Chapter 19

Haledon rushed through the threshold, attempting to catch up to Spark.

"Umm, hey," He asked as he moved to walk beside her.

Approaching, he noticed the aromatic scents of burnt wood and freshly grown pine wafting from her SOIL. It was an oddly satisfying smell that caught him by surprise, momentarily dazing his senses as she looked to him.

"Hey." She replied with a smile.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

Haledon looked at her shoulder and noticed that new vines had already crawled over the damaged SOIL. The soft leaves and needles of the revegetated patch had already begun to harden back into the original bark.

"That's good, that's good..." He continued, and though amazed by the speed of her recovery, his curiosity finally overtook him. "Umm, so, what was that language you spoke?"

"What?"

"I think he's meaning your Primordial Druidic." Witch-Hazel interrupted from ahead as he glanced back to Haledon. "That's what you meant, right?"

"Yes...Primordial Druidic?"

"It's the unabridged version of the same Druidic you spoke back there," Spark informed him. "Great job, by the way, your pronunciation is quite good."

"What?" Haledon paused for a second. "I didn't speak Druidic."

Spark adjusted her head and looked at him with a confused smile. Haledon shifted his gaze to see Witch-Hazel strolling on his other side with Mek-Tek riding on their shoulder. The wooden figure noticed his stare and returned the look.

"I don't know what you want from me.” They replied with a shrug. “You spoke pretty-okay Druidic, but work on the word 'Rhizo-matous' for next time. That may give you that nutrient boost you needed for quicker growth."

Haledon gave an awkward and unsure laugh as he looked to Gazeas. She returned his stare with a worried look of her own. He could see the same roots from before the Hilum battle twisting and digging into her mind as she searched for answers.

"Seral Druid Haledon, you did speak in a similar way when you were growing that moss—" She paused and thought. "Do you remember using the moss on the wendigo?"

"Yes, I—" He paused, looking around the corridor. The Earth Druids had returned to their post at the nodes but were only loosely watching the guild as they passed by.

"I do remember doing that." He continued after passing one of the posts. "I remember raising my hand to the wendigo and feeling coolness in the back of my mind...it was cold, like the water from the watering hole. Then, I saw—" Haledon trailed off before becoming quiet. The thoughts of the wolf and the pale figure raced around his mind.

"Hey," Mek-Tek squeaked, drawing his attention back. "Pull yourself out of it. You saw...?"

"A wolf. I saw a wolf, and then I saw the moss growing over the wendigo. But I don't remember ever saying a word."

"You saw a wolf?" Gazeas spoke up. "Haledon, those are two separate hallucinations you've had following your incident on the Gravodonata. I worry about your cognitive functionality."

"You called me Haledon." He replied, trying to distract her from the topic

"Don't you change the subject!" She snapped back, wise to his tricks. "You mentioned the pale figure after drinking as well."

"You hallucinated after drinking?" Witch-Hazel looked at him as their foliar expression contorted with jealousy. "I wish that happened to me!"

"It's not from the Gravodonata." Haledon insisted, ignoring the bramble knight.

"You should let me take a look at you," Gazeas approached, placing a hand on his arm. "Hey, listen. I'm worried that—"

"Stop!" He yelled out as he came to a stop. Looking around, he noticed two Sequoia Squad members eyeing him and the group.

"Stop." He spoke again, this time more quietly. "I'm sorry, but could we not talk about this right now?"

“Of course,” Gazeas replied softly as she stepped back. “I can respect that.”

The guild continued its walk in silence. They observed the drunken sways of Druids as they made their paths from watering holes to glades and dens. They carried steins of sap as they milled about, singing or crying in response to the day's events. It appeared that with the speeches finished, meaning all that remained was the celebration and remembrance of those lost.

"Detour?" Witch-Hazel asked at the last node before the Hypogeal Nexus.

"No, I want to get this done," Haledon grumbled and continued forward.

"Suit yourself—" Witch-Hazel replied as they tossed the PHLI to the Druid and wandered away with Spark and Mek-Tek.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing? Sparrow wants us—"

"Sparrow may not even be there yet. Or worse, she may have more work for us. You go on ahead. We'll go make our presence known—for the sake of blending in."

Witch-Hazel’s favourite drinking goblet again began to form in their hand as they sauntered into a watering hole. Haledon looked to Gazeas, who matched his stare with an irritable smack of her lips.

