The Stonehearted Knight-Chapter 310: Wonders and Horrors (1)

A/N 1: Bonus Chapter 1/4.

I will post 1 bonus Chapter each day till the que isn’t finished.

A/N 2: Thanks to Goldenstache for the castle.

As far as the other golden tickets go, thanks to: Zook_51, Memento_Mori, BlackCrownDragon, Kama, mmstr, Liam Horrocks, omeroford, and TheReadingPrince.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The massive size of the branch offered plenty of room for the group to thread on. The High Queen advised to walk in the middle, which made sense since the branch curved to the sides.

Seeing the overgrown moss on both sides of the walking path, Hex was reminded of the paths through forests and grasslands.

The distance to the Salty Leaves City wasn’t great but according to the High Queen, the path toward it was fraught with dangers. Wrixia housed many types of creatures. Humans were but one of those.

Some of those creatures could conceal themselves in plain sight. They used the element of surprise to overwhelm their prey, dragging them to their nests. Not many things threatened her at her stage, but the unspoken rule in Wrixia prevented her from destroying a nest of a weaker species.

"Like any tree, Wrixia too provides shelter to anyone who needs it. Since the beginning of the Ages, we have seen all kinds of races and creatures live inside Wrixia. Even the most vile ones can find a place to live and survive, as long as they don’t harm or threaten to harm the general life."

"But that doesn’t mean there are no battles. The Laws of nature still apply. Preys and predators exist, whether they hunt for food, resources, treasures, or bodies. The Guardian won’t interfere with daily occurrences."

Listening to the High Queen, Hex started to gain a better understanding of Wrixia and the daily lives of those living in and on it. At the same time, he surveyed his surroundings.

The gradual but certain increase in the density of the natural elements in the air persisted as they walked deeper into Wrixia. His wounds recovered speedily. By the time they reached the city, it would be like he never had been injured.

Although he couldn’t sense the presence of others through his senses, using the energy fluctuations, he still managed to get a grasp on the lives and types of creatures living in these parts. After all, he still had his other senses.

Quite a few branches of similar dimensions as the one they were, snaked around them. Now and then, he would pick up the presence of other creatures.

He saw a small group of apes resting on one of the branches. The apes had fur with short hairs. Most of the apes were gray with one black one at the center. The way the others behaved around the black one, suggested it to be the leader. They fed on some dried-up-looking fruits he didn’t recognize. It made him wonder something.

"What do people eat in Wrixia? And are there farms here?"

"Why? Because we live in a tree?" The High Queen asked in return with a playful smile on her lips. Hex nodded though.

The wonders of the place didn’t cease to amaze him while at the same time, he had a hard time wrapping his head around the daily lives of those living in this place. He supposed it would become easier once he started to interact with them. Didn’t hurt to ask though, especially since the High Queen seemed more than willing to answer.

"We do have farms. Most are on the land. Some Druids did discover ways to create hanging gardens and use the branches spiraling downward to cultivate certain spices, and vegetables, and rear some smaller animals.

I know of one group of Druids who use a hollow branch that has grown downward into the sea, to farm a rare type of fish that can improve a person’s skin and slow down the aging effects on memory."

"And meat?" Gronke asked suddenly, looking a bit alarmed. "Is there no source to get meat? Perhaps some birds that can be hunted?"

Gronke looked up as he spoke as if he would hunt something if he managed to spot it. Hex knew the man liked to munch snacks but indeed, he always fed on roasted meat.

"We like meat too. But we are not limited to birds only. As I said, we have farms. Beef, pigs, and sheep, among a few others, are quite commonly available in cities. They do tend to be a bit pricier than bird, ape, or snake meat though."

Gronke looked relieved. The others didn’t react much to the information, except for Sterling. He seemed to be pondering something. Hex suspected he knew what went inside the silver-haired boy’s head.

"Thinking about how to use all this information to set up a business?" Hex whispered.

"How did you know?" Sterling asked, confused and surprised at the same time.

"Everyone knows. You are famous or should I say infamous for that."

"Being predictable doesn’t bode well for me," Sterling said, rubbing his chin. He didn’t seem worried about it though.

"Hey," Hex leaned in, trying his best to conceal his voice as much as possible. "Do you know why a High Queen is serving as a Coast Defender? And who is she? Why is she serving as our guide?"

"Strange, isn’t it?" Sterling nodded to show he shared Hex’s doubts. "I don’t know a lot. Keep in mind that even though the heirs are tutored a lot to learn as much about the world as possible, we still have limited time and energy. The tutors often glossed over the details when discussing some of the more distanced nations. Perhaps they don’t know about those things themselves."

Hex understood as much. It would be difficult to achieve success in different fields if someone remained cooped up in a closed quarter, solely focused on theory. Being a merchant required a good eye for resources, treasures, and people. None of which could be learned without experience.

"Anyway," Sterling continued, " from what I still remember the title of Queen or King is awarded to someone who achieved a certain rank and has served Wrixia over a certain period. Don’t ask me what rank or for how long, I have long since forgotten. What I do know is that those whose contributions are exemplary can be rewarded with the title of High Queen or High King. I suppose reaching a certain stage could also be part of it but it wasn’t mentioned during the lessons. That, I am sure of."

"It still doesn’t explain why she is escorting us herself. She could have easily instructed some people below her to do so."

The suspicion in Hex’s heart grew. She had some motive behind leading them. Hex only hoped it had nothing to do with his relationship with the Witch, although the more he thought about it, the more he believed that to be the reason.

"What is that?" Sterling asked, slowing down. He wasn’t alone. Their entire group faltered at the sight before them.

Hex stared at the darkness before him. It engulfed an entire area. Not only their branch, but all the others, and everything as far as he could see, seemed to vanish into the dark before him.

"There is no need to panic," the High Queen spoke, in her usual calm way. She turned to face them.

"This is something most outsiders have difficulty dealing with. Unlike the world outside of Wrixia, we don’t experience night and day. I don’t mean the sun never sets or the stars don’t appear in the night sky. No, they happen but we don’t experience them due to all the leaves between us and the sky.

Our ’day’ and ’night’ is based on the position of the leaves. They shift during the day to face the sun. And Wrixia is so large, it can face the sun, even when the sun has set in one part of the world. So, instead of day and night, we split our time between dark and light. They alternate, roughly four times in a period you would consider one complete day in your part of the world. The outermost regions where we are are one of the exceptions as we experience such shifts five times. And the core is where it happens only twice."

"So, this is safe, only we are suddenly walking into the night, so to speak?" Quid verified, looking as curious as everyone else. The idea of day and night alternating based on the position of the leaves intrigued everyone.

"Yes. And just like the night everywhere else, it has its own nightmares. So, stick close to one another and proceed with caution. As soon as someone senses something, give a shout."

Hex wore a solemn expression as he focused on his surroundings. His senses were less effective as far as picking up energy fluctuations went but he still could see and hear exceptionally well in the dark.

"AH!"

He barely stepped into the dark – he was the last to do so – he heard a scream. He looked just in time to see something slither away. At the same time, he saw one person missing. It seemed the nightmare had already started.