Zach Brenner's Arc

Chapter 2 of 86

Zach followed Raven through the forest for an hour. He still knew nothing. Not where he was, not how he got here, not how to get back. The sword hung heavy in his hand. Every step took him deeper into a world he did not understand. He needed answers before he could plan anything. Then Raven stopped and pointed up. A single tree rose above the rest, wide as a house and taller than any building Zach had seen. Wooden homes clung to its branches. Rope bridges crossed between them. Lanterns swayed in the boughs, and staircases spiraled up the trunk. People moved along the walkways. Some had cat ears like Raven. They stopped and stared as she passed. "This is my home," Raven said. "The Elder Tree. My people have lived here for generations." She lifted her chin. "I am Princess Raven." Zach stared at her. Back in the clearing she had brushed off a monster like it was nothing. Now the pieces fit. "A princess," he said. "So what were you doing alone in the woods?" Her ears flicked back. "Getting away." She looked down at her boots. "I didn't expect to be attacked. The monsters have started appearing lately. They never used to come this close." She met his eyes. "You saved my life out there. I don't forget that." Zach seized his chance. "Then help me. I don't belong here. I woke up in that forest with nothing. No idea where 'here' even is." He held up the blade. "And I pulled this out of a rock without knowing what it meant. I need to understand this place. I need to find a way home." Raven studied him for a long moment. "Hazelfen," she said. "That's where you are. The land my father rules a part of." She started up the spiral stair, and Zach climbed after her. "I can't answer everything. But my father can. He knows the old stories. He knows what that sword is." She led him across a swaying bridge to a small room built into a branch. A bed sat in the corner. A window looked out over the dark forest. "Rest here tonight," she said. "You've earned it." Zach set the sword against the wall. For the first time since he woke, he had a name for the ground under his feet and a person who might explain it. "Thank you," he said. "Really." Raven paused in the doorway. Her hand rested on the frame. "I'll tell my father you're here," she said. "He'll want to meet the man who pulled the sword." Her ears twitched. "Get some sleep first. Once he knows, the whole kingdom will know by morning. And not everyone will be glad a stranger holds it." She left. Zach sat on the bed. He finally knew where he was. But he had traded one problem for a bigger one. Tomorrow he would stand before a king.