Caruso allowed himself to be led through the Zone 3 forest. He had no idea what the Foresters wanted from him, no idea why they had pulled him into Zone 3. They weren’t exactly answering any questions, but Caruso assumed they must have a good reason.

A gruff, heavyset Forester pulled Caruso along by his upper arm. There was no point in struggling—stuck in Zone 3, there was no where he could run to. In a way, that was a relief. At least now he didn’t need to agonise over different options. It was far easier to just allow it, than to worry about escaping.

The Zone 3 forest was different and weird. Before, he had stood with Webber and looked at it with a sense of wonder. But after what had happened, after all he had witnessed, the wondrousness had lost much of its appeal. Now he just wanted to be back with the familiar, back in his comfortable room, or back safe in Zone 2 with Webber.

The smell of smoke was in the air. And up ahead, a wall of darkness cut through the expanse of blue and yellow shroom lights. Getting closer, he saw it to be a mycelium wall, extending about a hundred paces across a clearing.

As they approached, a section of the the wall began sinking into the ground, creating a gap to walk through. They stepped through and it raised back up behind them with a ropey scrunch. Just an hour ago, Caruso would’ve thought that was both impossible and incredible. Now it barely made it into the top five strangest things of the night.

He looked out into a huge open compound. The chaos of the forest had been tamed and manicured into what appeared to be a giant garden. Fire sconces lined the enclosing wall, and stone paths snaked through the grounds, dotted with lanterns.

He'd heard about a large Forester base in Zone 3, but obviously being in Zone 3, no one but the Foresters had seen it. Caruso had expected several huts, similar to Forester stations in Zone 2. But this appeared to be something else all together. The buildings that shouldered two sides of the compound went beyond mere functionality. In the fiery glow, he noticed the stonework was fringed with decorative carvings. Even the path he stood on caught his attention. It was comprised of tiny different coloured stones, set in an intricate swirling pattern that continued around the entire garden. The level of artistry would’ve stood out even on the main promenade. It felt very lavish—in an unwelcoming way.

A figure emerged from one of the rooms and cut towards them.

Caruso knew he had done nothing wrong. He knew there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. But seeing this man approach made him feel otherwise. He didn’t know why. Something about the man’s confident gait, solid build, erect posture, with skin blacker than a moonless night; all together it was an intimidating sight. As he drew near, the two foresters at Caruso’s side snapped to attention and gave the man a nod before stepping away.

‘We’ll speak later,’ the man said to them as they passed, then turned his attention to Caruso. His face relaxed into a wide grin, displaying a set of impeccably white teeth.

‘Welcome to the Forester compound.’ His voice was clear and jarringly loud. ‘My name is Ferris. Walk with me.’

Caruso obeyed. He didn’t even think about it. Something about the way Ferris acted just demanded to be obeyed. Caruso could tell Ferris was in charge without needing to be told. He used to think Bozi had an authoritative air about him. But just in this brief ten second introduction it was clear Ferris was on a whole other level.

‘Now, you must have a bunch of questions. But first things first, you need to have a little session with our examiner, Niko. Depending on how you do, we’ll take it from there.’ Ferris had a way of talking while maintaining his wide grin, made everything he said easy to swallow.

‘Um okay… What do you mean by examiner?’

‘Don’t worry. She’ll ask you some questions, get inside your head, figure you out. All that good stuff.’

‘Right.’ It didn’t sound like “good stuff”, but Caruso expected he had little say in the matter.

‘What’s your name, lad?’

‘Caruso, sir.’ Should I be saying “sir”? Should I have said it earlier?

Ferris stopped outside one of the rooms that lined the compound.

‘Wait out here for a second.’ Ferris entered the room, muted conversation came from within.

Caruso figured they just wanted him as a witness to the attack he saw. But why drag me into Zone 3 for that? Why would they completely uproot my life like this? Maybe they’re planning on telling me how to overcome sporesickness so I can return.

Ferris exited. ‘She’s all yours,’ he said with that wide grin and slapped Caruso firmly on the back causing him to stumble into the room.

Inside, a woman sat on one of two chairs beside a crackling hearth. The room was warm. Stone surfaces were covered in rich rugs and tapestries.

