Page 14 of Stitches
“Wonderful!” Grillo said. The others all looked pleased, save maybe Yentriss, who had a scrutinizing skepticism about her, as though she thought Levi somewhat unimpressive.
“Wonderful indeed,” Ashmedai echoed, catching Levi’s eye again. “I suppose we all have work to do.”
Braxton had no objections to Levi being stolen away. He wanted Levi to acclimate, and being sequestered did nothing to foster that.
Levi had hoped, however, that Ashmedai might join him and Grillo, only for the king to get monopolized by Dreya the moment they reached the edge of the city. Levi stayed with Grillo alone as they gathered some of the crystals spared for the upcoming hunt, as well as Grillo’s axe and other tools for bundling and bringing back lumber, and then off they went.
They headed almost all the way back to the tower, but then cut into the trees along a narrow path before the final bend in the road.
“We’ll need to gather wood for several days to have enough for all I have planned. That work for you?” Grillo asked.
“Yes, Master Grillo. As long as I can attend to my other chores.”
“Grillo.” Grillo glanced at Levi with a wide smile and a snort from his long snout. “There are no masters among our people, not even Ash. Does Brax really make you call him that?”
Levi clung unconsciously to the bag filled with warding crystals draped across his body. He also pulled the wagon that would carry the lumber they collected. It was large but light enough, with an easy grip. Levi had offered to pull it initially since Grillo would have to do the heavy lifting once it was full.
An even larger wagon pulled by Braxton’s mechanical horses would have been better, but that would never have fit along this path or between the closely rooted trees. Besides, the horses that existed traveled almost constantly, rarely used for anything other than bringing the trading carriages back and forth from Emerald.
“He doesn’tmakeme call him that,” Levi said, “but when I first woke to this world, he said he was my maker, my master, and so I have called him that ever since.”
He’d never told Levi to stop calling him that either.
A rustle in the trees made Levi’s head snap up. He hadn’t thought he’d be afraid, but then, he’d never ventured very far into the wood. The shadows here seemed thicker, or maybe the glow from the plant life was dimmer. Whereas the shadows that followed Ashmedai were swirling and inviting, here the added darkness made the hair on Levi’s arms and neck extend like during a lightning storm.
“Glider monkey.”
“Hm?” Levi returned his attention to Grillo.
Grillo pointed ahead at a tree that was slightly swaying. In its branches, peering at them from the dark, was a small animal covered in fur. Its ears were longer than the length of its head, its body compact given its lanky arms and legs. Its thumbs looked apposable around the branches it clung to, and connecting from its wrists to its body was an extension of furred skin almost like wings or a cloak.
Levi had only ever seen the ones people kept as pets, but because of that, he knew the monkey was both friendly and not for eating.
It leapt to another tree with a graceful glide and disappeared.
Grillo was getting ahead of Levi, so he hurried to catch up.
“Is it much farther?” Levi asked.
“Not so much now. Best take out one of those crystals,” Grillo said.
Levi fumbled to do just that. Warding crystals were smaller than most but still filled the entirety of Levi’s hand. They were clear, and if the person holding it ventured too close to the barrier, it would begin to glow with white light.
For now, it was dormant.
“There are many buildings in the city,” Levi said as he matched pace with Grillo. “Some from stone, but most from wood. After a thousandyears, it’s impressive so many mature trees still thrive.”
“Not enough,” Grillo said. “And the ones around us aren’t quite mature enough yet, which is why we’re heading deeper. Our trees grow faster than those outside the Shadow Lands, but we must still be vigilant and adhere to careful coppicing. How the trees are cut ensures for better, faster regrowth.”
Levi nodded. He’d devoured every book and subject Braxton could supply to him. His swiftness in reading and learning was something Braxton often praised him for, however much he might chide him for other things. Levi had not learned much of woodcutting, however.
“What of the stone?” Levi asked. “We have no quarries, do we?”
“Some stone can be found in the hills and near the Black Lake. Thankfully, a good stone structure can last for centuries, so we’ve rarely needed to repair or replace them. New structures, however, are often wood, since that is what we have in abundance. But the more our people grow and spread, the less we have to work with.” Grillo sounded sad, Levi thought—resigned.
“Master Braxton is working on a solution. He’ll find the answer.”
The comment caused a curl of Grillo’s lips. “If anyone can, it’s Brax.”
