For Merial, whose life had been spent primarily in the ordered environment of the University, the forest was both fascinating and slightly overwhelming. Her Sylarei senses detected patterns of energy and life that were far more complex and interconnected than anything she had experienced in more cultivated settings. It was like reading a text in a language she only partially understood - recognizable as communication but with many nuances and meanings just beyond her grasp.
Karel seemed similarly affected, his seven gifts making him unusually sensitive to the forest's energies. "It's so alive," he murmured at one point, his eyes wide with wonder. "Not just the individual plants and animals, but the whole. It's like a single organism, breathing and thinking and dreaming."
"The Naruun have always understood this," Ithor said, moving with the silent grace of one born to these woods. "It's why we form bonds with the Anirû — to connect more deeply with the forest's consciousness, to become part of its dreams rather than merely visitors passing through."
They made good progress through the morning, Ithor's knowledge of the forest allowing them to avoid the more challenging terrain and potential hazards. But as midday approached, he began to show signs of increasing tension — pausing more frequently to listen, changing their course subtly several times, his hand often going to the weapons at his belt.
"Something's wrong," he finally admitted when Karel questioned these behaviors. "The forest feels... off. Too quiet in some areas, too active in others. And Faaron is agitated, though I can't clearly understand why."
Merial had noticed it too, though she lacked the woodland experience to identify specific concerns. There was a discordance in the energy patterns she perceived, a disruption in the natural flow that suggested external interference.
"Could it be Nora's forces?" she asked, remembering Ithor's warning about unusual movement through the Great Forest.
"Possibly," Ithor conceded. "But this feels different. Less like human or even Verithil presence and more like..." He struggled to find the right words. "More like the forest itself is reacting to something. Withdrawing in some places, gathering in others."
Karel closed his eyes briefly, accessing his Verithil gift of energy perception. When he opened them again, his expression was troubled. "There's a Dead Zone ahead," he said with certainty. "Not directly in our path, but close. And it's... different from others I've sensed. More active, less stable."
This was concerning news. Dead Zones were dangerous enough when stationary and predictable. An active, unstable one could expand suddenly, trapping them within its influence where magic failed and life energy drained away.
"We should detour around it," Merial suggested, already calculating the delay this would add to their journey.
But Ithor was shaking his head, his expression resolute. "No. We need to see it. Understand what's happening. Dead Zones don't naturally occur deep in the Great Forest — the living energy here is too strong, too resistant to the Dome's instabilities. If one has formed, it's for a reason."
"Or by design," Karel added grimly, understanding the implication. "Nora mentioned that the Lady of Shadows has been collecting special Shyrr fragments — ones with blue energy patterns that contain directed communication from the First. What if they can also be used to create or manipulate Dead Zones?"
It was a disturbing possibility, suggesting a level of control over Dome anomalies that went beyond anything described in the ancient texts Merial had studied. "If that's true, they could potentially create weaknesses in the Dome's structure at specific locations," she said, thinking through the implications. "Including, perhaps, at Mount Veridia."
"All the more reason to investigate this one," Ithor insisted. "We need to understand what we're facing."
After a brief discussion, they agreed to approach the Dead Zone cautiously, gathering information without exposing themselves to unnecessary risk. Ithor led them on a circuitous route that would bring them to a vantage point overlooking the anomaly while maintaining a safe distance.
As they drew closer, the forest's disruption became more pronounced. Vegetation withered and grayed, animal life disappeared, and the natural sounds of the woods gave way to an eerie silence broken only by the occasional creak of dying trees. The air itself seemed thinner, harder to breathe, carrying a metallic taste that made Merial's tongue tingle unpleasantly.
Finally, they reached a ridge that offered a view of what had once been a small clearing in the forest but was now the center of a Dead Zone unlike any Merial had previously encountered or read about. Instead of the usual gray circle of nothingness, this anomaly pulsed with visible energy — waves of distortion that rippled outward from a central point where something glowed with an unnatural blue light.
"A fragment," Ithor whispered, recognition and anger mingling in his voice. "Like the one Nora used on me three years ago. But larger, more powerful."
Karel nodded, his Verithil perception allowing him to see details invisible to normal sight. "It's been deliberately placed and activated," he confirmed. "This isn't a natural Dead Zone — it's a constructed one."
Merial focused her own unique perception on the anomaly, studying the corrupted runic patterns that swirled around and through it. What she saw confirmed their suspicions but added a new layer of concern. "It's not just creating a Dead Zone," she said slowly, interpreting the patterns as they formed and dissolved. "It's... communicating. Sending a signal."
"To whom?" Karel asked, though his expression suggested he already suspected the answer.
"To the First," Merial replied, the patterns becoming clearer as she focused on them. "And to others like it elsewhere in Inhevaen. It's part of a network, a coordinated system of artificial Dead Zones."
Ithor's expression darkened. "The Lady of Shadows is creating her own map of weaknesses in the Dome," he concluded. "Bypassing the natural cycle, forcing contact points where none should exist."
"But why here?" Karel wondered, surveying the unremarkable clearing that now hosted the artificial Dead Zone. "What's significant about this location?"
Before either Merial or Ithor could offer theories, a new sound reached them — voices, approaching from the far side of the clearing. Human voices, speaking in low, urgent tones.
Ithor signaled for silence, then led them to a more concealed position where they could observe without being detected. Minutes later, a group of five individuals entered the clearing from the opposite side — three humans, a Zhyren, and a Sangor, all wearing similar dark clothing marked with a subtle symbol that Merial couldn't quite make out from this distance.
"The Lady's agents," Ithor whispered, his hand moving to his knife. "I recognize the symbol on their clothing — the same one worn by the traffickers who killed Faaron."
The group approached the pulsing blue fragment at the center of the Dead Zone with practiced caution, using tools and protective gear that suggested they were experienced in handling such dangerous objects. They appeared to be taking measurements, recording observations, making adjustments to whatever mechanism controlled the fragment's output.
"They're monitoring it," Merial realized, watching their methodical movements. "Checking its stability and effectiveness."
"And they'll likely move on to check others in the network," Karel added. "Which means there must be a pattern, a purpose to the placement of these artificial Dead Zones."
As they watched, the group completed their work and began to pack up their equipment. But instead of departing the way they had come, they moved to the edge of the clearing and began uncovering what appeared to be a hidden cache of supplies — weapons, more equipment, and what looked disturbingly like explosive devices.