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“Hey, Tae?  What’s in the center of Yule Forest?”

“Why are you asking?” he grinned at me.

“Because it was one of the landmarks on the map.  I went out there to find someone, and he was telling me about how no one can reach the middle of it.  He said the only way to get to the center is by using some special map.  And I was wondering if the map he was talking about was…this one.”

“Do you want some dinner?”

——————–

The sun had officially set over the horizon.  I’d expected it to be pitch black afterwards (they had no torches here) but to my surprise, the little clear globes I’d seen on the wall before were now lit up.  Tae set a plate down in front of me a moment later.  It had a pile of fruit on it and another one of those leaf sandwiches.

“What did the guy tell you about the middle of the forest, exactly?” Tae asked before taking a huge bite of his sandwich.

“He said there’s a myth that there are many mystical creatures in it, and that no one has ever gotten to the center.  That’s about it,” I replied.

Tae nodded. “Most of that is true.  But myths are always rooted in truth.  The forest didn’t used to be that big.  Getting to the center of it wasn’t a total maze.  It was a common place for younger people to explore.  After the curse hit, the forest doubled in size, and everyone’s been too afraid to go in.  But…the map you have, it should lead us to the middle.  I know it just looks like a normal map, but…” he placed his finger on the spot the forest was located on the map before spinning it.  When it became still again, the map of Chanda and Alba had disappeared, and in its place was a map of the forest. “It has many unique features.” Tae finished.

I stared down at it, my eyes wide. “How does that work?”

Tae shrugged. “I’m not sure.  It’s something my dad taught me.  A few of the maps he had had this feature, but I think they had to be enchanted for it to work.  You try it.  Spin it the opposite direction I did.”

I stuck my finger in the center of the map and spun it.  When it stopped spinning, the map was once again of the whole land.

“So, what do you think?  You want to try to reach the middle of the forest?”

“I do.  But…I’m not sure I’d be comfortable going by myself.” I shuddered.

“Oh, no.  I wouldn’t send you alone.  I’ll come with you.  I’m sure Jungkook would watch the inn for me.  How do you feel about heading out tomorrow morning?”

“Well, I’ve got nothing else to do, I suppose.”

“All right.  How about you head to bed when you’re done eating?  I have a few errands I need to run, and the sun will start to rise in nine hours.  We need to be out of here before dawn.”

My eyes widened. “Oh.  Should I pack everything I brought with me?”

“Preferably, yes.  Definitely don’t forget the map.”

——————–

The next morning, I found Tae in the lobby talking to Lumi.

“I don’t care.  I’m coming with you!  I have people to watch the palace for me.  I have to come.  This is the first hint in setting the lands free.  It’s been two hundred years, Tae.  I can’t wait anymore.”

“Ok, ok, ok.  We might be gone for a few days, though.  I don’t know.  The forest is way bigger than it was when we were kids.”

“I know.  I’ve been ready to do this since the day Yoongi was stolen from me.” With those words, Lumi left the inn.

“Good morning, Odelle!” Tae grinned. “I think Lumi is coming with us.  Do you mind?”

I shook my head, unsure how else to answer.  The woman scared me, honestly, but I knew I had no choice but to say yes.

“We’re going to be gone for a few days?” I asked.

“Yeah.  Might be a week, honestly.  Give me the map, and I’ll show you how much it’s grown.”

I handed it to him, and he stuck his finger on the forest before spinning the map.  Once it was just a map of the forest, he circled the center with his finger. “This is what the forest used to be.  It was very easy to access, and closer to town than it is now.  When it expanded, it knocked down half the buildings in the town – the town used to be here -” he pointed to a patch of trees on the west side of the forest. “We moved far west after that happened.  We were scared it would expand again and destroy our land.  It still grows a bit every so often now, but we’ve never had something like that happen again.”

I was still staring at the center of the map. “That’s all it used to be?  It’s like five times bigger now!”

He nodded. “I think there’s something at the center that it’s protecting.  It’s the only thing that makes sense.  Why else would it try to keep everyone out?”

“Are you sure it’s safe to go in there?  There has to be a reason no one has gone there.”

“We have the map.  We’ll be ok.  It will guide us to where we need to go.”

Jungkook walked through the door just then. “Are you really leaving me to manage this place alone for a few days?

“Yeah.  You’ll be ok.  You can stay in the back room, and you know how to manage the place.”

Jungkook sighed. “Where are you guys going, anyways?”

“Yule Forest.”

“Um…ok then.  Good luck.”

Tae laughed. “Let’s go, Odelle.  We’re going to meet Lumi at the palace.”