Seraphina and I met at the gate to the Sacred Gardens just as the moon had reached its apex.

"Don't give up hope, Liselle." She gave me a gentle squeeze. "The Tree can show you the joy inside Bragda's soul now that she's joined her ancestors. It might help you heal."

"I hope you're right," I said, pursing my lips. "The Tree has welcomed so many souls after the battle, though. Will She even know where to find my sister?"

"Don't worry, Liselle. Mother sees all."

Seraphina walked beside me as we strolled through the Sacred Gardens towards the Tree. She tried to explain how to access the Realm of the Dead, but the complex equation was well beyond my ken. It was like listening to someone explain calculus when I had only just learned how to add single digits.

"If you like, I can cast the spell," she offered.

"That'd probably be best."

Once we reached the Tree, Seraphina knelt before the holy stream. She retrieved her sacred opal pitcher so that she could water the roots for the ritual.

"Don't worry, Liselle. It's been blessed."

Filling the vessel in the stream beside the Tree, Seraphina began to chant a holy incantation. She sprinkled the roots that sprawled on the ground. They began pulsating as soon as the water touched them, emanating bright, iridescent colors.

"May this water sustain You as You sustain us, dear Mother," she chanted in melodious Risan dialect. "Unite us with our ancestors and our departed loved ones."

Seraphina began to sing a song in a language I'd never heard with tones so beautiful that they brought tears to my eyes. Her words touched my soul as white tendrils streamed from her palms, weaving a complex magical web connecting me to the Tree.

A cacophony of whispers flooded into my mind. Voices from the ancient past called my name. Their souls grasped me like invisible hands, pulling me closer to the Tree's roots until I lay flat upon the ground.

Without warning, the ground slipped from under me, and I fell onto my back. Pushing myself up, I realized I sat in a lush garden that was all too familiar. The scent of honeysuckle and tulips filled the air, and the sun's gentle rays caressed my face with kind warmth.

Spring.

I'd slipped into another vision.

Wait a minute. This is home!

Seraphina's song morphed into a hum I knew so well. Mama's voice. I ran towards the gate of our old house and saw Mama watering the begonias.

"My child," she said, extending her arms towards me.

I rushed towards her and hugged her. It felt so real. Her hug. Her frock. Her perfume--like fresh bread and cinnamon. She must have just baked our favorite loaf. Bragda would eat it all herself if given half the chance.

"Mama, how is this possible? You died."

"It's me, Liselle. Mother Nature," the Tree replied through Mama. Upon closer reflection, I realized Her voice had a susurrating quality like the wind brushing against leaves, and Her skin had a faint tint of blue, like Her heart. "Seraphina is connecting your soul to my consciousness."

"You're a projection in my mind."

"Yes."

A strange wistfulness tugged inside my chest as I pulled away. With a deep sigh, I bowed my head. "Forgive me for my impurity, Mother, but I need Your help."

The Tree reached out and cupped my cheek, stroking it with her thumb. "Mortals think I want purity." She gave a morose chuckle. "If that were true, why would I create fallible creatures? I love you all because you fall and rise again, stronger than before."

"Mother, why didn't you tell me about the Realm of the Dead?" I asked. "Why do you make it so difficult to talk to our ancestors?"

"If I didn't, people would abuse my power," She replied. "In the past, some of my closest followers fell into a pit of despair during a dreadful war and tried to resurrect the fallen."

"Can you do that?" I asked, wide-eyed. "Could you bring back Mama? Or Bragda?"

"No, my child," She replied before She began to water the tulips. "If I bring back a soul that does not wish to return, it becomes a Wraith. A soul-eater like Lord Hesse who feeds off of emotions because he doesn't have his own. Neither living nor dead."

"You mean the Shadow Riders? Like Lord Darius? They're all souls who didn't want to return?"

Mother nodded. "Necromancy is an unspeakable evil. I must protect the souls of the Dead from the despair of the living."

I chewed my bottom lip. "Could you just tell me one thing, please? Is Bragda at peace?"

Mother turned to me with a confused expression. "What do you mean, my child?"

"Is my sister with her ancestors at the Hall of Heroes?" Mother quirked a brow, and my heart sank into my stomach. "Good gods, please tell me the dragon fire didn't destroy her soul!"

Mother stopped watering the plants. She turned to me, her sapphire-blue eyes ablaze. "I haven't welcomed Bragda into my embrace."

