Wraithwood Botanist

B2 | Chapter 76 - Reunions

Brindle watched Kyro rush to the Bramble with Mira and Kline with a feeling... of strange emotion. It was similar to the feeling he had when Yakana died, but he had experienced it when Kyro lived.

Kyro was his friend and had stayed loyal to him, even after all this time. And after sacrificing himself to protect Mira, somehow, Mira managed to save his life—and perhaps Khor’s, too.

Brindle examined Mira in a light he hadn’t considered up to that point. His relationship with her hadn’t changed. He was her guide and mentor, not a teacher. But he felt a slight indebtedness toward her. Perhaps he would gift her something special. But before that...

He summoned Salan, Real’s former guardian, stripped and optimized for transport within the lower domains.

Then, he created a link with Elana.

"Oh, so now he decides to speak," Elana answered in lieu of a greeting. "You understand the Harvest is here, right?"

"Must you always be so dramatic?" Brindle asked with dry sarcasm.

"Brindle, the Harvest starts in less than 24 hours."

"And it lasts for a week."

"So..." she paused. "Are you saying you’ll do it?"

"On conditions."

"What conditions?"

"On the condition that you organize the transfer—and no one’s left behind."

"Brindle. Sending people there is the best gift we can give her. We have a chance to send vetted people—of our choice—to protect Mira. To teach her. To give her company. I know you can’t understand, but she’s lonely. Humans’ll go crazy if they’re alone too long."

Brindle paused, reflecting on her words. Then he said: "The Bramble opens every year. If Mira wishes for guests, she will request them of her own choosing—and she will vet whomever she deems worthy. Until she asks you for your aid in finding guests, we will not attempt to control her life."

He said "we" as a subtle threat. Elana was not his equal, and he had no problem making that clear.

Elana took a frustrated breath and reflected on his words and said. "You got something good?"

Brindle looked at Salan, standing at attention. "Yes."

"I’ll see if I can make it happen. You owe me."

Brindle scoffed. "I will wait."

Elana seethed. "Well, I will not. Unlike you, I care about my pupil." She cut the connection.

Brindle stood and examined Salan. "Now then." He lifted his hand, and a stream of souls spawned all around him. "How can we make you perfect?"

2.

Kyro took another shift flying us before we all had to rest. Kline had great speed but lacked stamina and had to thread his core, and Kyro was lazy, taking a casual afternoon siesta. I couldn’t complain because I was useless for traveling great distances, so I just sat under a tree, reveling in the sound of symphony bugs as I hesitantly looked at the message notification from my parents.

I had never been afraid to speak to them before, but if Aiden followed through and sounded my war declaration, I would have to admit to them that their daughter was preparing to fight and even kill people, if necessary, for the sake of the forest.

And then what?

Eventually, the Dante Family’s contract for protecting my family would run out, and I would need to renew it or find new protection for them. Or... I could just start a colony, right?

I reasoned that if I proved myself enough, I could bring them to the forest—

—but who in their right mind would like to live like broke mountain men during the times of old?

I hadn’t even survived a winter in this forest. Would they? Could they even enjoy it?

In all ways, I had been put into tough positions and had put them into tough positions as a result.

I slapped my cheeks. Family was family, so I opened the letter and, naturally, bawled like a baby after the first line.

"Dear Mira," it began, "You’re still alive. That invalidates any criticisms that we have toward your reckless way of life and poor decisions. We are just so thankful."

I felt something on my leg and found Kline pawing at me. "You wanna hear, too?"

He meowed.

I guided him into my lap and read on.

"We’re also slightly bitter that you nailed our routines and mindsets so well. You practically sent your mother into a heart attack with the news of her predictability. She spent the whole night wondering if she should’ve dated that handsome, rich rockstar instead of choosing her accountant nobody... okay, she’s slapping my arm now."

"You actually came," I said.

She rolled her eyes, almost offended, and then looked into the forest as Kael and the other lurvines arrived with grinning faces.

Then they saw Kline and scrunched their noses. My little warrior did the same.

