Ren had expected a hole in the ground. A very nice hole, perhaps lined with soft moss and maybe a stolen shiny object or two, given Vex's personality.
She was not expecting an architectural miracle.
Before her stood the largest tree she had ever seen in her life. It was a botanical titan, its trunk so wide that it would take twenty people holding hands to circle it. Its canopy scraped the stars, a massive umbrella of ancient green.
But it was what was in the tree that stole her breath.
Nestled among the colossal branches, integrated seamlessly into the living wood, was a magnificent, sprawling treehouse. It wasn't just planks nailed together; it looked as if the tree had grown the structure itself to accommodate its resident.
