Chương 130: CHAPTER 22: The Distant Roots- Part II

I keep my hand against the ground and wait, although waiting becomes increasingly difficult as the silence stretches between us. Vael has already made it clear that he intends to guide me without simply handing me every answer, and I have begun recognizing the particular pauses he leaves when he wants me to consider something for myself, but this silence feels different.

His attention has turned toward the same faint presence beneath the young Heartwoods, and through my communion with the Grove, I can feel him following the unfamiliar sensation with the same careful focus I have been trying to maintain.

"Vael?"

"I am looking," he answers. The simple response does little to ease my curiosity, but I resist the urge to push farther into the earth. Instead, I allow my awareness to remain where it is, following the roots of the young Heartwoods as they weave through the soil and gradually connect with the larger network spreading beneath Fallowspire.

The unfamiliar presence lies beyond the strongest part of that network, deep enough that I can barely distinguish it from the mana surrounding it, yet the more carefully I observe it, the more certain I become that it is something separate. It does not feel alive. At least, not in the way the Grove is alive. The trees respond to me when I reach toward them, and even the youngest Heartwoods possess a quiet awareness that I can recognize through my communion. This presence gives me nothing.

It does not answer when my senses brush against it, nor does it react to the mana flowing through the roots nearby, and yet I cannot mistake it for ordinary earth or stone. Something is there. Something that has been there long before these Heartwoods began to grow.

"I can't tell what it is," I finally say. For several moments, Vael does not answer, and I begin wondering whether he has discovered something that he does not wish to tell me yet. When his voice eventually returns, however, it carries none of the certainty I had expected.

"Neither can I." I look down at the ground. The answer surprises me enough that I nearly pull my hand away.

"You don't know?"

"I did not say that."

"You just said you couldn't tell what it was."

"At this moment, no." I remain quiet for a few moments, trying to decide whether that is genuinely reassuring or simply another one of Vael's irritatingly precise answers.

"You could have said that more simply."

"I believe I did." I shake my head. The faint amusement that reaches me through our connection tells me that he has noticed exactly how unconvinced I am, but the unfamiliar presence beneath the earth remains unchanged. It does not feel threatening, and nothing within the young Heartwoods suggests that they are being harmed by whatever lies nearby, yet I have learned enough since coming to Fallowspire to understand that the absence of immediate danger does not automatically mean something is harmless.

"What should I do?" I ask.

"Nothing, for now." The answer sounds almost disappointing, particularly after spending the better part of the morning following roots through the city and discovering that the second cluster of Heartwoods is connected to the original Grove in ways I had never fully understood. A few days ago, I would probably have forced my mana deeper into the earth simply because I wanted to know what I was sensing, and perhaps I would have discovered something useful.

Or perhaps I would have disturbed something I did not understand. The thought makes me remain still. Vael notices the change in my attention, "Understanding does not always require immediate action, Kaelen." I look down at the soil, "Yesterday you told me that I needed to learn instead of simply following instinct."

"I did."

"And now you're telling me to ignore something I've discovered."

"I am telling you that there is a difference between ignoring something and choosing not to interfere with it before you understand what it is." The distinction settles more heavily than I expect. For several moments, I remain crouched beside the young Heartwood while considering his words. I know the unfamiliar presence is there now. I know that the Grove's roots have reached close enough for me to sense it, and I know that neither Vael nor I can yet identify it.

That does not mean I need to immediately uncover it. Sometimes knowledge begins with simply recognizing that something exists.

"I'll leave it alone," I say.

"For now." I sigh.

"Do you have to add that every time?"

"Yes." Despite myself, I smile before withdrawing my awareness from the deeper earth. The unfamiliar presence fades from my senses as I return my attention to the young Heartwoods surrounding me, and almost immediately, the difference becomes apparent. Their mana feels lighter than whatever I had been sensing beneath them, moving through the roots in gentle currents that gradually merge with the greater network spreading through Fallowspire. I rise slowly and brush the soil from my hand.

Thoughts about the new Heartwood cluster follow me as I eventually reach the edge of the abandoned plot and look back toward the young cluster. They appear small from here, particularly when compared to the towering Silverwood I left behind earlier that morning, yet there is something comforting about knowing that they are not truly separate from it. They are distant. But they are not alone.

