Chapter 1: The Tree

The snap of a dry pine branch was the only warning.

“Too loud, Ori,” Tez murmured, lowering the tension on his bowstring. At seventeen, Tez was a picture of practiced calm, his body lean and solid, his movements as quiet as the mountain fog.

Orian, fourteen, gritted his teeth and wrinkled his brow beneath his mid-length brown hair. He had been trying to emulate the steady pace of his older brother, but his own steps were always a beat too quick, his focus always half-a-breath too eager. He felt every mistake like a stone dropping in his gut.

They had been hunting for two hours. Rabbit was the usual target, but a boar would have been a much better prey. However, something else moved in the deep brush.

Tez pointed with his chin toward a nervous flicker of movement. It wasn’t a boar, but a baby deer, its spindly legs caught in a tangle of roots, eyes wide with terror. A forest wolf was circling, low to the ground.

“Be still,” Tez whispered, his voice steady, his eyes fixed on the deer.

This was the moment. Orian’s compassion for the helpless deer overcame him.

“Hey!” Ori roared, leaping from the cover of the brush. He flailed his arms, charging straight at the wolf, hoping to startle it.

The large predator spun, surprised by the unexpected threat. It lunged away into the thickest part of the Western Woods. The deer, startled out of its paralysis, scrambled free of the roots and bolted.

Tez let out a slow sigh. Ori felt a burst of pride, quickly smothered by shame.

“The wolf is gone. The deer is safe,” Ori said, trying to sound helpful.

Tez stood, placing a hand on Ori’s shoulder. “A strong man knows when to act, and when to pause. You charged in without thought. What if the wolf hadn’t been scared off by your little trick. They have good scent you know, it’s possible it already knew you were there. You risked both our lives, and the deer would have still died.”

Ori nodded, feeling the familiar weight of not measuring up to his idealized brother.

Returning home, they reached their family farmhouse just before noonday. The small, sturdy home was surrounded by their family’s modest farm and the streams that fed the Western Woods settlements.

As soon as they stepped onto the porch, they saw the canvas bags waiting by the door.

Kane, their father, stood waiting. He was burly and barrel-chested, yet moved with an incredible, startling agility. His braided beard and hair were peppered with dust from the frequent travel along the King’s Road. He wore worn leather, not the formal gear of a military man, but the practical armor of a traveler.

“The reports came faster than expected,” Kane said, giving the boys a quick, powerful hug.

Ori glanced at the prepared bags and felt his heart thump in his chest. “Father, can I come? I’m strong now. I know I am.”

Kane paused, his eyes serious. He was embarking on another mission into The Beyond, the mysterious region past the impassable Western Mountains.

“You are strong, Ori,” Kane said, there was reassurance in his voice. “But strength alone is recklessness. Strength is useless without discipline. Until you are disciplined enough to watch not only my back, but your own as well, you stay home. Keep up your sword training. You and Tez both.”

A moment later, Klohee emerged from the house, wiping her hands on her apron. She was as strong and toned as her husband. Her long hair reached down to her waist, and her face was wise and resolute. There was no argument or sadness in her eyes, only a deep sense of shared purpose. She walked to Kane and placed her hand on his chest.

“Be safe, my heart. We will be fine,” Klohee said. It was a promise, a confirmation of the happy and loving marriage that defined their home. She fully supported his mission, understanding it was for the greater good.

Kane met her gaze, a silent moment passing between them, before he pressed a kiss to her brow. He mounted his horse, gave the boys a final nod, and rode out toward the west, disappearing quickly down the road.

Late afternoon settled over the farm. Klohee had sent Ori out with a few chores, but Ori’s thoughts were already on his friend Yasir.

Around four o’clock, after finishing his duties, Ori slipped out the back. Tez followed a minute later, Klohee having given him a quiet nod and an unspoken instruction to keep Ori safe. Ori was annoyed; he didn’t need a babysitter.

Ori, Tez, and Yasir met up where the forest thickened. Yasir, a year older than Ori, was honest and straightforward, with dark hair and a slender build.

“We’re meeting up at the cliff before sunset,” Yasir said to Tez, trailing not far behind Ori.

They took the usual path through the deep woods, heading up the slopes toward the eastern ridge overlooking the village. Then, they stopped.

It was the tree.

Standing where there had only been an old lightning-scarred stump a week ago was a towering thing of very dark, almost colourless gray-brown wood. It was fully grown, unnatural in its swiftness. Three colossal, pod-like fruits hung from its massive limbs. Two of the fruits were split open, the shells hanging like shattered cocoons. One remained whole.

“Weird. I was here last week, that was definitely not here,” Yasir whispered, unsettled.

“It looks… rotten,” Ori murmured, the sight sending a shiver of unease down his spine. They exchanged worried glances, but the shimmer of the sun setting enticed them onward.

They made it to the cliff edge just as the sun began to dip, painting the clouds in fiery reds and oranges. The sight of their home settlement below should have been peaceful.

Instead, the village was swallowed by fire.

Flickering orange light pulsed against the dark woods. Black smoke choked the familiar layout of houses and barns. It was not a small fire; it was chaos.

“Bandits? Raiders?” Tez said, his voice hard as stone.

Panic seized Ori, but the instincts Tez and Kane had drilled into him took over. “We have to go!”

They scrambled down the steep, wooded incline back toward the burning village. They passed the ominous tree again. This time, the final, third cocoon had hatched.

A bone-shaking growl erupted from the shadows just ahead. It was like a roar of a wolf mixed with something monstrously unnatural.

A creature lunged onto the path, blocking their way. It was massive, like a bear, covered in coarse, dark fur. Its forearms were unnaturally muscular, ending in shovel-sized, razor-sharp claws.

But it was the chest that stole their focus: fused to the dark skin and muscle, over where its heart should be, was a piece of black stone. It glowed faintly, a cold, evil energy emanating from its flesh.

Tez didn't hesitate. He thrust Ori and Yasir back, drawing the heavy sword he always kept strapped to his back.

“Go! Now!” Tez yelled, planting his feet in front of the monster.

Yasir, looking wildly around, pointed to a small, dark cleft in the side of the mountain. “Here! Crack in the rock!”

They ran, scrambling toward the small, narrow fissure in the stone, pushing past each other. They squeezed through the opening just as the monster’s terrible claws scraped the rock where they had been standing. The snarls of the beast echoed, magnified by the small space.

They stumbled into a larger, dark cavern, a space they had never known existed. Tez pushed them deeper inside, using his body to shield them from the monster’s furious snarling outside the crack. The light from the dying sun faded quickly as they ran.

Then, ahead in the darkness, another light appeared.

~~~~~