silky brown color as her own, his skin much darker but still tawny. Ria had always known that her unusual eye color was from him, but his were even more dramatically set off by stunning purple square-shaped marks running along the right side of his face and neck.
Except for these marks, she was the female version of this man. Well , the marks and the ivy print in her hair, which was courtesy of her mother.
They examined each other . Ria could see the vines curling around his arms and legs, the same way they did when greeting her. And then as she continued to stare at him the marks disappeared off his face, as if they’d just melted into his skin. How had he done that?
“You are very impressive.” He finally spoke, his accent heavy and unfamiliar.
“What are you doing here?” Ria asked him.
“I have watched you for a long time . Your mother asked that I leave you alone.” His purple eyes flashed, reflecting off the blue moonlights. “But things are changing in the First World star system. It’s no longer safe, so I’m here to warn you.”
Ria’s unease grew, which had her plants wrapping tightly around her for comfort.
“Warn me about what?” she asked.
He held out a hand to her. “It would be better if I showed you.”
Ria hesitated. She knew nothing of him or his intentions. But despite this she found herself stepping forward and reaching out to place her smaller hand into his.
“Show me the threat to my people.”
Ria stared at the bunkers under the roots of the massive rairing tree, energy roaring inside her. She had the barest sliver of control over her anger.
Her father, whose name she had learnt was Nos, had shown her how the fringe had been evading her detection.
They wore the skins of the dead.
That was why when she scanned the forest for them they went undetected: the skin of all those they had killed surrounded their den like a large camouflage, and they also covered themselves in the skins. The deads’ fur gave off its own aura, hiding the living who wore it. And they had hundreds of furs, many more dead than she’d ever realized.
“As terrible as you may find this, I did not bring you here to mourn your dead.” Nos spoke quietly. “These nuisances are the gateway to something much worse that could spell the end of Artwon and Regali.”
He definitely had Ria’s attention now. She waited for him to continue, but he seemed content to sit beside her in the high branches. Patience was a skill she’d worked hard to develop in her many years, so for now she just continued to observe.
The fringe had numerous members . Hundreds came and went through the veil of dead.
Ria sat upright, her senses firing as a group emerged from the underground burrow. They weren’t pack. They looked like her, but short and sturdy, the dwarvin. She had heard of these creatures. They lived in the lands of the north; the flat plains.
“What are they doing here?” she muttered.
“War is coming to your doorstep, Ria. The fringe are gathering rebel factions from all corners of Regali . They plan on taking Artwon first.”
His words sent shockwaves of panic through her. There had never been war between the countries before . As a rule, everyone stuck to their own area.
“They could not have organized this on their own ,” she said, knowing the fringe did not have the manpower or the resources.
The north men disappeared into the trees. She was tempted to send out her vines and steal back her dead brethren they wore, but she knew now wasn’t the time to tip them off.
“That is why I have come ,” Nos said. “You have a Walker problem.”
Chapter 2
Abigail
Six days.
We’d been stuck inside the moonstale dome for six days , and in this time it was abundantly clear that while Walkers were powerful they were mostly – what was the right word? – oh yeah, asshats.
Most of them had no clue how the modern world worked and they threw their dominance around like bully ing children in
Except for these marks, she was the female version of this man. Well , the marks and the ivy print in her hair, which was courtesy of her mother.
They examined each other . Ria could see the vines curling around his arms and legs, the same way they did when greeting her. And then as she continued to stare at him the marks disappeared off his face, as if they’d just melted into his skin. How had he done that?
“You are very impressive.” He finally spoke, his accent heavy and unfamiliar.
“What are you doing here?” Ria asked him.
“I have watched you for a long time . Your mother asked that I leave you alone.” His purple eyes flashed, reflecting off the blue moonlights. “But things are changing in the First World star system. It’s no longer safe, so I’m here to warn you.”
Ria’s unease grew, which had her plants wrapping tightly around her for comfort.
“Warn me about what?” she asked.
He held out a hand to her. “It would be better if I showed you.”
Ria hesitated. She knew nothing of him or his intentions. But despite this she found herself stepping forward and reaching out to place her smaller hand into his.
“Show me the threat to my people.”
Ria stared at the bunkers under the roots of the massive rairing tree, energy roaring inside her. She had the barest sliver of control over her anger.
Her father, whose name she had learnt was Nos, had shown her how the fringe had been evading her detection.
They wore the skins of the dead.
That was why when she scanned the forest for them they went undetected: the skin of all those they had killed surrounded their den like a large camouflage, and they also covered themselves in the skins. The deads’ fur gave off its own aura, hiding the living who wore it. And they had hundreds of furs, many more dead than she’d ever realized.
“As terrible as you may find this, I did not bring you here to mourn your dead.” Nos spoke quietly. “These nuisances are the gateway to something much worse that could spell the end of Artwon and Regali.”
He definitely had Ria’s attention now. She waited for him to continue, but he seemed content to sit beside her in the high branches. Patience was a skill she’d worked hard to develop in her many years, so for now she just continued to observe.
The fringe had numerous members . Hundreds came and went through the veil of dead.
Ria sat upright, her senses firing as a group emerged from the underground burrow. They weren’t pack. They looked like her, but short and sturdy, the dwarvin. She had heard of these creatures. They lived in the lands of the north; the flat plains.
“What are they doing here?” she muttered.
“War is coming to your doorstep, Ria. The fringe are gathering rebel factions from all corners of Regali . They plan on taking Artwon first.”
His words sent shockwaves of panic through her. There had never been war between the countries before . As a rule, everyone stuck to their own area.
“They could not have organized this on their own ,” she said, knowing the fringe did not have the manpower or the resources.
The north men disappeared into the trees. She was tempted to send out her vines and steal back her dead brethren they wore, but she knew now wasn’t the time to tip them off.
“That is why I have come ,” Nos said. “You have a Walker problem.”
Chapter 2
Abigail
Six days.
We’d been stuck inside the moonstale dome for six days , and in this time it was abundantly clear that while Walkers were powerful they were mostly – what was the right word? – oh yeah, asshats.
Most of them had no clue how the modern world worked and they threw their dominance around like bully ing children in
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