The Tree

  “I am Dayida Jayl of the Agency.” The tall woman who walked like a fighter introduced herself. She was dressed like the other woman, except that her shirt was a bright yellow. “I apologize for the rude welcome. There has been much fighting in the streets lately, and when your . . . place appeared we thought it might be another ploy by the Angelics.” She gestured to the woman in purple. “This is Maestra Luka.”

  Lil thought at the shrunken branch in her pocket and the voice rang out from around her. I am Liliana Blackthorn Johns, Holder of Kandake Athenaeum.

  The woman, Dayida, looked at her, desperation and interest sparking in her eyes, and nodded.

  “From Zebub.”

  It was no question, and yet Lil nodded.

  “We sent people there recently and we have yet to hear what happened to them. Do you know anything?”

  Lil nodded.

  There was one: Erik, a young man who led them.

  “He is my son,” the woman said.

  Lil nodded at her. Shec ould see the resemblance now. Especially around the nose and firm lips.

  Your son is a brave man. He helped us save many lives, but I do not know where he is now. He suffered a number of losses. His friend Tae, and then Matthias, his friend who could have been more.

  Dayida’s skin went gray, as did the woman behind her. “Matthias?”

  Yes, one of the creatures tore him in half on Daniel’s orders. He fought bravely.

  “Shit.” The voice came from behind them. A young man had made his way toward them while she was distracted.

  Who is this one? Lil asked.

  Dayida turned and looked at the young man. “That’s Tae. He did not die, but was somehow sent here.

  It will no doubt bring him some comfort that you survived, but—Lil did not know how to say what she wanted next without sounding cruel.

  “But a friend is no substitute for someone you might love?” Tae said with a sad smile. “I understand.”

  Lil nodded. She turned back to the two who looked to be in charge.

  We have many ‘dants and some Antes inside. All seek shelter. Will you be able to provide it?

  “It will take some doing, but as long as they agree to abide by our laws, they are welcome here.” Dayida said.

  “I’m not entirely sure we have the authority to do that,” Luka said, but there was a smile on her face.

  “I’m giving myself the authority,” Dayida said with a returned smile that had vicious edges. “I deserve it after what we’ve done here.”

  There was a series of pops behind them and Lil was calling up her power before she turned. Before she saw them, she felt reassurance from Kandake, who had recognized those who appeared on its steps and knew they were not here to cause harm.

  Lil turned and saw those that this woman sought, except for Erik. Except for her child. They all looked exhausted and ready to drop, until one of them saw Tae.

  “Tae!” As the others saw him, they seemed to become more excited, three of them coming and surrounding him immediately. The two women, the one who had flown and the one whose touch had meant death for so many, did not approach. One was bleeding from a hole in her torso while the other crouched over her.

  Dayida turned to the people behind her.

  “We need medics over here! Make sure they call my mother in as well.” People hustled forward in a group, some with bandages and others bringing some kind of portable bed to move the bleeding woman.

  There was another loud pop, and they looked up to see Erik appear in the air and begin to freefall downward. Lil reached out, hardening the air beneath his falling body slowly so that he came to a stop some feet above the ground. She released his form onto the ground.

  “Erik.”

  Tae was already kneeling by him, his hands lightly slapping Erik’s cheeks. Erik’s eyes snapped open and went wide at the sight of who was slapping him. Erik smiled, the first time she had seen an expression so joyful and free on his face, and embraced Tae. It was then that he caught sight of his mother striding toward him, and his face went blank and stiff.

  ERIK

  He let go of Tae, let go of all the other questions that were on the tip of his tongue, and stood to face his mother.

  “Is it true?”

  His mother stopped in her tracks. She looked into his eyes and flinched, and he knew that his eyes were still nothing but red lightning, lid to lid.

  “What?” She asked.

  “Did Robert set Daniel up? Did you know?”

  Erik could see the answer in her body; see the regret and sadness that filled her eyes. He stood there and waited for her to answer, though. He did not trust his instincts anymore. He had known Robert was his enemy, but not his mother. He had trusted Daniel when everyone had expressed suspicions. He had let his own fear and Matthias’s issues keep the two of them apart.

  “Did you know?” He asked again.

  “Yes.” The answer was a whisper that echoed like a shout.

