Minutes later, they stood before the hidden entrance to the Ichi – the home of the Izenth tribe. The entrance was a hollowed out tree that looked inconspicuous among all the other trees but it had a narrow opening in the side of the trunk to enter in. The tree was not very large, and the inside could only hold one or two people at a time.

"Why is the entrance so cramped?" asked Amadeus.

"Security," Rei replied without looking back as he hoisted himself up into the narrow opening. Turning around, his arms stretched out from the opening to receive Amadeus. "If your enemies can only come at you two at a time, two guards can fend off an entire army."

Izumi seemed all too glad to pass him off to her father as she hurriedly pushed him into Rei's arms. He was pulled into the inside of the tree which was full of the aroma of wood and herbs. The inside of the hollow tree was dark, but there seemed to be a dim light high up at the very top. In the middle of the hollow tree was a single vine. Rei plopped Amadeus gently down, leaning him against the trunk wall inside the tree. He then proceeded to wrap the end of the vine securely around one of his legs and reached out to hold the vine in one hand. He tugged on it twice, paused, and tugged on it once. There was a pause and then vine rose towards the tree top and Rei was lifted upwards towards the light. Just as quickly as Rei had disappeared, another vine reemerged from above.

"Your turn," said Izumi, whose face was still turned away from Amadeus as she spoke to him. She carefully tied the end of the vine securely around his waist. She then placed the vine in his uninjured hand.

"Hold on tight."

She tugged the vine sharply twice, paused, and tugged it again once. Immediately, Amadeus was pulled swiftly towards the light on the top of the tree. Emerging at the top of the tree, he was hoisted into a receiving area with a landing that was carved out in the trunk of the tree. A single torch lit up the inside dimly and two sturdy looking Izenth Exiles were pulling the vine up with their bare hands. These must be the guards.

Rei was waiting for him at the top, and helped to untie the vine from his waist before throwing it back down. Izumi came up the vine next, hoisted by the two imposing looking guards. Rei noticed Amadeus staring at the guards with interest.

"They're Izenth warriors, selected from birth and trained to fight." Rei explained. "They are larger than the rest of the Izenth and are only fed the best hunted meat for muscle growth. Their stringent training regime gives them supernatural stamina and speed. Every single one of them is also unmatched in ranged combat, and they are able to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy."

Rei then gestured at the two blades hanging from their waists that look like daggers. "Those are frost daggers, forged from the same ice as my icicles. For melee combat, when the enemy gets in too close for comfort."

Before he could say more, Izumi appeared from the opening and bounded gracefully onto the landing. Without a word, she dutifully picked Amadeus back up.

"Father, I'll take him to the healers," she told Rei in a voice that clearly sounded as if she were holding her breath.

"I will meet you at the council hall after that. We need to report what has happened."

Izumi emerged from the landing area which revealed an intricate network of trees connected by wooden bridges. The inside of the Ichi was bustling with life. Small lanterns were hung along the wooden bridges and a massive waterfall slushed vibrantly into the pool at the center of the impressive hidden village known as Ichi. On the ground, little children were running on the grass without a care in the world and a group of Izenth warriors were training on a platform across from them, sparring with each other with frost daggers.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Izumi asked with a smile. "Even being born and bred in this village, the view never fails to make me want to stop whatever I'm doing and drink it all in. The waterfall is from one of the freshest mountain springs which flow into the Lost Valley. It provides Ichi with enough drinking water since our ancestors first built this hidden village."

Amadeus could make out women in light grey wolf skins dipping wooden buckets into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. He had guessed that they were there to draw water for their homes.

Without waiting for Amadeus to answer, she continued to make her way through what seemed like a maze of wooden bridges connecting platforms on trees. Each bridge was lit by colorful lanterns which hung along its length.

"Look there, we call it the greenhouse. It's where we grow our grain. With that we are able to sustain Ichi's food resources without hunting."

Amadeus gazed in the direction and saw many rows of golden wheat, similar to the wheat grown in White Harrow. The amazing thing about the greenhouse was that the wheat was not grown on the ground, but on platforms stacked on top of each other. They were surrounded by what seemed like glass.

"Izenth can make glass?" Amadeus blurted out in surprise. Glass was an industry which only Noble towns had access to. Sand was harvested from the ground and heated up to high temperatures to make it.

Izumi shook her head. "That's not glass. It's ice. We use the same method we forge icicles to make the walls of the greenhouse. It works just the same as glass and keeps the crops warm."

"Why are the platforms holding the wheat all slanting?"

Izumi laughed in amusement. "Have you been hiding inside a well all your life, commoner? The sun needs to shine upon the wheat for it to grow. Without it, the wheat will die. The platforms are angled exactly right that enough sun shines upon the crops each day for them to thrive."

She gestured upwards. "Look at that opening in the treetops."

Amadeus looked up. He could make out a dark patch of sky where moonlight was shining through the thick leaves of the tree tops. The stars had come up and were shining brightly, not hidden behind the usual smog of White Harrow that he was used to.

"The entire village is hidden within the leaves of the treetops. This is the only opening in the entire village where enough sunlight shines through to nourish the crops. We built the greenhouse specifically in this place because of that very opening."

Amadeus looked at Izumi as she explained. She seemed to enjoy showing her home to outsiders, it showed on her face. "We don't get many visitors here, so you're probably the first outsider who has seen Izenth in decades."

"Thank you for showing me around," he replied.

Izumi nodded and smiled in acknowledgement making his cheeks feel like they were burning again. He hoped she wouldn't notice. "Come, let's move on. We're almost at the healers." She increased her pace as she made her way past the greenhouse.

As they made their way towards the healers, Amadeus watched as the Izenth went about their business. He noticed that the trees in Ichi were segregated according to function. Some trees were filled with lively shops selling food, weapons and all sorts of materials, while other trees had cozy homes etched into them with windows carved into the trunk.