"Vael?"

"Yes?"

"When the first Heartwoods grew beside the Silverwood, they had to establish themselves together."

"They did."

"But these trees had the connection waiting for them."

"Yes." I consider that for a moment.

"So, they have something the others didn't."

"They have a foundation." The words remain with me as I look toward the young trees. A foundation. Perhaps that is what I have been trying to understand since coming here. The original Grove had been born from uncertainty. When I planted the Silverwood sapling and poured my mana into it to help it establish itself, I had discovered the Heartwood seeds hidden beneath the soil and helped them germinate during the same ritual, without knowing what would eventually become of them.

Everything that followed had grown from instinct, necessity and whatever choices I believed would keep the people around me alive. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. These young Heartwoods have begun differently. They already have roots reaching toward them. They already belong to something larger.

I turn away from the cluster and glance toward the wider streets beyond the abandoned plot, where the distant shape of the Adventurer's Guild is visible between the surrounding buildings. The Guild is closer than I expected. I had not planned to visit it today, but the moment I notice how near it is, another thought comes to mind. The lightning beaststone. My hand instinctively moves toward my storage bag.

I found the stone in the dungeon during my last expedition, and although I have been carrying it since then, I have not decided what to do with it. Part of me has considered giving it to Gale, particularly after seeing how much he benefited from the beaststone he consumed previously, but the memory of that first transformation has made me hesitate. Gale had been so small then.

Watching his body tremble and convulse beneath the sudden flood of mana had been difficult enough that I had spent far too long wondering whether I had made a mistake. Darran would probably have an opinion. The thought brings a faint smile to my face.

As the leader of the Adventurer's Guild, Darran has spent far more time dealing with adventurers, dungeon materials and magical creatures than I have, and although he is also one of Fallowspire's councilors, I doubt that the responsibilities of either position would prevent him from telling me exactly what he thinks if I asked him about Gale.

"You're thinking about someone." I glance around.

"How can you tell?"

"You become quieter."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It was not intended to." I shake my head.

"Darran."

"The Guildmaster?"

"Yes."

"You intend to speak with him?"

"I found a lightning beaststone in the dungeon." Vael remains silent for a moment.

"And?"

"I'm considering giving it to Gale." The silence that follows is considerably shorter this time.

"Then asking someone with more experience before you do so would seem sensible." I stare toward the Guild.

"You're agreeing with me again."

"And you are still trying to become accustomed to it." There is enough familiar amusement in his voice that I cannot stop myself from smiling. I leave the abandoned plot and return to the streets of Fallowspire, immediately becoming aware of how different the city feels after the quiet of the Heartwood cluster.

Merchants are speaking loudly now, their stalls fully opened as people move between them, while adventurers pass in groups carrying weapons and packs that suggest they are either preparing for an expedition or returning from one. Yet beneath all of it, the Grove remains. The second cluster is behind me now, but I can still feel it through my communion, its presence faint but steady beneath the noise of the city.

Farther away, the original Grove waits as well, and for the first time, I can sense the two places together without thinking of them as separate. One Grove, two places and a single network beneath the earth. I continue toward the Adventurer's Guild. The familiar building rises ahead of me, and as I approach the entrance, I wonder whether Darran is even inside.

As Guildmaster and a member of the council, he has considerably more responsibilities than simply sitting around waiting for me to appear, although I suppose that if he is not available, I can always return another time.

"You could simply go inside and find out." I look toward the entrance, "I was going to."

"Eventually." I ignore him and push open the door. The familiar noise of the Guild surrounds me immediately. Adventurers sit around tables scattered across the hall, conversations rising above one another as people discuss expeditions, equipment and whatever else occupies their attention, while guild staff move between desks near the far side of the room. For a moment, I stand near the entrance and search through the crowd, looking for Darran.

"I was beginning to wonder whether you had forgotten about us." I turn toward the familiar voice. Darran sits near one of the tables, a cup resting in his hand as he watches me with an expression that immediately tells me he has noticed my search. I walk toward him.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough to watch you stand at the entrance and look everywhere except directly at me."

