Chapter 4:ROOTS OF SECRETS
By Joy Daud
Oki had no intention of following Prince Kimo that night. But when she saw the fear in his eyes—the first real crack in his icy armor—her feet moved before reason caught up.
He left his chambers in silence, disappearing into the woods behind the palace, the moonlight casting his shadow long and sharp. Oki trailed him from a distance, heart thudding, her breath fogging the cold air.
The deeper they went, the more unnatural the forest felt. The trees stood too still. The air tasted of frost and something... ancient.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.
Kimo raised his hand to the gnarled trunk of a massive tree. Vines sprouted beneath his touch. Snow melted in a perfect circle around him as moss bloomed from frozen soil. His eyes closed as if in pain—or peace.
Oki's breath caught. The forest answered him.
She took one step closer, and a twig cracked beneath her boot.
His eyes snapped open. He turned sharply.
"Oki," he said, voice low and hoarse.
She stepped into the clearing, hands raised. "Prince… you aren't as hard as you prove to be."
Kimo's gaze softened—just for a moment.
Then the shadows moved behind him.
A tall, twisted creature emerged from the mist, its bark-covered limbs creaking with every step. Green light oozed from its hollow eyes. Its presence shifted the air.
And for the first time, Oki saw fear in Prince Kimo's eyes.
The creature rasped, > "You return, forest prince… but you walk beside danger."
"She is no threat," Kimo snapped, standing protectively in front of Oki.
> "But she is," the creature hissed. "The false queen burns tonight. She seeks the heir of House Venel. A child of light. She hunts with fire in her hands."
Oki's blood ran cold. "She's going to kill a child?"
Kimo's fists clenched. "I thought the king kept her under control... but he's blinded by her beauty. She's moving without his permission."
> "You must choose, Kimo," the creature said. "Your mother's gift cannot stay buried forever. The forest weakens without its guardian. The queen grows stronger. If you delay…"
The earth shuddered beneath them.
> "She will consume everything."
The creature vanished into snow and silence.
---
They raced back to the palace through secret halls and dark corridors. Kimo reached out to the walls, his magic weaving faint green threads of life into the stone—quiet wards to hold off the queen's fire.
They arrived at the Venel child's room just as smoke curled from beneath the door.
Inside, the queen stood in a circle of fire, her hand raised, flame dancing around the unconscious boy in the bed. A magical shield barely protected him—weak, flickering.
"Stop!" Kimo roared.
Vines exploded through the stained-glass window, wrapping around the queen's wrist. She shrieked, the fire sputtering out as Kimo stepped in front of the child, eyes blazing.
"You dare raise your hand against me?" the queen snarled.
Kimo's voice was ice. "Try that again, and next time the forest won't be so gentle."
She smiled, but it was hollow. "You're already marked, boy. The king won't protect you when he learns what you are."
And with a flare of fire and smoke, she vanished.
Oki rushed to the child. "He's alive," she breathed. "Just barely."
Kimo didn't move. He stared at the charred floor, his shoulders tight with rage.
"She's not just cruel," he whispered. "She's preparing for something."
---
Far beneath the forest, beneath roots older than the palace itself, a dark heartbeat stirred.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
And it had felt Kimo's power awaken.
The forest prince had returned.
And the war for the throne was no longer just about blood—it was about magic.
---
To be continued in Chapter 5…
Where secrets rise, enemies reveal their faces, and Kimo must make a choice that will either save the kingdom—or doom it forever.