Civilization of Selm

By Skye Ballantyne

Join Hunter and his crew go on another daring adventure as they try to restore balance to a kingdom that is being torn apart from the inside. can they protect this kingdom?

• Language: English
• Publisher: NA
• Release date: Mar 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9798869337559

Book preview

Civilization of Selm

The Worlds In The Woods

Book 4

By: Skye Ballantyne

Dedicated to:

Jose Runco

Thank you for always supporting me in my endeavors, whether writing related or not. You have and always do believe in me. You are always there to motivate me and remind me that I can do hard things. You never let me give up on myself. Thank you for never giving up on me. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.

Chapter 1

The fog fell thickly upon the forest, covering the entire world in a damp silence that seeped into people’s very souls and couldn’t be shaken off, no matter how hard they tried. A shadow slipped through the forest, following a group of soldiers on their way back from a recon mission. The shadow had been following the group since the early afternoon. He had been there when they had attacked a small group of campers. He had witnessed them taking the female, dragging her away from the others.

The girl looked so familiar to Hunter, the shadow of the forest, that it sent Hunter reeling for a moment. From a distance, she could be Jesse’s twin, and the recognition caused Hunter pause. The thought of the soldiers laying a hand on Jesse sent a fire burning through Hunter’s soul. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Jesse. So intense was his emotion that he had to take a step back and remind himself that the girl who had been captured wasn’t Jesse.

It couldn’t be, and after getting a better look at the captured girl, he realized that it was true. It wasn’t Jesse. Jesse’s hair was lighter and a lot shorter than the hostage girl’s hair. The gentle eyes that they both shared were different colors. Where Jesse’s eyes were a bright, vibrant blue, this girl had a subtle green with golden flecks, bringing out the iris. However, even if they had looked identical, it couldn’t have been Jesse.

Jesse was back in the Portal with her husband Carl and their daughter Chileana. With as much of a handful as that little girl was, and the added responsibilities of giving Saralee a helping hand as a new mother, Jesse was constantly busy, hardly having enough time to breathe, let alone go gallivanting around in the woods with the two strange men. Still, the girl looked familiar. He knew her. He just wasn’t sure he could place the reason why.

It bugged him that he couldn’t recall where he knew her from. He was usually pretty good with a face, it was part of his training as a spy, a soldier. He could remember someone even having only seen them once. Yet this girl, he couldn’t place.

Ever the faithful soldier and protector, Hunter followed the two men who had tried and failed to protect the girl who, he had learned through their frantic shouting, was named Carrie. Carrie. The name too sent a jolt of recognition through Hunter. He knew her. That much was for sure. He just had to remember why.

Maybe it was because she seemed just as innocent as Jesse, or had the same sweet mannerisms as Jesse, or maybe it was the sense of familiarity she held, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Hunter found himself feeling a need to protect the strange girl. The same protectiveness that had swept over him all those years ago with Saralee, was sweeping through him at that moment, and he couldn’t ignore it now anymore than he had been able to ignore it back then.

He continued following them, staying in the shadows. He had long ago perfected the art of being more shadow than human. He could manage to move without disturbing the world around him. He moved silently, and nearly invisibly wherever he needed to.

He watched silently as the soldiers relaxed around their campfire that evening. He allowed the soldiers to tie the girl to a tree where they left her to celebrate their win. She struggled against the ropes, trying to break free, but even from where he was sitting, Hunter knew that it was a task for a knife, and not merely moving around. While the soldiers basked in the glory of their success, Hunter made his way to where the girl was tied up.

He slowly stepped out of the shadows, alerting her slowly of his presence and keeping his hands in the air as a sign of good faith. When the anxiety began to die down in her eyes, Hunter stepped forward and knelt in front of her.

I’m going to work on these knots to get you out of here, okay? he kept his voice low and calm while explaining to her what he was doing.

With her mouth bound, it made it impossible for her to carry on her side of the conversation, so instead, she simply nodded her head to confirm that she had heard what he was saying, and that she was okay with him working on the knots to help set her free.

When I get you untied I need you to be as quiet as you can so that we can get out of here without any of the soldiers noticing, okay?

Carrie nodded once again in acknowledgement of what he had just said to her. She could feel her nerves beginning to settle for a moment as he continued to work. She would do the hula dance for he told her it would help her get her out of here.

Hunter managed to cut through her ropes in no time. As he got to his feet, he held out his hand in order to help her to her feet. Carrie stared at his hand curiously for a moment, as if expecting some kind of trick.

Nobody had offered her their hand before, ever. That was the problem with growing up with an older brother and around all of his friends. You were either looked upon as one of the guys or the annoying little sister that was always tagging along after them. Neither of which afforded you the right to the kind, little gestures, such as getting help to your feet.

After a moment’s hesitation, Carrie placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Surprisingly, he kept her hand in his as he led her away from the campsite, for which Carrie quickly became grateful for.

Carrie, unaccustomed to the darkness and the way of the shadows, stumbled over some twigs, causing them to snap in the process. The unexpected sound brought the attention of the guards who were supposed to be looking after her.

As if Hunter had anticipated the soldiers' actions before Carrie had even made a noise, Hunter began to run, dragging Carrie along behind him. He zigzagged through the trees as if he had been born in the forest while Carrie, unaccustomed to the fast pace and the uneven terrain she now found herself in, was gasping for breath before her rescuer came to a stop and forced her to start climbing a nearby tree.

