At first Bai Li could only see the change because she was watching so carefully. A faint distortion in the air trembled around the tree. Then another appeared beside it. The invisible wall, previously dense enough that even the monsters had been unable to cross, began shrinking inward.
A low humming sound filled the rooftop.
The sound did not come from the air.
It came from the tree.
The trunk glowed brighter.
The roots beneath the ruined concrete shifted.
Bai Li narrowed her eyes.
"Something is wrong."
Yan Cijin looked at her. "The barrier?"
"No. The tree."
Before Yan Cijin could answer, the entire canopy flashed gold.
Every leaf on every branch turned upward.
Five brilliant points of light appeared among the foliage.
Yan Cijin's breath caught.
The branches slowly moved apart.
And there they were.
Five golden pomelos.
Not one.
Five.
