Gallows of Transgression (ON HIATUS)

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The jungle enveloped Remi Goldridge in a tight but loving embrace. Lush, green foliage and undergrowth stretched across the forest floor like a thick carpet. Thundering trees stretched up to the sky, their emerald green canopies so far above that they resembled floating, green clouds. Their leafy arms extended towards the sky, creating dark, shadowy lines that streaked across the jungle floor. The warm wind blew through the trees, dancing through Remi's strawberry blonde hair and creating loose, playful tangles as she stared at the wreckage before her.

A massive tree lay on its side, its roots wrenched painfully from the earth during last night's windstorm when it fell from its glory. It'd knocked down three other trees during the fall and damaged several others. A myriad of severed branches lay at her feet like the bones of decayed corpses. Pursing her lips, Remi reached a hand forward and ran it along the rough bark of the tree. Its skin was a beautiful gradient of browns, from deep chestnut to white cherry. The trunk, though on its side, was wider than she was tall—a monster in its own right.

A haze of blue energy spread over the shape of the fallen tree, rippling like water. Remi paused a moment before abruptly splaying out her fingers.

The tree slowly began raising from the ground, creaking and groaning with effort as blue energy built up from the ground, gradually raising the tree up until it fell back into place with a loud thud. The roots broke and became squashed beneath the weight of the tree. Remi stepped over the underbrush to the base of the tree, keeping her energy flowing up its trunk to keep balance. Lowering her hand to the roots, she allowed more of her energy to flow into the base of the tree. The ground made shifting sounds beneath her feet as the old roots were repaired and new, stronger roots were formed.

Remi took a step back, allowing her energy to flow back in through her fingertips. She ran a hand through her long hair and admired its magnificence. It looked as though it had never fallen.

A sigh escaped her lips. Three more trees and countless branches to go.

The cracking of a branch caught Remi's attention, and she swiveled her head in the direction of the sound, only to find the disgruntled figure of Melee. Her long, black hair was in a tangled mess, with various small twigs and leaves caught in it. Her skin was taking on a green tinge, and she looked like she might throw up at any second. "I hate ships. I wish they'd all burn to ashes."

"Melee?" Remi asked in confusion, raising a strawberry eyebrow. She hadn't been expecting Melee to get back from Merricrest for another couple of days. "You're back."

Merricrest was the island-city on which Remi grew up and lived on until just recently when most of her family disappeared off the island and left their regular customers to fend for themselves. It had caused them to become reckless as they searched desperately for a Designer to do their bidding—stop them from aging, bring their dead back to life, or sabotage the life of their enemy, among other things.

Melee narrowed her stormy gray eyes and managed to pull her features into a dark scowl. "Try not to sound so excited," she muttered, sarcasm dripping from her words like molasses.

"What'd you find?" Remi asked simply, her expression serene and her body relaxed. Inside, however, she was all nerves. Her heart was pounding furiously against her rib cage and anticipation raced down her spine. Perhaps Melee would have answers. She'd been gone for days gathering information.

Melee shook her head. "Nothing useful, I'm afraid. I've gathered all the whispers, and there's been no word of your little brother." She averted her eyes and stood there for a moment, looking awkward. "Sorry, Remi."

The words sent an icy chill through Remi's body as her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

It had been five days since her uncle, Fahrem Goldridge, betrayed the Goldridge family and began killing off those he deemed too weak for his mastermind plan—Remi still wasn't sure what exactly that was, but she was sure she'd find out before long. Her little brother Kareem had disappeared, and Remi refused to believe he was dead.