The Wherewood by Gabrielle Prendergast

Author:Gabrielle Prendergast [Prendergast, Gabrielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459828063
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2021-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

Salix and I stand there and stare at the ground for a long moment. I’m still shaking. My fear about Indigo’s injury is turning to anger. Finally Salix speaks.

“What if I never see her again?” he says.

Something seems to crack open in my head. I spin around and glare at him.

“What if you never see her again?” I yell. “Are you serious? At least Finola’s alive! Did you see my brother? He’s half-dead because of you!”

Salix’s froggy eyes widen. “I didn’t know—”

I don’t even let him finish. “Yes, you did! You knew it would be dangerous to come here. But you made me come with you anyway. And of course Indigo wanted to come along. He follows me everywhere.”

Salix tries to interrupt. “The plan was—”

But I’m on a roll. I’m angry with everyone. At Oren for letting Indigo come along. At Indigo for going through the van into Wherewood without permission. At Olea for trying to kill us again.

But mostly I’m angry at Salix. He tricked me into making a deal with him. So I would owe him “something.” And he could have asked for anything. Something safe, like a book or a batch of cookies. But instead he forced me to come along on this stupid quest. And now my brother has been stabbed.

And the worst thing is, I can’t even leave Salix here. This stupid magical Faerie wood won’t let me. Not until we find Merwood. I’m stuck with him.

“I don’t care about the plan!” I say. “Plans are stupid even in the human world. In Faerieland they are worthless! Why do you even want to find Merwood now? Couldn’t you wait?”

Salix hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Blue,” he says. “I’ve messed everything up.”

At least he admits it. But now I’m too mad to speak. I cross my arms.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Salix says.

“Promise?” I say. “Like a deal? No thank you. Let’s just find Merwood so I can go home.”

I try to stomp away. But it’s hard to stomp on ground made of lost mittens and socks. Salix follows me.

As we walk, I calm down. The strange Wherewood trees begin to clear. We get closer to the mountains. The sun is shining down on us. I dig in my backpack for one last yogurt tube and cheese stick and eat them, ignoring Salix. The mountains are farther away than I thought. By the time we reach them, the sun is behind their peaks. It’s not dark yet. But we’re walking in shadows.

Beside me, Salix murmurs something I don’t quite hear.

“What?” I ask irritably.

“I said I need to find Merwood because if I don’t, I can’t grow up,” Salix says.

I stop and stare at him. Rules and laws in Faerieland are all weird, but this one beats everything.

“I’m over one hundred years old,” Salix explains. He looks down at his skinny, boyish body. “I’ve been like this for nearly ninety years. It’s time for me to grow up. But I can’t unless Merwood’s high council grants it.

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