Taking a shuddery breath, I turn to face the tree. Buzzing fills the air, getting louder with each step I take. I hold my arm against my nose, but it doesn’t stop the hideous smell. Mormor died over a week ago and no one has tended to the tree since. She didn’t say what would happen if no one watered it, but it can’t be good.

I walk around the tree, my boots tripping over gnarled roots. The well is small, three people could join hands and reach around it, but something tells me it’s unfathomably deep. I dip the pail into the water and a raven launches from a branch, its black wings clapping in applause. I watch it fly away, my mind a blizzard of questions. Mormor fed a raven on the porch every day, and swore it was the same bird that came back to her. Maybe it has been watching me.

A gust of wind shakes the branches and snowmelt drips down my neck, making me shiver. The thought of the wolf stalks my mind. What if Olav didn’t shoot it? What if it’s still out here? I glance around, feeling vulnerable.

The buzzing is louder now. Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it. Bending almost double, I enter the largest chamber. The hole is bigger than before. Too black and too deep, it gapes like an open mouth jeering at me. The wood around it is scored with deep lines, as if an animal has tried to get inside, or something has clawed its way out. Instinct tells me to throw the water at the hole. Closing my eyes, I picture Mormor: her long blonde hair and her mischievous grin. It gives me the strength I need. The buzzing roar is so loud it hurts. I press my hands to my ears and the pail thuds to the ground. It’s like the hole doesn’t want me to get near.

Gritting my teeth, I snatch it up and chuck the water at the tree’s roots. It hisses like a fire being put out and there’s a horrible sound, like the drawn-out gasp of a thousand souls taking their final breath. My skin prickles. What would make that noise?

I rush out and trip on a root, landing head first in snow. Mist snakes around the tree and wraps around my body. I scramble to my feet and two ravens explode from a branch, making my heart lurch. I look for the cabin but the world is falling away.

Confused, I stumble against the moss-covered trunk. What did Mormor say? Listen with an open heart. Swallowing hard, I press my ear to the tree. Time slows as a steady drumbeat sounds inside. Wood creaks and groans, like something is stirring deep within. I hold my breath and listen. I’ve heard that sound before …