The walking stick stood upright in Lukus's hand and made an obscene gesture at Fuzz.
“They smell like peppermint when you squash them,” said Fuzz, thrusting a glower at it. “Of course, their juices cause your skin to blister. They're all under Ugleeuh's enchantment,” said Fuzz. “They've got her demeanor.” Suddenly he looked up and sniffed, then hurriedly put his ear to the ground.
“What, Fuzz?” said Rose.
Fuzz looked up at Rose with his finger to his lips, then quickly pressed his ear to the earth again. He stood up and sniffed. “We have a visitor I'd rather not see. Maybe if we hurry.” At the sound of crashing in the underbrush, Rose grabbed Lukus's hand and ran up the path with Fuzz at their heels. Suddenly, a huge raspberry colored bear lunged into their way, stopping Rose so suddenly that the three of them stumbled and fell. Lukus was on his feet with the walking stick tight in his hand as he gaped at the hulking purple bear. Rose and Fuzz picked themselves up, wide eyed.
“Hello Fuzz,” said the visitor. “I see he's got the bug I put in your ear.”
“My ear still itches, Rotundra,” said Fuzz with a frown. “I'm sorry, but we really don't have time for this. We don't have time for jokes. We're in a terrible hurry. Could you please let us be on our way?”
“You rude old ingrate,” said Rotundra. “That message was no joke or prank of any sort.”
“What message?” said Fuzz.
“Why didn't you deliver the message?” woofed Rotundra, as she thrust a glare at the walking stick.
“It's not my fault,” squeaked the walking stick, cowering in Lukus's hand. “That moth-eaten fuzz-ball knocked me off before I had a chance to say anything to him.”
“Well how the ding-dong blazes was I supposed to know the bug had a message?” said Fuzz. “If those peppermint beasties didn't itch so much, maybe they'd manage to whisper all kinds of things into a fellow's ear. Say, my companions and I are in a terrible hurry. What was the message?”
“Very well, Mr. Patience and Hospitality,” said Rotundra, as she lumbered up to stare into Fuzz's eyes. “The message is that you need to be exceedingly cautious because Ugleeuh is out this very minute, looking for you three. And she might want to kill you.”
“Ugleeuh knows that Rose and Lukus are with me?” said Fuzz in dumbfounded alarm.
“That's right, sweetie. And she knows that you're trying to get them out of the forest, too.”
“But how? She couldn't know that, unless she...”
“Only Shot 'n' Stop escaped. He gave me the message before he went underground. He fears greatly for his own life, else he would've found you himself.”
“What are you saying?” cried Rose. “What did Ugleeuh do to Spring and Sweetcheeks?”
“I'm sorry Rose,” said Rotundra as she shared a sad look with Fuzz. “Spring is dead and Sweetcheeks probably is, too. Shot 'n' Stop made sure before he escaped. Fast friends, those three. That old crawler would never have abandoned them if there'd been any hope.”
“She murdered them in cold blood?” cried Lukus. “They died for us! They barely knew us and they died for us! Somebody better put her out for good! She can't go around killing...”
“Lukus! Look 'ee here,” said Fuzz. “There's nothing we can do...”
“She's a nightmare,” cried Lukus, falling to his knees and hitting the earth with his fists. “It's time someone got her. All summer was just she being horrible. Spring and Sweetcheeks is the last straw...”
“Lukus,” said Fuzz. “You're right. But we can't vindicate Spring and Sweetcheeks...”
“We have to.”
“No! You've got to have a strategy, young soldier. You've got to have plans exceedingly well laid to tangle with an enemy as dangerous as she. You haul off at her in a hot passion and she'll turn you into a grease spot, after you've writhed and bellowed in enough agony to suit her. All we can do is get you and Rose out of the forest as quickly as possible. If we don't, Ugleeuh will get you, and Sweetcheeks and Spring's death will have been for nothing.”
“But she murdered them, Fuzz,” sobbed Lukus.
“They went out of their way to help us,” said Rose. “What can we do?”
“We have to go this minute,” said Fuzz gently as he steered Rose onto the path. “Now Lukus, this really is our only hope. Getting the two of you safely away from her is the best that we can do for Spring and Sweetcheeks.”
