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The sun was hovering well above the horizon as light cut through the branches. As he looked up, he watched the puffy clouds part and leaves float gently on a soft breeze.
Thick tree trunks surrounded them, and pine needles and leaves littered the ground, crunching under their shoes as they started their descent into the valley below. The scent of wheatgrass, pine, and nature decaying was strong but somehow soothing to his nerves. Was he used to living in the woods?
The soldiers marched in silence. John and Luke carried larger guns over their shoulders. Derek had a pistol strapped to his waist and right thigh. He had no doubt those were only the beginning of the weaponry they carried. The pockets and secret compartments of the clothing could hold ammo, knives, and other weapons that went boom.
Tucker had outfitted him with a pistol, two boxes of bullets, two knives, and a grenade. None of which were visible to the naked eye. When Tucker asked if he’d used these weapons before, Krieger had given a sharp nod. He really wasn’t sure, but how hard could it be? Point and shoot. Stab with the pointed end. Release clip and throw. The bigger question was, what or who did they expect him to use these weapons on?
As he moved through the trees into the wheatgrass field, he adjusted his pack on his back. Tucker had loaded it with dry oats, canned beans, smoked meats, a ferro rod to start fires, a pelt, a canteen, and a tarp. It was still baffling as to how he got so many items stuffed into the bag. Why would he need all these provisions? How long would they be away from Everwood?
There was still so much he wanted to know about the settlement, the people, this feud with Stone Haven. And who were these Others?
If he could just get Eva alone, maybe she would open up about it. The way she walked now, with her quick pace and impassive features, he wondered if the conversation with her father didn’t go well.
They had taken a path from the wheatgrass back into the tree line, and with an elongated stride, he met her speed. Maybe she would unburden herself to him. “Want to talk about it?”
She did not turn to look upon him. “Nope.”
Or maybe not. “Well, can you answer a few questions?”
She hiked her pack higher on her back, and he suppressed the urge to take it from her. She seemed troubled; there was no need to poke at her pride and make her feel worse.
She sighed. “Why the hell not, shoot.”
He glanced around him. The group had spanned out among the trees, eyeing the area around them. Derek seemed to be in deep conversation with John, paying Eva little attention.
Krieger cleared his throat. “Why do you live in trees?”
As they walked under a tree canopy, she looked to him, a glint coming back into her eye. “Wait.”
A few steps later, she turned, emerging from the tree line into another open meadow. “Turn around, Krieger.”
Following her lead, he swiveled, and his breath caught in his throat.
From this vantage point, Everwood was in full view; the tree house village was larger than he would’ve ever expected. This was a part of the settlement he hadn’t yet seen.
Row after row of wooden huts sat beneath the branches, limbs, and leaves of the forest. The balconies and bridges would be well hidden if he didn’t know they were there.
Even now, he could see a few people moving over the structure, busy with daily duties and rushing from project to project and home to home. A woman hung curtains on a window, a young girl walked with a toddler along a balcony, a man sat atop a roof with a hammer, pounding on the shingles.
His ears opened up to the wind carrying the voices of the people, the music of the chimes that hung on the structure, the laughter of the children, the sounds of tasks being completed, and... water babbling?
Not far from where they stood was a creek bed filled with trickling water. The creek ran directly under the wall of Everwood, then flowed downhill.
“That’s the settlement water source?” Krieger asked.
Eva nodded. “We also have a rain collection system in place. The water still needs to be carried to the huts individually, but it works.”
From this position, he could see the tops of what looked to be an elaborate system of metal and wood stilts, holding the first level of the village above the ground. The other levels were attached to this foundation and the trees, anchoring it to the earth while stabilizing it. The upper level disappeared into the canopy. Ropes and ladders hung from curves and dips in the wooden floor, leading to lower tiers. Only a couple stories were noticeable between the undergrowth.
He looked to Eva, who still beheld the tree house village, her home. “How did you create this?”
Despite her mood, she smiled. “A couple of engineers, a handful of contractors, scavenging, and a lot of hard work.”
By this time, the crew had caught up with them, and she turned her attention back to the mission.
“You still haven’t answered my question, why do you live in the trees?”
She stared down the path, her face turned impassive, almost sad. Gone was the glint in her eyes, the smile, the excitement in her tone. All that remained was a hard look of determination. “Soon you will see.”
