The Last Tree

Chapter two

Years later a boy on the edge of adulthood ventures out of the woods in search of something. He isn't sure what that something is yet but there has to be more. He knows there is. He came from that before his tree blew up. He knows there are more people out there at least. His old city is still there. He sees it sometimes when he looks out of the forest. He knows brother squid doesn't let him get this far from sister tree. But he's grown older, his body is that of an adult like his dad’s was. So the boy thinks he can go anywhere now. Like many young adults the boy thinks he's invincible. He huffs as he steps out of the shade of the trees. Buildings built up where forest once was. He steals cloths from cloths lines. The ones he had, had long since been grown out of. He can't do much about his bare feet and messy hair. So he runs dirty hands into the tangles to calm it some.

"Hey what are you doing with my dads cloths?" He sputters as a girl grabs the shirt around his upper body. He looks into her green eyes terrified for being caught. "Stealing is illegal. Even for homeless people." She looks around trying to see if anyone else saw. "Look boy, you look really scared so I'll let this pass, this time, but you really need to get your own clothes soon. Do you have a job?" He shakes his head. Still trying to wrap his head around being caught. "Well that makes sense, you are homeless after all." She nods finally letting go of the shirt. "I have some heavy lifting I need to get done if you're up for it. You'll be paid and you can keep the clothes." He nods not really getting it but understanding that he'll at least get the clothes. He knows his dad use to have a job. His dad use to protect his tree. He was also part of the military. She leads the boy to a shed. "I need these bags of seed brought over to the garden. Then come and get me once you're done with that." She walks over to hang up laundry to dry. Taking off the ones that have already dried. "Where did you come from boy? I haven't seen you here before." He points towards the forest after he puts a bag down. She burst out laughing, "No really! Where?" He looks at her confused, he does not know why she asks again when he already told her. He points once more, she looks at him strange. "You live in there?" She points towards it, he nods still confused. "You're serious," he nods again, "tell no one else." She comes rushing over. "Never tell anyone that again." She looks around scared, breathing out a sigh of relief when she saw no one watching. "Tell me something. You know the tree that use to tower over the city?" He nods frowning, his hand comes up to the piece of it he still has left that hangs around his neck. "Do you know where the big sacred tree that lives in there is?" He looks at her, he just barely met the girl today. He doesn't think he should tell her so he shakes his head. She breaths out air he didn't know she was holding. "Good," she lets go of the boy, he looks down in confusion, when did she grab him. "Would you like to go see? What's left of the tree that was here I mean?" He breaths in deeply, nodding when he thought the tears wouldn't come flowing out.

"Yes," he speaks for the first time in years that wasn't telepathically. "That would be nice."

"Oh so you do speak!" She looks at him smiling. "Thought you got your tongue sniped. This is much better though. So tell me jungle boy, what's life in the forest like?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"There is not much to tell." He looks down at his dirty hands. When was the last time he bathed. "I left this city when the tree was attacked, brother- my brother brought me up out there." He looks back at the forest expecting to see brother squid in the shadows. He will be angry to find out the boy went into the city. So the boy goes to finish the job he was given. When the girl stops him.

"That's enough for now. Why don't we take a break and go see the tree." She motions for him to follow. The city has changed so much since his time there. There are no more trees scattered about. And the only plants are the ones being grown for food. Dirt is visible where grasses and wild flowers use to be. He bends down to touch a sad plant. His fingers brush the withered leaves. It's on the brink of death and yet it holds on. "It is the one of the only plants we can grow for food now. Corn, thank meteors for its toughness or we would go hungry." He glances up at her and smiles. He slumps down further and whispers to it. Then gets up, the girl is already moving on so he must keep up. "Come boy, we must get to the center of the city before noon. The guards don't let visitors in after that." She speeds up her walk, weaving through passageways and roads. He can see the ruins now. The splinters to big to move sticking out. People have just built around them. Incorporating the wood to houses. Soon they reach the walls around the tree. Wood juts out into the sky reaching for the other parts of the tree that is scattered. He clutches the piece around his neck. He follows the girl to the entrance into the walls. This was where he use to live. All he knew before died here. His father raised him after the boy's mother death, his tree was his only friend. He touches where his heart should be. She gave up a piece of her self when he was born. Being dead when he came into this world she revived him by giving him a sliver of her stone. His mother begged her, and being the merciful tree she was. He is here today because of her, and his father decided to protect her. Quitting the military and becoming a protecter. He sighs, it still didn't stop the man from attacking her. Though many died trying to protect her. The man just had too many stones already. He passes the guards, employees of the man he thinks. The crowd rushes to see the remains of the tree. Most pieces were brought back here. Some have carvings in it and some do not. It looks like a tourist destination. Many trying to at least feel a little bit of the magic that once occupied the area. "Hey boy, if someone finds any magic stones, they get a reward. At least that's what I heard. I wouldn't trust the king’s guards to keep to it though." She frowns down at the dirt. "If there is even a magic stone." He glances up at her.

