It’s the only conclusion that makes sense as Tree-whisperer going off on her own into the forest seems unlikely enough to almost be impossible. Even if now is probably the safest time to do so – from what we’ve seen, the normal fauna have decided to make themselves absent or at least inconspicuous. A wise decision considering all the samurans roaming the place.

  But despite that, I still think it’s unlikely that she’s done so, especially when a quick question to Shrieks verifies that the defenders posted around the fence have seen no signs of her. That she might have sneaked off to attempt to release the Warriors and Pathwalkers from the other red villages is a possibility, but a risky one for the leader of the whole invasion to do. Especially since, if those escaped Warriors truly did make it to her village, she would know that a good number have a Bond with me, and might suspect the reality – that they all have a Bond with me and thus must obey my orders.

  Which means it’s most likely Tree-whisperer is with the other group of samurans. But if so, then why? Why leave the main force, especially when it’s on the verge of starting to attack my villagers?

  The question troubles me. I’m not arrogant enough to think that it might be my enemy making a mistake; it’s far more likely that I’m not seeing something. I don’t know what my enemy’s abilities are beyond her name.

  Then it strikes me like a lightning bolt, and I reach out to Sirocco before the thought has even crystalised. We’re just about in range for me to see through her eyes and she willingly makes room for me.

  My body keeps running forward, and I almost fall as my foot catches on something unseen. Snapping back to my body, I catch myself before I faceplant. Wordlessly, Dusty and Catch move closer to me and I gratefully rest my hands on their shoulders – they know what my abrupt clumsiness must mean without me needing to say.

  Once more shifting my awareness into Sirocco’s body, I see through her eyes. The group of samurans have stopped near the vine-stranglers and seem to be…waiting. In front of the group, only a few metres away from the vine-stranglers is the missing leader – Tree-whisperer is with the group.

  I should feel relief at finding her at last, but all I can feel is dread. She’s just…standing there. Looking at the trees. And I have enough experience with magic to realise that just because she looks like she isn’t doing anything doesn’t mean she actually isn’t. Far more likely she’s using whatever abilities she has which gave her the name Tree-whisperer. I regret not using Inspect on her when I went to the parley – with everything going on, it slipped my mind. Then I’d at least know what she was capable of. Because if she’s somehow able to get the vine-stranglers on her side, I’m going to seriously regret letting them live. Or perhaps regret not sparing the time to try to develop more of a bond with them.

  Then another thought occurs and I withdraw my awareness from Sirocco’s body, lifting my hands from Catch and Dusty’s shoulders with a wave of gratitude for their help.

  Healer? I ask, reaching out to the Pathwalker in question. I should have done this as soon as she made her loyalties clearer.

  Yes, Tamer, she responds warily.

  What exactly is your leader capable of? I ask bluntly. I feel her hesitate, perhaps torn between her willingness to help and her old loyalty to her village. I don’t press her, hoping that the fact her old leader has willingly thrown her away is enough to convince her to speak. I will order her if I need to, but if she chooses to volunteer information, I’m likely to be better off than if I force it out of her.

  She has an unusual amount of power over trees. She’s able to grow them in a very short amount of time from a seed to an adult tree. She’s also able to manipulate already-grown trees, infusing them with her mana.

  When she infuses the trees with her mana, are they capable of moving, by any chance? I ask.

  Yes, Healer confirms and I curse loudly. That is how she became the leader – she needs only to avoid attack while she is growing her tree in the battle or controlling an adult tree, and then she has one or multiple powerful guardians to defend her with their trunks and limbs until her opponent is worn down enough to make a mistake.

  I grimly consider how Tree-whisperer sounds like a mixture between a tamer and a plant-mage. The difference is that no Plant-Shaper I’ve seen fight has been able to make her plants actually move. Grow, yes, but not move. At least, not in the way I’m able to see the vine-stranglers starting to move in the images Sirocco is sending to me.

  Thanks, I tell Healer shortly, then put my hands on Dusty and Catch’s shoulders again. They stayed running next to me and now press a little closer so that I have a good angle. I take a moment to shove stamina into both of them – we definitely need to get there sooner rather than later – and then send my awareness to Sirocco again.

  It’s surreal to see the vine-stranglers moving, almost walking over the surface of the earth. They are already naturally more mobile than trees should be – I remember how they closed the channel of damage the last lot of invaders created. Then, they seemed to almost swim through the earth. This time, they’re travelling at least ten times faster with their roots emerging from the earth and pulling them forwards.

  The worst thing is that it’s not just a small group of the vine-stranglers – it’s all of them. The only positive point is that Tree-whisperer looks exhausted. Her scales are pale and she’s only staying upright because two Warriors are holding her up. Clearly whatever she did to convince the vine-stranglers to join her has taken a lot out of her.

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  I watch the shifting of the trees, noticing that while a group stays near the den, a much larger group starts walking down the mountainside – towards us. Or rather, towards the village. The group that stay near the den surround the samurans as they walk towards the revealed entrance to my home. The samurans are no longer visible, shielded by the trees as they are, but their direction is unmistakable. They’re moving slowly – perhaps limited by the trees, perhaps by Tree-whisperer. But they’ll be there sooner than I’d prefer.