They passed a large tree filled with rooms with small desks and chairs. "These are where the younger Izenth learn about the world and are assigned a role in the tribe. Some become scouts, some farmers, some hunters and others warriors. There is much to be done in the community and every Izenth contributes to the tribe." Izumi explained. Amadeus found this concept foreign as the commoners of White Harrow had to be taught by their own parents and schools were not provided. They learned on the job and were thrown in many arduous tasks without any training given.

They soon came to a halt in front of a pair of double wooden doors. The wooden doors affixed onto the wall of the tree were carved and looked heavy. A large sign hung on top of the doors, which said "Healing Chamber". Izumi pushed past the doors and entered into a brightly lit room. A bored looking lady sat on the desk opposite the door and was busy writing. She looked up at Izumi and raised an eyebrow questioningly without saying a word.

"An outsider was injured. My father has vouched for him to get treatment with the healers." Izumi explained. The lady nodded disinterestedly. She pulled a box from beneath her desk and pushed it forward.

"Deposit all personal belongings into this box before going into the chambers," she said and went back to writing. Amadeus carefully took off the Lighvel gloves and set them aside. He then patted his tattered tunic pockets and pulled out the Avianath feather from one pocket and the white gems from the other. Izumi helped him to deposit the items into the box. She then carried him to an opening nearby and placed Amadeus on a slope. "Enjoy the ride" she whispered playfully as she pushed Amadeus gently.

Amadeus resisted the urge to scream as he whooshed around and around before come to a gentle stop at the bottom of a circular slide carved along the sides of the tree. Izumi met him at the bottom, amused at the look of terror on his face.

"The slide is for injured people who can't climb down the ladder." She pointed at the ladder she had climbed down after sending him down the slide.

Amadeus looked around the brightly lit room and saw many rows of beds. While all Izenth Exiles he had seen so far all wore light grey wolf skins, the few Exiles in this room wore white shimmering gowns. All of them seemed to be busy as they hurried around the large hall, absorbed in their own work.

"These are the healers. They take care of the wounded and sick. That is why they have the honour of wearing white silk gowns." Izumi explained as she carried him towards the nearest available bed.

Amadeus had heard of silk before. The Nobles used them for their beds and curtains. He had never had the opportunity to feel the material in his hands, for the never was tasked to work in the silk factory. However, he had seen the silk cloth being carried out of the factory to be delivered to the Nobles. The silk cloth being delivered in White Harrow looked very much like the ones before him now; and the white gowns the healers wore as they moved about flowed as smooth milk being poured out. He imagined that it must feel really comfortable.

It was then he noticed the warmth that enveloped his skin the moment he entered the chamber. The atmosphere in the room was entirely different from the outside air. The first obvious difference was that there was not a single cold draft in the chamber. He looked around the circular hall and found it sealed tight without a single opening or window. There was large fireplace in the room which kept it at comfortable temperature, and a pleasant scent of mixed herbs and wood emanated from the fireplace. The smell calmed his nerves greatly.

The bed he was on felt soft and warm. It was softer than any of the sackcloth beds he had slept in before. A healer immediately came to attend to him as Izumi watched. The healer was very thorough and seemed to prod and inspect every part of him. It felt very uncomfortable.

"Did he escape from a burning tree? His entire body is covered in burns!" exclaimed the healer. "The burns are quite serious but nothing some Aloe ointment won't cure. I need to wrap them up and he should be fine in a day or two."

"Aloe ointment?" Amadeus had a worried look on his face. What exactly is 'Aloe ointment'?

"This is ointment made from the Aloe herb that grows within the valley," explained the healer. The healer opened up a jar of green liquid and started to unravel the makeshift bandage Amadeus used on his left hand. "Aloe herb is known to have healing properties, especially effective for burns. Don't worry, this won't hurt at all." A gob of ointment was dabbed onto his left hand.

The minute the ointment touched his singed skin, he felt as though a burning rock had been heated up and seared into his flesh. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from screaming. As much as he hated to look weak in front of Izumi, he couldn't stop himself from squirming in pain.

Izumi was amused by his squirming. "Commoners are so delicate," the healer remarked without emotion before moving on start treatment on his burnt leg.

"You're in good hands," said Izumi. "I'm going to leave you with the healers. They will have you up and about again soon."

Amadeus winced as she patted his shoulder reassuringly before turning her heel and headed back towards the ladder. Grabbing the first rung of the ladder, she turned her head back towards Amadeus. "Amadeus, I don't know who you are, or what you are doing here. You don't look very capable at all, but somehow you managed to help rescue me, and I thank you for that." With that, she nimbly ascended the ladder and out of the healing chamber.

Was it his imagination or did her gaze linger for a moment longer than necessary? The pain seared through his leg as the healer dabbed more Aloe ointment onto him. After the ointment was applied, the healer wrapped his leg up in bandages and left him to rest. Amadeus eyes grew heavy as the soft comfortable bed and scent of comforting herbs seemed to have a sedative effect. Would Rei and Izumi come back for him? He never noticed how tired he was until now. The adrenaline must be fading, he thought to himself. I wonder if Uthaes is having better luck than me. He could be close to the Jagged Peaks by now. I hope he wasn't caught by the White Harrow Nobles. His thoughts swirled about as he soon drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: I hope you guys didn't find the "Ichi" portion of the story too slow-paced. I wanted to flesh out some backstory for Rei and also let Amadeus get to know Izumi and her home a little better. I don't have time to properly develop their relationship (is Izumi attracted to him or are his feelings one-sided?) for this book but I had always planned to say more about this in book 2. Do you guys think they go well together? Don't forget to vote and share if you liked what you've read. It matters!