  Erik was so angry he wanted to rage; to burn through his mother, to make her feel the same pain that he had felt, but he could really only blame himself in the end. The rage burned out and left behind a bone-deep sadness. Erik looked down at the small world he still cradled in his hand, Corpiliu. He looked at the world around him, so bright and alive and goddamn different from when he left. What did he have left to give it but more mistakes?

  He closed his eyes and let it all go.

  “Erik?”

  The voice that asked was small and tentative and something inside him said that he should know it; that it should be familiar to him, but he pushed that away.

  “There is no Erik anymore.” No, no more Erik. Erik had been weak; Erik had not been able to protect the people that mattered. He had not been able to figure out who was trustworthy and who was not.

  “I am nothing but Wrath now.” That was all that he was. Anger and revenge and a burning desire to burn the world down until they hurt like he did. The bile that had replaced his blood burned through him and he disappeared; burned his way away from this world and into one where no one would find him.

  ROBERT

  All Robert was doing was passing on information, and it wasn’t even information that Daniel couldn’t get on his own. He just wanted to know what they knew about the movements of those from Anoan and what the folks in the Agency were doing about it. His parents and brothers had woken not long after Daniel had left. All of those injured were offered a place with the Agency. None of his family took them up on the offer, but Robert had.

  His official job was field documentation and records, though they were training him on weapons. They needed everyone trained on weapons. Mostly his job was to follow behind a fight; stay in a secure location and document everything he could on the weird tablet they had given him. It sent information to them as soon as he entered it, typos and all. Preserving information for the future, they said.

  It had the unmistakable whiff of the expectation of failure and so Robert was not happy about being shoved off. But it was working out well for what Daniel wanted to know.

  Now he was standing on the rooftop by himself looking to the right as a whole city block burned. People streamed from the doors of the buildings. The Agents almost blended into the shadows. They hurried around the base of the building, helping those humans who emerged and killing the monsters they could find. He took notes on the types of Antes he saw and any deaths he observed.

  Robert looked to the outskirts of the fight; to where more reckless people had gathered to observe. Many of them were trying to find a way off the island. The city was in chaos; there was no place where one did not hear about the monsters that had started to attack the populace. People had tried to leave, but that was when the bridges had suddenly collapsed. Any planes or helicopters that tried to get in or out of the city found themselves swarmed with flying monsters; doing things to the engines and breaking rotors until the machines plunged into the ocean. The waters around the island of Manhattan sported a new
coral reef of broken escape vehicles.

  Sometimes when Robert walked among them he could hear people cursing the government. Why they had not stepped in to help?

  Robert knew that D.C. was having its own problems and, like politicians the world over, they were more concerned with themselves than with their people. It was every city for itself. New York was the most openly attacked, but other major cities were having near daily incidents as well. People were running fromm the cities into the country while they could; where they could be safe. For now.

  “Hello again.”

  Robert did not jump this time. He was used to Daniel appearing out of nowhere by now. He liked to surprise Robert in places where if Robert started, mishaps would occur—urinals, roofs, intersections; anywhere that if he jumped too much he would be embarrassed, if not injured.

  “Hello, Daniel. What can I do for you?” Robert asked, not looking away from the scene below.

  “Hmm. Well, I need a favor. You see, your son has left me in a little bit of a bind.”

  Robert’s spine stiffened. He had done his best not to think of Yida and Erik; those he had abandoned. He wondered what they thought of him and then tried to forget. He knew what they thought; what they had always thought. Only the things he had given them reasons to think.

  “Oh, really?” Robert did his best to keep pride out of his voice, but he thought by the look that Daniel shot him he had probably failed.

  “Most of my power has been locked away for a while. It won’t take me that long to fight my way free, but in the meantime, I won’t be able to be as involved as I would like. I won’t be able to keep an eye on things as closely. The war here is well under way. It doesn’t need any assistance, so I think you should go home.”

  “Home?” Robert did not like the sound of this.

  “Yes. Back to San Francisco. Back to the side of your poor, distraught son. See, he lost another boy he might have loved. Shame, really.” The smirk on Daniel’s face said something very different.

  “Fuck.”

  “No, they never got a chance to do that,” Daniel laughed.

  Robert shivered at the pictures that conjured in his head. He closed his eyes to banish them and when he opened his eyes again Daniel had floated directly in front of him and was leaning close. He caught his breath, but did not move otherwise.

  “Is that what it was?”

  “What?” Robert asked.

  “The thing that made you so uncomfortable about your son and me? The sexy, sexy times?”

