"I've got it!"
A few days later, Annan burst out of the Study and into Olmedo's Office.
Bang—
The door sensed his arrival and closed automatically. Annan paid it no mind. Holding up two leaves from the Otherworld Tree, he continued, "We had it wrong! The power doesn't come from the leaves. It comes from the World Tree!"
Olmedo looked up from the food she had been hurriedly eating, crumbs still at the corner of her mouth. "Wasn't that... ahem, wasn't that what we thought all along?"
"No! We thought the power was in the leaves. But when I took them far from the Otherworld Tree, their energy faded rapidly. Within its range, though, they lasted much longer..."
That also showed just how enormous the range of the elves' World Tree must have been.
"Then I put the leaves beside the Otherworld Tree's roots and found that they were regaining energy."
Olmedo took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. "What does that mean?"
"It means we don't have to wait for the Otherworld Tree to grow before picking its leaves. Its reach will expand as it does, and within that range, we can use its leaves as much as we like!"
Annan asked Olmedo to imagine the future. "With an Otherworld Tree leaf, you could contact a friend far away. Guards and watchmen could use them to pass along messages and intelligence quickly. When a leaf runs out of energy, you just take it to the roots to recharge..."
The elves guarded their World Tree like Dragons guarding treasure, too reluctant to use it. They could hardly blame Annan for getting ahead of them.
Compared with the World Tree, the Otherworld Tree had the added advantage of being able to communicate. Dade could tell it to strengthen its roots