"What?" He asked

"I'm not happy about this." She responded curtly

Haledon tucked the PHLI into his stomach. His armour twisted and grew over the object, hiding it away as he continued his walk.

"I'm fine," He insisted.

"Fine? Before today, how many hallucinations have you had? None? Yes, that's fine."

"Well..."

"In Nature's balance, Haledon." She swore under her breath. Her tone switched from being a friend to a professional. "Since when have you been one to conceal information from your herbalist?"

"They weren't hallucinations, they were just..." He paused and shook his head. "Vivid dreams."

"You don't sound sure."

"You know me," Haledon stopped at the threshold to the Hypogeal Nexus. "When have I ever not come to you when I had a health problem?"

"Never." She replied, consciously listening to every word.

"When have I ever talked to you about my dreams?"

She paused and thought for a moment. Her eyes widened with a flash of remembrance before softening once more as she gazed into Haledon's stare.

"As your herbalist, never. As a friend—once, twice? The pink moon and the pond?"

"Yes, but never anything more. And even those dreams maybe happened, what…once a year? But that was always it. Until the Earth Druids arrived. Then, suddenly, every dream was so real—so…memorable."

"Every dream?"

"I've dreamt every night since the Earth Druids arrived. Every time I close my eyes, it's something new. That's where I saw the wolf."

"And the pale figure?"

"No... That was different. I've never dreamt of it…them? —That's only when..." He paused to think.

"Only when?" She continued after a pregnant pause.

"I don't know. What's happening to me? To us? What is happening?" Haledon felt a wave of emotions flood through him. His body began to shake as he looked at Gazeas helplessly.

"Hey," She approached and placed a hand on his SOIL. Vines reached from her bark bracer and connected to his. "We have all undergone a traumatic couple of days."

Haledon felt his body relax as the vines reached out with their roots and connected to his skin. The calming sensation of the medicine eased his mind. He revealed an embarrassed smile before releasing a sigh.

"Thanks. Less than a week and I've needed more foliage for anti-anxiety than, well, ever."

"We are living through inconceivable times. It's understandable." She released her hand and reached up, revealing similar vines attached to her neck. "There is nothing wrong with help. You simply have to take that first step and ask. And, to be honest, after today's events, I'm sure I will have a lot of Druids waiting outside my den tomorrow for exactly that."

Haledon thought about everything that had happened. He paused, contemplating what he wanted to say next. But when he opened his mouth to speak, the head of Sparrow poked through the grass veil beside him.

"Hey, enough chatting—where are the rest of you?" Sparrow interrupted as she looked between the two of them.

"They stopped back by the watering hole for more drinks."

She stared into Haledon's eyes, darting between them and his mouth as he spoke. Sparrow sighed and looked to Gazeas. She eyed the stains of putrid sap splashed across her foliage and around her neck. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly turned back to Haledon.

"Do you have it?" She quietly chirped.

Haledon reached to pull the PHLI from the overgrown pouch in his foliage, but was interrupted as Sparrow's hands shot through the veil and pulled both Astralaceaes Druids into the Nexus.

They stumbled forward into a busy room. Pumpkin-sized bumblebees buzzed noisily around the chamber as they connected various roots to the central tree. Some hovered with large seeds that eagerly sprouted and rooted to the ceiling.

A flat wooden surface was currently being used as a step for a single bumblebee in a newly formed alcove. The forelegs reached down to its abdomen, withdrawing seeds that it clumsily stuck into the ceiling.

"What are they doing?" Haledon asked with part wonder and part frustration.

"Finishing up." Sparrow clapped her hands and pointed to the veil. "Go back to the hive."

One by one, the bees finished their tasks and buzzed through the grassy screen until the room was silent.

"Let me see it. Quickly, Haledon." Sparrow demanded with an extended hand.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He replied and held out the PHLI.

"So, what was the reason for all the secrecy?" Gazeas asked the instant the oversized acorn was in Sparrow's hands.

The Druid turned and began to walk away, inspecting the device. Haledon chased after and watched as she drew symbols across the surface. Mossy etches appeared over the nut before the cupule flexed and released. Sparrow quickly tossed the top to the ground and withdrew a twisted root sphere, small enough to fit in Haledon's palm.

"This," Sparrow turned and faced the two Druids. "May have information about what Mesa is planning."

"What is Mesa planning?" Haledon asked.

"If I knew I wouldn't be spying on him—" She snapped back. "But knowing him, I'm assuming it's some weapon similar to what he used on the Jovian Moons."