"I was looking for you."

"And you found me."

"I didn't know you were here." Darran smiles, "Yet here I am." I pull out the chair across from him and sit down, "You're unbearable."

"I am the Guildmaster. It comes with the position."

"I'm fairly certain it doesn't."

"You haven't read the regulations." I stare at him. Darran takes another drink, "Neither have I." I shake my head, but the amusement in his expression makes it difficult to remain irritated for long. Before he can continue speaking, however, I reach toward my bag.

"I actually came here to ask you something." The humor in his expression fades slightly as he notices the change in my tone, "What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"That usually means something happened." I sigh, "I found a lightning beaststone during my last dungeon expedition." Darran's attention immediately sharpens, "And?" I glance toward my bag, "I'm considering giving it to Gale." For a moment, Darran simply looks at me, "You haven't already?"

"No."

"Why?" I lean back slightly, "The last time I gave him a beaststone, his entire body started shaking. He convulsed for several minutes." Darran listens without interrupting.

"I thought something was wrong with him."

"And then?" Darran asks, watching me carefully.

"He recovered," I tell him, remembering the way Gale eventually rose as though nothing had happened. Darran studies me for a moment.

"Was he stronger afterward?"

"Yes. Stronger, and a little larger."

"From what you've described," he says, "it sounds like his body was adapting to the mana within the beaststone." I frown, "That violently?"

"He's a magical beast, Kaelen. Their growth isn't always gentle."

"That isn't particularly reassuring."

"I know, but it is the truth." I stare at him. Darran remains entirely serious for several seconds before the corner of his mouth begins to rise, "You're enjoying this."

"A little." I lean back in my chair, "Should I give him the lightning beaststone?" The amusement disappears from Darran's expression as he considers the question properly, "If Gale successfully absorbed the previous beaststone and has continued growing since then, there is no reason to believe another compatible beaststone would suddenly become harmful simply because you are worried about him."

"Compatible?"

"The mana within magical creatures isn't all the same. You said you found the beaststone inside a lightning creature?" I nod.

"And Gale is a Hollowmane cub with a lightning affinity." Darran gives me a knowing look.

"Then I believe we have our answer." I remain quiet for a moment before asking, "You're certain?"

"I'm not going to pretend I can predict exactly how he'll react," Darran says.

"But based on what you've told me, yes. I think you should give it to him." I look down toward my bag. The stone is still there. I have carried it since leaving the dungeon, delaying the decision because I did not want to repeat the helpless feeling of watching Gale's body react to something I had not known about. Perhaps that hesitation had never truly been about uncertainty. Perhaps I had simply been afraid. Darran watches me carefully, "There's something else." I look up, "What?"

His expression changes, "I want to watch." I stare at him. For several seconds, neither of us says anything. Then I lean back slowly.

"Of course, you do." Darran grins, "What? I've never seen Gale consume a beaststone."

"That is not a good enough reason."

"It is an excellent reason." I shake my head, "You really are supposed to be a responsible Guildmaster."

"I am."

"And a councillor."

"Also true."

"Yet this is what you want to spend your morning doing." Darran shrugs, "The city can survive without me for an hour." I look at him suspiciously, "One hour?"

"I didn't say how long the whole thing would take."

"Darran." He laughs. I let out a long breath before finally standing from my chair, "Fine." He immediately rises, "I knew you would agree."

"I haven't agreed."

"You stood up."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You're heading toward the exit." I glance at the doors. He has a point.

"I hate that you're a councilor." Darran laughs again as he follows me toward the entrance. Outside, the morning sunlight has climbed higher over Fallowspire, and as we begin making our way back through the city, I instinctively reach toward the Grove once more. The young Heartwoods remain behind us. The original Grove waits ahead. Between them, beneath the streets of Fallowspire, the roots continue spreading. I can feel them now.

And as Darran walks beside me, already asking questions about Gale and what exactly the lightning beaststone looks like, I find myself wondering whether the change I felt beneath the city will be the only unexpected discovery waiting for me today. Somewhere within my bag, the beaststone rests silently. Soon, I will find out what it does to Gale.