Flashback ( PDFDrive )

thick and green, like a lake of snot. But if that’s what it took to help
Silveny . . .
“All right, here goes nothing,” she said, preparing for a slimy splash
as she raised her foot over the lake, stepped down, and . . .
Found solid ground underneath a couple inches of water.
The next step had the same result. And the next.
“That looks super weird,” Fitz told her.
“I know—I keep having to remind myself I’m not in the middle of a
disgusting lake.”
At least she hoped she wasn’t. She couldn’t tell where the water was
coming from. But it was shallow, at least. And after a few more steps,
the air around her seemed to shimmer, and it was like passing through
some sort of veil. One second she was standing in a sea of sludge. The
next she was walking through a shimmery reflecting pool surrounding
a humongous tree that hadn’t been there before. And as she splashed
closer, she realized the arched hole in the trunk created a path that led
down into the muddy soil, weaving around the ancient roots and
disappearing underground.
“I think I found it!” she shouted. “I know trees are usually gnomish
things, but—”
“Gnomes aren’t the only ones who rely on the sturdiness of the
forest,” Tarina said right behind her, startling Sophie so badly she
nearly fell over.
Fitz caught her shoulders. “Sorry. We followed you when you
disappeared, and I thought you might have heard us splashing. But
sound is kind of weird here.”
It was.