‘Hello sweetie, my name’s Niko.’ She was older than Caruso’s mother. And had a kind, welcoming face framed with grey hair. She gave a warm smile and motioned towards the chair opposite her. Caruso sat, noticing the cushy leather and carved detailing on the wooden armrests.

‘Hi,’ Caruso said, feeling his heart rate increase.

‘Before we begin, I will need you to eat this.’ She produced a small translucent mushroom.

Caruso hadn’t seen one of the like before. ‘What is it?’

‘We call them truthbuttons. It will help you to relax and answer some questions. It is important we get a clear picture of what happened and who you are.’

He wondered what would happen if he refused. Likely nothing good. Niko didn’t appear to be scary or unkind. But he doubted Ferris would keep his grin if Caruso got on his bad side.

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Caruso swallowed the truthbutton—wasn’t like he had anything to hide anyway—it was small and flavourless. He relaxed and sunk into his chair. His breath deepened, each one seeming to last a full minute. Thoughts melted away—all of his worries and anxieties floating off into nothingness.

Niko leaned forward and stared into his eyes. ‘Okay, good, you’re ready. Let’s begin then shall we?’ Her voice was buttery smooth, made him feel warm, safe. Caruso nodded.

‘So, sweetie, what were you doing deep in Zone 2 tonight?’

‘Me and Webber were out looking for Inkballs for Bozi.’

‘Did you know the Foresters would be passing through?’

‘No.’

‘What about the Urchins you saw, did you expect to see them?’

‘No, they surprised us. We stayed hidden in the tree when they arrived.’ The answers poured from him without any required thought.

‘Okay that’s good, Caruso.’ Niko stood up and started pacing around him in a circle. She kept circling as she asked her questions. ‘You saw one of the Urchins attack the Foresters. One was holding a little sack. Do you remember him?’

‘I remember.’

‘Can you tell me what happened to him, and the sack?’

‘After the Urchin attacked, the Forester carrying the sack leaped high up into the trees. I don’t know how he could jump so high. And he was badly hurt from a chest wound, a lot of blood. By the time he made it to my branch, he died. I grabbed the sack before he dropped it in the river.’

‘Did you open the sack?’

‘Something was wriggling inside. Then it crawled out the sack—some weird slime thing, I think it was alive. It crawled out and onto my arm,’ Caruso extended his right arm before him. ‘I tried to fling it off, but I fell in the river. What was that thing?’

‘Did you manage to fling it off?’

‘I’m not sure, I fell in the river.’

‘How far up your arm did it get?’

‘It wrapped the whole way round my forearm,’ Caruso gripped his hand around his forearm. ‘What was that thing anyway?’

‘Thank you, sweetie. That takes care of what happened. Aren’t things simple with truthbuttons? No ambiguity, no grey areas, just the simple truth.’ Niko poured a couple glasses of water, and offered one to him. The water was cool and soothing on his throat. Niko kept circling around him, watching him from all angles. Caruso ignored her movements and sunk deeper into his chair.

Niko continued. ‘I was told that when you fell into the river, you quickly swam towards the Forester, away from the urchins. Why did you do that?’

‘I was scared and worried. I thought the Forester would help.’

‘Why did you think that?’

‘Because he was a Forester. So I knew I could trust him.’

Niko rested her hand on his shoulder. It felt nice and tingly, but there was strength to it, too. ‘You made the right choice, Caruso. You can always trust the Foresters. We are here to help. We want to protect you, keep you safe.’

Caruso let out a deep relaxed breath. Feeling warm, feeling comfortable.

‘Tell me, Caruso, how do you feel about authority? About taking orders, being told what to do?’

‘I like it. It’s easy.’

‘Easy in what way?’ Niko began circling him again.

‘It’s easy to follow orders. Making my own decisions is much harder.’

‘What if you didn’t like the orders?’

‘It’s still easier.’

‘Easier than saying no?’

Caruso nodded. ‘Saying no just creates conflict. But if I give control to someone else, then all the responsibility is on them.’

‘That makes a lot of sense. Do you live alone, Caruso?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you have family back in Jamala?’

‘No.’

‘What about friends?’

‘I don’t have many of those.’

‘You mentioned you were with another boy, was he a friend of yours?’ Niko asked.