“That's right, young ones,” said Rotundra with a sad smile for Lukus. “Every creature in the forest feels Ugleeuh's time is long overdue for some of her own medicine. We're all powerless. Your only hope, and indeed maybe Fuzz's, is for the three of you to get completely out of this forest.”
“I must apologize, for my impatience with you, Rotundra. I trust you understand and forgive my ungracious behavior. I really am grateful to you,” said Fuzz, breaking into a brisk walk. “Better hide. You don't want to be seen with us.”
“Don't give it another thought, Fuzz,” she said in a sweet voice, as she batted her long curly lashes and launched into a heavy, rolling gait to keep up. “When this is all over you can come to my den for a cozy little moonlight supper and a nice chat.”
Rose and Lukus suddenly found themselves so amused with the bears that they quite forgot their upset, craning their necks in rapt suspense to hear how Fuzz would reply.
“Well...” stammered Fuzz, “that sounds...yes, quite...quite nice. We...you know...can discuss it when I return, if you wish.”
“Why, yes,” purred Rotundra. “Now, you must go quickly, my sweet. Farewell and safe travels to you and your friends,” she added with sudden sadness. “I'll keep a candle burning until you return.” And with that she spun on her heel and vanished.
Lukus still carried the walking stick as he kept up with Rose and Fuzz. “So Fuzz,” he said, as a knowing smile spread across his face, “that Rotundra is really something, isn't she?”
“My word, what do you mean by that, exactly?”
“Why you old rascal,” said Lukus. “Don't play innocent with us. You and she have something going, don't you?”
“Certainly not!” sputtered Fuzz. “I barely know her.”
“Absolutely, Fuzz,” laughed Lukus. “We would expect you to bearly know her.”
Rose giggled, but Fuzz had not grown up with Lukus's jokes. “I don't know if I understand the two of you at all,” he said. “I must insist, I truly do not know Rotundra well in the least. From the moment we met she has behaved in such a predatory fashion that I've never been able to feel comfortable enough with her to even enjoy a lengthy conversation. Having 'something going with her,' as you put it, Lukus, has simply never been possible.”
“But Fuzz,” said Rose, with her eyes dancing merrily, “can't you see that she's crazy about you? That's why she flirts so shamelessly.”
“Yes, well,” said Fuzz, pausing wide eyed in the path to scratch his head. “She's not my type at all. She appeals to me every bit as much as the threat of being mounted by some sort of large livestock in heat. We just don't have that in common. Mercy! I mean...oh my! Besides, in case the two of you didn't notice, and I don't see how you could not have, Rotundra is rotund. She is also a bear.”
“But Fuzz! You're a bear.”
“No! I mean, I know that, Lukus. But Rotundra is a real bear.”
“No real bear is that color,” giggled Rose.
“Ordinarily, that is true,” sighed Fuzz, “but the two of you are forgetting where you are.”
The idea of where they were sobered all of them to wide-eyed silence, and at once they took up a far more earnest gait than before. Indeed with it past noon, they were so earnest that they ate lunch as they walked. Fuzz was so very intent upon making up lost time, that following him at a breathless scramble made eating difficult. It had grown hot, and the air had become quite dry, even though the morning had led him to expect rain. Last year's leaves, speckled bright yellow with this year's prematurely fallen peppermint leaves, rustled and crunched loudly underfoot. The g
ently rolling peppermint woodland was steadily rising and the swells and swags in the land were giving way to hills and hollows. “The leaves are so thick overhead that I can't see sun nor shadows, Fuzz,” said Lukus, his voice echoing off Peppermint trunks, away into the distance. “Are you sure we're still going east?”
“Absolutely.”
Rose and Lukus stumbled on, doing their best to keep up. Here and there boulders appeared, sticking up through the leaves, with rusty red and bright yellow ochre lichens encrusting their sides facing north. As the afternoon wore on, the hills became steep hogbacks separated by steep sided ravines, littered everywhere with a tumble of rocks and boulders of all sizes, causing breaks in the canopy of the leaves overhead, casting long shadows from the westering sun. They were exhausted and Fuzz was getting beyond their sight from time to time. “Rose! Lukus! Here!” he hollered from somewhere up ahead.
