From the very first instant, I knew it was him. He didn’t look remarkable in any way, but I knew. He was still too young though, so I decided to settle in the village to watch over him. Whatever he would become, whenever he would have his first Manifestation, I would be there to guide him.

All things considered, Samos slowly began to realize Dadendam felt very much like any other place he’d been to if you ignored the constant heat and flows of power swirling around in every nook and cranny. The crowded streets were alive with the sound of any typical city, vendors promoting wares and haggling with their customers, people yelling trying to be heard, street performers awing the children that had stopped to gaze at them…

The only difference was that they were about two thousand feet above the actual ground while doing it. Even so, he had grown accustomed to the idea of being this high up. Truly, the city in itself was a miracle he had never thought to see let alone live in, but not even a week had passed and already he thought it normal.

“What about this one?”

Yara’s voice intruded in his thoughts and he turned to look at her. She was holding up a pair of greyed-out trousers, eyeing it from every directions and feeling the fabric.

“As long as it feels it comfortable to wear and move in,” he answered, “its fine.”

She rolled her eyes at him and gave an exaggerated sigh. They had been going through the evening markets for the better part of an hour now. Yara had insisted she’d pick out her own clothes to begin Enhancement training tomorrow and Samos, much as he was beginning to regret, had promised to go with her and help her decide.

“How much do I owe you?” she asked the vendor, who looked at her in shock and held out his hands.

“No pay for the Sooarom,” he told her in a broken accent. “Honour mine.”

For a brief moment, Yara only looked at the vendor before accepting the gift with a quiet word of thanks. As she turned to walk away, Samos couldn’t help but notice the solemn expression on her face. The way back to the Conclave was a silent one.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“What? Oh… Yeah, I’m fine.” She didn’t sound convinced. “It’s just… did you see the way that man looked at me? As if I was some sort of deity…”

“It’s not every day you get to sell your wares to a Son’Sha,” Samos answered. “I once saw an innkeeper in Cragfort give away three barrels of ale to a group of Enhancers who happened to pass by his inn. I heard he had full occupancy for weeks after that.”

“So I’m some kind of achievement they can pride themselves on?”

“What? No! All I’m saying is people think, they know, you’re something special even if they don’t know the full truth. That man will probably be telling his grandchildren of the day he sold a pair of trousers to a Son’Sha.”

Her shoulders slumped a bit. “I guess you’re right. I’ll have to grow accustomed to the idea of people regarding me as something different.”

“We’ll all have to,” he answered. “You, me, Eder and Faye. When we see Ralph again, we can ask him how he deals with it. For now, let’s just focus on training.”

Some minutes later they were back at the Conclave, Yara leaving for her room and Samos heading towards the library built on the second floor. Part of their training with Ralph aboard the Windweaver and in Sandos had been going over historical records, learning and remembering what the past had taught them. It had not been the most exciting part of training, but Samos felt like he owed it to Ralph to continue reading and learning whatever he could find.

The library itself took up nearly the entire northern wing of the second floor, bookshelves lined up in a straight pattern, the corridors in between them just wide enough for two people to pass one another. On several levels, walkways were constructed allowing access to the higher shelves. In the midst of it all was an open space where cushions, chairs and benches were placed for people to read. Above it a giant glowing orb floated, emitting a soft glow just strong enough to read by and yet not blind you while you did it. Other smaller orbs of light were scattered around the library, but none as large as the central one.

Going about at random, Samos picked a corridor and went up one of the spiralling staircases. As he walked across the walkway, he let his fingers slide across the books that were neatly stored away. Some felt old, his fingers leaving trails through the dust that had settled. Others were cleaner, whether they were used a lot or were just new, he couldn’t tell. As old as the books might be, they all looked well-kept and without the typical strains older books might have.

The reason for that, the librarian had told him earlier, was that every single one of them was made using makran wood. They would stand the test of time, only showing the first signs of degradation after the first couple of centuries.

He stopped without thinking and picked out the book his finger happened to stop on. He took it from the shelf. A Year with the Thines, the title read, A Study by Valan, Dovra’Sha of Eresath.

“Thines…” he whispered to himself. Ralph had briefly mentioned them once without much explanation, little creatures that lived in the wild where makran trees grew. His interest peaked, he took the book with him to the centre of the library and found himself a comfortable cushion to sit on.

