Heartwood

HEARTWOOD

Book One in the Heartwood Series

By Nance Newman

Heartwood

Copyright 2018 by Nance Newman

Edited by Heather Flournoy

Cover Design: Pixel Studios

First Printing-November 2018

NTL Publishing

ISBN: 9781729076859

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgements

To you…the reader, thank-you for taking the time to read my story. I love to write and bring my ideas to life on the written page. I hope you enjoy it.

To De and Marsha for all your love and support, for the impromptu trip to the Adirondacks to research a ghost town and for the brick to keep Heartwood alive! Thank you for being the truest and wonderful friends anyone could have.

Heartwood

Prologue

Ela!

The five-year-old stood just inside the edge of the woods wondering why her parents couldn’t see her. She hadn’t wandered far from their campsite. The child was fascinated by a butterfly painted in bold colors darting from one bush to the next. She zealously chased the insect as it fluttered up and down and sideways but all the while heading straight toward the woods that lined the back of campsite 222.

Ela was oblivious to the shouts, cries, and commotion that took place thirty feet from her. Her world at that moment was swallowed up by the intriguing creature that led her away from her parents and their thirty-foot fifth-wheel camper. She giggled with glee as she zigzagged in the path the butterfly took, her hands reaching out to touch its delicate wings.

What’s wrong? a man called out.

Ela’s missing! a woman shouted.

Ela stopped at the agonizing sound of her mother. She turned away from her playful pursuit. What was wrong? She could see them. They had to see her. She cocked her head and studied her mother who looked scared and was crying. Her mother was talking at such a fast pace Ela couldn’t understand what she was saying.

Elathea! Her mother was staring straight at her but it was as if she was invisible.

Ela heard her full name and the panic in her mother’s voice. That’s when she took two steps out of the woods and toward her parents and the camper.

Ela! her mother screamed and raced to the little girl. She picked her up and hugged her so tight she thought her mother was going to squish the life out of her. Where were you? How many times have we told you to never wander off? You should never leave our view.

Mama, I was right here.

Ela felt hands touch her. Her father’s. She was finally able to pull away from her mother’s tight grasp and noticed strangers standing around.

Thank you. Thank you very much for helping us. Her mother’s voice sounded shaky.

Ela was confused. What did they help her mother with? What was all the fuss about?

Mama, why couldn’t you see me? I was right over there. She pointed to the spot where she was standing just inside the woods.

Her mother looked at her father.

I didn’t see her, he said adamantly. I looked over there.

She touched his arm. I know you did. I didn’t see her either. Her mother smiled at Ela and then added in a whisper, She doesn’t want to get in trouble for wandering off.

Ela looked back and forth between her mother and father. It was the first time she sensed that something wasn’t right, but it wasn’t a bad something. Well, maybe a little because her parents were upset that she was missing. But she wasn’t, so Ela did the only thing a five-year-old could do: she promised her parents she would never wander off again.

It was a promise she knew even at the tender age of five that she would not be able to keep.

How can you keep a promise that was made because of something you didn’t do?

Chapter One

He’s out there. I can feel him. The mountain breeze that moved in and out of the valleys was playing with Alisandra’s long, gingham skirt making it billow around her legs. Her head was tilted back so she could feel the warmth of the early summer sun on her face.

Is he close?

I hope not. We’re not ready. Clean, windswept air and warm sun rays weren’t the only things she was feeling. Swirling in the mountain breezes, she felt and smelled the skeletal threads of evil trying to get a foothold. Pockets of foul heat, like rotting food in an outdoor closed garbage can baking in the summer heat intercepted the soft temperate lines that stretched from the sun to the earth. It was beginning.

Tavon looked up at the sky. So what do we do?

She turned to face him; her long blond hair pulled back in a single braid extending the length of her back. We need to explore the mountains. I don’t know which one is coming, what destruction will take place, but something is happening, and we have to find out what. She turned again to look out into the woods that surrounded Heartwood. And we need to know as much as we can before she comes.

You really believe there finally is one, that she’s out there somewhere? It’s just been so long.

One hundred twenty-three years to be exact. She sighed.

Like I said, it’s been a long time.

She laughed—the sound was light and delicate. Can you be ready in an hour?

