Shadows on the Stars by T. A. Barron Page A

somewhere near the Sea: the highest portal in the lower realms, which could take him deep into the Tree itself. For he knew that his hopes lay not in climbing up the Great Tree from the outside, as he was doing now—which could take forever—but in finding a passage somewhere inside.
    The same inside passage that, as Tamwyn had learned from bards, his father had hoped would carry him to the very top with the speed of portals. After all, Krystallus had ridden portals to every one of the seven root-realms, even Shadowroot, and survived. Despite its dangers, portalseeking offered the fastest way to move around great distances.
    And even the vast distances between the root-realms were small compared to the utter enormity of the upper reaches of Avalon. Why, Krystallus himself believed that the trunk alone dwarfed all Seven Realms put together. And then, if you considered how huge the branches, and all the lands they contained, could be . . .
    Tamwyn shook his head, overwhelmed by the mere thought of such magnitude. And here I am, trying to travel all the way to the top, and to the stars beyond! And to do it in just a few short weeks, before Rhita Gawr can crush us all.
    But he knew he shouldn’t think about that now. Better to focus on his next steps. First, he’d find that portal near the Swaying Sea, and enter the trunk from there. Then he’d go to the legendary Great Hall of the Heartwood, deep inside the Tree, which his father had discovered on one of his earlier expeditions—and which Krystallus believed held the key to traveling higher, into the upper trunk and branches. And ultimately, to the stars.
    Tamwyn brushed some chips of rock off his eyebrow, then took from his pack the flask he’d made from a supple leaf of leathereed. Unplugging the flask, he took some water—his final sip, just a few piddling drops. Licking the last trace of moisture on his lips, he knew that he would find no more to drink until he reached the Swaying Sea. If he ever got there. And where he’d find his next meal, he could only guess.
    What matters more, he told himself, is finding that portal.
    Closing the flask, he replaced it in the pack. His hand brushed against the slab of harmóna wood and it vibrated again, a low, quivering note. He hadn’t touched it since parting from Elli. And given how upset he felt, even now, he didn’t want to hold the wood in his hands, let alone carve on it again.
    He adjusted the pack strap on his shoulder, and straightened his staff and dagger in their sheaths. Then, once again, he started to climb. Hand over hand he pulled himself higher on the rough-hewn rock, moving upward bit by bit. Another handhold broke, scraping his thumb, but this time he caught himself before falling. It took him twenty minutes of hard work to regain the spot below the ledge where he’d tumbled backward.
    He paused, breathing hard as he reached up to the ledge to grasp a new hold. This is tough , he told himself. Toughest thing I’ve ever done. A wry grin creased his dirt-smudged face. Except for trying to talk with Elli.
    His hand found a knob. It was not very big, and almost out of reach, but he managed to clamp his fingers around it. With a grunt, he tried to pull himself up onto the overhanging ledge. Quaking from the effort, he drew his body higher. His bare feet left the rocks below the ledge, so that all his weight hung on the knob. This was just the place he’d been last time, when—
    Craaack. The knob broke off!
    Tamwyn roared in anguish as he started to fall. His fingers scraped against the rock, trying desperately to hold on somehow. But he kept sliding backward. He couldn’t stop himself now.
    Suddenly a strong hand appeared above him and grabbed his wrist. It clasped tight around Tamwyn’s sweaty skin.
    “Henni!” he shouted, relieved even as he flailed, hanging over the ledge. He kicked his legs wildly. “Pull me up, you fool.”
    “Hoohoo, eehee, ahahahaha,” chuckled the hoolah, clearly savoring his