I stood in Sherwood forest, at the start of a path that stretched into the forest. It was lined with dark blue flowers that wound around trees and hung from their branches, and emerald green crystals that jutted out of earth and bark alike. Both glowed, their light soft and gentle like moonlight, lighting the dark forest. Stars peaked through the thick canopy of leaves above me, and a fey’s flute drifted on the night air, barely audible.

  A woman approached, her skin the vibrant green of moss, long pointed ears poking out of her dazzling white hair like the full moon itself. Her eyes were the color of the waters of Sherwood, ever-changing blues and greens. She wore a gown the earthy brown of tree bark, flowering vines wrapping around her torso and right arm, and no shoes. I knew she was ancient, despite her ageless appearance.

  I felt drawn to her, yet I was frozen in place by her power as she met my gaze. Was she a friend, or a foe, or something else entirely?

  The woman laughed, the sound like a burbling stream. “Darling of the forest, my little birdsong, my baby Wren.”

  ***

  I blinked slowly, the world around me muffled and eerily bright.

  Where am I? What was that?

  The memories of my mission, the sedative, jumping into the fairy circle, and the strange dream slammed into me.

  I hate sedatives.

  I sat up slowly, blinking as the word began to shift back into focus. I was in the forest, surrounded by trees, just barely outside a fairy ring made of opalescent flowers and mushrooms. It was one near the village, but not well used.

  “Next time you decide to take a nap, I recommend a bed,” Will Scarlet said, his voice light and teasing. “Not the forest floor.”

  I looked up to see Will sitting on a large boulder nearby, cleaning his sword.

  I coughed, my mouth feeling like cotton. My dress was damp from the ground, and I knew there were probably leaves in my hair.

  Will sheathed his sword and tossed me the water bottle that hung from his belt. “I can’t leave you for a second without disaster striking, can I?”

  I caught the water bottle and sipped at the cool liquid, the cotton feeling dissipating.

  “I just breathed in a bit of the sedative. I was fine.”

  “Every time I let you do anything by yourself, or so much as step foot outside the village, it’s the same story,” Will complained.

  “I can take care of myself!”

  “I beg to differ, as I have to rescue you nearly every other day.”

  Will crossed his arms and glared down at me, the look giving Robin’s glares a run for their money. I threw his water bottle back at him, but my arms were stiff and sore from the sedative. Or perhaps it was my nap on the forest floor? Either way, it landed harmlessly in a bush several feet away from me.

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  I glared at Will.

  It wasn’t bad enough to have one older brother. I just had to get stuck with a second one I’m not even related to.

  Will sighed and slid off the boulder, “Robin’s going to kill me when he finds out about this.”

  “Robin doesn’t have to know.”

  I stood on shaky legs as Will retrieved his water bottle and clipped it back on his belt, brushing as much of the dirt and leaves off my skirt as possible.

  “He’s going to find out I’ve been covering for you eventually,” Will said as he set out into the forest. “So really, it’s just a matter of when your brother will kill me.”

  “I’m a rebel spy. I went through a full year of training,” I complained as I followed behind him. “And I’m good at it too, at least with the simpler missions Robin needs done. It’s not like we’re one of the units in the capitol or doing any long term missions. Our only job is funds collecting. We barely count as a rebel unit!”

  Will rubbed his forehead, looking tired. “If you mess up and draw the attention of the capitol and Prince John, the other rebel units will have to cut us off. We’d have to leave Sherwood. We’re a support crew, which means we can’t afford to mess this up. You’re sixteen, you shouldn’t even be working without a partner yet.”

  I rolled my eyes as I ducked under a low hanging branch, the sedative’s effects wearing off as I moved. “You were sixteen when you came here.”

  “That was four years ago. And the rebellion continues, a never ending fight in the shadows to protect the weak and vulnerable and remove corruption.”

  Sherwood Village was in sight now.

  It was a ring of tall, ancient trees, the spaces between filled with a curved wall of vines woven tightly together. (The vines, thorny on the exterior and smooth on the interior, unable to be burnt or chopped down or planted elsewhere, were unique to Sherwood). The branches and leaves of the trees stretched out, tangling with the branches of the tree that sat in the center of the village, filtering the sunlight through their leaves. A large gate made of the same thorny vines, the only way in or out, stood open, revealing the inside.

  Two men I vaguely recognized as members of Robin’s band, the group of people who worked under the rebellion, were chatting by the gate as we approached the village.

  “Hey Will!” one of the men called, waving. “There’s a representative from the committee and some others here visiting, so stay sharp.”

  Will paused as we reached the village threshold. “Really? Why?”

  “I don’t know,” the other man shrugged. “Robin’s in the meeting hall with them now. Told us to warn you.”

  “Thanks,” Will said, continuing on. I followed close behind.

  I’m so ready for a hot shower and normal clothes. Though it is oddly quiet around here, so I might want to be quick about it.

  The main section, which contained the dining hall, the meeting hall, and a stretch of several campfires surrounded by logs, stumps, and rocks that acted as chairs, was eerily empty. From here I could just see into the three other sections of the village, blocked off by smooth vine walls except for a large archway each. And while I could see several villagers working in section used for farming and livestock, and a handful of Robin’s Band practicing in the smallest section, which we used for training and storage, I saw no one in the heart of the village, the section that held all the little houses, workshops, and other miscellaneous buildings.

  “I’m going straight in,” Will said. “Go home and stay there. No spying.”

  I sighed. “Yes, fine. I’ll stay. Probably.”

  Will pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued to the meeting hall, the largest and most multi-purposed building in the village.

  “Robin’s going to kill me.” he muttered just loud enough for me to hear him.

  I turned off and stepped into the heart of the village, winding my way through the rows of little cottages and past the building that held the craftsmen’s workshops.

  Something feels off about this whole thing. We’re never visited by committee members other than our winter check-ins. They’re way too busy managing all the different rebel groups and missions. And they brought a group?

  I shook my head as I reached the cottage. I would have to figure that out later. First, I needed to get the dirt and leaves out of my hair.