‘Webber! Yes, he is my friend.’ It felt good saying that. Caruso found himself sitting up a bit straighter, feeling prideful all of a sudden.

‘Can you tell me about him? Does he share your trust for the Foresters?’

‘No. He tried to join them back in Jamala but they refused him. I think that made him mad. He is a really nice guy, though. I like him, he’s my friend. I have a new job teaching him all about the mushrooms. Now I can work in the forest and I no longer have to worry about the Vandeliers because Webber can protect me.’ Caruso grinned at the thought. ‘Are you going to show me how to get back to Zone 2?’

‘Webber sounds like a good friend,’ Niko said.

‘He is. He’s a new friend but I can tell he is a good one.’ Caruso remembered Webber yelling and running after him as that thickset Forester hauled him over the shroomline. He also remembered that large Urchin running up to Webber and standing protectively over him. ‘Do you know if he’s okay? We need to get back to Jamala.’

Niko stopped circling and shifted her expression to a more serious one. ‘Our Foresters tried to protect him. But one of the Urchins got to him first. You remember what those Urchins did to two of our members?’

Caruso remembered the ambush, the blood, the dying Forester. The memory was drenched in cold dread. But he didn’t recall the Urchin ever trying to hurt Webber. He recalled the Urchin standing in front of Webber, as if to shield him. ‘But the big Urchin never attacked Webber, I think he was protecting him.’

Niko shook her head slowly, ‘I’m sorry, Caruso. When we are panicked we tend to misremember things. Urchins don’t protect. They attack and kill. You saw that female Urchin kill two of our Foresters tonight. And that other Urchin you saw, the big one with the scaly skin? He is not even human. He’s an anima. And is crueler and more ruthless than his partner. He wouldn’t leave any survivors. I’m so sorry, Caruso.’

Caruso was confused. He could clearly picture the Urchin protecting Webber. Or maybe it was the protective stance of a predator guarding its kill? The scene grew hazy in his mind. ‘No… but…no…He was my friend.’

‘I know,’ Niko said. ‘The Urchins are dangerous. But the Foresters can protect you against them.’

Caruso’s eyes brimmed with tears. A darkness filled him.

‘It’s okay to feel sad, Caruso. But Webber wouldn’t want that. He would want the Urchins to pay. He would want vengeance. Am I right?’

Caruso sniffed and nodded along with Niko, ‘Yeah, Webber would want that.’

‘Wouldn’t Webber be proud of you if you helped us bring those Urchins to justice?’

Caruso kept nodding along with Niko. ‘He would. But I don’t see how I could help. I wouldn’t be any use. ’

‘What if you joined us? We could train you to become a Forester. You can stay here with us, in Zone 3, we can protect you and you wouldn’t need to worry about anything. Doesn’t that sound good?’

‘It does. But surely I can’t be a Forester.’

‘Do you trust the Foresters?’

‘I trust them.’

‘Would you want to be one?’

‘Of course. But I’m not Forester material. I’m not strong or brave.’

‘That will not be a problem, Caruso. If you’re with us, we can be your strength.’

‘But why would you want me? I can’t fight or anything.’

‘Foresters don’t fight with their fists. We will teach you how to fight with Zone 4 mushrooms.’

‘Zone 4 mushrooms?’

‘I’m sure you saw some in action tonight already.’

‘You’ll teach me about them?’

‘If you agree to become an apprentice Forester.’

‘Will I learn to zonewalk too? I’ve always wondered about how that works.’

‘Join us as an apprentice Forester. Once we decide you are ready, you will be a fully fledged Forester, and you will know everything. So, what do you say?’

Caruso was feeling overwhelmed, like his mind was being tugged in different directions. He wanted to agree, but something felt off. And he couldn’t help but voice his concerns.

‘But why me? It makes no sense. There are plenty of better candidates.’

Niko went to her desk and pulled out a Forester necklace. It was similar to the one all the Foresters wore—a stone disc attached to a leather string. Except instead of a perfectly circular disc, this one was flattened on one side.

‘You may not see it yet, sweetie. But you would make a perfect Forester.’ She handed it to him.

Caruso stared down at it. ‘Do you want me to put it on now?’

‘Put it on when you decide to join us. But don’t give me your answer now. It’s important you give us your answer once you are well rested and your head is clear.’