Under The Oak Tree Ch 7 Novels & Stories

Rowan said, pointing through the trees. Kael rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "We stay together." Nobody argued. We followed the sound. The forest changed as we walked. The pines gave way to older trees. Their branches spread so wide that the sunlight barely reached the ground. The air smelled of wildflowers. Then... I saw it. An oak tree. Its trunk split into two before reaching the branches. The same tree from my mother's drawing. "The orchard," Elias whispered. No one moved.

Blood streamed down my calves, but I pushed myself up and wiped the corners of my lips. "Come on." The tension in Charles' face eased up, and Rachel smiled. "Where is she?" "Under the tree on the hill behind the town." "What's she doing there?" "Waiting for someone." Charles frowned but didn't press for more answers. He walked away, while Rachel followed him. I was dead last in the procession. We passed through the yard and stepped onto the dirt road leading to the hill. The winds were howling tonight, and my sister's favorite tree had nearly gone bald. Empty branches were extending themselves toward the sky. From afar, the tree resembled a withered person with their arms open.

Then a voice echoed. Soft. Ancient. "WELCOME." The group froze. Immediately. Then the tree moved. Not the branches. Not the leaves. The trunk. A face slowly emerged from the bark. Eyes opened. Ancient eyes. Older than kingdoms. Older than crowns. Older than memory. Then the tree smiled. Then: "THE HEIRS HAVE RETURNED." The clearing trembled. Then Darius slowly lifted his hammer. Then: "Trees aren't supposed to talk."

I just nod, ready to leave the awkward air of the house. I watch Judith prepare the third plate of food, suddenly stopping when a creaking noise is heard outside. Everyone's chatter completely stops. We turn to the window, looking for the source, only to stare in horror when we find it - the tree that the boys were in charge of tying down. The force of the wind pushes relentlessly into the tree, making it lean on one side until it starts falling down. I suck in a sharp breath and exhale it out as a scream with Granny Fae and Grandpa Jules as the tree descends.

Chapter 71 The Shadow of Betrayal Quinton’s POV The silence between Fiona and me lingered as we moved through the dense forest, the weight of Kade’s words pressing heavily on my mind. The deeper we ventured, the more the trees seemed to close in, casting long shadows that danced in the dimming light. Each step felt heavy, like the world was closing around us, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was lurking just beyond the trees, waiting to strike.

Cat's last email replayed over and over in my mind like a sinister song, highlighting the shadows in Lachlan's past that seemed to loom over me. Then, I saw it: a grand oak tree, its gnarled branches stretching skyward, beckoning me closer. I didn't understand what it was doing here on a desert island. And more than that, how did Cat tell me to meet her at an oak tree just yesterday and here was an oak tree. What the fuck was this?

I got out of bed and texted Aaron to tell him to meet me on the patio. The lightning and dark clouds frightened me. Why hasn't my fear of rain overcome me, even after I've already defeated that monster? Standing on my patio under the dark sky made me so afraid that I decided to go back inside. I'll meet him somewhere else this morning. I don't think it's a good idea to wait for him on the terrace. I turned around to go back to my room. That's when my gaze fell on the oak tree. Thunder and lightning struck the oak tree, revealing a blood-stained face shining beneath it.

Not after everything we had been through. The darkness outside hit me like a punch to the gut. It meant we had been tortured for most of the day. The moon was small, barely casting any light. It was the end of another lunar month, and that didn’t make things easier. Normally, Xavier and I could move through the night like it was nothing—our night vision sharp, our bodies built for it. But tonight, we were barely keeping our eyes open. We stumbled and partially dragged each other toward the backyard. And there it was. The oak tree. The very one that had brought us here. We collapsed against its thick, ancient trunk, both of us breathing heavily.

As soon as the car stopped rolling, Dominic gave Leesa a quick thumbs up—the signal they had agreed on that she should proceed as planned. She grabbed the ivory box from her bag and got out of the car. After waiting for a truck to flash by, she hurried across the road and found the spot Dominic had described to her. The old oak tree—almost twice as thick as any of its neighbors—was just barely visible from the highway. Its gnarled branches spread wide in every direction, and Leesa could imagine the huge canopy of shade they would provide when the leaves grew back. She imagined the tree had probably been left standing sometime far back in the past while its neighbors were felled for lumber an

Amelia's POV As I made my way through the forest, the familiar sight of the towering oak tree greeted me like an old friend. Its gnarled branches reached out to me, casting dappled shadows upon the forest floor as if beckoning me closer. With each step, the soft crunch of leaves beneath my feet echoed through the tranquil air, a comforting melody that soothed my restless soul. The canopy above filtered the sunlight into a dappled mosaic of light and shadow, casting a sense of enchantment over the secluded grove where the ancient oak stood sentinel.