The World tree woke him before dawn with something that wasn't quite alarm but rather an edge of nervousness, the first time in a long time it had done something like that.
Chris was slightly groggy but quickly became aware and honed in on what it was trying to bring to his attention. Another side effect of his 'gift' was that his awareness went into the network first while his body caught up later. The feel of every plant in the village had become something like a second heartbeat that had become so familiar as of late he sometimes forgot it wasn't his own. It was far more focused and somewhat faster this time, letting him know the outer edges of the network were prickling with something they hadn't felt in a bit over a week, and it took him a moment to place it.
Dozens of footsteps and even hooves. Focusing more intently, he found they were moving in formation across the Barrens from the north towards them.
He was on his feet and pushing through the door into the grey half-light before dawn the moment his body was fully awake. The mist had already pressed out and thickened outside the walls, thicker than it had been even a few days ago. The cloud tree had pushed it further out during the night, extending the bank of white and thickening it even further into a dense fog thirty feet from his village before it slowly thinned, but it was still more than enough as a defensive measure.
The plants were already reacting and preparing. The Ents along the walls had shifted their posture; their branches no longer swaying idly but held rigid and straight, ready to swing down and fight. The various kinds of thorn vines and bushes had tightened their coils along the approaches and gotten ready to react, while the steady increasing and blooming scream flowers were pulsing in that low, constant rhythm they used when something was nearby but hadn't crossed into their territory yet, clearly waiting to let loose their screams at whatever came too close. Even the strangle vines had surfaced from wherever they'd been resting; their numerous offshoots already having their needle-flowers tracking the same northern direction everything else was focused on.
Sera was already at the gate. Her sword drawn but held in a relaxed grip, which Chris took as a good sign because it meant she was ready to react but still made sure she wouldn't be seen as an aggressor. It showed him she was choosing to wait and see.
"How long have they been moving?" she asked, coming to stand beside him.
"The Rootmind picked them up about two hours ago. They've been moving at a steady pace that slowed since they hit the mist," he told her before pausing. "They stopped about twenty minutes ago to setting up camp according to the world tree; it managed to have a root listen in before pulling away. It's a forward point they want to come from or retreat to. It seems like they plan to stay for a while, as they have quite a bit of resources brought with them. It's just past the northern ridge where the cloud tree's visibility ends; it seems they're trying to keep out of the mist, which is smart."
She nodded slowly. It meant whoever was leading them knew enough to be cautious, and that was either very smart or very worrying, as it meant they were competent.
Korr appeared from somewhere. Chris had stopped trying to track how the demon moved around the village ages ago. He came over from the upper wall to stand next to them, his red eyes narrowed toward the north. He didn't say anything for a while, instead just watching, and Chris let him because Korr was the only one among them who'd actually commanded soldiers. His assessment was worth more than anyone else's; Sera would take orders and even admitted she had little skill in leading, going so far as to begrudgingly admit Korr was a master at it.
"Fifty, maybe fifty-five," Korr said eventually. "I scouted and spotted their advance earlier, but it's hard to tell the exact number through the mist. The movement patterns are disciplined with a column formation. I believe I even noticed some supply wagons in the rear. They know how to march, boy, which means these aren't militia or a large bandit force like you've had to deal with previously."
"Mages?" he heard Sera ask, making him frown.
"Can't say for certain, but the spacing suggests they're protecting something in the center of the column, and that's usually where mages ride," Korr answered.
Chris felt something cold settle in his stomach. Fifty soldiers and possibly mages mixed in. This wasn't a patrol or a scouting party; this was a full force, one built to send a message. Forces like that don't just march into the Barrens to have a polite conversation.
The morning continued slow as the grey fed into a light blue sky and sharp sun that was easily visible through the thick mist. It was then that they slowly came into view.
They approached as a small group of five riders moving out from the camp and toward the village through the mist. Chris noted with mixed feelings that they had left the main force behind. It meant they had a possible plan and weren't attacking blindly; rather, whoever was leading them wanted to talk first, and talking was, according to Sera, how Empires started things they intended to finish with force should they not get an answer they liked.
The riders stopped at the edge of his village; the mist had thinned at his orders, which allowed Chris to get his first real look at them. Four of the soldiers were in what Sera whispered was Imperial armor: polished breastplates and red cloaks that were meant to look impressive rather than be practical, which made him think they were medieval cosplayers. And in the center, one figure in slightly better armor with a white plume on his helmet as if he were a Roman of old, was the knight who led the expedition.
It took a lot for Chris not to laugh. He knew it was a serious moment, but they clearly wanted to look more impressive than they were. The armor was flashy, but their arms were exposed along with their legs; he could easily order a gympie vine to incapacitate them, a thorn vine to cut them up.
He took a moment to shake away such thoughts, realizing after a moment it was the Voice amplifying some of his own thoughts. As he walked out to meet them, he added it to the list of things for the Rootmind to flag.
