Chapter 9

  City In The Branches

  The undulating streets of the arboreal city were carefully laid, directing both the eye and traffic inward to the tree’s vast trunk. Despite this, Ari quickly found herself lost as she veered off the main thoroughfare, her attention snagged by the smells, sights, and sounds of a sprawling street market. Stalls piled with a rainbow of colorful alien fruits lined the long boardwalk. Savory aromas wafted from food carts selling demon meat skewers, fried spider legs, and boiled griffon eggs. Modern cotton and denim clothes hung on racks alongside unicorn wool robes and sky snake leather jackets.

  The people shopping for these oddities were equally bizarre. The businessman walking to Ari’s left, had polished wooden skin and braids of thorny vines for hair. A woman leaving a store up ahead was human from the waist up and lion from the waist down. The feline centaur tucked her packages into the colorful saddle bags hanging over her furry haunches and loped across the street to buy herself a spider leg. A badger seated behind a stall selling ornate knives accepted a letter from a mailman with the head and wings of a blue-jay.

  All of them were ringed in light. Some of the auras were faint, humming softly, particularly those surrounding humans. Others were bright and loud, ringing in Ari’s ears like the deep toll of a large bell. Each delivered a bevy of information that quickly became overwhelming. Ari blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the lights away, but they lingered behind her eyelids like camera flashes. She covered her ears to dull the hum of magic radiating from every living creature around her. Her head started to throb. Unable to think, she ran. In her distraction she didn’t notice the mailman cross in front of her. Ari bounced off him, stumbling back a step before she fell onto her back. The bird man kept his feet.

  “Hey! Watch where you’re going, Kid,” he yelled.

  Ari gaped at him for a good two seconds before realizing what she was doing. Her teeth met with an audible clack as she clamped her mouth shut. The bird man’s head cocked to the side, a mix of confusion and growing concern reflecting in his wide black eyes. Ari’s cheeks burned as more people stopped to look at her. The bird man pointed a clawed finger at her sweater.

  “Hey is that . . . blood? Are you hurt?”

  “I-I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Ari said in a rush. Faster than he could respond, she scrambled to her feet and dashed off into the crowd. The bird man called after her, but his words were lost in the market’s hum.

  Ari ran until she spotted a clear slice of blue sky and empty boardwalk behind two shops. Slipping through the narrow alley, she exited into a thin stretch of boardwalk lined with a railing. Once she was sure she was alone, she slumped against the stuccoed wall of the shop behind her, and slid down until she sat, face burning, and heart racing.

  “Ugh. Why did I freak out like that?”

  Ari covered her face with her hands. The phantoms of auras still shimmered in the dark behind her eyelids.

  How do I make them go away? Is it always going to be like this? She wondered.

  “When everything becomes too much, breathe deep, breathe slowly, and find something you can be sure of, something you can anchor yourself too. The feel of your fingers against your skin, the ground under your feet.” Her father’s words echoed over the buzzing in her ears.

  Ari let her hands fall to her lap and took one long, deep breath after another. Each breath was held for three heartbeats and then released in a long sigh. Bit by bit, the phantoms behind her eyelids faded away, taking the headache with them. Once her frantic heartbeat finally slowed and her nerves settled, Ari opened her eyes.

  There was a girl standing in front of her. Ari blinked up at her. As far as she could tell, the girl was human, and likely a year or two older than she was. Her eyes were bright as newly minted pennies. They contrasted sharply against her dark brown skin. A rising storm cloud of black curls surrounded her heart shaped face. Her white dress was embroidered with fine golden flowers and tied at the waist with a golden sash, over which she wore a leather belt strapped with several pouches and a sheathed knife.

  Ari couldn’t see the girl’s aura. Somehow she sensed that it was being hidden from her, but she could still feel it. It was a warm presence in the air, an invisible weight that wasn’t crushing, but enveloping. It reminded her of a humid summer afternoon, when the sun is high and hot.

  The girl smiled softly at her. “Hi”

  “Uh, hi,” Ari said, snapped to her senses by the girl’s voice.

  Another moment of silence passed between them. Eventually the stranger cleared her throat and spoke.

  “So, I’m Hannah, and this is a weird question, but . . . ah, is your name Ari Artome?”

  Ari’s wide-eyed surprise was answer enough.

  “Great! Your Dad sent me--”

  “Wait, he’s here? Is he okay? Where is he?” the questions came rapid-fire as Ari jumped to her feet, catching Hannah momentarily off guard.

  “Whoa, chill. He’s fine. He’s waiting for you at the Guildhall,” she said. Her bright eyes took in the ruddy stains marring Ari’s sweater. “Are you okay? Where’s your guardian? You weren’t supposed to come alone.”

  Ari’s face fell as she remembered the glowing bead hidden in her pocket.

  “I’m not alone. Boreal-my guardian, he got caught by some hunters in the Wilds and was hurt pretty bad. He’s still alive . . . I think, but,” uncertain how to explain, Ari pulled the glowing bead from her pocket and showed it to Hannah. Hannah stepped closer to examine it.

  “Can I hold him?” she asked, extending a hand to cup the bead.

