrounding forest and each other. When Alexandra fell, everyone stared blankly at her as she lay on the ground, trying to put together what had happened. Eve shook off the stupor first, hurrying over to her.

"Sorry, Alexandra. I don't know what happened to me."

Eve extended a hand to Alexandra and pulled her to her feet.

"That is alright. I know what this place can do."

Alexandra swayed a little, prompting Eve to steady her. "We have walked well into the night. I guess I need to rest."

Max scanned the branches above. "You mean we've spent a whole day in here? How can you tell?"

Alexandra swayed again. This time, Eve forced her to sit on a large root protruding from the ground.

"The tops of the trees are open to the sky, they know the time of day."

Melody checked Alexandra for any injuries. "You can talk to the spirits that easily?"

"I lived here for many years; we got to know one another rather well. You could learn to speak to them too, Melody."

"I don't know about that."

Max touched his palm to one of the trees. "They're sad, aren't they?"

Lysander set his backpack on the ground. "What? Are you going crazy on me, Max?"

Alexandra managed a weak smile. "Yes, they are, Maxwell. Soon you will know why." She let out a big yawn. "For now, sleep."

Alexandra slid off the root to lie down next to it. She immediately fell asleep. Eve chose to climb one of the trees, disappearing from sight. In his mind, Max could see her stretching out on one of the limbs above.

"You've been dying to do that since we came in here, haven't you, Eve."

A few leaves rustled above. "Yep!"

I can't believe she can sleep like that without falling.

Max stopped trying to spot her between the branches and sat down next to a tree. To his right, Lysander stared nervously up. Max stifled a laugh.

"She likes high places; it has nothing to do with watching you, Lysander."

Lysander glanced at Max then sat down with his back against a tree to his left. Melody found her own tree to lean against not far from Alexandra. Max took a deep breath to relax and fell fast asleep.

Some time later, Max awoke to the sight of Lysander standing over the still sleeping Alexandra with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Remaining still so as not to alert Lysander, he scanned the area for the others. Melody lay next to the tree she had sat by, still sleeping. As for Eve, her body was hidden, only the reflection of her eyes shown, standing out from the other fauna as she lay in the branches several feet directly above Alexandra. Max waited to see what would happen, prepared to dart into the middle of them all if necessary.

Lysander stepped back a few feet before giving a loud, shrill whistle that startled everyone. Max even saw a few of the leaves shake where Eve lay hidden.

"Wake up!"

Melody sat bolt upright. "What's going on?"

"I want to get moving. If Alexandra refuses to tell us what exactly is going on, then I prefer to get to our destination and find out."

Alexandra sat up slowly, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes with little luck. She struggled to stand, using the tree trunk for support.

"We are almost there. Perhaps I could begin to fill you in on the details along the way."

"Then let's move." Lysander turned his head upwards. "Come on down cat, I know you're up there."

A slight rustle came from above before Eve dropped down directly behind Lysander. He paid her no attention, instead turning back to Alexandra.

"Lead on."

Alexandra took a few cautious steps to check her balance, then headed farther into the forest. Everyone stayed close to her as she finally spoke of why she had brought them there.

"What do you know of this place?"

Melody was quick to answer. "It is said that the lacarna first came into existence in Urania and, within it, once laid their largest village." Melody became very excited. "Also, in the mountains at the back of the village, lies a cave with the history of Velrune etched on its walls. However, no one from our order has been able to confirm any of this."

"So you doubt these stories, Melody?"

"Well, there is another tale, known only by a few, about the lacarna having come from a place beyond the mountains."

"It is amazing the variety of tales one may hear over time. It becomes hard to tell which is true and which is not, or if the truth is a combination of them all."

Max groaned, Alexandra sounded a lot like Mr. Penna. "So, which is it?"

"You will soon find out. The village is our destination."

Eve brightened. "Are there still lacarnians there, maybe someone who knew my parents?"

Alexandra shook her head. "No, it is empty now."

"Oh. What happened?"

"Bandits drove them and the few humans living there out into the plains.

Lysander nodded slowly. "I remember that happening, I had joined the Protectors not long before. The surge of wild, uncivilized lacarnians entering all at once caused a lot of strain in our security."

Eve shook her head in frustration. "That doesn't make sense. Mrs. Ta.s.si has always told me that the lacarna are the strongest creatures on Velrune. I mean, isn't that why the Protectors are so afraid of us? How could bandits ever run them out of their home?"

"Because, the lacarnians did not want to incite another war, Evangeline. Instead, they held to their original agreement to the Creators to obey the Protectors at all cost."

Max scratched his head in thought, nearly tripping over a root. "How would they possibly disobey the Protectors by fighting against bandits?"

"Because the Protectors sent the bandits into the forest."

Max stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

Lysander stopped next to Max, placing his hand on Max's shoulder. "I told you not to trust her Maxwell. The Spirit Leeches are mad. The Protectors have never had anything to do with the bandits. Besides, chasing the lacarna out of the woods and into the cities only made it more difficult for us to protect the humans."

Melody stopped with the rest of them. "No, it didn't. Moving the lacarna into the city guaranteed they would get fitted with a controller stone, thus enslaving them."

Lysander stepped toe to toe with Melody, his bulky frame dwarfing hers. "It is not our mission to enslave anyone, only to protect the humans."

Max moved to Melody's side. "I thought it was the Protectors' mission to protect both the humans and lacarnians!"

Melody snickered, not taking her eyes from Lysander. "So the story goes."