"I guess the faire is back on the other side of that hill," Nic said, still looking for a rational explanation. "Odd though. I don't recall any hills when we came in. Trees yes. Hills, no."
Crystal had an idea. She wanted them to see everything, then they'd believe her. "Yes, let's climb it and see," she suggested.
The climb proved to be easier said than done. Though the hill was only twice as high as the curtain, the face of the hill was almost vertical, and they had to climb a steep, winding path to get to the top.
Crystal, who was physically in good shape climbed to the top with relative ease. Nic didn't need assistance but seemed happy to let John take her hand and help pull her up. Crystal spotted that she let go of his hand most reluctantly.
Probably, John and Nic expected to see the hill fall away quickly and the faire nestle in the valley behind it, but there was nothing but more foothills, and hardly any valley at all. The lush green hills went on for miles and miles, only to be replaced by a ridge of green mountains, partly hidden under low-lying clouds.
"Wait," John said. "This is impossible." Not believing the evidence of his own eyes, he turned full circle. Woods abounded in every other direction, and in the far distance, the eerie white structures from the city of Somnia loomed on the horizon.
"Do you believe me, now?" Crystal asked.
John still seemed to be struggling with the concept. "I... I... well, I mean, how can this be? Role-playing is role-playing but this seems real."
"It doesn't seem real, John. I'm very much afraid it is real. Sort of. And worst yet, if Stu made his way here, I've no idea how to go about finding him."
"He'd have headed for the city, wouldn't he?" Nic suggested.
"Perhaps," Crystal said. "It's such a long way off though, and you can't see it from ground level. Maybe if he got to the opening in the woods like I did, he'd have seen it. But who knows? Really, he could be anywhere."
"Maybe he went back through the curtain," John argued, reasonably. "I have a really bad feeling about all of this, and I suggest we just go back to the faire and wait for him to come find us. I mean, he could be absolutely anywhere. What can we hope to achieve from wandering blindly about in this place?"
"All that role-playing you do and your first thought in a magic land is to run away from it?" Nic said. "I say we have a bit of fun and do some exploring. Who knows, we might just stumble on Stu as we go. Chances are he's somewhere in that general direction." She pointed her finger toward the city, and without waiting for the others, started to climb down.
"Wait," Crystal cried. "Get down. I hear horses."
The sound of horses' hooves reached them through the open woods, galloping at a fast pace. They could hear angry riders, driving the beasts on. The three fell belly-down onto the grass and crawled as close to the rim of the hill as possible.
"This is bad," Crystal whispered. "Jake told me about this patrol. We mustn't let them see us."
"Jake was here?" Nic whispered back.
"Not our Jake. Well, it was our Jake and it wasn't. It's hard to explain."
She was interrupted by the arrival of six horses. The riders were all dressed alike in navy tunics, with a jewel-less silver crown emblazoned on the bodice. Antique silver visors covered their faces. The horse's saddles were laden with silver weapons, and matching daggers and swords hung from the rider's hips. The great beasts pulled up in a straight line.
"Why don't we ask these dudes if we've seen Stu?" John whispered. "They might be able to help us."
"Nooo," Crystal hissed. "We can't trust them, we can't risk it."
"Shhh! Listen!" Nic added.
One rider urged his horse forward and turned around to face the rest. Crystal noted that unlike the others, he had some kind of insignia on his sleeve. The man sat straight in his saddle and addressed the other men.
"I want two of you to stand guard in this place at all times," he said. "Any unauthorized trespassers must be arrested and brought in for questioning. No exceptions. We've found one Otherworlder and our intelligence suggests there'll be others. Three to be exact, if his information is correct. The queen commands we maintain a heightened level of security until these three Otherworlders are captured and brought before her."
Without further instruction, two of the riders turned their horses' heads and trotted over to the curtain where they took up their posts.
"The rest of you keep patrol in this general area," he continued. "Your watch will be relieved at sunset. Till then, stay alert." The remaining riders set off to stand at the curtain and the leader rode off.
"Oh shit, what now?" Nic said. "How are we gonna get back down without these dudes seeing us?"
"We'll have to crawl off over there where the trees give more cover.” John pointed to a spot a little distance away.
"Agreed," Crystal said. "Well, at least we know one thing. Stu did come through, and they have him."
"I didn't like the sound of that at all," Nic but her lip. They all nodded.
"Well, we can't go back though the curtains, that's for sure," John said. He started to crawl away from the lip of the hill, and once he was safely far back and out of sight, he sat up. The two girls followed him, and they huddled close together, as quietly as possible.
"I say we try and find this Jake dude," Nic proposed. "It sounds like he at least tried to help you before. And maybe he can shed some light on what's going on in this place."
