Under The Oak Tree 2 Novels & Stories

“Please, continue ahead.” And no more than three seconds until Edmund was able to enter into the private zone. There they were; Diego with a heart broken, Ace with his fists clinched and Cameron with tears running down. But also, there was a little boy who had found a security place behind his mother. Edmund had to act. “Mr. Ace Linar?” Ace just looked at Edmund.

Then Amber felt it too. “What is that?” “I think the tree is trying to communicate with us.” “What?” Amber looked shocked. “Let’s just go see.” Isabella continued up to the top and stood under the tall oak. She looked at the leaves and half rotten acorns around its base. “It’s a black oak.” She whispered to Amber. “How can you tell?” “You have to look at the leaves and the acorns. Those are black oak leaves and acorns.” “Okay.” Amber looked up at the tree.

“He hasn’t released me.” “He will.” The certainty in her tone leaves no room for doubt. “What if he never does?” Her head tilts slightly. “He will.” Silence hums between us. “Where?...Where can i find you?” I ask. The clearing shifts. The trees blur and rearrange. The vision expands outward like a map unfurling. I see forest stretching westward denser, darker. A narrow trail barely visible beneath overgrowth. A river cutting through stone. Then a massive oak tree. Its trunk is split clean down the center, blackened along the jagged seam as if lightning once struck it from sky to root. The top half leans precariously but still lives, branches heavy with leaves.

Colton looks like he wants to walk into a tree. I shake my head, unable to stop the small smile tugging at my lips. “You two are terrible at lying.” Oakley beams. “Thank you.” “That wasn’t a compliment,” I say. “It felt like one,” he replies. Colton exhales slowly. “Let’s just… move on. The orchard is this way.” Oakley nods quickly. “Yes. Orchard. Trees. Fruit. No mysterious healer prophecies there.” Colton mutters, “Hopefully.”

They needed to keep moving, to find ways to get out of the area. Anna guided Luna through the forested area until they reached a tiny clearing. Their movements were muted by a thick layer of fallen leaves beneath their feet. Luna couldn't ignore the feeling that they were being watched, but she knew Anna would keep them safe. A large, gnarled oak stood in the center of the clearing, shimmering in the moonlight. Anna approached the tree and spoke inaudibly beneath her breath. The trunk of the tree suddenly broke open, revealing a hidden corridor.

The time I was wasting. Evans was still out there. I straightened and stepped over the unconscious outlaws, looking around. I noticed it then. A tree. In the center of the clearing, there was a single, enormous oak. The wood underneath was scarred with something that made my stomach turn, and its bark was split. Blood. Not merely splashed. Not merely smeared. **Sculpted.** Three sharp, deep phrases that seemed to have been sunk like inhuman claws into the wood.

He offered his wide hand, “Let me help you.” “I can help myself.” I stood, and shook off the dirt off my skirt. He just shrugged, “Okay.” He continued and went under the oak. It was only a bit higher than Gabriel, but taller for me that I was able to raise my head high and see its perfect oddity. Its shrunken trunk and all that was connected to it had perfect shade of homey brown and its foliage was thick, but there were spaces that allowed rays of sunshine to pass through it.

Suddenly, they were all healed. Meanwhile in a different scene, The other faceless figure, the one who had ventured into the forest, moved with a quiet determination through the dense undergrowth. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, but the air was heavy with a sense of foreboding. The figure walked with a strong sense of determination towards a specific tree, an ancient oak bearing strange orange fruit. He reached out and gently placed his moon chain against the trunk of the tree. The forest floor trembled. The surrounding trees seemed to sway in unison, as if acknowledging a powerful presence of the moon chain.

“ARE YOU sure you want to do it alone?” Amadeo’s voice echoed from behind. I sighed quietly and grimaced. This is going to be a long conversation. This got to be one of the most quiet I have ever seen Oakcross. You can hear even the slightest sound crickets make. The wind whispers so silently as if it does not want to wake anyone. There is no single star in the skies, and the moon shines brightest above all. Which I found hilarious and odd at the same time. What is about to happen tonight is far from being peaceful.

The good thing about being Butterfly with Carson — as I've come to enjoy — was I didn't need to any longer. Carson turned to me with a perked eyebrow. In the bright white light from the ceiling and floors I could now see the slight redness in his otherwise perfect eyes and I was glad we stopped. “Where is everyone?” I waved my hand about indicating the empty space. “Don't tell me you didn't see those cars.” Carson chuckled and drew a hand over his dark stubble, an action that made me involuntarily clench my thighs. “That. Well, you did not hear this from me, but, Jaime Crawford junior also hosts an underground and very illegal poker game every Tuesday night.”