THE FOURTH REALM: GREEN — A welcome without conditions

At the place marked on the map, she found a shrub with a broad trunk and thick foliage. She asked it for shelter. This time, no warnings accompanied the welcome.

Skyblue embraced it and reached for Ernesto with her heart. A breeze swept through the branches, stirring them in that familiar laughter. She smiled. She realized she hadn’t done so since she arrived.

Warmth spread through her body. She went inside, ate something from the satchel, gave thanks for the food, and fell asleep.

She had no idea how long she rested. When she woke, only one feeling from her dreams remained: a deep cold that seemed to begin in her chest and reach all the way to her bones. She had spent the night searching for something to cover herself with.