Main Events
Richard Cypher, a woods guide, discovers an unusual vine strangling a balsam fir tree in the upper Venn forest near the boundary. The vine reminds him of one he found three weeks earlier at his murdered father's house, hidden in a blue clay message jar. Grief-stricken and feeling abandoned, Richard has been searching the woods for three weeks, hoping the vine would provide answers about his father's death. His brother Michael, who is now first counselor, has forbidden him from participating in the official search for the killer, leaving Richard to investigate alone.
When Richard attempts to remove the vine from the tree, one of its pods strikes and bites his left hand, embedding a thorn-like object that burrows deeper into his flesh despite his attempts to remove it. He treats the wound with an ohm plant, a remedy taught to him by his friend Zed, who had mentored him in plant knowledge since childhood. As he tends to his injury, a massive red shadow passes overhead, accompanied by a rushing, whistling sound that sends birds scattering in alarm. The sight fills Richard with terror, reminding him of rumors about dangerous things emerging from the boundary.
Frightened, Richard runs through the forest to get a better view of the sky, but the creature disappears behind a hill before he can identify it clearly. He considers telling Michael about the vine and the red thing in the sky, but decides against it, knowing his brother would dismiss his concerns and be angry that he was searching near the boundary. Richard reflects that today is Michael's important day—he is accepting the position of first counselor, which will give him authority over all of Westland. Richard resolves to support his brother despite their differences.
While sitting on a boulder overlooking Trunk Lake, Richard spots a woman in a dress walking along Hawker's Trail on the far side of the lake. Her presence is unusual this far into the Venn forest. As he watches, he notices four men in hooded forest cloaks following her, moving stealthily from tree to tree. Richard realizes with alarm that they are stalking her, and he recognizes this as the "third child of trouble"—completing the ominous pattern that began with the vine and the red creature in the sky.