Slowly, night settled over the heavens, causing the warm hues of the evening to vanish along with the sun.

  The last rays of light filtered sporadically through the leafy canopy, evoking for Salome the image of falling rain—appearing and disappearing as the treetops swayed high above them in the wind.

  Down here, at the base of the mighty trunks, she could scarcely perceive the wind. Only a peaceful, pleasant calm reigned. Occasionally, the solitary cry of a wild bird would break the silence, disappearing like an echo as if it had never truly been. Salome laid her hand upon one of the towering trees. Its bark was overgrown with moss and dotted with large, wrinkled mushrooms, as was often the case with ancient trees. In some places, sparse grass sprouted from the bark, and here and there even flowers emerged from the wood.

  As the light dwindled, it became increasingly difficult to discern the ground before her. There was hardly any undergrowth, the trees were spaced far apart, and their roots were deeply anchored in the earth. But what if, somewhere, a root’s tip protruded or a fallen branch blocked the path? She had to be very careful not to stumble.

  “Kiran, don’t be so stubborn,” said Van. “Soon it’ll be pitch black! We’ll end up breaking our legs while getting lost! Besides, I don’t even want to think of what might be lurking in this forest.” He looked around anxiously as he spoke.

  “There is nothing here that we need to be wary of,” Kiran replied calmly.

  “How can you be so sure?” Van asked.

  “Just wait and see.”

  Very slowly, the golden beams of the evening light transformed into silvery threads of moon- and starlight, and darkness enveloped them like a heavy cloak. Yet the darker it became, the more clearly Salome understood what Kiran had meant.

  Deep within the tiny bodies of the countless insects that crawled in columns over the ground and tree trunks or fluttered through the night on transparent wings, a ghostly blue light slumbered. Gradually, with every passing minute, it spread and grew in brilliance and intensity. Soon, the entire forest was suffused with a midnight-blue shimmer, settling in the air like a fine mist. Overhead, the treetops dissolved into deep darkness, broken occasionally by the distant sparkle of a solitary star.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Van whispered in awe. “What’s this strange light?”

  “Those mushrooms growing on the trees are of a very special kind found only in this region,” explained Kiran, gesturing toward the wrinkled growths. “They extract the essence of the forest—the life within the soil and the trunks. The insects that feed on them absorb this essence and become animated with life. When night falls, that essence radiates from their tiny bodies and returns to the forest. We perceive this process as blue light.”

  Salome spun slowly, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the marvelous spectacle.

  “Kind of strange that I’ve never heard of this island,” Van mused.

  “It is under the protection of my master,” Kiran said proudly. “Only those who have received his invitation may enter.”

  They continued their journey, enveloped in ghostly blue light, ever deeper into the forest. Amid the vibrant silence, the hum of countless insects made Salome’s ears tingle. She observed that, as they neared the forest’s center, more and more roots jutted from the ground. At first, they only had to step over a few thick, wooden tendrils that lay motionless on the ground. But soon they found themselves climbing over entire mounds of roots that blocked their path, or even having to slip beneath massive wooden formations—rising from the earth like petrified snakes. They ascended higher and higher until they followed a broad root path that separated them from the forest floor.

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  “It’s so quiet here,” Van remarked thoughtfully. “I don’t hear any animals. No birds, no insects, nothing. Would be quite worrying normally, but here it seems… somehow all right. Strange place.”

  Salome’s gaze wandered in amazement when suddenly something caught her eye in the periphery. It was a peculiar shimmer, as bluish as all the other lights in the air, yet somehow… different. The source of this glow lay somewhere below her. She could glimpse it intermittently through the gaps in the tangle of roots along her path. Whatever it was, it appeared familiar and inviting—like the warm glow of a lantern above a doorway on a dark night. Entranced, Salome tried to catch a glimpse of its source when, all at once, Kiran’s voice rang out:

  “Salome, watch out!”

  But it was too late.

  Her next step carried her straight into a wide gap beside the root path. It happened so unexpectedly that she plunged silently into the labyrinth of roots below without even managing to cry out.

  The fall lasted a mere split second, but her side struck a gnarled protrusion so forcefully it drove all the air from her lungs. Worse yet, she felt herself sliding further downward.

  “Salome—!” she heard Van’s alarmed cry from somewhere above her.

  Desperately, she searched for something to grasp, but her feet met only emptiness and her fingers repeatedly slipped off the knobby surface of the root. It all happened so quickly that the next moment she was in free fall, a silent scream forming on her lips. Frantic thoughts raced through her mind: How far was the ground? How high did these roots rise? Had they been climbing ever higher all along? She didn’t know!

  Suddenly, tall blades of grass reached for her like greedy fingers, and she landed on the ground with a dull thud. Somehow she managed to land first on her feet and then on her hands to soften the impact, but a sharp, piercing pain shot up her left leg, forcing a stifled scream from her throat.

  “Salome? Salome! Are you alright?” Van called again, but the pain and shock left her unable to respond. She curled up, clutching her ankle in a spasm. Waves of white fire surged through it, and she pressed her lips tightly together to keep herself from gasping uncontrollably.

  “What by the pillars are you doing?” Kiran shouted, agitated. “Salome? Are you alright?”

  “Something’s wrong with my leg,” she managed to say after a while.

  “Damn… Wait, I’m coming to you! Don’t move!” Van cried. His voice sounded strangely muffled, as if coming from a great distance. Salome drew shaky breaths. Waves of pain throbbed along the side where she had struck earlier.

  “How by the damn pillars am I supposed to move?” she muttered in despair. Apparently, she had fallen quite deeply. The roots above her formed a kind of dome, through narrow slits of which she could see blue light streaming in. All around her, it was pitch dark. She could hear muffled boot steps overhead—presumably Van’s.

  “Wait!” Kiran’s voice rang out again. “You must not go down there!”

  Why did his voice sound so strangled?

  “What do you mean by that?” Van shouted angrily. “Salome is down there! She’s injured! We have to get to her!”

  “It’s not that simple!” A trace of nervousness tinged Kiran’s tone—or rather, he sounded quite uneasy. “Beneath these roots hide things that one should not come too close to,” he said gravely.

  “What?” Van exclaimed in disbelief. “I thought there was nothing here that could be dangerous to us?”

  “There is nothing! But you still shouldn’t test it!”

  “Damn it! I’m certainly not leaving Salome alone down there!”

  “No!” Kiran insisted urgently, clearly striving to keep his tone calm. “If you descend, you will only make matters worse. She must manage on her own for a while—only until we reach the center!”

  “That’s got to be a joke,” Van hissed after a brief pause.

  “Enough, Van,” Salome gasped between sharp breaths. She hoped that he could understand her from down there. “I’ll manage!” she tried to sound reassuring, though it came out rather poorly.

  “Listen, Salome,” Kiran called. “Follow my voice, but at all costs keep away from any unusual light sources! They’re wisps. You must not touch them!”

  “Unusual light sources? Can’t you be more specific?” Salome slowly pushed herself up, trying not to put weight on her injured leg. Yet with every movement, it felt as if her ankle were being pierced by needles.

  “Well, they too shine blue…” Kiran shouted. “But they differ from the natural light of the forest in a… special way. I’m sorry, I can’t describe it any more precisely! But I believe you will recognize them.”

  “That’s a great help,” Van muttered angrily.

  “I think I know what you mean,” Salome called out. So that was indeed what she had seen.

  She gritted her teeth.