This is an excerpt from the upcoming fifth book in our Thread of Souls series! While this has been edited, it is still not in its final form and may be edited more.
You can read the first excerpt we shared here.
JADE
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Jade, Sen, and Foxy traversed the Deep Hollows for weeks. After descending through the hut of Jade’s deceased druid mentor, they traveled without direction. They wandered dark and narrow tunnels, open caverns so large they couldn’t see the ceiling, jungles of stalagmites, and steep slopes. The two friends and the fox entered a whole world they had never seen before. One where plants glowed all the colors of a rainbow, where streams sparkled with bioluminescent fish, and where strange animals skulked in the shadows, deeming them too large for easy prey.
Jade knew she had Sen to thank for that. The seven-foot-tall dragonborn was an intimidating sight, built much larger and thicker than her slight wild elf form. She was proud of him. Ever since the incident with the vampires in Glenpeleg, fear had seized Sen. But now, he was stepping out into danger again and joining her on this adventure.
If only we knew which way to go, she thought.
The two hunted a creature that called itself Rehanine. Something that nearly killed Jade, her brother, and her companions in Oceala more than half a year ago. Her former mentor, the archdruid Galen’s, notes on the Deep Hollows left more questions than answers. But he had asked her to ensure nothing from the deep dark penetrated the Surface world. And she would honor that request.
Sen glanced around at the small cavern they found themselves in. “Should we camp here for the night?”
The cavern had many rocky structures with glowing green plants on them. The plants reminded Jade of seaweed, standing tall and waving slightly, though there was no water nearby. It would offer adequate shelter for the night, as well as a light source to protect them from predators.
“This looks good,” she agreed. “I’m hungry. It’s been a long day.”
They had packed lightly, and it did not take long to set up camp. It had been difficult at first to forage for food, not knowing what was safe to eat and what wasn’t. Their second week of travel they’d met a group of dark gnomes that had given them information. They were curious and amiable. Jade had started to think the Deep Hollows wouldn’t be dangerous after all until the dark gnomes gave advice on safety.
“Watch the patches of rocks, stone snakes blend right in!”
“Not everyone is welcoming of Surface-dwellers, you are lucky you ran into us and not slavers!”
“Be careful of cave-ins, they happen more frequently than you think!”
At least we learned some recipes from them, Jade reflected.
Sen had caught a few reptilian creatures to eat, cooking them with his own fire breath before eating them whole. Foxy enjoyed sharing in that meal. Jade did not eat animals and made herself a bowl of mushrooms on a bed of riverweed with some chopped up fruit the dark gnomes had referred to as ranbas that was healthy and filling. It very much reminded Jade of bananas, except for the bright blue color.
“So,” Sen began with a mouthful of food, “do you think we are any closer to this Rehanine thing?”
Jade sighed, glancing off into the darkness. “I don’t know. I’ve honestly lost all sense of direction down here. Rehanine could be-”
She broke off at the sound of laughter echoing in her mind. A voice spoke. A voice she remembered from the tunnels beneath Oceala.
Are you searching for me? Do you want to find me?
Help! Trapped! Trapped!
I remember you, wild elf. I thought I’d killed you.
Help! The purple! Trapped in the purple stone!
Keep seeking. You’ll find me.
The manic laughter echoed off and away from her mind. She winced and shook her head.
“Did it happen again?” Sen asked.
“Yes, and it makes no sense just like the first two times,” she sighed.
“How is it doing this? I don’t hear it.”
Jade twirled some riverweed around her fork. “It seems to have telepathic abilities. Perhaps because you were not with us in Oceala, it doesn’t want to reach into your mind.”
Sen sniffed, smoke drifting from his nostrils. “Good.”
“I don’t understand what it’s trying to communicate,” Jade said. “One moment it’s taunting me, the next it’s pleading for help. It mentioned purple stone again.”
“What stones are purple?”
“Many. We don’t have any information to narrow it down at this point.”
“I wish we could travel faster, like I used to by ship. Walking takes too long. It feels like we’ll never track down Rehanine.”
A small smile touched Jade’s face. “Many years ago, before I lost my magic, I used to be able to fly with the wind.”
“I’ve seen you turn into elementals.”
“It was more than that,” she explained. “I would become wind, and soar over the mountains and the plains and through the trees. It was more than just taking on an elemental shape, it was becoming that element entirely. It was incredibly liberating. I would take Jasper with me. My druidic magic would envelope him, too, and we would soar together.”
A heavy frown hung on Sen’s lizard-like face. “Well, that sounds extremely convenient. Why don’t we do that now? You are strong.”
Jade laughed. “Well, it’s magic I learned while living in the Wilds with Jasper. It’s easier to be a druid there. I haven’t tried that magic since he died.”
“I didn’t know you lived in the Wilds. What was it like?” There was trepidation to his tone at mention of another plane.
Jade pet her fox’s red fur as she answered. “It was nothing like Glenpeleg. It was vibrant and full of life. A place where the influence of Tamer and Dusk was strong. The Wildar there have a deep connection to the natural world.”
“Hmmm. Well, if you feel like practicing soaring as wind, let me know. I prefer that to walking!”
“Perhaps I’ll do some meditation before bed. It’s been . . . hard to connect with the spirits of nature in this place. It’s so different than anything I’m familiar with.”
Sen offered a supportive smile. She knew spellcasting was nothing he was remotely familiar with, as evidenced by the large axe he carried with him. She liked that about him, though. He was grounding.
They ate for a moment in silence before Sen asked, “Do you miss our friends?”
“Yes . . . I do very much.” She thought of Brother Zok in his shining armor, Skar with his eccentric qualities, Artemis’ large appetite, and Unolé and Teshuva. She missed them all.
“Maybe we’ll make new friends down here,” Sen suggested.
She laughed. “Well, if we find Deep Hollowans that want to be friends with us, that will be special indeed.”
They filled the rest of their meal with memories of all their adventures together. Of sailing down the coast on Sen’s Scarlet Maiden. Of seeking out Fenvell of the Foresight to avenge a murder. Of encounters with the old spellcaster Sen had called Jenkins. And of the last time they’d all been together, saving An’Ock from a doppelgänger invasion. They reminisced about all the good times and not the bad.
When the meal was done and Sen prepared the camp for sleeping, Jade took time to meditate. With Foxy asleep in her lap, she crossed her legs and closed her eyes. She stretched her awareness outward, searching for the spirits of all the living nature around her.
It was strange. Like waking up in a tavern and being slightly disoriented with the world. Everything was there that she was familiar with, it just wasn’t the way she was used to. She felt life stirring in the strange seaweed-like plants. She felt vibrations from the rocks around, and the hum of energy that permeated the Deep Hollows.
If I can get in touch with this natural energy, then I can harness it. Learn from it. Connect with it. Use it to protect and help us.
And so Jade spent a long time meditating and building that connection before she at last needed to sleep.
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