Soaring above Wormwood, the birds can see right to the horizon.
In the distance a barren landscape shimmers white, an ominous haze hovering above it.
Below, large chimneys spout sickly smoke into their path, as crowds of tiny figures trudge through winding, crowded streets.
Dense forest surrounds the city, an impenetrable tangle of thick, vine-choked trees, packed so tight together it is hard to see to the ground.
But there is one tree unlike all the rest.
Short wooden boards are nailed to its thick trunk forming a crude ladder, leading up to planks that make a floor. It is a hiding place far above everyone.
Here, a girl tosses and turns in her tortured sleep.
The girl is Vega Jane.
All is not right in her world.
And it is about to get far worse.
For her.