The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) by Jonathan Brooks (e ink epub reader .txt) 📕

like the one she was confined within dotted the trunk of the Royal Tree, coaxed into existence over many years because actually damaging and physically altering the living tree was almost an impossibility.

The branches could be trimmed and altered with some work, however, which was how they had been changed to create a living community within its trunk and upper branch sections.  Yet, for all of the space within the trunk of the tree, and the branches above, when Echo’s gaze roamed over all of it, there were very few people visible.  The evidence that the Elven race was slowly dying out from the constant attrition by the dungeons was in full display.  I wonder what this place would’ve looked like had there been as many of us as there reportedly used to be, centuries ago.

Sadly, it was only a shadow of what it used to be, and was also one of the reasons Echo had gone along with this plan of The Rebels.  She didn’t want her people to die out, and it was only through the will of those in charge that they could use the tools available to ensure they didn’t.  On the good chance that the Chamberlain was the one stopping the use of the Energy Orbs…well, then he had to go.

The Royal Guards were sparsely populating the grounds around the Tree, though they had a greater presence along the branch pathways leading upwards.  Some of the patrolling Guards were surely going to see them, wouldn’t they?  She hadn’t been told the entire plan, only that they had contingencies in place if they required them, which was another reason why she didn’t fully trust the Elder and what Churven reported was true.  Otherwise, why not tell her everything that she needed to know?

Unless…they didn’t trust her, either.  She hadn’t actually thought of that, but everything started to make a bit more sense when she considered that The Rebels thought she might defect and warn the Chamberlain.  Which, honestly, I had considered at one point, so that is certainly a fair assumption.

Regardless, she still inwardly grumbled at not having all of the plan, but she was committed now – no going back.  Trying to warn the Royal Guards now would likely just end up with her getting killed, as well as The Rebels; whether or not they were telling the truth, she really didn’t want any more people to die than had perished already.  So, she held her tongue as they passed the two bored-looking Royal Guards stationed at the bottom of the main thoroughfare upwards, easily slipping by without any sign that they had been detected.

They traveled up the main branch that wound around the entire Royal Tree dozens of times on its way upwards for nearly 10 minutes, walking carefully yet swiftly, completely silent in their traveling cloud of darkness.  A few times they had to nearly hang off the side to avoid being intercepted by unknowing patrols, but they managed to squeak by without anyone the wiser.  In fact, it was getting to the point where Echo thought it was too easy, but then again, she really didn’t know what she was expecting.

Suddenly, as they turned around another bend in the Tree along its back side (or at least the side they hadn’t seen from the ground), they encountered their first obstacle; two pairs of patrolling Guards were talking to each other, blocking nearly the entire pathway upwards – and they didn’t appear as if they were moving anytime soon.  Looking to either side of them, there was no way they could slide by without revealing themselves.  They were stuck.

Or so she thought.  From the front of The Rebel group, which she could only see because she was part of the Nether spell hiding their presence, came a commotion.  Before she could see what was happening, the 4 Royal Guards were suddenly encased in ice up to their heads, and then vines sprouted from seemingly nowhere, wrapping them up as tightly as Echo had been when she had been carried away from the Royal Tree.  A fine yellow dust surrounded their heads before they could shout for help or even use any spells, though they all looked too shocked at what had happened to react; a moment later, their eyes closed, looking for anything like they had fallen asleep.

What the—?  Echo watched the vines move as if they had a mind of their own, carrying the slumbering Royal Guards to the side of the branch they were walking up on the Tree side, where they disappeared as if they were never there.  Echo inched along the edge of the pathway and looked down in worry, only to see that the vines had attached themselves to the branch and stuck there, keeping the Guards out of sight to anyone walking along, as well as anyone below.  Only if they were specifically looking for them like Echo was would they be found…which was a bit worrying.  What if they fall while still asleep?  What if the spell keeping them there is canceled—?

“Don’t worry, they will wake up in about 2 hours with a little headache and no other side effects,” Echo suddenly heard whispered close to her ear.  She jumped and reached for her bow, but she realized a moment later that it was just Winter sneaking up on her.  “If we’re lucky, they won’t be found and all of this will be over before they come to.”

She just shrugged, not quite sure what to say.  For one, she was glad that they hadn’t killed the Guards and had only put them to sleep somehow; for another, if they could do that to 4 powerful Royal Guards in less than a second, how powerful were The Rebels she had just allied with?

The journey up the rest of the Royal Tree seemed to take forever, as they had to slow down and be very careful;