The Defiance of Vim (Catalyst Book 4) by C.J. Aaron (graded readers txt) 📕

had been an eventful afternoon and evening. His heart soared, yet his stomach churned with butterflies at the unexpected timing of the revelation to his son.

Though his emotions had grown unchecked, a nagging feeling that he could not explain toyed with his senses. The joy, the hesitation, the worry, he’d expected. He knew it would take time with Cray. Time they unfortunately might not have. He could handle those concerns. It was the foreign sensation that bothered him.

Though he could see no enemy, he could feel their eyes on him, boring into his very soul like daggers. Though he could see no saviors, he felt their support. He saw their blades defend them from evil.

He was at a loss for the cause of the sensation. It was powerful. He figured it was the woods trying to tell him something. He feared he was too obtuse to understand.

So lost in thought was he that he nearly walked directly into the wall that erupted from the earth in front of them. Andr stopped himself from colliding with the surface as his hands sprang defensively forward. His face stopped a blade’s width from the moss-covered stone.

He exhaled a long, steady breath, resting his head against the cold, damp stone.

After a moment, he stepped back, examining where the Erlyn had chosen to deliver them.

They stood in a narrow gap between the trees and the stone, only a few meters across and perhaps five meters wide. A thin canopy of leaves from the branches above disguised their location from any on the palisade who might have been searching for movement in the forest below.

The three men paused, listening intently for any sound of patrols above.

“I hear nothing. Can see nothing. Why would the woods lead us here?” Le’Dral grumbled.

Andr was at a loss as well. He scratched his head as he peered into the gloom around the modest opening. With his hand against the wall, he paced to the far side of the clearing to the south. The woods here seemed darker, more foreboding than near the entrance. Andr quickly retraced his steps, passing Vox and Le’Dral, who watched curiously.

The woods along the opposite side of the opening were still dense. Thick brambles and vines choked off access into the depths, yet a single tree, set just inside the tree line, remained free from the clutter.

Andr felt the unnatural tug on his body. It was an unnerving sensation, yet one he’d grown strangely accustomed to. He gave in to the pull, letting himself be drawn forward.

The sensation evaporated as he reached the base of the solitary tree. The trunk was several meters wide, yet it was far from a giant in terms of the trees of the Erlyn Woods. Andr reached forward tentatively, hesitant of the reaction the connection could bring.

There was no sudden realization. No jolt of energy or information. Only a soft rustle of leaves above broke the silence.

Andr peered upward, his eyes focusing immediately on the small patch of glowing moss around the base of the tree. A few steps brought him to the rear of the trunk. There, illuminated by the faint glow of the moss, was a ladder of sorts.

The rungs were formed by a thick cord of vine that snaked its way up the tree. The ladder continued some fifteen meters upward until the branches took over, serving as footholds to ascend the trunk. He’d started climbing before calling to his companions.

“Follow me,” he whispered. “We’ll get our view from up here.”

Vox and Le’Dral voiced no complaint as they followed the mercenary up the arboreal ladder. Even in the dark, the soft glow of the scattered moss lit the pathway, allowing for an easy ascent.

Fifteen meters above, the vine ended as the branches took over. The thick, yet stubby limbs grew out from the tree, leading them in a path that wound slowly around the right of the trunk. As they climbed, patches of moonlight and stars became increasingly visible through the trees.

Their ascent ceased without warning. Andr found himself on a large flat branch roughly a meter wide. The limb curved slightly to the northwest, though it stayed concealed among the foliage that surrounded it. Smaller branches jutted up at seemingly planned intervals, allowing for steady handholds.

Andr crept cautiously out onto the branch, his ears tuned to the sound of guards.

The night was silent.

The branch allowed a startling view of the landscape that surrounded them. From his position, though he remained hidden among the leaves, he could see the clear path of the palisade as it traveled south toward the sea. To the north, the stone walkway ended as it reached the northernmost guard tower, partially built into the base of the mountain.

A torch burned along the face of the structure, though no movement registered along the peak of the wall. To the west, dark clouds blotted out the stars overhead, turning the deep violet sky black. Lightning flashed, sparking through the clouds, though no sound accompanied the show.

“A storm is coming,” Vox commented as the silent flashes of lightning split the sky to the west. The branch remained steady as the phrenic paced along the wide surface. Le’Dral followed a step behind.

The trio watched in silence, surveying the walls for any signs of patrol. Nothing moved save for the roiling clouds above and the soundless lightning. A steady breeze grew as the storm churned ever closer.

A howl carried on the wind. For a moment, all attention was focused, their eyes and ears trained on the sound. From its deep origin it rose in pitch and intensity. This was no auditory illusion. No mental overreaction to the growing wind at the head of the storm.

The note was eerily familiar.

The solitary wail fell into silence.

Le’Dral turned to Andr, his mouth open to speak.

A flash, brighter yet more diffused, rose from the south. It expanded upward like the sun rising from the horizon. For a moment, a halo of light surrounded it. As abruptly as it had come, the glow