Chapter 1

A long, long time ago, in a land forgotten before history began, the world was a vastly different place. Twin moons gazed down upon a planet of vast green forests and immense blue oceans. The few humans that inhabited the planet lived in isolated groups, in makeshift shelters, or in caves or trees. A few of their number led solitary lives, roaming the wilderness and quite content to do so.

They were intelligent beings, though still in touch with their primal urges and animal desires. They existed in harmony with nature, with no thought to alter or tame the environment as later civilisations would do. As a consequence, agriculture and farming were concepts that had never occurred to even the most forward-thinking of individuals. The land was bountiful and provided everything needed to survive and thrive.

Living simply meant they had no need for clothing, certainly not for reasons of modesty. The naked form was considered a thing of beauty, a thing to be admired and appreciated. Although for practical reasons, a cloak of deer skin was occasionally required for the period approaching the rainy season. The remainder of the time, the weather was hot enough to remain naked. Any type of cover would not only be uncomfortable in the tropical temperatures, but also a hindrance when it came to hunting, and other such strenuous activities.

There were two distinct seasons. A long, tropical summer followed by a brief period of transitional weather, marked by increased humidity, cooler nights, and sudden rainstorms. A relatively short rainy season would follow. During this brief respite from the constant heat, the land would be drenched. Streams and rivers would break their banks, and the lowlands would be flooded. Where there had once been sweeping plains of grass, there would be lakes, and lurking within, a terror known as the Grim.

Adama had never seen one himself, but he’d been told they rose up from the water to heights of eight or nine feet. Their green-black bodies were covered in algae, and slime oozed from their slender forms. They had no eyes or teeth, just watery, black cavities. Should some hapless man, woman, or child encounter one of these monsters from the netherworld, the Grim would draw the life force, the very spiritual essence, from them, inhaling it and growing stronger because of it. Such was their hunger that anyone coming across the withered remains of one of their victims might mistake it for no more than a collection of old sticks.

As a solution to the presence of the Grim during the rainy season, humans had taken to hibernating. They dug burrows in the earth, lined them with rocks or wood, then waterproofed them using a combination of mud, sand, and straw. A laborious undertaking, but once it had been constructed, it would last many summers. The burrow was then filled with dry grass, animal skins, and any other materials they could find that would keep away the chill of winter. While rain poured almost constantly from skies of grey cloud, the human population entered a period of deep sleep, aided by the mild toxins found in the leaves of the macan tree.

When chewed, the leaves induced a state not dissimilar to death. The proteins contained within a single leaf were enough to slow the heart to an undetectable pace, and reduce brain activity to a point where the person was incapable of doing anything but remain breathing. It was customary to take a supply of leaves into the burrow, for often a person would wake up early, and without food or water, nor a place to purge (a term used to mean “emptying the bowels and the bladder”), a person wouldn’t be able to survive in their burrow for long without having to unseal the entrance and risk the ravages of the rainy season, and the Grim.

It was in Adama’s twenty-fifth summer he encountered a traveller crossing the grasslands, heading south. The man was only a little older than Adama, but had travelled widely. At the beginning of their conversation, he entertained Adama with stories of faraway places and the humans who lived there, but he was also the bearer of disturbing news.

“I’ve heard it many times now,” said the traveller. “Somehow they’ve found a way to detect burrows.”

“The Grim?”

“This past spring, many emerged from their burrows to find other lower-lying burrows had been destroyed, and their occupants sucked dry.” The traveller shook his head and sighed. “With the rainy season so close, there’s a lot of panic. Old burrows can no longer be used with confidence. People don’t necessarily have many options. I predict a mass exodus to the mountains, though competition for burrow sites will be fierce.”

Adama experienced only a flash of alarm. For while he was upset and troubled by the loss of life, he knew exactly where he was going to hibernate.