***

His purpose was destruction—destruction that would slowly lead to the end of life. He was created for death and dying, and he took pleasure in decimating all living objects. Each time, it made him stronger, giving him power to be more effective in his obliteration of everything in the natural world.

He stepped up to a White Pine at the bottom of the mountain and studied it. This forest was full of pines, green and supple, flourishing with life from the needles to the birds that nested upon them. And the smell…the stench of pine trees was the worst. It boiled the hate within him like a pot of hot water scalding with rage as it goes beyond one hundred degrees Celsius. He had to release the crazed fury that consumed him when he walked into a vibrant, living forest. He needed to destroy, because destruction made him feel calm.

He placed the palm of his hand against a tree trunk and threw his head back. A low growl escaped his lips and slowly morphed into a high-pitched, maniacal scream. Where his hand connected to the tree the bark turned black, and the sickness spread like chocolate powder put into a warm glass of milk consuming every white particle, morphing it to dark, brown liquid.

His gaze scaled the tree, inspecting every leaf as it shriveled and died and every branch that took the appearance of charred wood from a blistering, hot bonfire. He pressed his second palm to the tree below his other hand and took a deep breath. This time, the sound that emerged from his throat was deep and menacing. He watched as the dirt the tree was rooted in disintegrated into dead, gray powder. An evil smile of satisfaction spread across his lips.

He felt so good, releasing himself of the festering, loathing emotions. Soon he would be able to destroy whole sections of forests, not just a single tree. He knew when that time came, nothing and no one—not even the female species bred to protect the very thing he sought to abolish—would be able to stop him.

When he was satisfied, he pulled his hands away and stumbled backward. He was tired. His labors always drained him, but the energy it took from him to execute his evil was becoming less and less. He didn’t have to rest for days anymore; now only a few hours was all he needed to become revitalized.

He sat down satisfied with his work. In a short time he would attempt it again. The thin smile that formed on his lips was not one that is the result of love and happiness, but more a sneer that comes from the deepest, darkest evil in a black soul. Maybe, just maybe, in his pursuit of eradication, he might be able to pick off one of those female progenies along the way.

***

Heartwood was ten miles out from the high peak Mt. Marcy. Part of the trail ran along Opalescent River getting its name from the sun shining on the river bed rocks creating sparkles of light. Alisandra bent down and studied the water, scooping some of the crystal, cold liquid into her hand, and then tasted it.

Everything is good here. Fill the canteens. We’ll be out a while longer.

Tavon did as she instructed watching her every movement while he filled the bottles. It was his job to protect her—to make sure she was able to perform her duties without any…interruptions. When he finished, he stuffed them back into his daypack and picked up his staff.

You look like an old man using that stick to walk with. There was a hint of banter in her eyes.

And I never leave home without it.

Sometime, maybe you can give me a few lessons with it. I’ve been feeling a few aches and pains and might just need to resort to one of those. She glanced back at him with a mischievous smile.

Really. I’ve been with you a long time and you’ve never needed any assistance to get around. Are you finally admitting your age?

We’re all growing old you know, but… she pointed off the trail, I was thinking more for the other way you use that thing.

Since when did you become interested in the physical fight?

It’s the one thing you’re better at than me, she chuckled.

And I’d like to keep it that way. I have to have some bragging rights.

You do, my young Tavon. You do.

He followed her off the trail to the place her eyes were fixed upon. In a section of beautiful white pines surround by lush fauna, was one very dead tree, barely standing. She approached it with probing caution studying the blackened bark and the grayish colored dirt surrounding its base. Urxehl, she blew out in a whisper as she circled the rotted trunk.

This isn’t good.

No, it’s not.

Any idea how long before he’ll be at full strength?

I don’t know. This is one tree. She surveyed the woods surrounding them. I don’t see any others.

What if we find more?

If we only find single dead trees, he’s just at the beginning of building his strength. But if we find areas where there are many dead trees, then… Her eyes scrutinized the health of the forest around them. We will need her sooner than she’ll be ready.

Do you know where she is? Who she is?

The demon’s destruction wasn’t the only reason I brought Heartwood to the Adirondack Mountains.

She’s here? He looked at her in surprise. She had never kept things from him before.