  Robert flinched. “I know you’re not really Daniel,” he whispered softly, to the ground. Robert was fairly sure that there was no way this thing was actually Daniel. He’d known the boy for years, and the kind of cruelty this thing reveled in, the pain it like to watch and cause? Those were the kinds of behaviors bred over lifetimes.

  “Eh, that’s debatable. What’s that thing you humans say? You are what you eat?” The smile that Daniel flashed him showed entirely too many teeth for a human mouth to hold. “I mean, it’s a little more real with Daniel. I merged with what was left of his spirit before it could be fully devoured. So I guess I am him. And not. Depends on your definition of self, I guess.”

  Robert was staring in horror at the thing wearing Daniel.

  “What? We’ve all got to eat. And this is what you were all bred for. It’s why I seeded this world with life, and why I keep coming back. You’re the oldest renewable energy source I know. You humans are delicious and breed like rabbits.”

  Robert stared at Daniel in horror.

  “You said you wouldn’t hurt my family.” Robert’s voice shook, and he swallowed the spit flooding his mouth.

  “Don’t be a fool, Robert. I have to leave some of you still alive. How would you build yourselves up so gloriously again if I killed too many of you too repopulate the Earth? Don’t worry; by the time I come back to devour all life again, you and yours will be long gone.”

  “So the remnants of humanity have to rebuild society from the ground up. That sounds horrible,” Robert spit out.

  “Hey, I agreed not to hurt them. Not that they would have a wonderful life. I just need to beat them, not kill them. What they make of the world after that? It’s up to them.”

  Robert turned away. “What do you need from me?”

  “Find a way home, Robert. Don’t let me down.”

  When Robert glanced around, Daniel was gone. He finished recording what he could of the fight below. Once it was over, he placed the pad on the ground and laid back on the black tar roof. It was burning hot and he sank into the pain of it. He watched the sky go from blue to red to purple to black.

  OUTSIDE

  MATTHIAS

  He was dead. He knew that and it caused him little grief. Everything was muted grays and silvers, and he wondered if that was the truth of the world or all he could see now.

  He was close to it; close to the other side, when the power burst across his senses. The waves of the whirlpool were disrupted. Souls scattered back and forth like so many toys. Some cried out as what had been an orderly procession became a chaotic mess that only stopped wailing when they reentered the stream and began circling back to the light.

  Matthias stayed out of it. He knew that power and he knew that pain.

  Erik.

  The power called to him; reminded him. The edge of the power was so close now that he almost reached out to touch it, but there was no point, because only moments later it was touching him. And the world exploded into color and memory of a young man whom he loved and never told. He could feel the pain that bound them to one another.

  The choice was easy in the end and he sped away from the whirlpool; away from the other spirits and back to the man who needed him.

  You are a gift. He will need you. Take care of my child. He is all of me now. The voice was throaty and rough and beneath the serious tone he thought he could feel it laughing at him.

  Matthias felt himself rushing away from the voice, rushing back through the layers of reality that separated the living from the dead, the holes he tore closing slowly behind him.

  He was going home.

  This book was harder than the first one in many ways. At one point, I threw away over 50,000 words and had to start all over again, and at certain points I stopped believing in myself.

  – Thank you to all my friends for being patient with me and quietly (and, when I needed it, loudly) supportive.

  – To all the readers of The Root who reached out to me on social media to tell me how much it meant to them and who posted reviews online: you don’t know how much it meant to me to know that my words connected with people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a chance on me.

  – For my online community: thank you for the discussions, the commiserations, and the confrontations, all of which helped me grow as a person and as a writer.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Na’amen Gobert Tilahun is a bookseller and freelance writer who had lived on the West Coast all his life until 2017, when circumstances made him decide to pack up and head east. He holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and an M.F.A. in Fiction and English from Mills College. He writes in multiple genres, and has had work appear in Fantasy Magazine, io9.com, Queers Dig Time Lords, faggot dinosaur, Full of Crows, The Big Click, Eleven Eleven, Spelling The Hours, Loose Lips, Endless Ages, and more. Recently, his debut novel, The Root, was named a Rainbow List Top Ten book for 2017 by the American Library Association, and a short piece of his, “Culture House”, was selected to be reprinted in The Best Small Fictions 2017. You can find him on Twitter (@Naamenism) when he should be writing.

 

 

 
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