Chapter 31

The pain in Haledon's chest pulsed as the darkness consumed his vision. Around him, he could hear the frantic thrashing of the Mecharrion's claws against the thick bark burl that had enveloped his body. The sound of splintering chunks being ripped away grew ever-louder until a bead of light poked through the darkness.

Haledon saw the Mecharrion twisting its head as it looked into the small opening. Darkness filled the space as it inspected the cocoon before leaning back to begin its assault again. He watched as the vines of the Astralaceaes vigorously crawled over the opening, only to be ripped away with each vicious strike.

Once a hole had opened up large enough for the Mecharrion to reach through, its bladed claw again sank into Haledon's armour. But before it tore through the bark of his SOIL, a wail of surprise erupted from the beast. It withdrew its limb, and Haledon watched through the opening as its hands transformed into the long gun he had recently learned of.

There was a clap of thunder, and the Mecharrion's limbs recoiled into its body before it could fire. Vines erupted from the wall, lashing out against the obsidian beast and binding it within a constrictive burl. Haledon watched as the foliage tightened, forcing the creature to howl out with metallic groans and shrieks. Then, like sand escaping through an open hand, millions of tiny metal insects crawled from the small gaps in the trap and flowed through the hole toward Haledon.

Panicking, he struggled to free his arms to defend himself as the swarm began to overtake him. Crying out, he felt them trying to crawl into his mouth, making tiny burning scrapes against his cheek with their slightest movement.

The vines around him quickly disappeared, and a figure reached a hand down into the swarm, grabbing Haledon by the SOIL. There was another panicked shriek, and he could feel the small metal insects escaping behind him, deeper into the ship.

His mind was slowly eased into a conversation. He experienced the memory of dipping a foot into the gentle, lapping waves of a lake.

"Haledon." He translated the images from Lavendar Sunrise. "Are you all right?"

"I—" Haledon huffed in a panic as he examined his cocoon. "That was—"

"A Mecharrion," They replied, "It would appear we were, yet again, incorrect. The predators are here now."

With a flick of Lavendar's wrist, vines aided Haledon's ascent with gentle support. He didn't respond to the Druid as he lifted himself from the hole.

"Was that what you were looking for at the meeting—why you were distracted?" They continued. The images flashed through Haledon's mind. Lavendar's point of view of him at the meeting and their gaze as they followed him through the grass veil only to emerge alone in the corridor. "How did you know?"

"I didn't—not until now. Thank you for saving me—were you following me?" Haledon asked.

"I wished to further our discussion. You seemed quite disturbed about a wolf—I now see why."

"I saw it in my dreams," He said before looking to Lavendar. "But then I started seeing it when I awoke after the battle."

"Tell me of your dreams. Do you dream often?" Lavendar posed their question behind the memory of a sea of stars flowing beyond Earth’s horizon.

"No—not really, not until all of you showed up. Other than that, maybe once a ring."

"What does your dream tell you?"

"Sorry, I—there's a Mecharrion on the Astra." He looked back at the hole where it had disappeared. "I don't think now is a good time to discuss dreams."

"Haledon, Nature whispers to each of us differently. You shouldn't be so quick to discredit the realms beyond the waking—"

"Haledon!" Gazeas yelled as she turned the corner and rushed towards him. Following behind her, Witch-Hazel, Spark and Mek-Tek charged in with their weapons drawn.

"Where did it go?" Witch-Hazel demanded as they rushed forward and inspected the burl.

"I don't know. It appears to be using the nutrient lines to travel," Haledon responded and looked at his Guild. "What are you all doing here?

"What? You actually thought we wouldn't watch you in the Nucleus?" Mek-Tek asked. "Tracking some mysterious void not interesting enough for us?"

Haledon revealed a small smile and a sigh of relief as he looked over his Guild. "Thanks, everyone. Now that we’re here, we need to chase after it—all of us."

Witch-Hazel looked to Haledon and smirked. "I like the vigour, but this is different."

"How is it different? It's a Mecharrion. We need to stop it."