"Oh shush," I said. "You’re all big men. Seriously. You guys are monsters. Were you working out when I was gone?"

I couldn’t understand them but they could sure as hell understand me. I knew because the males puffed out their chests with pride as the females rolled their eyes but lifted their noses just as pridefully.

They were huge and powerful. It was amazing.

"Well, I got snacks, but we’re kinda running late. Can you help us?"

The lurvines looked at Kyro, who had materialized on my shoulder, and then back at me.

Moments minutes later, I was riding a mythical beast as we blasted through the forest. I only needed a spear to complete the image. It was so fucking cool.

And we made it.

It was sunset when we reached the Bramble and saw a skyline of dragons staring down at us below. I was terrified, but Kline and Sina and Kael didn’t stop running. They stood strong until the very end, leading the pack into an open meadow, staring down the most ominous backdrop I could imagine.

The last stretch of the forest—as shown on the Guide’s screen during the Trial of Survival—looked like a gnarled tumbleweed mixed with rose briars from above. Up close, it looked like a mess of razor wire that snaked on the ground in all directions, with briars the size of wild bamboo in forests—thick enough to wrap two hands around it and still not having one’s hands meet. There were hundreds of thousands of those briars wrapping around the normal trees that looked like pillars or growing out of the ground. Just the thought of walking into it summoned images from horror movies and books and my darkest imagination.

It wasn’t a joke.

So you came, Thorvel said in a booming voice. I looked up and saw his massive silhouette in the blood-red sunset as if someone had taken a cookie cutter to a sheet of molten glass.

I nodded. "I came."

And you brought a friend. He eyed Kyro, who was casually sitting on my shoulder. I assume this means you’ve brought word from Serenflora?

"I have," Kyro said. "Nethralis and the Drokai stand behind Mira Hill."

He narrowed his slit eyes. So she, too, has injected herself into my conflict?

"Yes and no. Nethralis has not protected Mira from your arrangement. However, if you harm Mira unreasonably—she will demand reparations."

Thorvel swooped down in seconds, landing on the ground before us with a tremendous boom that sent dust flying into my eyes and nose. The lurvines yapped and backed up.

Are the Drokai threatening me? he asked.

"Yes," Kyro said bluntly, gripping soul cores that I never handed him.

"Wait," I whispered in horror.

Kyro ignored me and pressed on. "If you aren’t reasonable, the Drokai will take on the responsibility of guarding the forest. Neither Nethralis nor Emael will trust someone who will not live up to their word."

Thorvel’s body emerged from the dust storm, white and blue and massive, towering above me. He glared at me, blinking his large reptilian eyes—examining my evolved cores.

So what has Nethralis deemed reasonable? Throvel asked sarcastically. How will this human prove herself a student of Brindle and an ally of this forest? Hmmm?

Kyro smiled mockingly. "We’ll let her into the Bramble." He pointed to the gnarled landscape, and I instinctively balled up. "If she survives—you’ll shut the fuck up and leave the adults to monitor her."

Blue fire developed in Throvel’s mouth as he took a breath but snapped his jaws shut and blew fire out his nose. The display of fury was beyond what a human could ever hope to achieve. But he forced down his rage and laughed, once at first, but it slowly picked up speed to a cackle.

That’s rather bold, he said. The Harvest has yet to begin.

"Yes," Kyro said. "That’s why if you don’t want your..." He looked at me. "Enemy... to know things she shouldn’t, I’d recommend you accept her evolved soul core and our backing as the source of her validity."

Throvel’s face twitched. Are you really saying that this woman can survive the Bramble?

I certainly did not think I could survive the Bramble, but Kyro smiled:

"Yes. She will survive. And you will wallow in your idiocy for letting her for the rest of time."

Thorvel grinned viciously. Do you think I won’t call your bluff?

"Oh, I think you’re stupid enough to do it," Kyro said. "And Nethralis did, too. That’s why we’re here right now."

Thorvel’s temper got the better of him, and he growled at me. Then he nudged his snout to the gnarled landscape. Walk until you see it. If you return without knowing what it is—you’re dead.

He looked at Kline and the lurvines. Alone.