Chapter 135: Leigh

Lily came forward to stand next to her brother as she pocketed her ash tree key. The pink leaf necklace at her throat pulsed with the flickering lava light. Tram's green one rested against the hollow of his throat above his matching sweatshirt.

You didn't run away, Leigh, Lily thought.

And I know you fought hard, Tram added. Because that's just who you are. I could feel every second of the battle when your roots slid past you in the middle of the Trinity trees. You did all you could.

But in the end, it wasn't enough. Had I really fought as hard as I could? Or had the darkness that had crawled inside me made me crave death and the resulting power? Had it weakened my resolve to save myself and everyone else? I didn't know for sure, might never know.