It has been some thirty years since the creatures we refer to as Thines were first discovered and it amazes me how little we actual know of them. What amazes me even more is that nobody really seems to care an awful lot about them. Who can tell what secrets to the power they hold? What can we learn from them? Where did they come from? I have decided to make it my life’s goal to integrate into their culture and learn of their ways in the hopes of discovering what may lay hidden beneath the sheets of our own ignorance.

3rd of Saimir, year 135

Today marks the end of my search and the beginning of my study. With the aid from the Woodwalkers of Sidang I have finally reached their homestead, a giant makran tree in the middle of the Asatori Woods. Reportedly, there should be living Thines in Arlan Forests as well, but I believe the significance the Asatori Woods have concerning the first use of the Talents should not be overlooked. There might be a connection between the two and I will not take the chance to overlook it.

The Woodwalkers warned me the Thines are not to be underestimated. They might be small and innocent looking, but I am told nearly all of them have one or more Talents that they can use more than effectively. As if I didn’t have enough reasons yet to make this study.

4th of Saimir, year 135

The creatures were surprisingly welcoming to my appearance. I would sketch them if I had any skill for drawing, but seeing as I do not I will do my best to describe them. They are best to be compared to a young tree, not higher than your waist that has the ability to walk and even appears to have limbs. Some of them walk on two legs, or branches I should say, while others have three or even four. The same goes for their arms. Their faces are probably the strangest. Where eyes should be, the wood has swirled around on itself forming hollow casts. I can see a faint glow in those casts, but nothing that even remotely resembles actual eyes. Still, they can see me. They have mouths as well, a tiny crack underneath their eyes. The sound they produce is raw and not entirely human, but there seems to be some kind of grammatical sense to what they are saying.

The makran tree they live in is truly a wonder of this world. The reports I’ve read about them don’t do them justice in the slightest. It stands higher and wider than I could ever have imagined, it’s canopy large enough to put an entire village in the shade. The Thines have made it their home by hollowing out walkways and small rooms, leading all the way up to the top of the tree. I’d climb to the top myself, but they are not exactly human-sized.

What I can climb are the staircases that spiral around the trunk and extend to the lower outer branches. I had my doubts at first if they would support my weight, but the wood was stronger than I had first anticipated. There was no particular use to these outer walkways that I could see, my first assumption is that the Thines simply enjoy sitting here.

What amazes me most are the seals they use for lighting. Small glowing orbs are scattered around the walkways and light the tree at night, but not once have I seen them replace the seals. These light shine constantly. Are these seals that don’t die out? I’d have thought it impossible.

7th of Saimir, year 135

I’ve begun to try and communicate with the Thines in a more conversational matter. Up until now, all we’ve been doing is gesturing and hoping we would be understood, but I feel like a decent form of communication will be crucial for my investigations.

I’ve noticed as well that these creatures don’t seem to eat at all. They offer me fruit and meat, I’m struggling to visualize them hunting, but they keep nothing for themselves. In a way it makes sense I suppose, it’s not as if trees eat.

9th of Saimir, year 135

My attempts at establishing communication is beginning to pay off. They have trouble pronouncing actual words, but there is something. Slapping my chest repeatedly while saying my name with every slap seemed to have gotten the point across. What seemed to be their leader mimicked my gestures and croaked out ‘Gharagam’. Once I repeated the word, he put his …finger on my chest and said ‘Vgalang’. Close enough I suppose.

One by one, the Thines introduced themselves to me, all with different variations of the Gharagam’s name. It was then the Woodwalkers, who were now sure I would be fine, left.

14th of Saimir, year 135

I suspect they already knew somehow, but today I showed the Thines my Talents of Sealing and Wiser. Not that there was much to show about Wiser, but I think they understood. Before I knew what was happening, all of the Thines present held up their hands and brought a small glowing orb to life. They were all Sealers. I was and still am dumbfounded.

The sound of someone running disturbed Samos’ concentration. Second later, Eder arrived with a worried expression.

“Finally, I’ve been looking all over for you. Come on!”

“What is it?” Samos inquired as he marked the page in the book and stood up.

“The Conclave has convened a meeting,” Eder answered hastily. “There’s news from Eresath.” He paused for a second. “And it doesn’t appear to be good.”