I wasn’t sure until a few days ago. She’s not in the Adirondacks, but she’s close enough. I can only hope her parents will realize who she is in time to bring her to me. I would rather they come to me by choice than to show up on their doorstep and whisk their daughter away.

He didn’t have to ask why they couldn’t just go get her. He knew why. It would be hard enough when the teenage girl learned of who she was. The last thing her parents would want to do would be to give up their young daughter even though they would know the reason why.

Chapter Two

Ela stood in a familiar place. She remembered this spot. She was here once before when she was only five years old. Now, her family was celebrating her sixteenth birthday with a camping trip to one of her favorite campgrounds at Sampson State Park. They drove their brand new thirty-six-foot fifth-wheel trailer to site number 222 and proceeded to set it up.

She was excited to be here. They’d picked up their new camper the week before, and this time they’d bought one with a small back room and a half bath to give Ela her own space. Her mother said since she was growing up so fast and becoming a woman, she deserved to have a little privacy.

After she helped her parents set up the camper, she pulled out a chair and placed it on the lawn where she had a premium view of Seneca Lake in front of her and the woods that lined this end of the camping loop off to the side. She grabbed her book, a bottle of water, and was looking forward to a quiet and warm afternoon. She still loved the feel of a book in her hands. She had a tablet, but used it mostly to play games.

She opened her book to the dog-eared page marking the spot where she’d left off the night before. She started to read, but seconds after she had a strong urge to tear her eyes away from the written page and look to the trees. She was drawn to the woods. The need to be in the forest was so strong that she felt it pull her to her feet, and before she knew it she was walking over to where the grass ended and the forest began.

She stood, still not knowing why she had to walk over there or what to do next. Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes tight as memories flooded her brain, producing a pain that felt as if the thoughts were taking up too much room and her brain might burst.

Don’t wander too far. Stay on the site, on the grass, she heard inside her head. It was a warning her parents gave her every time they went camping, which was every weekend as soon as the parks and campsites opened for the season.

Elathea, don’t wander off, her mother called to her, blending the memories into reality. She rolled her eyes. How many times would she hear that this weekend? Would they ever give it a rest? She was a young adult and they still treated her like she was five. Her parents only called her by her full name when she was being scolded.

I won’t, she answered, agitated, then she mumbled under her breath, I think I’m old enough to wander off if I want to. She took one step into the woods, then another, and waited.

A few minutes later, she heard her mother call out. Ela? Ela, where are you? She could hear and feel the anxiety in her mother’s voice.

She turned and faced the campsite. Her mother was staring directly at her, a look of panic on her face. Ela cocked her head in curiosity. She didn’t call out to her mother. Her mother had to see her. She was standing right in front of her. Was her mother playing a game? She watched as her mother spun in a deliberate half-circle. Ela took two steps out of the woods and onto the grass that designated the lot belonging to campsite 222.

Her mother started to leave in a hurry, but something seemed to stop her and she turned slowly in her daughter’s direction. She stared at Ela, a slight smile teasing her lips, and then in an instant, her mother’s demeanor changed.

I asked you not to wander off, her mother said sternly. Something was off. Her mother had a blank stare on her face.

I didn’t. I was right here, she protested. Making a face, Ela turned and took the same two steps back into the woods. She stomped back around to face her mother knowing she was in plain sight. She hadn’t reached the first tree. There were only bushes, tall grass, and brush in front of her, none higher than her waist. See? I’m right here. Okay? Is that close enough for you? Her voice growled with teenage attitude.

The skin on her mother’s face became bleached white as her eyes closed and she fell to the ground. Ela ran out of the woods and knelt down next to her mother, calling for her father.

Daddy! Daddy, help! She brushed her mother’s hair to the side. I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean it. She looked up and called to her father again.

He came around the trailer and spotted his wife on the ground. He ran to her, but by the time he got there, her eyes were open and Ela was helping her sit up.

What happened? he asked his daughter, concern exuding from both his facial expression and his words. She returned his look with one filled with the same fear and confusion.

Ela’s mother put a hand on her husband’s arm. I’m okay, Joe. I think I fainted.