"You do not believe the tree was magic?" She glances at his crouching form. He's touching a root, running his hand on the rough bark.

"No, I have never experienced its magic. If it was magic, why didn't it save it's self?"

"She was too busy trying to save everything else," he offered, "she is a protector of life. They do not save themselves. It's why so many of this city have survived. Even if she did not save them all." He comes to a stop at the house he once lived in. It is remodeled, probably housing the guards that work here. He reaches out to touch it when a hand grabs his wrist.

"You know a lot about what happened 10 years ago boy. I knew there was something suspicious about you." A guard stood beside him. "I've been watching you since you stepped out of those woods." The once bustling crowd became eerily quite. "People don't come out of those woods." People stared at him, he felt exposed. He tried to tug his arm away, only resulting in the guard tightening his grip. "Why don't you come into the barracks so we can talk more." He pulled the boy into the building. He look back at the girl who is also getting detained. The guard pushed him into a seat, in front of him was a table. The girl was pushed beside him. "Emily why did you not inform the guard of this forest dweller?" The guard spat at her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Ethan." She sneered at him, glaring up at the guard.

"Emily, please do not make this any harder on father than it already is. The king is not happy that the stone is still not found."

"Oh please like there is actually a stone to be found. You know I don't believe in that magic crap." She snorts up at him. "What you and father do for the king is none of my business."

"Emily, come on, you are my sister for meteors sake. Why are you not helping us instead of working on grandfathers farm. You were a promising cadet."

"I never wanted to be part of the military, you know that!" The girl, Emily as he has found out her name, stood up staring back at the guard, Ethan, defiantly.

"Yes," Ethan sighs defeated, "but you should have came to me at least when you found out he was from the forest." He looked at her pleadingly. "I just don't want you to get in trouble with the laws. You know his highness doesn't grant mercy."

"Ethan," she reaches out and touches his arm. "I know the laws. Why do you think I brought him here. Surrounded by guards. With no way to escape?" The boy sighs, brother squid is going to kill him. He bangs his head on a table. It was 100 years to early for him to leave the forest. "Now why don't we get answers." She smiled down at him. Pity in her eyes but he could tell Emily was scared of the king. Which she should, the king is that evil man after all. The man who killed his world and hurt his tree.

"If you are from the forest like you told my sister than you know where the sacred tree is."

"Like I told your sister, I just live with my brother out in the forest ever since the tree was attacked. I don't know where the sacred tree is."

"Then how do you know so much about what happened ten years ago?" He sat down leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

"My dad was a protector. This use to be my home. I was too little at the time to do anything. My father died, and I was the only survivor." He looks away at the wall. The painting he did on it is still there. He traces the swirls and lines with a finger.

"Wait I thought you said you went into the forest with your brother?" Emily asks, suspicion heavy in her voice. He pulls his hand back with a flinch glancing over at her.

"I did. My brother and I aren't blood related." He looks at her confused at her suspicion. "My family died that day ten years ago but I also gained a new one." She hummed finally sitting down next to her brother across the table.

"What all happened that day? We've heard stories but not the facts." Ethan asks the same spark of curiosity in his eyes as of his sister.

"Facts," he looks at them incredulously. When he sees that they haven't moved he sighs. "That ma- the emperor attacks the city, the people flee to safety. The protectors try to protect. People die, tree gets blown up." He reach up to grab the piece of wood around his neck. Looking away from their eyes. "Brother helps me to safety when I thought nothing was left."

"Yes so we've heard but you aren't telling us everything." Ethan huffs not giving up. "In detail boy, oh that's right we haven't even asked your name."

"Adam," they all whip their heads to a new voice coming from an older man. "He was Cartwright's son. Who was one of the emperor's generals before he quit the military to protect this tree." The boy stares at the new man, he hasn't heard his own name out loud in years. "You look so much like your mother." He nods at the strange man. "I thought you died along side your father. And this sacred tree you couldn't live without." He rubs the place over his heart, his parents told no one about when he was born about the tree healing him. They didn't even know about the piece inside of him. "But the question is, where did you go and why are you back?"