It was Sera who suggested they walk a bit out to meet with them, and Korr agreed with a grunt, muttering how 'the little girl finally used her brain' as it meant they wouldn't get a view of what the defenses were like and thus couldn't plan against them. Chris understood the logic even if every instinct he had was telling him to stay behind the walls where it was safe, but they couldn't look weak.
They couldn't hide behind his plants and wait for the Empire to decide what to do next after letting Lyra and her group in previously. If someone was going to come to his home and make demands, they were going to have to do it to his face, and he would tell them where to shove it if he didn't like it.
The thorn vines lying in wait parted slightly for them as they walked through the kill zone outside the entrance; even the world tree's roots coiled a bit further back with clear reluctance as the party of three walked into the open ground just past the kill zone. Sera had her sword sheathed now, but the way her hand rested on the hilt showed it was anything but casual. In a way, she said, the other party would easily notice. Korr stayed on the wall, his eyes locked on the outsiders, ready to relay a message through the plants to them should he notice anything amiss.
The lead knight met him halfway, having dismounted and walked over.
Up close, the man was younger than Chris expected, maybe late thirties, with a clean-shaven jaw and the kind of posture that came from years of training and very little actual fighting. His armor was well-maintained but showed no marks or decorations, something both Sera and Korr had told him to always look for. The lack of any told Chris everything he needed to know about this man's experience with real combat.
"Chris of the Barrens, I take it, the 'grower' according to rumors," the knight began. His voice was formal and carrying, clearly meant to be heard by the soldiers behind him as much as by Chris himself. "I am Sir Brennan of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, bearing writ and authority from the Emperor of Solaris himself. I am here on behalf of the Empire to formally assess this settlement and its —" his gaze flicked to the green sprawl behind Chris with something that might have been unease as the words caught for a moment, "— its current occupants."
Chris let the silence sit for a moment before responding, not for dramatic effect but because he genuinely needed the time to process the fact that the Empire had sent someone with enough authority to speak for the Emperor. That wasn't nothing, according to Sera, who whispered what he needed to know into his ear, explaining how the message was one that preceded either an alliance or a war.
"You can assess all you want from where you're standing," Chris said flatly. "The village isn't Imperial territory; it's considered a neutral zone no empire wanted, and I would prefer to keep it neutral. Also, I don't answer to 'writs', whatever the hell those are."
Something flickered across Brennan's face, too fast to read. One of the soldiers behind him shifted his weight in a way that suggested he was reaching for his blade before catching himself, as Brennan raised a hand to steady them without looking at them, which was probably the most commander-like thing Chris had seen so far.
"The Empire recognizes that this land falls outside its current borders," Brennan continued, and Chris noticed the careful way he used the word 'current'. "However, the Empire also has a responsibility to ensure that no uncontrolled power threatens the stability of the region. Your settlement has come to the attention of the Imperial court, and we are here to determine whether it poses a risk to Imperial interests."
"I thought that was the purpose of the last group you sent. But what if you decide it does pose a risk?"
"Then we will discuss terms of integration that benefit all parties involved to avoid extreme action."
'Terms of integration.' Chris had heard language like that before, back in history classes about nations that 'integrated' smaller ones by marching soldiers into their cities and calling it diplomacy, and taking control with an iron grip. The word was clean and neat and said nothing about what happened if you refused the terms being offered or how the 'integration' would actually happen.
"I'm not interested in integration," Chris said with little heat as he stared at him. His voice came out steadier than he felt, holding notes of firmness to it. "This village is mine. It was built from nothing in a place everyone else gave up on, and it's not for sale or surrender or however you want to dress your offer up. You're welcome to look around the outside here if that's really why you came, but the answer to whatever you're actually here to ask is a solid no that you can shove where the sun doesn't shine."
Brennan's jaw tightened at that, not entirely in anger, but rather like a man who'd rehearsed this conversation in his head and it wasn't going the way he'd planned. He glanced back toward the camp where his soldiers and mages no doubt were. The mist thinned for a moment to give him a clear sight of their camp, noticing it was closer than they thought. He could see three of what he assumed were mages in grey cloaks, standing in a loose triangle near the wagons, and then back at Chris as they discussed matters with some soldiers.
"I will be giving you a week to consider my offer," Brennan said with narrowed eyes and a formal tone holding a faint edge of threat to it. "One week to reconsider your position. After that, the Empire will proceed with whatever measures it deems necessary to secure the region. I would hope you aren't as idiotic as you look," he finished with a sneer.
He didn't wait for a response or bother to see Chris's reaction. Instead, he turned and mounted his horse before riding back toward the camp with his four soldiers falling in line behind him.
Chris watched them go, the mist curling in to fill the space where they'd stood, thickening once more as the Rootmind pulsed a faint warning but reassurance that they would hold. Sera looked at their camp with an expression that Chris couldn't quite read, and when he looked at her, she spoke with a tone that was quiet in a way that was worse than if she'd been angry.
"They're going to cause problems; we need to be ready for when they try to take this place from us."
he just nodded slowly as they walked back to the village. He didn't need to feel intent like she could to know they didn't come with good intentions and wouldn't accept his no as a valid answer. Rather, problems were on the horizon, and they needed to be ready for it.