Chapter 13

Haledon stood mesmerized by the jellyfish that lazily drifted above his head. Red lights danced down the canals of the creature's bell-shaped body, like droplets of water trickling to the tentacles' tips. The creature's bioluminescence warmed the room, casting long, eerie shadows behind objects that once hid in the darkness.

Scanning the space excitedly, the Druid immediately noticed a small tree with long vines stretching down from its canopy. At the end of each cord, trumpet-shaped flowers of pure white dangled and released a faintly visible dusting of pollen.

"What's that?" Gazeas yelled out in amazement.

Haledon turned to see her outstretched arm and spotted, drifting beyond her fingers, several bumblebees the size of pumpkins. Their black and yellow bodies buzzed excitedly as they moved over Haledon's head and disappeared above.

"Worker bees, of course," Sparrow spoke nonchalantly.

He adjusted to face Sparrow with questions, only to watch her turn back to whisper with Spark. The two exchanged quick words, their stares fiercely locked on each other.

Beginning to move closer, Haledon felt Gazeas grab at his arm. He looked back at her as she pointed up with a strained gaze, staring towards the dark ceiling.

"Can you see that?" She asked. "I can barely make anything out in this red light."

"Sparrow said our SOIL will adjust over time." He informed her as he adjusted his gaze up. "Oh, yes, I do see that..."

Through the red light and shadows, Haledon was able to distinguish an outline of a honeycomb framing made into the ceiling. There, busy bees buzzed their way in and out of sizeable hexagonal grids with purpose.

"It looks like a honeycomb of some sort." Haledon continued.

"For the bees to live in?" Gazeas asked, squinting to see better.

"I have no idea."

"Haven't you been here before?"

"No," Haledon replied dully as a wiggling body above caught his attention.

One of the bees feverously buzzed away in its waxy cell. The black and yellow abdomen wiggled with excitement as the head dug deeper. With a flicker of its wings, it began withdrawing itself from the honeycomb. The worker crawled along the outside of the wall before it buzzed down to Sparrow, dropping something into her hand.

Sparrow inspected the object before beginning to draw signs in the air with a free hand.

"Is that–uh–" Mek-Tek squeaked out, pulling Haledon's attention away from Sparrow and Spark.

The Sciurus had scampered away from the group, awkwardly walking on his hind legs. With a long drag from his sphere, he released a plume of white vapours, before stepping through it with a soft cough.

"Is that a Broadhead…Fourth Branch?" He continued before taking another drag from the straw.

Haledon looked in the direction of Mek-Tek. Staring down at the Sciurus, he felt like he could see something out of the corner of his vision. Following the being's gaze, he rubbed at his eyes and concentrated. The image of a Broadhead came into focus.

The sharp edges of the reflective metal cut through the air, casting long red shadows across the floor. Harsh lines played with Haledon's perception and challenged him to differentiate the ship's reflection from the world around it. With each step he took closer, the reality of the room seemed to dance along the surface of the metal.

"Fifth Branch," Witch-Hazel replied as they looked towards the craft. "It's a new rendition from the last battle. Notice how uncomfortable it is to look directly at the ship, making it nearly invisible? They're evolving defensive traits for active camouflage."

"Mecharrion, how–?" Haledon muttered before a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hit our skimmer." Witch-Hazel rubbed at the Druid's head and walked past him. "Scrambled your noggin', but we reaped quite the harvest with this."

"Yeah, no kidding," Mek-Tek coughed as he walked outside of the Broadhead. Exhaling a column of vapour towards the craft, he leaned in with an investigative look. "Exterior blast plating is hardly scored. Forward cannons show signs of minimal use. Even the port and starboard thrusters are in optimal condition with no plasma damage to the thrust chamber. I'd say this was fresh off the Mecharrion factory floor."

"We caught it with the skimmer right as it was making a suicide dive. It didn't have time to do much else." Sparrow spoke up as she approached the conversation.

"Eherm–" Witch-Hazel interjected. "I caught it with the skimmer."

Sparrow nodded in agreement with a smirk. She quickly waved her hand.

"Yes, yes, Witch-Hazel's control over the Gravodonata was impressive. Mek-Tek, would you like to inspect the hardware inside? It's quite mesmerizing."

Mek-Tek breathed deeply from his orb again. His eyes narrowed to slits as he inhaled, his head suspiciously inspecting the workshop. Sliding the sphere into his backpack, he released a long exhale.