They found him standing on a prominence, waving his arms. They flopped down upon a spongy carpet of moss at his feet, the moment they reached him. “Hey,” said Lukus. “There's a view.”
“Yea, and quite a drop-off, too,” said Fuzz. “We've come out on top of a bluff. You can see for miles.”
“Are we at all near where we can camp?” said Rose, as she fiddled with a piece of twig tangled in her hair.
“You bet,” said Fuzz. “Practically standing on it. There's a big cave at the bottom of the bluff that's hidden by brush. I'm certain that Ugleeuh would never see it from the air.”
At the mention of Ugleeuh's name, Rose and Lukus were on their feet at once. They did not stop until Fuzz had led them all the way down to the cave. It certainly seemed safe enough. Its mouth was so well hidden that they never would have found it without his knowing its exact location behind a dense thicket of shrubs with gnarled red stems. “What's this plant, Fuzz?” said Rose.
“Candied heath. Its sap dries to a sort of brittle toffee. The roots make a pretty figured wood for pipes, drawer pulls and other treen.”
The cave was spacious, dry and unoccupied. The three collapsed onto its floor and sat in a wordless stupor for some time before they began digging about in their packs for supper. “What about all this danger you keep talking about, Fuzz? It hasn't been very frightening yet. Just Ugleeuh? Well, I feel safe enough here at the moment.”
“Ugleeuh alone is enough to be concerned about, even here, Lukus,” said Fuzz. “I certainly hope that we have little else to contend with, but that's quite unlikely. You must take my warnings seriously. You'll have all the excitement you'll ever want, soon enough. Your very life will depend on your staying close to me at all times and doing exactly as I say. By late morning tomorrow, we'll reach a dangerous marsh. You can see it from the top of the bluff, if you know where to look. The creatures there are not what anyone would call friendly, by any means, and that's only the beginning. I don't want you upset by this, just right cautious. I've been through here before. You can make it through. Beyond the marsh, are scarier trials, but it would be best to take each in turn. It shouldn't seem so overwhelming that way. Do you understand?”
Lukus nodded solemnly. Fuzz wasn't sure if his face was pale from the firelight, or what. He saw that Rose looked the same way.
“Don't worry so, Fuzz,” said Rose with a smile, startling him with her perceptiveness. “We'll do whatever you say. We feel safe with you, and no matter what happens, we're grateful to you for all of your help and kindness.”
“Yes, I see that you mean that. You've both been wonderful. I only hope that your faith and trust aren't misplaced with me in the end.”
“Nonsense,” said Rose. “You've done your utmost for us and we know it. Furthermore, you are the wisest, kindest, gentlest soul I've ever had the good fortune to know. It's no wonder Rotundra pursues you so shamelessly.”
“Sweet Rose, it is you who are wonderful. Oh my. It's time to end our chat and get some sleep. It could mean the difference between success and failure. Morning's on it's way.” Rose hugged Fuzz, and all three crawled into their bedding. “Sweet dreams to you both,” said Fuzz. He was snoring almost immediately.
Chapter 45
The guards at the entrance to the throne room didn't look at all friendly to Hubba Hubba, as he and Razzmorten approached. He grabbed a flight feather, letting it slip between his mandibles with a snap and wished he were any place else except where he was at the moment. “Those guards are as grim as executioners,” he said with a hushed rattle at Razzmorten's ear. “Maybe we should just let them deliver Ugleeuh's message.”
“You needn't worry,” said Razzmorten softly, as he gave him a little scratch. “That's their job. They're supposed to look fierce to discourage anyone dangerous to the king and queen. These two are quite amiable when they're off duty.”
“Sorry, but we're having everyone state his business, Razzmorten,” said one of the guards in a gravelly voice. “Their majesties have had a trying morning and wish not to be disturbed except for emergency.”
“Very well then. Do you reckon that a message from the person who holds their children captive is emergency enough?”
The soldiers shared a wide eyed nod, then each took a sideways step from the doorway. “We're terribly sorry to remind you of this, but that must stay out here,” said one of them, as Razzmorten made a move to go in. “Their majesties' personal favorites are still the only animals allowed inside.”
“I'm not a 'that!'“ croaked Hubba Hubba, as he heaved himself upright with a ruffled shake of his feathers. “For your information, you hulking cretin of creaking rivets, I'm an intelligent parrot ensorcelled into this crow's body. If you dare refer to me that way again, I'll peck your eyes out!”