Joseph Barrus looked at his wife. Once again, he glanced at his daughter, then turned his head and stared at the tall trees looming over their campsite. All the while, her mother watched her father’s face.

Ela looked from her mom to her dad. Why weren’t they saying anything? Why was her dad looking at the trees? Her mother could be sick. She fainted. Ela started to say something, but her dad cut her off.

Come on Nat, let’s get you inside. Ela, help me get her up. They each grabbed an upper arm and lifted Nat to her feet. She steadied herself and gently shook loose from her husband and daughter’s grip.

I’m okay. Really. I just fainted. I think it’s the heat. Let’s go inside and I’ll make some lemonade.

They walked to the picnic table set strategically on an outdoor rug under their awning. Ela’s mother sat down and motioned to her husband to join her.

Ela, honey, would you make the lemonade? I think I need to sit a minute.

Are you okay, Mom?

Yes, honey. I’m fine. Why don’t you get me a bottle of water and then make the lemonade? I just need to cool down.

Then you should come inside and we can turn the air on, Ela insisted.

Her father stared hard at his wife. Ela, get your mother some water, please.

Hurt by her father’s sternness but knowing she was just given an order, she got three bottles of water out of the cooler they kept under the trailer. She handed one to her mother and father. She took a sip out of the third one.

Thank you, honey. Her father’s voice softened. Now please go inside and make the lemonade. Ela didn’t move. Your mother will be fine. I’ll make sure of that.

Reluctantly, she went into the camper and closed the door behind her.

***

Her parents could hear the air conditioning click on. Her father opened his bottle of water and drank half of it.

He took his wife’s hands in his. What is it, Nat? What happened?

Her eyes watered and she looked away. After a few moments, she looked back at her husband. Do you remember the time we lost her at this exact campsite when she was five years old?

Yes, but you told me she was hidden by the bushes and that we had nothing to worry about.

"I told you that because I wanted to believe it. That’s why I never booked this campsite again. But it’s been eleven years. Eleven. I thought we would be okay, but just in case, I watched her. I watched her for the next eleven years and I saw nothing. So, when I asked Ela which site she wanted for her birthday weekend at Sampson and she chose this one, I didn’t think twice about it."

She looked away again and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Through tears, she struggled to talk. Then it happened again today—in the same place as before. Only this time, she was too big, too tall to be hidden by the bushes. She was standing in plain sight and I couldn’t see her. She choked the words out.

No, please, Joseph pleaded.

I’m sorry, but it is happening.

***

Ela exited the camper with a pitcher of lemonade and a stack of plastic cups.

Is the water helping? Do you feel any better? her father asked his wife.

Ela noticed her mother’s bottle still capped and full of water, but the cap on her father’s bottle was off and it was half empty. They probably only opened the one bottle. Her parents were avid recyclers and didn’t like to waste anything, almost to an OCD level.

She set the lemonade pitcher on the table and poured three glasses. She took her cup and eased herself down on the bench opposite her parents.

Are you sure you’re okay, Mom? She handed her mother one of the filled plastic cups.

A smile that said, Don’t worry, dear, I’m fine, spread across her mother’s lips. She accepted the lemonade from her daughter and took a long, slow drink of the processed liquid.

I’m sorry it’s not real lemons. I couldn’t find them.

That’s okay, honey. There aren’t any. I forgot to buy them. Her mother took another sip from the bright red cup. This tastes really good. It hits the spot. I feel much better. Naturna sat up straight and took a deep breath. How about we get a campfire going for dinner? I planned hamburgers for tonight.

I’ll get some kindling. Ela jumped up from the picnic table, but before she could take her first step, her father stopped her.

I’ll get the kindling. Help your mom till I get back and then you can start the fire.

I can? Most times her dad didn’t allow her to start a fire. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, she just knew he was a pyro in hiding. Her dad loved to start the campfires and tend to them, so giving this activity up to her was an opportunity she wasn’t going to miss.

Sure, Dad. Thanks. She turned to her mom. What do you need me to do?

How about you go inside and get started on making the hamburger patties?

Without a word, Ela did as she was told, but as she entered the camper, she knew something was off, something wasn’t right with her parents. It wasn’t so hot out that her mother should have fainted. Her dad’s emotions were up and down, but that could have been