Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child

Book 1-18.2: Meetings

“Are you crazy?” Krystal hissed at Yuriko who was busy looking at how far the shallow trench reached. It was clear to her that this was nothing natural, considering that several trees along the furrow looked like they’ve been shorn of the branches that once covered the area. The line of blue sky was very welcome to Yuriko, especially with the sunlight that now covered her while she stood in the middle of the trench.

The ground crackled and popped from the weight of her footsteps. She couldn't see all that far down the trench since a haze of smoke made everything beyond a hundred paces away blurry.he Season of Fire wasn’t that dry, at least not during the first few weeks. If this had happened a couple of weeks later then the chances of a forest fire would have been a real risk.

They followed the furrow south, keeping a careful watch on their surroundings. Since she wanted to explore quickly, they walked in the middle of the trench rather than parallel to it in the undergrowth.

Around half an hour later, they reached the end of the trench. It was a circular depression about ten paces wide. The trees surrounding up were knocked over, roots hanging in the air with clumps of soil stuck to them. 

“It looks like something crashed into these trees, digging that trench all the way here,” Orrin observed. 

Yuriko and Orrin came up to the knocked over trees. Most of the branches were broken on the one they came up to. The leaves had fallen off the twigs, though quite a number were still hanging on. She wasn’t sure if it would live, but since half the roots were still underground, it had a good chance.

“What are those blue spots?” Yuriko said.

The trunk was thicker than they were tall, but it didn’t take much effort to climb on top. All along the trunk were blue spots. She looked at the nearby trunks and saw the same thing. 

“Swarmling blood?” Orrin asked. “Where are the bodies though?” 

They searched along the line of fallen trees but other than dried blood, there was nothing. 

“I guess something else is fighting the Wyldlings,” Orrin shrugged.

“What though?” Yuriko tapped her foot. “More importantly, would they help us or are they also a threat?”

The silence of the forest was their only answer.