It came from a time before Endla and the Wandering Forest. A time when her people passed only stories on to their children instead of lies. A time of peace and prosperity that required nothing more than the sacrifice of hard work and patience, rather than blood and innocence.

The Forest’s reign had come to an end.

When at last she finished singing and opened her eyes again, the Wandering Forest was gone.

Chapter Fifty-Five

By some miracle, Leelo and Jaren made it to the mainland unscathed. The boat’s hull, however, was cracked in several places, and Jaren knew Fiona had been right. It wouldn’t make it back for another voyage, and a new boat was useless without the sap to protect it from the poison. In the distance, Endla sat small and smoking, the pine grove gone from the horizon. For a few minutes, they lay side by side on the narrow beach, their chests heaving as they struggled to catch their breath.

“What now?” Jaren asked. He knew what he wanted more than anything: to see his family. But from here, it was impossible to tell what had happened on Endla when the Forest vanished, and he knew Leelo must be desperate to learn what had become of her mother.

Leelo sat up, staring out over the black water. “I know we can’t go back now. I just wish I knew if she was all right.”

Jaren helped her to her feet. They were both exhausted, but staying here for what remained of the night was unimaginable. They began to walk, and while Jaren had once believed it was Endla calling to him, he knew now it had been Leelo all along.

By the time they made it to his house, daylight was just beginning to creep among the tightly curled ferns and damp undergrowth. Leelo’s mouth was open in awe for most of the journey. Every now and then, she would pause to pluck a berry from a bush or a flower from the ground, and she would pause, listening and waiting, to see if the forest would retaliate. And every time it didn’t, she smiled at Jaren like she was witnessing a little miracle. Those smiles kept him going, though every muscle in his body ached and he was unable to stop his mind from spinning, knowing he was about to confront the truth he had just learned, that he was not who he had always believed he was.

Klaus’s rented cottage had never really felt like home to Jaren, but seeing it now, quiet and nestled among a small copse of birch and elm, he felt the relief he’d been longing for since he landed on Endla. Having Leelo with him, his missing puzzle piece, made it even more profound.