  Ari hesitated a moment before rolling it into her palm. After a moment of quiet observation, Hannah nodded, and returned it. “Looks like he’s gone into torpor.”

  “Torpor? What does that mean? Is he going to die?” Ari asked, her voice frayed.

  Hannah shook her head.

  “Astral Guardians aren’t mortal, they don’t die. When they’re fatally wounded or sufficiently weakened they just lose the ability to maintain their physical form. That little ball of light is his core, it's kind of like a soul made tangible. Dropping to their core and going into torpor allows spirits to recover their strength faster. How long it takes depends on the damage. From what I can tell, he’ll probably get better in a day or two.”

  A mountain of worry fell from Ari’s shoulders. She looked down at Boreal’s core and marveled at the fact she was holding a soul in the palm of her hand. Could he hear them talking about him like this? Was her pocket comfortable enough for him? Safe enough? She wished she had a padded box or something.

  “Is he okay in my pocket? Should I put him in my pack?” she asked.

  Hannah chuckled softly. “He’ll be fine. Cores aren’t made of glass. Just keep him on you.”

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  Ari nodded and carefully placed Boreal’s core in her pouch pocket.

  “How do you know so much about spirits and stuff?”

  “Healers have to know these things if we want to help beings of all kinds. Mortals and spirits work differently,” Hannah said with a shrug.

  “You’re a healer?”

  Hannah held her chin high and placed her hands on her hips, rising to her full height.

  “Not just a healer, I’m an apprentice Medara Farwalker. My teacher and I travel from Realm to Realm offering healing, medicine, and magical protection.”

  Ari’s eyes sparkled with awe. “Wow.”

  “Yeah it’s pretty cool. You should meet my teacher, she’s amazing. We were just about to head back home when we ran into your dad at the Guildhall.”

  The mention of her father snapped Ari’s attention back to her quest. “Can you take me to him?”

  “That’s why I’m here,” Hannah said. She started walking, waving for Ari to follow, “Come on.”

  The two girls left the market and followed the main road inward to the tree’s massive trunk. From there, the stream of foot traffic drew them past a gondola docking station, where Ari spotted a large map beside a kiosk. She stopped to examine it, almost losing Hannah in the crowd as she did so. The map displayed information in multiple languages, some recognizable, and others completely alien. From what she could tell, the enclave was spread out across five trees connected by bridges and gondolas, with the largest tree in the middle serving as the enclave’s hub. Each tree was split into three layers. The lower branches were dedicated to production, transportation, and commerce. The middle branches were mainly residential and supported the enclave’s schools, parks, and hospitals. The top branches varied from tree to tree. Northpine had an observatory at its peak. Westpine’s top level was split between an aviary and an airfield. The Guildhall sat like a crown at the top of the center tree. Ari frowned when she noticed that the magic circle that took her to the canopy marked its base.

  “Why’s there only one teleporter? Why not use them to get around the whole enclave?” she asked.

  “Because teleportation enchantments are way expensive. Only a handful of people know that kinda magic and it’s hard as hell to get advanced spells to stick to anything permanently,” Hannah explained.

  “Can you teleport?”

  Hannah released a half-laugh, “I wish.”

  The two girls started walking again, following a new stream away from the gondola station. Eventually they reached the trunk, where six large glass-walled elevators trailed up and down, carrying people and goods to different levels of the city.

  Hannah led Ari to a smaller lift at the end of the row. This one waited empty, roped off and guarded by a large man with a pistol on his belt. He eyed the girls as they approached. Ari slowed, but Hannah kept her pace. She raised her right hand, showing the man the woven leather bracelet around her wrist. He nodded and stepped aside.

  “Is that some kind of FastPass?” Ari asked as they boarded the lift.

  “It's my apprentice band. See these little gold leaves?” Hannah lifted her wrist and pointed out the two golden leaves pressed into the bracelet. “Each one represents a year I’ve spent training. I was fifteen when I started. Once I have ten they’ll give me a badge and I’ll be a full member of the guild.”

  So she is older than me, Ari thought as she watched the shrinking scenery through the glass walls of the elevator.

  Hannah leaned back against the wall behind her and released a sigh. “Man, I’m glad I was able to find you. I was supposed to meet you there at the telepad, but you got here sooner than expected. At least your aura isn’t hard to track.”

  “I was expected?” Ari asked.

  “Your dad said your guardian would bring you here.”

  “Why didn’t he come get me himself then?”

  Hannah shrugged. “I think he’s trying to keep a low profile. From how everyone at the Guildhall is acting around him, it seems like he’s pretty important. You royalty, or something?”

  It was Ari’s turn to shrug, but there was a bitterness to the gesture. “I don’t know. Maybe. He never told me about any of this. Just shoved me through a portal one day and told me to run.”

  “Oh, uh, sorry,” Hannah said. An awkward silence fell between them. After a minute or two, she glanced at Ari, an inquisitive frown tugging at the corners of her lips. “What’s your home Realm?”

  “Um . . . Earth?”

  Hannah nodded as if she’d expected this answer. “Yeah, me too.”