The guard gasped and dropped his pike with a clatter. Razzmorten's eyes went wide as he grabbed Hubba Hubba by the beak. Hubba Hubba tried to jerk free, but gave in the moment he saw the look on the wizard's face. Razzmorten took a deep breath and smiled at the guards. “The bird speaks the truth, but I'm sorry to say that his seeing the queen after all these years has him upset,” he said. “He's her long lost and beloved pet, Hubba Hubba. You certainly wouldn't want to be the ones to turn this particular bird away from her door.” He gave a dignified nod to the guards and stepped inside as Hubba Hubba held aloft his beak, glaring at them in smug triumph.
“Wow! Would ye look at this place,” said Hubba Hubba gawking about in envy at the opulent furnishings and tapestries in the antechamber of throne room. “What a way to live. I could have had all of this if it hadn't been for Ugleeuh,” he thought. He found that the longer he was away from her, the more mixed his emotions about her were getting to be.
Suddenly he was startled when he realized that he was right in front of the king and queen and that they were both staring straight at him.
“So what's this?” said King Hebraun, as he eyed Hubba Hubba. “Why would...?”
“Hebraun!” cried the queen, as she sprang to her feet. “It's Hubba Hubba!” At once she took him from Razzmorten's shoulder and sat back down with him, softly ruffling and stroking his head. He leant into her hand at once, closing his eyes in pleasure at her deft ministrations.
Razzmorten cleared his throat.
Hubba Hubba straightened up at once, giving himself a shake. “Well Queen, how could you possibly have known it was me?”
“Oh, Hubba Hubba! I'd know you anywhere.”
Hubba Hubba drew back his head and thrust it forth in a gawk of bewilderment at Razzmorten. Razmorten gave a wide-eyed shrug. “I hate to dampen this merry reunion, but time may be pressing,” he said. “Hubba Hubba has a message from your sister, regarding Rose and Lukus.”
“Ugleeuh!” cried King Hebraun, as he sprang to his feet. “She hasn't harmed them, has she?”
“No, no. I wouldn't think so,” said Razzmorten, handing Ugleeuh's note to Hebraun. “She has decided to blackmail you. She plans to be set free from the Chokewood Forest. It seems she has Rose and Lukus at her cottage and plans to give their freedom for hers. See for yourself.”
King Hebraun quickly read the missive and handed it to Minuet. “Father!” she choked. “You said Ugleeuh could cause no more harm once she was exiled.”
“Not outside of her part of the Chokewoods,” said Razzmorten, as he gently picked up her hand. “I can't imagine that she had any way of abducting them. They had to have gone there on their own, and most likely to answer some of the questions which Rose was asking all around, right prior to their disappearance. No, Ugleeuh has not been any sort of hazard outside her boundaries from the time we sent her there until this very minute, but this extortion of hers is her design to change all that. Meanwhile, the children must be safe. Stop and think. Ugleeuh is evil, but she's no fool. She'd hardly destroy the one and only chance she's had to end her exile. She'll not harm Rose and Lukus as long as there's any chance she can use them to get free.”
“He's right,” cawed Hubba Hubba. “In all the years I've spent with her, she never suggested harming a feather on my body until I refused to come here. Then she threatened to cook me. And I have an idea. When I left, Ugleeuh gave me this scrying crystal so I'd be able to see her and the forest any time I wanted. Here. Try it to check on Rose and Lukus. I'll bet that will make you feel better.”
Minuet suddenly looked hopeful but Razzmorten sadly shook his head. “Your offer is grand, Hubba Hubba, but I'm afraid your crystal is useless. She's managed to divine an astonishing barrier around her part of the forest to prevent being watched by any sort of crystal gazing. I certainly have tried to often enough.”
Hubba Hubba was stunned. “So!” he squawked with a shake of his feathers. “She lied again. She said she'd drop the protections and keep them down until I returned. Fool that I am, I told her not to because she'd leave herself vulnerable. She told me that her protections had been in place so long that no one would bother to spy on her. No wonder she wasn't worried. She'd no intention of dropping her protections all along.”
Heart of the Staff - Complete Series Page 48