Taboo Online

A wounded defender arrived first with a Thornmender supporting his side. One child followed between her parents, and the final elf carried a wooden case against her chest.

The grass dipped beneath their combined weight.

A silver root rose beneath the wounded defender before his injured leg gave way. It steadied him long enough for the medics to reach him, but the sudden movement frightened the child. She screamed and hid behind her father.

Her fear struck Lauren so sharply that she almost mistook it for her own.

"The root caught him before he fell," Lauren said, carrying the reassurance through the bridge. "It won’t hold anyone who moves away from it."

The father tested the living wood with the edge of his boot. Once the root withdrew, he guided his daughter around it and remained between her and the nearby humans until they reached the family area.

More system text appeared.

[Second controlled wave accepted.]

[Destination network adapting.]

[Bridge integrity: 61%.]

Lauren read the final number aloud.

Red Hound looked through the passage at the crowded terraces beyond it. "How many are still waiting?"

"Hundreds."

He remained quiet for a moment, weighing that number against the strain in Lauren’s hands and the wounded arriving around them.

"At six people per group, the anchors may fail before we finish."

"We’re at sixty-one percent now. We don’t know how much of that loss came from this group."

Red Hound nodded. "Then we need a controlled test. We change one variable and watch what happens."

Lauren understood what he was considering. "A larger group."

"Only people who can walk without help. No children, no severe injuries, and nothing heavy enough to affect their balance." Red Hound crouched near the edge of the root circle but did not enter it. "We try eight once. If the strain rises too sharply, we don’t repeat it."

Lauren disliked the risk, but she could not find a safer way to learn the bridge’s limits.

"Eight who can move on their own," she agreed. "Then we wait for the roots to settle before anyone else crosses."

She sent the proposal to Aelira.

The Queen did not answer immediately. Her attention shifted toward Luke.

Luke no longer knew how much of his weight the root behind him carried.

It had started as support beneath his shoulders. Another branch now curved around his side, while thin roots held his wrist firmly against the Heartroot’s core whenever the muscles in his arm stopped cooperating.

Aelira watched him as the next group formed near the passage.

"Tell me what has changed."

Luke tried to curl his fingers against the silver bark. Two moved normally. The rest barely responded.

"I’ve lost most of the feeling in three fingers. The pain reached my shoulder during the last crossing."

Aelira lowered herself beside him and examined the pale skin above his wrist. She did not ask whether he was certain or force him to repeat the answer.

"Can you still feel Lauren?"

"Yes. Rhea is supporting her." Luke took a slow breath until the pressure in his shoulder eased. "Lauren sent enough for me to know the medics are checking her hands. She’s waiting for an answer about the larger group."

Aelira looked toward the families lining the upper paths. More than a dozen elves had crossed, but the sanctuary still appeared crowded.

"The Bureau proposes eight survivors who can walk without assistance. If the bridge reacts badly, we return to six."

"Send them before my hand gets worse."

Aelira’s gaze returned to his face. "If anything changes during the crossing, you tell me. You do not wait until I notice."

"I just told you."

"You did."

The exchange ended there. Aelira accepted the Thornmender’s help as she stood, then faced the waiting Rootkeepers.

"Choose eight defenders who can cross without support. No children and no one at risk of falling. Leave behind anything that cannot be dropped safely."

Eight elves stepped forward. Most wore armor that had cracked or burned beyond use. One had tied several white-wood tools across his back, while another clutched a cloth sack against her chest.

A Rootkeeper inspected each of them before allowing the group to approach the passage.

Green light brightened around the opening as the first elf entered.

Pressure closed around Luke’s arm.

The Heartroot’s pulse faltered and returned with enough force to wrench a groan from him. His head dropped forward before the living support tightened around his ribs and kept him pressed against the core.

Aelira raised one hand, stopping anyone else from approaching.

"Luke?"

He waited until he could breathe again. "Still awake. It’s worse than the last group."

"Where?"

"Shoulder and chest. The hand is almost gone."

Across the terrace, Iris watched him while maintaining the three lifelines attached to Aelira, Kellan, and Dorian. Sweat ran along her temple, but the golden threads remained steady.

"Is your breathing restricted?" she asked.

"Only when the pressure peaks."

"Tell me if it stays that way after the crossing."

Kellan sat against the living rail with his ruined leg stretched in front of him. He looked at the roots holding Luke upright.

"We have the answer. Eight is too many."

"They’re already crossing," Luke said.

"I know. I’m saying we don’t do it again."

There was no humor in Kellan’s voice. He glanced down at the golden lifeline wrapped around his own injured leg before looking back at Luke.

Dorian shifted beside him and rested his shoulders against the wall. "Let the group clear the passage. After that, both anchors need time, whether the system asks for it or not."

No one argued.

Luke concentrated on maintaining contact while the remaining elves passed through the green light. When the final passenger disappeared, the pressure around his wrist eased, but the pain in his shoulder remained.

A system window opened before both bridge anchors.

[Third controlled wave accepted.]

[Transfer load exceeded current stable threshold.]

[Bridge integrity: 54%.]

[Source and destination bridge anchors under increasing strain.]

The number passed through Luke and Lauren’s bond before either of them spoke.

On Earth, Lauren’s grip tightened around the destination mark. Inside the Heartroot, another living support rose around Luke’s ribs and locked into place.

Neither of them released the bridge.