Halfway through the kitchen, I snag a slice of apple pie off the counter, then leap from the side deck and head for Hollowthorn Woods. The leaves rustle in greeting and I wave to the nearest oak. Colin follows, his face full of curiosity, until I stop before the big oak tree we call Grandpa. It’s so big around it’d take my whole family holding hands to reach around it.

“Hello,” I say to the tree. “Will you please take us to the Merrow?”

I set the pie down by its roots. Its favorite is strawberry rhubarb, but it’s never been picky about pie, and it’s always had a soft spot for Gran. I’m pretty sure it’d take us to her tea shop even if I didn’t give it anything.

“Um, Anna,” Colin says quietly. “You’re talking to a tree.”

“Embrace the weird,” I sing back at him with a grin.

Then the tree unravels.

Chapter 8: Colin

The tree peels apart like a paper straw unwinding, revealing a dark alcove inside that smells of wet earth. The shock is enough to make my blood go still—until Max goes flying past me and vanishes into the dark.

I lurch after him, but Anna only laughs. “Oh no you don’t!” she yells, leaping in too.

She disappears.

“Great,” I say with a sigh. Either this is a magical portal, or I’m about to crash into a girl and a cat. Is this how Alice felt falling down the rabbit hole? I suppose that makes Max the White Rabbit. And Anna?

Definitely the Mad Hatter.

Taking a breath, I step into the tree.

The strangest sensation comes over me. One moment it’s mild afternoon, the next it’s chilly night. The world is upside down. The trees hang from the sky and nothing but darkness yawns beneath. Then as quickly as the image forms, it vanishes, and I stumble into daylight and drop to my knees in damp grass.

I blink to clear my vision and find Anna’s hand hovering in front of my face. I let her help me up, surveying the small park we’ve appeared in.

“Not bad, first time tree traveler,” she says.

“Thanks.” I brush the dirt off my knees and check the tree. It looks completely normal, but I remember what Anna said about the trees being full of magic and wonder what else they can do.

“How did we get here?” I ask.

Anna nods at the trees. “This whole wood is Hollowthorn, the forest I was telling you about. A lot of magic comes through from the Otherworld because of the weak spot in the Shield, so these trees are full of it. We’ll have to catch a taxi home, though. That’s one-way travel. But we’re close to downtown!”