"I was in the care of someone and I could not keep away from my curiosity. This was once my home. And I haven't been back since that day." He sighs clutching the piece of wood he's had from his tree that once stood tall outside.

"Why wait to come back now though? Ten years after. And you did not answer where you where."

"I thought I could take the grief I would feel coming here. And we built a little cottage deep in the forest. My brother wanted me to keep away from here because he saw what happened. He found me on the outskirts of the rubble and clutching a piece of that tree that was soaked in my fathers blood. It was small but it was all I had of the past. Of my once happy home, can you blame me for staying away so long. If not for my brother I would have died wondering in the wilderness. Seeking for a mother long since dead and a father freshly killed." Tears threatened to spill onto my face. I scrub angrily at my eyes. "Sorry I haven't talked to many people since I was ten." He blows out a breathy laugh nervous at the man and siblings eyes on him. Judging him with each word he says. Waiting for any information he would give unwillingly.

"Of course, of course, I wouldn't want to come back either if I had the choice." The man glances at Emily. "Oh where are my manners I am Eric handez, those two's father. Captain of this cities guard. And since you live so deep in the forest does that mean you know where the sacred tree in there is." He shakes his head, that was the third time someone asked that. He is glad he did not trust the girl in the beginning or telling them that he didn't would make that impossible. The man, Eric stares at him hard. "You are lying about something in your story. But the question is what."

"I do not understand what you mean, sir?" The boy looks at the man. Eric walks over towards Adam sitting down beside him. He stares into the boys eyes. His ring gleamed as he reached toward his chest. Eric's fingers touch the piece of wood he always carries. Adam looks down in confusion.

"This piece of wood, where did u get it?" Eric glances up at him. An unreadable expression crosses his face when he sees the ring.

"It's- it's- it's a piece of the tree." Eric yanks the wood off him, breaking the vines he weaved to make this necklaces. Adam flinched back holding his neck in pain. "Wait give it back." He reaches for it but the man is putting his finger on it though the gleam is gone. Eric sighs and shoves it back. Disappointment clear on his face until the ring gleams again when it comes towards Adam's chest. At first Eric looks confused until realization pops up on his face and he pulls up Adam’s shirt. He presses the ring to the center of Adam's chest and it shines brighter. Eric looks like the cat that caught the canary and Adam realizes he should have never left home. He has a bad feeling about this.

"Well, well, well, I now know why we could never find the stone. It was inside a living breathing person." Eric laughed with glee.

"No wonder the corn looked so healthy after he talked to it. It was almost dead dad. You won't believe it but as soon as he did that it looked good as new." Ethan said in awe, looking from his dad to the boy.

"Wha- what are you talking about?" The boy looked around confused and scared, mostly scared.

"Oh don't look so nervous boy." Eric clapped him on the back. "You're going to meet the emperor is all."

"Wait dad does this mean you guys are leaving?" Emily looked sad to see them leave. "But you just got back."

"I'm sorry Emily but I have to take Adam here to the Emperor right away. Maybe he'll give me some time off finally." He got up and caught a running Emily in his arms. It was all very dramatic and Adam just hoped brother squid wouldn't kill him when he finally got home. He could already be desperately searching for Adam in the forest. It has gotten bigger over the years as his new tree grew. The forest is already reaching the city limits. But brother squid could not save Adam this time as he was dragged out of his old home and into a van. 'Brother squid help me! I'm sorry!'

'Adam, what have you done? Where are you?' He feel brother squids desperation as he looks around.

'I went into the city-'

'Adam! Why? I told you it was dangerous!'

'I know but I just wanted to see. I didn't mean to get caught. My tree use to root here. Brother squid help me!' As he struggled Adam looked out the window and saw brother squid in the trees. Hail started raining down.

"Dad what's happening?"

"I don't know Ethan but keep driving." The skies darken and lightning strikes around the van. Following it as we go.

"Brother!" Adam yells watching brother squid get smaller and smaller. A tentacle reaching out for sister tree's child. Eric holds him down as he struggles. Things begining to float in the car. Adam's piece of stone burns in his chest. He can't breath, breath comes into shallow. He reaches out one last time towards brother squid. "Brother squid," he wheezes out as black dots enter his sight. Adam whimpers one last time before everything begins to fade black. The last thing he hears is brother squids voice in his head telling him to breath.