With a loud click and a final shudder, the platform latched onto the top level and came to a rest. I’d been so focused on watching him as we ascended I took in the treetop settlement for the first time.
Things were even more lavish and intricate up close. A wide walkway of carved wood surrounded a huge central tree trunk and spread out into multiple “spokes” like a wheel. Flickering lights shone at intervals, and upon closer inspection, I realized they were bottled fireflies, brighter than I’d ever seen them.
From this vantage point, I could see how the treehouses were meticulously connected to each other and the platform we stood on. Rope bridges and ladders crisscrossed the treetops, making the whole thing resemble an intricate spider web more than a settlement.
The smell of wood and earth andlifecovered everything, and even in the darkness the area thrived with a heartbeat all its own.
"We're here." Krom stepped off the lift and held his hand out to me again. "Careful now."
This time, I didn't let my pride get the best of me. I took his hand and stepped onto the swaying walkway. My weak ankle tried to give, but Krom's iron grip held me steady. "You see that?" He pointed ahead, toward the massive husk of the central trunk, the center of the settlement through which all other paths lead.
"Yeah?"
"That's where you'll be staying."
I couldn't hold back a gasp any longer. It was clearly the largest and most resplendent structure I'd seen so far, built directly into the tree itself. The orcs had molded and shaped nature to their will, yes, but in a symbiotic way -- one that respected the forest and benefited from it in turn.
"The palace?" I breathed. I didn't even know orcs had palaces. Hell, I didn't even know they still had kings, either. Turns out all the old stories and legends didn't have the full story, did they?
Krom huffed with impatience and yanked me along. If I made it to our destination without a dislocated shoulder it was gonna be a miracle. "Yes, the palace. That's what King Agonak asked for, specifically."
"I--"
"And no, I don't know why," Krom added in a flat voice. "I'm just following orders."
We passed the rest of the way in silence, and as we stood before the massive oaken door of the Orc King's palace, I let out a shaky breath. So much had changed in such little time, and if I was going to survive this, I needed to learn fast.
The door had no visible handle or latch that I could see. It loomed above us, a monolithic slab of ancient wood carved from the very tree itself. A long, ornate scroll of engraved runes stretched around the frame, and in the dim twilight I could have sworn they glowed.
"Protection sigils," Krom muttered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He reached into his shirt and pulled out an ornate metal key strung on a leather strap. "You might want to stand back."
I did, but I didn't take my eyes off him. Krom braced one hand on the frame and touched the key to the door. It seemed to bend to his touch, its surface rippling like water. The runes actually did light up this time, magic spreading in splintered cracks across the weathered wood until --
Creeeeak.
The door to the Orc King's palace swung open, and Krom pushed me into the waiting darkness.