"Sure." He squeaked and bounced on all fours out of the haze.

"Witch-Hazel. See if you and Mek-Tek can get that thing to power up."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"We need to know how they've evolved so we can adapt," Sparrow replied. "Any advantage we can get."

Witch-Hazel nodded and wandered towards the craft. Reaching the rear of the ship, the two began to walk on air up and out of sight. Leaning in, Haledon strained his eyes until he saw a ramp so thin it had appeared invisible. He smirked at the sight before standing up straight.

A thought crossed Haledon’s mind, and his face went slack.

"Sparrow, what did you do with the Mecharrion on the ship?" He asked, turning back to her.

"There was no Mecharrion on the ship." She replied, now focusing her attention on him and Gazeas. "It either ejected after capture or was never in there."

"Unmanned metal ships?" Gazeas asked as she stared at the craft. "Those are what...killed the other Astralaceaes?"

"Exposure to the elements killed the other Astra's after the Broadheads tore through the Cosmophyllon wall. But yes, unmanned," Sparrow clapped her hands together and directed the two Druids' attention to the far side of the room. "We are setting up at the Shaman's Tree."

"Where's Spark?" Haledon asked as he looked around the room for the Druid. "I saw her with you a minute ago."

"She knows what she has to do."

"That sounds ominous–" Gazeas mumbled softly.

Haledon smirked at her and then looked up to Sparrow. She had started to walk forward and shot an irritable glance back at the two from the corner of her eye. Noticing this, Haledon cleared his throat and quickly followed.

"So, what are we doing?" He asked as the group moved towards the tree he had noticed when they first arrived.

"You two will be brushing up on your Druidic history," Sparrow informed, raising her arm to the tree. "You need to know where you came from before you know where you're going."

Nearing the edge of the tree's canopy, Sparrow touched her fingers to the foliage, sending vines racing through the leaves. Pale blues, purples, and pinks began to glow from within the leafy cover as the fine iridescent pollen that drifted from the dangling flowers intensified.

"I need to modify some of the genealogical markers before we start. Sit in front of a flower, but don't touch until I say so."

Sparrow wandered around the tree and tapped at the bark. As she did, a ripple of pale-white light washed over the canopy with each poke. Haledon couldn’t help but be reminded of drops of water on a pond as he watched the waves collide and spread.

The Druid then looked to Gazeas as she inspected the tree cautiously before finding a spot to rest. He followed her lead and sat down before one of the trumpet flowers. Noticing a faint yellow-white glow emanating from deep within the bloom, he leaned over to see the bioluminescence radiating from the pistil. The pulsing of the light played with the pollen that flowed like a waterfall. This created the glimmering image as it drifted lazily to the ground.

Adjusting himself for a better look, he stared up into the flower. With a gentle sniff, some of the fine pearlescent grains were drawn into his nostrils, rewarding him with a sweet scent. In an instant, the flower was brought to life as it lurched from its resting place and fastened to Haledon's face.

In a panic, he fell backward, trying to remove the trumpet from his face. But he had no such luck as the spindly vines had clasped behind Haledon's head, locking the mask into place. Taking a deep breath to yell, a sickly-sweet smell flooded his senses, and his world went black.

Haledon opened his eyes to find himself floating deep beneath the surface of an endless ocean. He waited, staring silently into the inky abyss of the sea, admiring the faint glimmer of moonlight against the water’s surface above as it rolled and crashed with the motion of the waves. Fighting the current with massive strokes of his arms, Haledon eventually breached the top of the oceanic realm.

Gasping for air, he wiped the water from his face and looked around in a panic. He had been transported to a watering hole, full of barren terraces and a single pale body layered in greens and browns. Breathing softly, he stared intently at the figure as they looked to space above.

Haledon pulled himself to the shore and stood. Staring up, he saw the twelve ships of the Astralaceaes floating in the space beyond.

"What?" He mumbled to himself, staring towards the faint images of the fallen ships. Haledon looked back to the pale figure and coughed to clear his throat.

"Hello?" He called out.

The being turned to face Haledon. Without hesitation, the body moved with an irregular gait, and the sound of branches rubbing in the wind resonated through the room. With frightening speed, the being rushed over the terraces and grabbed Haledon by the cheeks. A bleached bark face with hollow eyes looked through him.

The figure took hold of Haledon's head and slowly turned it, his neck sounding like wood splintering under pressure.