He kept pushing her to climb higher and higher into the leaves; higher than she had ever dared to go before. Just as she was allowed to settle on a branch, the guards raced past them on the ground below them. Hunter counted silently to himself, letting the guards pass far enough away before he began to descend.

While Carrie had been mostly fine on her way up the tree, the adrenaline that had fueled her ascent disappeared and she found herself struggling to make her way back down. At the last four feet from the ground, Carrie fell.

Hunter reached out to grab her to prevent her fall, but the force of her fall caused them both to fall to the ground in a heap, twisting her ankle as it collided with the ground. Ever the gentleman, Hunter helped her to her feet. As her ankle tried to support her weight, a fire of pain raced up through her ankle and swept through her entire leg. In an attempt to remain standing, Carrie clung to Hunter’s shirt and gasped for the air that the pain had stolen from her. 

We should be safe for awhile, but we still want to hurry, Hunter said, holding her for a minute while she struggled to regain her balance and get over the dizziness that the pain in her ankle was causing.

Okay, Carrie nodded shakily.

Hey, he said, wrapping his arm around her as much to comfort her against the pain as much as a way to steady her as the adrenaline began to fade and left her shaking with the terror that was left in its place, It’s okay, he held on tighter as her shaking worsened, It’s over now.

No, it’s not, she whispered, tears in her voice, although they hadn’t quite reached her eyes yet, It hasn’t even begun.

Hunter looked curiously at her for a moment at her statement, but he didn’t say anything. Although he had a million questions, he kept them inside. Grateful for his silence, Carrie’s head found Hunter’s chest as the tears found their way to her eyes,  and escaped onto Hunter’s shirt.

Her shakiness was beginning to dissipate and the tears along with it, when she felt Hunter tense beneath her. She felt rather than saw Hunter grab for his weapon.

Two men stepped out of the trees, their weapons drawn. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Hunter, one arm wrapped in a protective way around Carrie’s waist and his free arm wielding a sword, looking like it would be no effort at all to send the two of them crashing down around him without having to release Carrie, or even break a sweat in the process.

Allen! Carrie cried out, breaking free from her rescuer’s grasp and hobbling toward the taller of the two men.

The two men lowered their weapons at Carrie’s onslaught, not wanting to accidentally stab her while she was throwing herself at them. Hunter eyed the reunion carefully, before lowering his weapon as well, still keeping it ready to attack if he felt threatened in any way.

This is Allen and his best friend Aiden, Carrie said, turning to look at Hunter, Guys you remember, Hunter, wasn’t it? she asked, turning to Hunter to make sure she had recalled his name correctly.

Yeah, Hunter said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

The familiarity of the girl’s face hit him once again. Obviously they must have met on some occasion or another. His mind struggled to place the moment. Or maybe moments. Surely not. Surely he would have remembered her if he had met her more than once.

Thank you, Allen said with a nod, For saving my sister.

Although it wasn’t necessary, Aiden bristled, We were on our way. We didn’t need any help from you.

Aiden could take care of himself, make no mistake. He didn’t need some man in black coming to his rescue.

We should get going, Hunter said, raising his eyebrows in disbelief to Aiden’s comment, but not commenting on it further, We don’t want to be standing around when the guards come back.

Luckily, not even Aiden could argue that point.

So, why are you wandering through the forest? Aiden asked, trying not to sound as winded as he felt by the pace they had been going.

It’s what I do, Hunter said with a shrug of his shoulders.

But why are you in the forest now? Aiden asked, not going to be deterred that easily.

I have my reasons, Hunter said non committedly, But I could ask you the same question. What brings three people, who obviously have very little survival skills, out into the forest at a time like this?

We have our reasons, Aiden said, throwing Hunter’s answer back at him.

Mission to Selm? Hunter eyed the trio and guessed at the reason.

Many people were in search of this civilization lately. They were direct descendants of Mr. Masters, and possessed marvelous powers. This civilization could be a person’s worst enemy or their greatest ally, and most were hoping to fall into the later category by bringing the group tokens of affection.

How could you know that? Allen asked, the question slipping out of his mouth without him thinking about how he had just confirmed their mission to a total stranger.

Why do you search for Selm?

The leader asked us to find his daughter, Carrie said, She’s been kidnapped.

She ignored Allen and Aiden’s death glares. Why shouldn’t she tell him? After all, he was the king of the Portal. He was the best spy his village, and for that matter, any of the villages, had. And, if that wasn’t enough, Putar had asked for Hunter specifically.

You’ve spoken with Putar? Hunter asked, skepticism in his voice.

Putar and his civilization had gone into hiding when they started getting attacked. In fact, no one had seen or heard from Putar or his men in years.

He gave us this, Carrie said, taking off the necklace from around her neck, He told us to give it to Sasha so she would know that we meant what we said.

As she held out her hand with the necklace sprawled on it, a memory flashed into Hunter’s vision. The girl by the tunnels. The charm. She had been the one he had met that night, the night he had gone out on his own on the mission where Danny had died.

Are you alright? Carrie asked.

Hunter didn’t answer, but merely took the necklace from Carrie’s hand to examine it. It had a special charm in place so that it could only ever be given, and it was impossible to replicate. Only Putar could have given them such a