"Wait...what?" Realization slowly dawned, and I grasped Her arms. Forgetting the Tree had only assumed Mama's appearance, I gave her a little shake. "Bragda's alive?"

The Tree gently removed my hands and gave them a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Yes, Liselle. I feel her soul in the physical plane. But..."

"What happened?" I exclaimed. "Is she all right?"

"The Gatál have captured her and locked her inside the dungeons of Castle Halcía."

"In the Deep Caverns?" My heart thudded against my ribs in protest as I remembered all the grotesque stories from prisoners of war. "Their torture chambers?!"

"Yes," she replied. "Lord Hesse is one of the most powerful Wraiths. The Shadow King is feeding off her anger. Once he has grown tired of her, he will consume her soul."

My heart sank into my stomach. "What does that mean?"

"Your sister won't rest in peace until the dark lord perishes," Mother replied. "Her soul will be tethered to his darkness, and I cannot welcome her home until he dies."

"We have to do something! I can't let Bragda suffer and die like that."

"I do not interfere in the squabbling of men." Her tone reminded me of Mama when she was fed up with my insolence as a child. "Your leaders have decided to forsake your friends because they do not wish to give up any more land or power."

"Wait, my friends? Who else?"

"It's difficult to say. I welcomed all the Healers who fell in battle, but the ones who joined a different path survived."

Marcus!

"Are they being held prisoner with Bragda?"

Mother squeezed her eyes shut, either in pain or concentration. "No, their fate lies along a different path."

Good gods! I have to tell Alicia!

"Where are they?"

"They are lost. Trapped. I can't see them."

"What do you mean?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"It's never happened before," she replied. "I can feel their souls, but there's a barrier."

They must be in grave danger!

"I have to save them, Mother."

"If you decide to rescue them," she said, pursing her lips, "you will lose everything."

My skin crawled like a thousand scarab beetles were burrowing and chittering beneath the surface. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Everything?"

Mother faced me with eyes full of sorrow. "Yes, Liselle. Even your soul."

My spiritual essence meant more to me than all my worldly possessions combined, but it didn't mean as much as my sister. My mouth ran dry, and my throat constricted until I could hardly speak.

"All right," I said in a hoarse croak. "I'll bring my sister back, no matter the cost."

"Whatever you do, do not go alone. Take Alicia and Peter with you."

"Peter?" I asked as my breath caught in my throat. "Is he alive?"

"When he passed, I welcomed his soul into my embrace to heal."

Mother bent down and picked up a small wooden jar. When She opened the lid, a tiny pinpoint of light escaped and floated towards me, landing on my skin.

A rush of bright sparks tingled along my arms, making the hair stand on end. "Peter!" My heart thudded against my ribs. "You're safe."

The pinpoint gave a single pulse of bright light, and Mother gave him a gentle smile.

"Peter can find no rest because of the impending war. He wants to return now to protect the people he loves."

Gazing at the pinpoint of light, I whispered, "You want to protect your sister like I do."

The little pinpoint of light pulsed and radiated like a star in the winter sky before it faded once more.

"Can you help him, Mother?"

"I can't revive his draconic body yet, but I can bring him back in the form of his spirit animal."

"Which is...?"

"A raven with the power of speech."

Whoa! Impressive.

But not strong enough to fight the Gatál.

The firefly gave off a radiant glow. A raven landed on a wooden fence in the garden and opened its beak. Floating towards the raven, Peter's soul nestled inside the bird, whose black eyes changed into his distinctive shade of light gray.

"Peter?"

I rushed towards him and stroked the large bird's ebony feathers. He leaned into my palm and cooed.

"Will he stay like this forever?" I asked.

"No, the Lost Fireborn can give him a new body."

"Where can we find him?"

"Follow your father," She replied. "He will help you find your sister and the Lost Fireborn."

Shocked, I stopped touching Peter's feathers and whipped towards Her.

"Father? No, I can never follow him."

"Your fates lie along the same path."

What does that even mean? Does She want me to become a Fireborn? Or help Father with his experiments?

My heart sank into my stomach. I didn't want to follow in his footsteps.

She wrapped her arms around me. "Do not despair, child."

"Do you mean I should join the Fireborn and rescind the path of Healing?"

"You must make that choice yourself."

Mother didn't wait for me to respond. Nor did she discuss the matter any further. She simply tapped my shoulder, and my home, garden, and my former life dissolved into pure light.