  Ari turned away from the glass to look at her. Hannah seemed so calm, so in her element in this strange place, that Ari hadn’t even considered that she might have come from Earth.

  “Its funny thinking about how wrapped up in the mundane stuff I was. School, finding a partner, getting into a good college. It was my everything. Now I’m traveling to different worlds and learning magic. It's just as much homework, but it feels more . . . significant? I’m not just doing it to get a job and have nice things someday. I make a difference for people out here.”

  “How’d you leave Earth?” Ari asked.

  Hannah smiled broadly.

  “It’s a long story. Let's just say I met a girl and she took me on a date to another dimension,” she said. The elevator rose into its dock with a metallic thud. The doors slid open and she stepped out onto the landing, speaking over her shoulder. “I’ll tell you the whole thing if we have time. Come on.”

  They stepped out of the elevator shaft into a brick courtyard dappled with sunlight. The walls were drenched in verdant ivy dotted with small blue and white flowers that filled the air with a candy-sweet aroma. A handful of men and women sat on stone benches set around the courtyard, pouring over books or enjoying their lunches with friends. Some wore armor like the men that took down the giant. A few were dressed similarly to Hannah, in white and gold dresses or robes.They waved to her as she crossed the yard. Their curious eyes jumped from her to Ari and stuck to her back as she followed Hannah.

  Just beyond the courtyard gate stood a woman clad in medara robes, her face obscured by a deep hood. As they neared her, the buzzing magic in the air suddenly rose in pitch, making the hairs on Ari’s neck stand on end. She couldn’t see the woman’s aura, but just like Hannah’s, she could still feel. An encompassing weight that sang of something familiar, something that made Ari’s stomach flutter with anxious excitement. Whoever this woman was, she was powerful. Ari hung back a few steps as Hannah approached her.

  “Told you I could find her on my own,” she said.

  The woman nodded. “And so you have, Apprentice.”

  The hood turned in Ari’s direction. Within sat the handsome face of a mature woman. Indigo eyes with cat-like pupils held her gaze, their expression knowing, and amused. “No need to shy away. You’re among friends here.”

  Hannah waved Ari over.

  “This is my teacher, Elysia.”

  “Hi,” Ari said, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. It felt like Elysia could see right through her.

  “You’ve been on quite the journey, haven’t you?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Ari said.

  “I’ve been curious to meet you. Ashlain will speak of little else. You certainly take after him, I’m sure your mother will agree.”

  Ari’s gaze lifted from the flagstones to meet Elysia’s. “You know my mom?”

  “I do. She’s a good friend of mine.”

  “Is . . . she here?” Ari asked.

  Elysia shook her head. “No, but you will meet her soon enough. Now come, your father is waiting.”

  With that, she turned, fully expecting the girls to follow.

  The pine’s peak was smaller than the levels below. Large structures hugged the trunk, keeping most of their weight off the thin branches that supported the boardwalk. The guildhall was split into three distinct wings, connected to each other and a main lodge by shaded colonnades. Each wing had a guild insignia displayed above its entrance. The lodge bore all three. Ari recognized the Armir insignia, a shield with a four-pointed star and two crossed arrows within, their tips swathed in flames. The next was a lotus-like flower contained within a sunburst, and the third, a crystal sphere cupped between upraised wings.

  “I know the Armir’s symbol, what are the others?” Ari asked.

  “The flower is the Medara emblem. The crystal ball represents the Thyrsis, they’re the nerd guild,” Hannah explained.

  Ari frowned. “Nerd guild?”

  “What my Apprentice means, is that the Thyrsis are a guild of scholars and historians dedicated to researching, preserving, and distributing knowledge,” Elysia clarified.

  “The Grand Guilds, the Armir, Medara, and Thyris, are quite unlike profit driven merchant guilds. The services they provide are crucial to the formation of permanent settlements in the Realm Sea.The Armir; train scouts, hunters, and guardians to protect settlements. The Medara heal body and mind, establish hospitals where possible, and provide protection from spiritual dangers. The Thyrsis build schools and libraries, providing education, and training for those with arcane abilities. Working in tandem with the Armir, they chart the many worlds of the Realm Sea, documenting their inhabitants, cultures, and magics as well.”

  Ari wondered if her father was once a guild member. It would explain why he came to them to wait for her. She frowned at that thought, crossing her arms over her chest. Thinking about how much her father had kept from her filled her chest with a shifting mass of anger and sorrow. How could he lie to her for so long? Why did he keep this from her?

  “You’ve got explaining to do, Dad,” she thought. Jaw set and fists clenched tight, she prepared her questions, determined to make her displeasure known, and get the answers she deserved. Yet, as they entered the warmly lit main lodge and she laid eyes on her father for the first time in days, all her questions fell away.

  He stood in the center of the room, chatting with three adults clad in the colors of their respective guilds. The sound of the door clicking open grabbed their attention. Ashlain turned, his gaze hopping from Elysia to Hannah and then to his daughter. He pulled away from the guildsmen without a word, arms open wide to receive Ari as she ran to him.

  “Daddy,” she whimpered into his chest, clutching him so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he rasped into her hair.

  They fell to their knees and held each other, oblivious to all those who watched them.