"Look." A wispy voice spoke.

A bramble image of Sparrow kneeling over a glowing shrubbery had appeared. There, from the light beneath her, a monstrous shadow was cast against the wall.

The shadow began to evolve from a hunched mass, taking a life of its own. With sharp claws, it pulled itself from the vines, transforming into an upright wolf. The beast walked forward, slowly, its all-consuming shadow melting away with each step.

As it came within reach of Haledon, it brushed a humanoid hand against his face. He experienced a moment of comfort before the second hand of the shadow plunged an obsidian dagger into his gut.

Sitting up with a gasp, Haledon panicked as he frantically grabbed at his stomach.

"Wh-what-what the–" He stumbled over his words.

"What did I tell you?" Sparrow scolded. "What did I expressively tell you not to do?"

"But, I didn't touch it," Haledon mumbled as a sense of groggy nausea flooded his body. "I smelled–" He rolled to his side and retched onto the floor.

"Don't sense!" Sparrow yelled out. "Don't touch. Don't smell. Don't taste. Don't even look."

"At the tree?" Gazeas asked.

"Anything. Everything in this workshop."

"Why are we here if everything is so dangerous?"

"You are drifting through space in a supersized seed. Your life is dangerous. The tools of my workshop are alien to you, and when things are alien, they can seem dangerous. So listen to me! You’ll learn to use them, and then they won't be dangerous."

Gazeas looked at Haledon with a sympathetic frown. Kneeling, she placed a hand on his neck. Vines crawled out from her wrist and began to burrow their way into his foliage.

He felt a chilling sensation as small suckers attached to the bare flesh beneath his SOIL. A belch bubbled up from his stomach, bringing with it a refreshing menthol flavour.

"Mint?" Haledon asked as his nausea began to subside.

"It helps with the taste of the anti-nauseant," Gazeas replied and directed her attention back to Sparrow. "And fine, your workshop is alien. But why can't we learn from the safety of the Astralaceae?"

"Is that a serious question?" She replied and waved her hand to the vast room. "You want to learn the intricacies of Druidic Silvimancy in a den barely big enough for the six of us?"

Sparrow approached Gazeas and stared into her eyes. She inspected every inch of her face with a noticeable grimace.

"That is not what I asked." Gazeas' eyes narrowed as she fought Sparrow's gaze.

The two glared at each other for a long while before Sparrow finally stood straight with a smirk.

"No more questions, you may sit and affix the flower to your mouth and nose." She instructed, walking away. "Breath calmly and deeply. You will awaken in a field."

Haledon looked at Gazeas, who wore a frustrated look on her face. He adjusted his gaze before she noticed him and stared at the flower that dangled ahead. Reaching for his stomach, he felt the muscles tense in pain, the vision fresh in his mind.

Standing up, Haledon walked to the other side of the tree and adjusted into a new mossy seat. He watched as Gazeas followed and sat next to him. She wore a sad but concentrated look on her face.

"What's that about?" He asked

"What?" She replied, facing him.

"What you're doing with your face."

She eyed Haledon with a sharp look that reminded him of Sparrow.

"Sorry–" He quickly replied, staring forward.

"No, no–" She caught herself. "I just–I think Sparrow's a bit rude."

"You think?" He laughed, looking at Sparrow as she paced around the tree.

Haledon and Gazeas took hold of their flowers and brought them closer. Nervously, Haledon pulled the trumpet to his face. The vines reached out like tendrils, making him want to withdraw instinctively. But, watching as Gazeas didn't flinch when the mask hugged her face and adjusted itself, he felt his nerves begin to ease. With a deep breath, her chest expanded out, and her body fell limp to the floor.

Haledon felt the vines wrap around his head. Closing his eyes, he breathed in slowly, and as he exhaled, he was lying in a field.

He quickly stood and looked around, feeling the grass against his hands. Just beyond his arm's reach, Gazeas had begun to rise and wander away.

"Gazeas." He called out, and she turned to face him.

"Where's Sparrow?" She asked, holding up a hand to block the sunlight.

"Here," Sparrow replied as she rose through the ground. "Now, brace yourself."

The world began to rumble as the horizon melted and grew. A forest formed around the three, with the plants racing towards the sky with vast, stretching grasps. Behind Sparrow, a clearing had begun to reveal itself.

"Let us begin with the Battle of Alesia and the fall of the Romans to the Druid Vercingetorix." She informed the two before beginning to walk away.