"It's a Mecharrion that has been on this ship for months without detection. It could have killed us all numerous times, and it didn't. It evades mine and every other Carnyx’s senses, using organics to fool us. This is newer than new. We need to get Sparrow."

"She's rooted. She won't be of any use." Spark snapped from her crouched position, where she dragged her blade across the floor that the Mecharrion had stood.

"I can help with that." The images of Lavendar staring at their reflection in a lake returned to Haledon's mind.

He looked up to see everyone inspecting Lavendar with the same curious look. Gazeas was the only one who appeared to be exceptionally calm through the experience, a calm that Haledon remembered feeling when he first talked with Lavendar. As he focused on the thought, it felt so distant even though it had happened recently.

"Why would you help us? Don't you grow under Mesa's canopy?" He snapped as his consciousness returned to him.

"I grow under Nature's canopy, as all Druids should. And I agree with Witch-Hazel. This new beast didn't finish you or attempt to kill me, but transformed and escaped. This iteration is more calculating than others and will require every Druid to get their hands in the dirt—including Sparrow."

"You couldn't have done this before they rootbound, Sparrow?"

"I disagreed with the application of the blocker, but Mesa and Hummingbird smothered my root. They sent me away to the Druid circle, where we met, presumably so I wouldn't be too much of a thorn." The images of a desert landscape framed by towering stone ridges and a hummingbird darting across his vision. It transformed into an oasis with Druids gathered in a discussion.

Haledon watched as Lavendar eyed each Druid individually before returning their attention to him. Thoughts rushed his mind: a crackling fire, a grassland regrowing after a rain, and the feeling of the calm before the storm.

"I understand your anxiety, but I can help." He translated the images as they appeared. "I understand the growth process of what ails Sparrow better than most."

"You'd better," Witch-Hazel remarked sternly as they viewed the same memories. "You're the one who grew the damn thing."

"You grew the inhibitors? Why?" Haledon asked.

"I could fully explain, but you wouldn't understand, Astralaceaes Druid," Lavendar responded with new images growing in Haledon's mind like a shift from winter to spring. "Not every Druid has always agreed with how our society interprets Nature. As is in the wild, you occasionally see a promising sapling that can grow to threaten an entire ecosystem. These roots I created prevent the noxious weed from choking the surrounding growth."

"It seems so extreme—so unnecessary."

"Yes, which is why I slipped a piece of genetic coding in their design. Mesa wanted a permanent fix, but everything in Nature that is born must eventually die—including my roots."

Haledon looked to the Guild, who had been following Lavendar’s visions. While the stress gripped their expressions, they hung on every word the Druid spoke. But he soon realized it wasn't Lavendar that half the guild was focused on. Spark and Mek-Tek had been inspecting a small piece of metal they had found.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Mecharrion tech." Mek-Tek held up one of the bugs that the Mecharrion had transformed into. A dozen tiny legs coiled in like a dead spider around the long, slender hexagonal fragment. Haledon felt his skin crawl as though one of the machines had been burrowing through his foliage. A shiver raced through his body.

"It turned into those and escaped into the nutrient lines," Haledon said, reaching out. "Can I touch it?"

"It appears inert." Mek-Tek handed it over. "I'd postulate that these micro-machines carry with them the source code of the Mecharrion...if only it wasn't broken."

"If it wasn't broken—" Haledon felt the same creeping sensation in his clothing and instinctively itched at his side. "Could we use it to track the Mecharrion?"

"Could we use it to kill it?" Witch-Hazel asked as they took the piece from Haledon and inspected it.

"Yes, and...maybe? No promises." Mek-Tek replied.

"Ahg!" Haledon blurted out. Gripping at his side, he felt a burning where there had once been scratching.

"You okay?" Spark's worried voice chirped.

"There is something wrong with my SOIL. It's burning."

Gazeas rushed up to Haledon and placed a hand on his chest. She stared into his face blankly as vines crawled over her hands and attached to his armour.

"What are you doing?" Haledon hissed through the pain in his side.

