The Shadow Beneath the Trees

Second Book of the series.

Pelh, Hansen, Orio and Grahm travel to the city at Mount Ernio, Aia, to unlock Pelh's memories.

Before the city, there is checkpoint of The Rebels. The checkpoint's commander is basically a jerk, and he says to Pelh that he better bring something to him when comes back to the checkpoint, since is tradition to pay a tribute the first time you enter in the city.

Lahir must remain outside the city, far away of people

Once in the city, Pelh and Grahm go together looking for the person that can unlock Emma and Pelh.

Mienttras, Orio y Hansen van al mercado a vender la carne y after selling the meat they find themself in a meeting of the council of the citadel. there is a change in the traditional balance of the war. the city is about to support the rebels, is not going to be neutral anymore.

the assemble ask hansen his opinion, and they call him Father of Men

 His opinion is the balance shouldnt be broken.

--------------in the middle of this------------ Pelh and Grahm enter in a tabern for a reason aun por determinar. While Grahm is taking care of his bussines, travels and explorations, Pelh talk with some dodgy and dangerous thugs. They think he is a child, and a tabern is not place for him, but they show him a "magic trick": *"an elaborated magic trick with his hands and fingers, called 'take one, get two'" ---* they also tell him that the fu\*\*ck you fingr is the traditional way to say hello and goodbye in these lands*///*

while Grahm is still busy, Pelh sees a little notice with the black rose symbol and he asks the thugs about the Black Rose. They take him to the basement, where he assist to a demonstration of what the black rose is. In a litle camera made of glass a rose is iluminated with diferent lights and the thugs explain him about the Tears of the Rose. Unaware of the risk, Pelh accept to ta take the tears, and drop one little dew on each eye. The tears trigger a terrible nightmare in wich he remember things, things from his life, things from his "previous" lifes, things from his future that he imagines.

Grahm storms in the basement and takes Pelh out, after kicking some thug asses. He uses water, ice and slaps Pelh in the face to make him wake up.

Later they will discuss what he saw in his memories. Those memories about a past far away in time are the reason why people call the addicts “dreamers”, because these memories can’t be true. About the earth, about big cities, about only one moon. Etc etc, are considered dreams, not a real thing; "*as real as those about the future, just your imagination”* - ----- they are real memories actually but they don't know, the black rose has many properties, among them it can trigger the so called Genetic Memory.

Thousands of genotypes consume this tears of the rose, because they want to remember (the memories of all genotypes are blocked). And the main producer and dealer of these tears is the rebels. They have made millions smuggling tears and inundating the streets of the union with this pandemic. With the money, they are building a bigger and better army. That is the irony of it, and Pelh cant help but laugh out loud, because all this is the most ridiculus war ever. In his way back to The Fissures Pelh has a lot of time to think, and he writtes his Paradox of The Tears, a quick analisys about the war and how the union triggered the war, and because its restrictive way of doing things they have crated a market for the tears and they have armed their enemies.

After this Hansen walks away of the council with Orio, but the head of the council of the citadel wants a word. He was one of the first children in Hansen farm. He introduces a new character, rebel General Smith (provisional name). General Smith foreshadows that in his plan of invasion The Fissures play a very important role, as farmland to feed an army. And to force the locals to cooperate, he keeps Hansen as a hostage-guest inside the citadel.

Ato Orio is about to start shooting but they are completely outnumbered. The rebel General let him go so he can spread the word among the locals. they better cooperate, or Hansen may not survive.

Meanwhile, Grahm and Pelh find the workshop where they can unlock Emma's flight records and Pelh's memories, but Pelh decides in the last second that he doesn't want to remember, after what he saw with the tears: *"I just changed my mind. If remembering is going to be worse than dreaming, I rather stay away of my memories and keep my nightmares."*

Then Orio arrives with the dark news. The rebels are going to enter in the city and they're gonna head north, towards The Fissures.

Sam and Rod, the owners of the workshop, are afraid of what the city is becoming: *"This is not a trade point anymore, this is now a rebel bastion, and that means war. We came here looking for peace, not war. This is not our place anymore."*

Orio proposes them a deal. They can go with Orio to The Fissures but they have to help him first. Help him to sabotage the rebel army, so they can buy more time.

The rebels plan is to go to the Factory where Cravens are being assembled, and build barracks to transform it into a advanced outpost. But right now this factory is managed by a dozen people, everything is automatized.

Orios plan is to take the base and destroy the cravens, so the rebels don't have airforce behind Pigmalion's line. His motivation is clear. This base will drag The Fissures into a war, a war that has ignored them for a long time, and he wants to keep it in that way.

After the sabotage (aun por determinar) the take the road back to The Fissures.

In their way back, the comander of the checkpoint ask for his present. Pelh replies that he has no gift for him, but he can give him a magic trick that someone showed him in the tabern (wich is a cruel joke that starts with 1 f\*\*ck you finger and ends with 2: *"and now... look! You can take both... actually, you can sit an spin, cause its a magic trick."* Pelh doesn't understand, in his mind there is nothing wrong with that.

the commander of the checkpoint reacts very aggressively and atacks pelh. His crew becomes very agressive. and pelh must deploy his suit.

that suppose to scare the rebels, but it doesnt. Orio says that he is a Tree-Man and they should run for they lifes, but they laugh. They call Angus, a big guy with an oval backpack that looks similar to pelh's suit folded into a sphere, but oval backpack instead.

'You ain't no treeman' he laughs. 'this is a treeman'

Angus becomes a treeman, much bigger, stronger, uglier and scarier than pelh. then they fight. emma has been transfered to a Mech, she tries to help but becomes busy fighting the rebels of the check point, so pelh is in his own.

Then Lahir appears back, and between the dog and pelh they KILL Angus. The first treeman rebel. They continue their journey back to the farms.

Meanwhile, Hansen and the rebel General develop a strange relation. Hansen tries to get as much info as he can, and the rebel mocks him for being a laboratory rat. Is the way we can give more information about the lore of this land.

PARALLEL, IN THE FARM