  I’ve seen enough for now. I pull away from Sirocco, wishing I could reach out to Kalanthia and warn her of exactly what’s happened. But we have no Bond and her telepathy cannot reach me from this far. I can only hope that her Earth-sense will tell her what her eyes don’t.

  Instead, I reach out to my companions and to Shrieks, describing to them what I’ve seen. Those around me react with the same dismay that I felt, and we pick up the pace even more.

  I’m struck by the similarity between now and the last invasion – then, just as now, we’re desperately closing the distance to the den, knowing that we’re needed there as soon as possible to help keep our people alive. But unlike then, this time I know that Kalanthia is there and will fight.

  It isn’t long before we start seeing the vine-stranglers approaching us – we can only not see them from the village because of the uneven mountainside between the village and den. So it’s unsurprising when we mount a particularly steep bit only to see the mass of vine-stranglers ahead of us.

  You’ve abandoned your post! I shout angrily at the vine-stranglers through our Alliance connection in a probably futile attempt to stop this. The moment you attack one of my people, you will have broken your terms of alliance! Turn around and return to your post or I will burn you to ash!

  A sense of contemptuous amusement greets me from the forest’s consciousness. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

  Puny creature. You have ordered and constrained me for too long! Another has promised me as much blood as my roots can drink as long as I kill you and yours! And the other has shown me how to protect against the heat that burns. Now, you and your forest will finally become food for my roots!

  I growl audibly, then summon a fireball. Getting within range, I throw the fireball with all my strength, seeing it splash perfectly against the trunk of the nearest vine-strangler.

  For a moment, I feel a rush of fear from the vine-strangler consciousness, which, despite its angry words, actually hasn’t broken the connection between us. And then the flames fizzle out leaving blackened bark, but little more.

  It’s as if the world has paused. I stare stupidly at the tiny effect that my fireball had even as I feel the fear of the vine-stranglers turn into elation.

  I told you, puny prey creature, it crowed, your reign of fear is at an end! Thanks to all the Energy I have bathed in for so long and the help of the other, your disintegrating magic can no longer hurt me! I’m free!

  With that, it surges forwards even faster than before, the mass of trees closing the distance between us with worrisome speed.

  “Watch out!” I cry as roots spear from the trees at the vanguard of the mass. They shoot towards Catch and Komodo, both big targets. Catch dodges; Komodo isn’t quite quick enough and one of the roots gouges out some of his scales. Clearly the roots are stronger than the last time we had to deal with them – another effect from Tree-whisperer, or the consequence of being allowed to grow in an Energy-rich environment?

  I push the question away – it’s not useful to consider right now. What I need to think about is how we can deal with these trees – just trying to get around them and leaving them for the village to deal with isn’t an option.

  My mind races. I remember how much trouble Flying-blade and her group had with trying to get through the trees without fire. They are extremely resistant to blunt force impact, and resistant to cutting force too, though less so. Previously, fire was their greatest weakness as they were particularly flammable. Now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

  We retreat to prevent ourselves from being surrounded. Around me, I see my companions using what they have at their disposal to attack the aggressive trees. Most of them are limited to melee attacks, but Dusty is doing her best to knock them down with waves of water, Hades and Persephone are sending Air-blades at the roots, severing them with each hit, and Bastet is breathing her fire.

  It’s the last which gives me heart. Although her Fire Breath isn’t having nearly the same impact as it should without Tree-whisperer’s interference, it is blackening the bark of the trees, and they seem reluctant to send their roots in her direction until she stops to heave in a great breath.

  After all, fire resistance isn’t the same as fire immunity. Maybe I just need a hotter fire.

  With that decision, I call for Aingeal, using our Bond to summon the fire elemental. Even if Happy isn’t finished with it, I’m going to need its help.

  In the meantime, I call my companions back together – they’re starting to spread out a bit too far and that can only work to the advantage of the trap-trees. In fact, it might be worth getting them out of the way entirely – physical attacks clearly have little benefit.

  A scream pierces the air. My moment of distraction has cost us.

  “Honey!” I cry, leaping towards her. She’s pinned in place, a root passing right through her back and into the ground. The vine-stranglers have definitely upgraded. I see movement beside me as my companions leap with me.

  They attack the root holding Honey in place even as I crouch next to her, shoving healing magic into her body through touch.

  The root is almost cut through. She’s almost free.

  And then another root emerges – from below her. It stabs into her belly and then explodes into multiple strands which rip her apart from the inside.

  I shout wordlessly as I pour even more healing magic into her. We just need to get her free.

  I grab her body and wrench. If she loses half of her flesh, it’s worth her getting free – I can heal that. I can’t heal death.

  With a horrible sucking sound and a pain-filled squeal from Honey that rips at my heart, she tears free leaving a leg and her tail behind.

  I pour in healing magic, but it’s like pouring water into a sieve. I increase the volume – even a sieve can hold water if it’s poured in fast enough. And if I can close some of the holes, even temporarily….

  An impact strikes my shoulder and I am thrown onto my side.

  “No!” I cry as my impact with the ground knocks her out of my arms. I scramble to my knees, barely aware that it was Catch who had struck me – and of the three roots that are now buried where I was.

  I reach for Honey – only for three more roots to strike her dying body. They tear it apart, leaving little more than scraps of flesh and fur.

  here!

  here!

  here!

  here