Awakening Book 1: Rebirth [Editing]

Part 14: Jack

The sun had fallen an hour before Jack, Darya and Shadowfoot arrived at the elven village. Walking through the forest at night had given Jack chills. He could swear he heard voices but he could never find the source. The trees rustled around him and things brushed up against him in the shadows. He was glad to see the welcoming lights of the elvish lanterns.

He could see the outlines of buildings just behind a grand oak tree that stood in the middle of the road. The trees on either side had a thick canopy that formed a tunnel leading towards the great tree. Each had lanterns hung up in the branches. He could just make out the outlines of outlandish structures peaking out from behind the giant tree.

Darya stopped moving at the edge of the tunnel of trees. Jack froze as well, nervous because of her sudden stop. He looked to her expectantly.

"You must lead from here, Dem- Jack," She said, pointing down the tunnel. Jack looked to Shadowfoot. He nodded. He turned and gazed down the forest road. The tunnel seemed to shift and stretch as the lanterns were shifted by the breeze. He sensed power oozing from the forest. It did not give him a good feeling.

Jack took an apprehensive step forward. When he felt the same solid ground beneath his feet he continued on. As he entered the tunnel he began to feel the ground shift beneath him. He kept his gaze focused on the oak ahead of him, he dared not look down. He didn't really want to know what was happening.

He could hear the sounds of leaves rusltling and trees creaking, but he kept his eyes locked on the oak. He nearly jumped as he felt something brush against his leg and as other things poked at his feet and shins. He began to hear whispers in his head, all saying the same thing and echoing each other.

"Demon . . ." He heard over and over, as the things touched his legs. He had to look down, he had to know what was happening. He slowly lowered his head, dreading what he was about to see. His eyes fell upon his feet, which were being touched by hundreds of roots, all poking up from the ground around him. As he walked forwards new ones popped up to touch him.

The voices in his head were becoming deafening mixed with the rustling of the trees. He covered his ears but to no avail. The voices would not stop. He stopped moving. The grand tree was only a few feet away but he could not move, the voices were too much. They began to drown out the world around him, even his own thoughts as well. He fell to his knees, holding his ears. The roots began to touch his body but not one grabbed hold. 

Jack struggled to clear his head. He tried forcing the voices out, pressing with his power. 

"ENOUGH!" He screamed, tipping the words with power. He stood up as he spoke, and the voices were suddenly silent. The roots all retreated into the ground. He spun around, surprised that it worked. He saw that Darya and Shadowfoot were still waiting at the entrance to the tunnel. He thought they had been following the whole time.

He gestured for them to follow and began heading towards the great oak tree. As soon as he was within a foot or the trunk, two giant roots ripped from the earth and wrapped around his legs. Two low branches twisted down and grasped his arms. He could feel cold bark beneath his hands. He felt confusion and fear as he tried to wriggle and break free. The tree's grip was hard as iron. 

He was spun in the air and he glimpsed Darya and Shadowfoot running down the tree tunnel, heading towards him. He was lifted up and brought so that his face was directly in front of a knot the size of his head. He was only two feet off the ground but it felt like he was much higher. 

He watched as the bark over the knot slid back, revealing a dark eye. It darted around, looking at him all over. The leaves rustled and he heard a voice in his head.

"I have sensed you coming for a day now, Demon. Why have you come? Dressed in shadow armour and drenched in the scent of a shadow lord's steed, you cannot bring good tidings. Do the shadow lords send a mere child do do their biding?" The trees voice reverberated in his mind. It was deep and slow, giving each word meaning.

Jack responded with his thoughts. "I am no shadow lord's puppet, contrary to what this whole forest seems to believe. Truly, I have arrived here by chance. I was on my way to find the Sentinels when rogue wildlings attacked me. The elf has been leading me to her people,"

"Bah! Your lies anger me Demon. Chance did not bring you here. Fate did, the will of the realm. Nothing is chance, especially where the Old World remains powerful," The eye seemed to stare into his mind.

"What do you want with me? I am simply trying to reach the Sentinels!"

The tree seemed to groan in a cry of rage. "The Sentinels? What remains of them now is not worthy of their predecessors. Why find them? You cannot win,"

"I will find them and we will be victorious. I will not let Dragons rule when they have no right,"

"Ha! Honour and duty when you owe none. You are a rare one child, all the more for me to be weary. Death and destruction has followed you in your wake. I will not see this forest destroyed,"

"I am not here -- gah!" Jack cried as the tree squeezed tightly.

"I cannot leave this to chance," The tree echoed in his mind, mocking him.

Jack lit fires in his palms, hoping to force the tree to release him. He only heard laughter in his head.

"You hope to burn me, child? The shadow lords tried once, centuries ago, during the dawn of the new world. The whole forest burned but I was left standing. How could they have hoped to prevail where the dragons failed?"

Jack extinguished the fires, realizing no damage was being done. He twisted and struggled, trying to find some weakness. All he could think of was fire, what was more deadly to a tree. But how can you ignite a tree that won't burn?

He dug deep inside himself, as he felt the tree squeeze harder. Somehow the words came to him. He had no clue what they meant, but could sense the fire behind each word. They erupted from his mouth in a steady stream, power dripping from each syllable. The air instantly ignited and flames licked up the trunk of the tree, leaving dark burn marks.

Cries of pain echoed in Jack's mind and he heard Darya scream from behind him. The tree's branches and roots released him, and he fell to the ground. Darya tried to run to the tree but Shadowfoot held her back.

Jack stood and extinguished the fires, grey smoke revealing where they had once been. The dark burn marks smouldered slightly, but the cries of pain stopped. The tree's eye focused down on Jack, looking upon him with what Jack imagined was scrutiny.

"Compassion and mercy against a foe that would not have shown him any. I am humbled my lord, I had underestimated you. You truly are a worthy Demon. I can feel his soul reborn stronger within you. I will allow you to pass. Be warned, the wrath of the forest will be upon you if you harm anything. Mark my words, young one," The tree said, its voice strong a deep.

"And whose words might those be? Jack replied.

"Drasil, heart of the Whispering Woods. Go on Demon, fight your war. I welcome the Old World's return just as much as you. So go, find the Sentinels,"

Jack nodded, holding eye contact with the tree's great eye. He turned and began to walk around it, headed for the elven village.