"Inspecting you." She replied, her gaze still loose. "There, I see it. Oh, forswyn—"

"What?" The hall erupted at once.

As the foliage around Haledon's side peeled away, it revealed a small bloody welt. One of the Mecharrion insects was atop the mass with its twelve limbs buried into the Druid's flesh. Black tendrils appeared to crawl under the skin, expanding the control of the machine into the muscle. Without hesitation, Gazeas reached in and placed her hand over the metal.

"Wait!" Witch-Hazel, Spark and Mek-Tek yelled out, but it was too late.

Gazeas gripped the insect and ripped it from Haledon's skin with a forceful tug. The machine released a slight metallic whine and began to flail in her grasp.

"Mek-Tek." She cried out, extending her hand.

"Uhh—" Mek-Tek stuttered before returning to his pack and withdrawing a small clump of grey-green ooze. He chanted and twitched his fingers before placing the slime onto the insect. The Mecharrion construct quickly became limp in Gazeas's grip.

"Thanks?" Mek-Tek continued as he took the bug and inspected it in momentary silence.

"Thank you," Haledon said to Gazeas as she placed her hand back on his side, soothing his wound with healing vines. "That really hurt, and I've been hurt a lot today."

"You're welcome." She said with a smile and looked to the group that silently watched. "What?"

"You..." Witch-Hazel started and stopped.

"You both should be dead." Spark finished. "Human Druids don't touch Mecharrion Tech and survive."

"Count us lucky," Haledon said.

"Count you something..." Witch-Hazel replied. "Thrice in one day for you."

Haledon felt his heart racing with the thought of everything that had happened. Despite a calming breath, the anxious energy twisted and coiled inside him, and he felt like he wanted to vomit. The moment passed with a deep, second breath, and he looked back to the Guild.

"Mek-Tek, can you start working on that Mecharrion bug?"

"Mechanite," Mek-Tek said, and Haledon looked at him curiously. "It's the first ever seen, so I'm naming it. But yes, I can start working on it."

"Lavendar Sunrise, would you begin working with Sparrow?" Haledon asked and was flooded with visions of rolling green hills.

"Yes, but there will be one thing I need that I do not have." He translated from flashes of guilded plants missing a key accumulator species. Haledon suddenly saw the cells of plants and animals that quickly broke down into genetic data and a familiar double helix structure. "I will need the pith of the inhibitor's genetic code to allow a connection between my celial and the roots."

"Okay, where do we get that?"

"Mesa's node in the Megacolides Central Nervous System."

Haledon felt his racing heart stop at the thought of having to confront Mesa.

"And how is he supposed to do that?" Witch-Hazel interrupted.

"I can help," Spark said hesitantly, drawing the group's attention.

"Oh?" Witch-Hazel continued.

"Sparrow...instructed me to get close to Mesa when we first gathered. Gain his trust so he would let his guard down," She hesitated to go further. Clearing her throat, she continued. "I can get you into the Megacolides C-N-S."

"Full of surprises," Witch-Hazel smirked. "I'll come with you. Four hands are better than two."

"Many hands make light work," Haledon said as he nodded in agreement. "I'm coming too."

"What about me?" Gazeas asked.

"We need you working with Lavendar on preparing Sparrow. Then, integrate with the Astra and see if you and Birchbark can slow down the Mecharrion currently on the loose."

"Okay," She nodded in reply and looked at her hands. "Don't...umm, don't touch too much more Mecharrion tech, okay? Could have been a one-off."

Haledon smiled, glancing down at the open spot in his SOIL. He waved his hand, watching as foliage grew back over the hastily scarred-over wound.

"I'll do my best," He laughed. "But at my current rate, I can't promise much."

"Oh, and—" She reached over and touched his chest. Leaning in, she put her forehead to his and began to trace something into his SOIL with her fingers. With a little push from her palm, she stepped back from him, and a small red nodule grew. "A little pick-me-up."

"Thanks." Haledon smiled as his face flushed with the rush of energy that flowed through his body. "Let's do this."