18. Hot Angry Elf

Josh POV

The sound of chirping birds woke me, and I reluctantly sat up and stretched in the morning light. With the way time worked in this place, I wasn’t sure whether it had just been a really short night, or the fact I’d lay awake worrying about Allie, that had me feeling so groggy.

She’d taken me by surprise when she told me she’d sleep alone. I’d seen her fear at Olive’s and thought I’d been able to help her. But maybe that was all in my head, because the first chance she got to split up, she took it.

I called out to Connie, the dryad of the tree I was staying in, and she lowered the branches. I’d never get over how cool it was, the way the tree obeyed her command. Aspen was standing next to Connie as I greeted them both. I looked up at Aspen’s tree.<