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All Chapters of Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
24 chapters
Prologue: The Story Begins
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
Over five hundred years after the creation of Xyntriav, three emperors had built their dominions on the west of the continent Noelle and expanded them across the oceans to the continents Platavan and Kallak. For fifteen years they had successfully held their alliance as the United Empires, but as those years passed, it became increasingly difficult to keep it in one piece. Once they had encountered their fifth collective political issue, they were unable to conclude the affair. Desperate to come to an accord, they involved the subjects of their empires. Now, on Malla 23, 467 (April 5), it was time to announce the result of the poll to the emperors themselves.The meeting took place in a dark stone forum a few miles away from the coast in the town of Helvetica, the capitol of the Noelle Empire. Located in the very center of the capitol, the forum was supported by obsidian pillars a
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Chapter One: Fate's Chosen
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
It was now Miseria 5, 470 (October 23) and the Stone War was far from over. The Bonn and Noelle empires quickly learned that Emperor Mentir had prepared for this fight without their knowledge. For the entire fifteen years that the empires were united, he had been secretly expanding his territory and the numbers were in his favor. Fortunately, Mentir made numbers his top priority over training, which offered one advantage to his adversaries. Once Bonn and Noelle could find their way around People's ambush tactics as well as their thick and layered armor, their skillset should prove victorious.A battle to the death between the Noelle Empire and the People's Empire had left the Valley of Hills covered with the lifeless bodies of warriors; among them, the strongest and most resilient. The vast majority of all plant life had been burnt to ash, leaving the Valley of Hills looking
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Chapter Two: The Prophetic Nightmare
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
As soon as the Southern sun began to rise, Rein had only just entered a deep sleep when a very stern voice boomed, "Rein Bow!" The poor pixie shot out of the charred tree and looked around to see who or what had almost given her a heart attack."Oh," she said. She took a deep, calming breath. "Mira, it's you.""I thought you returned to the Maja Forest like I instructed you to," Mira said."Who died and made you queen?" Rein replied. "I don't wish to go back."Mira pursed her lips. "Very well. If that's the case, tell Gerardo there are some crescents in the stream for him."Rein paused in thought. "Currency?"
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Chapter Three: A Town in Chaos
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
The Northern sun was on the verge of setting when Gerardo and Rein entered Cair. Their first order of business was to search for a place to spend the night, but Gerardo dwelled on second thoughts as he scanned the crumbling buildings surrounding him. He and Rein cautiously meandered along the grimy streets with an aching desire to leave the town as soon as possible.The townsfolk were scattered about the rubble, panicked and maniacal. As many of them looted demolished buildings, some cleaned up spills and debris while others sobbed hysterically over the damage. Some were so irate that Gerardo and Rein endeavored to avoid them the most.Females wailed, males begged, children screamed for their missing parents. Rein explained to Gerardo that Cair, Vann, and the Xer base on the outskirts of Vann had recently been attacked and de
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Chapter Four: Stalling
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
Gerardo no longer cared enough to make his way to a neighboring town, even though no one in Cair would allow him to stay in an inn. He had sought out a lonely back alley and slept in the dirt by the mounds of trash and debris with only a tattered, abandoned cloak that he had stumbled upon to keep him warm. The memory of losing Rein left an overwhelming feeling of guilt in his heart that had him tossing and turning throughout the night. The next morning, harsh rays from the Southern sun rudely awakened him from a short night's sleep.As he sauntered back onto the street, Gerardo noticed that nothing about the town had changed. Nobody even witnessed him egress from the darkness between the two battered shops in his musty uniform. The townsfolk were still busy working to revive their town and to keep what was left of their families alive. Gerardo pulled the worn hood of his cloak ove
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Chapter Five: A House of Horrors
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
The officer who had threatened Gerardo in Cair carried Rein Bow back to the poison shop which proved that dreams really do come true... even the bad ones. The interior was entirely decorated with conserved pixie corpses, and although the shop had much more to offer, this was the only aspect that grasped Rein's attention as ruthlessly as the officer grasped her. The sadistic owner of this shop had her kind suspended from the ceiling, framed and hung on walls, cased like bugs, tied and strung together to make wreaths and garlands, displayed on shelves like porcelain dolls; they were dressed up in ruffles and bows with their faces painted in ways that were unnatural for pixie-kind, and altogether the scene was really quite horrific. If Rein had been searching for comfort at all, she most certainly would not have found any form of it in here.Rein wondered if she had known any of the
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Chapter Six: Willingly is Easiest
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
The courtyard of the palace was one of the most beautiful sights Gerardo had ever laid eyes on. Pink and lavender trees had been planted adjacent to the surrounding wall, along with flowerbeds and rose bushes which were tended to frequently. Their fragrances mixed in the air and followed Gerardo as the guard led him around the rectangular pool located in the middle of the courtyard. Two fairies sculpted from white marble had been placed in the center of the pool, posing back to back. They appeared to be blowing kisses with streams of water pouring from their mouths, which created a pleasurable rippling sound that helped Gerardo to relax slightly.Grass lined the perimeter and the guard strictly warned Gerardo not to step on it. Under no circumstances were they to stray from their lavender path. Gerardo didn't recognize the glistening stones on which they walked. As he and the guar
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Chapter Seven: Cowardice, Hate, and Indifference
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
Meanwhile, Jorge and the two other Laxer soldiers (as they were called by the enemy) ran deep into the Lucierna Forest, followed by ten Xers armed with arrows and blades. The three escapees were equipped with only one sword each and based on their battered and bruised appearances, they were in no condition to be using them. Even though they had little energy to spare, they all ran like the devil himself was after their souls.One Laxer, named Travis, plunged into the Sirene Lake despite the fact that his sickly body lacked oxygen after running for so long. He felt light-headed under the water almost immediately. The other Laxer, Jole, vaulted into a large collection of shrubs while Jorge managed to swing himself into a tree.The Xers weren't too far behind. They saw and heard Travis dive into the lake, but they failed to see
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Chapter Eight: An Unlikely Duo
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
A guard stood at each side of the line of escapees and one stood directly behind them. Emperor Mentir was alone in his throne room this time. With glowing pride, he looked down on his captives from the silver and white throne that he sat upon. He waited for the prisoner he despised the most to stop coughing and gasping so that he could be understood when he spoke to them. He noticed how Jorge deliberately stared straight into his eyes and he couldn't find it in himself to look back. Jorge noticed this and smirked."You four are like blisters on my feet," Emperor Mentir finally said. He jabbed a finger at Gerardo. "You being the biggest one. All of you now have my full attention, which isn't a good thing, in case you couldn't figure that out. But you can still avoid punishment by simply answering the questions I've been asking you for the past month. That being said, do any of you
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Chapter Nine: Prophetic Overload
Follow: Book 1 The Rose Tree Chronicles/J. D. Buchmiller
That same morning, Rein awoke to a beam of light shooting through the keyhole, just like she had the day before. No one entered the storage room yesterday, and judging from the stillness on the other side of the door it seemed as though no one would come in today either. Rein took a moment to allow her mind to focus and then verified the emptiness in the office beyond the door. Then she stood up and continued to practice flying with the ball and chain locked to her ankles.Rein had come to the conclusion that Jed and Mazyr planned to starve her to death. Luckily for her, she had discovered a small leak in the roof that allowed for water to trickle down the wall and form a small puddle on the ground. There wasn't much as it hadn't rained in the last two days, but the collection of morning dew and melted frost allowed her to suppress her hunger and remain hydrated.