"Maybe it was those wendigos," The Druid remarked as he looked to Gazeas and then Sparrow. "Could that be it?"

"Ridiculous. Wendigos couldn't take down a Mecharrion Armada." Sparrow paused for a moment before continuing. "So, you encountered wendigos?"

"Yes," Haledon replied before recounting the story for Sparrow.

As he went through the fight, he chose to omit the sections of his hallucinations and memory loss. He averted his eyes at the points when he needed to lie, looking subtly in any direction but the burning gaze of Sparrow.

"Hmm, well, it seems you all handled yourself quite well." She remarked and nodded as he finished. "Great work with the moss and quick thinking with the helianthus."

Gazeas cleared her throat, and Haledon felt his stomach drop.

"Seral Druid Haledon left out something." She butted in.

"Oh?" Sparrow asked and cocked an eyebrow. She curiously looked between the two.

"I, uhh, no—Gaz..." He stressed.

"I tried to be your friend, but now I have to be your herbalist. Primeval Druid Sparrow, Seral Druid Haledon, has been experiencing hallucinations since the Gravodonata incident. As this Astralaceae's herbalist, I recommend that he be placed on dormancy until I have more information."

Haledon could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he looked from Gazeas to Sparrow. The stares between the two intensified with each passing breath as he waited for the next exchange.

"Haledon?" Sparrow asked calmly, as her head pivoted in his direction.

"I, uh—" Haledon looked around for an escape from the conversation. Inevitably, his search was met by the dual stares of his companions. He deflated slightly and gave in to the pressure.

Taking some time, Haledon revealed the extent of his dreams and how they had been changing since the arrival of the Earth Druids. He talked about Farran's transformation into the wolf and Sparrow's slaying of the beast on the lake’s edge.

Haledon paused when he thought about the first vision of the pale tree. He looked to his side at the trunk that took up the core of the Nexus. With a sigh, he reminded Sparrow of the first vision he shared just before leaving on the Gravodonata.

"You knew!" Gazeas chirped.

"Shush," Sparrow replied, extending a finger to silence her.

Haledon waited for a second before continuing to the Shaman Tree events and the drinking game. He explained how he chased after the vision and carefully omitted the parts about Hummingbird and her questions. He eyed Gazeas with an acknowledging look, which she returned with a subtle nod and compassionate smile. After detailing the battle, he looked to Sparrow with an overwhelmed expression.

"Interesting." She said simply as she stepped closer to him. "The pale figure appeared shortly after your integration with the SOIL. I wonder if that has some correlation..."

"What about the wolf? And the stabbing? Or the dreams?" Gazeas blurted out as she mirrored Sparrow and approached.

"Dreams. Conjurations of the mind. Nothing more."

"It sure seems like something more!" She insisted. "I recommend he take a few days to—"

"No. The wolf and the dreams do not correlate. The pale tree, though, that is intriguing, and I would be lying if I said I didn't have my theories."

"Which are?" Haledon asked.

"For me to know." She turned and, with a wave of her hands to Gazeas, continued. "Great effort today, thank you. Now, you get some rest."

The irritable gaze of Gazeas looked at Sparrow, slack-jawed.

"No. No—we've earned some answers. We fought two wendigos!" She protested, but Sparrow had already wandered away.

Haledon watched as she toyed with the core of the PHLI. She teased roots from the mass and connected them to her temples before placing the orb against the base of her skull. It stuck in place before radiating a pale blue glow.

"She's not going to answer," Haledon replied.

"That's so—ugh." Gazeas huffed and looked to him. "Come on, let's go. Maybe we can get some food before we rest. I feel that the nutrient booster is wearing off."

"Yeah, sure." Haledon turned to leave but was caught by Sparrow's clearing throat.

"Seral Druid Haledon," She turned, speaking with a sharpness in her voice. "Do you remember your oath? You still have work to be done before you rest."

"But you told us to get rest." Gazeas shot back.

"I told you to get rest." Sparrow turned away and continued tracing symbols in the air.

"That's not fair." She protested and started to walk over, but was caught by Haledon.

"No, Gazeas, it's fine." He said with a smile. "I'm not that tired, and I did say I would do a little extra."

She looked at him with a worried stare.

"Don't worry," He continued. "You get some food and rest. We’ll talk tomorrow."

"Okay..." She sighed and turned around. Stopping at the threshold, she looked back at him with a small smile. "Great job today."

"You too." He replied, watching as she exited through the veil.