"Yes, and he might know where they've taken Stu. It's our best hope," Crystal agreed.
John turned pale and seemed reluctant to move. After a moment he spoke. "We could try and slip past the guards at night. Sooner or later they're gonna have to pee or take a break or something. We could wait for an opportunity and slip back to the real world and get some help."
"I can't believe you'd even think to leave Stu here. He's our friend, we can't just abandon him. We have no clue what they're doing to him now. And what if you're captured? No, I say we press on."
"I'm not saying we should abandon him, but let's be sensible," John pressed. "We don't know what we're up against. I'm just saying we should maybe take a step back to think."
Nic looked down at the ground. At last, she lifted her head and turned to address Crystal only. "I disagree. If he is in trouble, it would me madness not to look for him now––the longer we wait and all that... Let's get going. Who knows what they're gonna do to him? The quicker we find him the better."
And with that, the three crawled slowly away to their right, crouching low and without saying another word. They soon found a place to descend, out of sight of the posted guards and away from the riding patrol. As they descended, Crystal noted that this time Nic refused John's offer of assistance, and instead made her own way down. Pity. She didn't think John's suggestion was that unreasonable.
Back at ground level, they waited a moment and strained to listen for any passing hooves or footfalls. Assured they were unobserved, they slowly slipped away and disappeared among the dense golden leaves.
Once they were out of earshot, Nic shot John a furtive glance. "There's no point stooping, it doesn't make you any quieter."
"No," John replied, "but it makes me shorter and less likely to be seen, Nic."
Still, John straightened his back and slowed his pace. He ignored the quip and turned instead to Crystal. "Do you have a plan?" he asked.
"Not really," Crystal confessed. "Apart from a cup of tea in a strange tree dwelling I have the same understanding of this place as you."
"So where are we headed?" Nic asked.
"Well, all I can think of is to try and find Jake to see if he can help us. We've got to find out for sure that the riders were talking about Stu, and we've got to see if there's any other way out of this place."
"What if we're stuck here?" John said. "I mean, these clothes are okay but come nightfall we're gonna really feel it. And I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry. That cheesecake thing was only supposed to be a little tide-me-over. It wasn't meant
to keep me going all day."
"Will you stop thinking about yourself," Nic hissed. "Stu could be in real danger and all you can think about is your stomach."
"Guys, guys, this really isn't helping. Look, I think I know the way back to Jake's place, I'm kinda recognizing some of these old oak trunks and if I'm right, he's just a little way away from here. We can ask Jake for food and shelter and then maybe come up with some kinda plan. I mean, what else can we do? I'm just as eager as you both are to find Stu and get the hell out of this place."
As Crystal walked, she studied the path intently. She strained to see anything familiar, and prayed she wasn't lost or worse, walking them all into danger. Her ears sensed every tiny creak and twitch, and her heart beat fast and furious.
Somewhere ahead of them a twig snapped, and she held up her hand fast and brought the others to a sudden halt.
"I heard it too," John whispered.
The three friends huddled close together, none breathing, all straining to hear and in turn, anxious not to be heard.
"There it is again," Crystal gasped. As quietly as she could, she tiptoed over to a great oak and hid behind the enormous trunk. The others followed her lead and like squirrels, pressed their frames flat into the great bark. Ever so carefully, Crystal looked around the edge of the trunk to locate the source of the noise. She looked, just in time to see a pair of legs, bending down to pick up dry twigs, then a moment later stand tall again.
Her whole body relaxed, and she heaved a long sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said, putting her hand to her heart as if to calm its violent rhythm.
"What is it?" Nic whispered.
"It's okay," smiled Crystal. She stepped away from the tree and raised her eyes in silent prayer. "God alone knows how we did it, but we've found Jake!"
And even as she spoke the words, the boy himself walked around the trunk of the tree and, when he saw them all on the other side, he screamed like a baby. "Arrrgh!"
Flight Into the Woods
The dry wood Jake carried in his arms fell to the ground. He stared wide-eyed at the three travelers and gave John and Nic wary looks before his gaze settled upon Crystal.
"I thought you were gone," he said. His voice was low, and he looked over their shoulders and all around. "You should have stayed gone. It's not safe. They are looking for you. The queen had news of your arrival."
"The queen?" John said.
"Who are you?" Jake asked, staring directly at him.
Nic and John exchanged confused looks, and John was about to speak when Crystal stayed his arm.
"There's no time for explanations now," she said. "But we do need to find our friend. Can you help us?"
Jake glared at Crystal, and then kicked the dry leaves at his feet, as if the thought of putting himself in danger by helping them didn't appeal to him at all. She couldn't blame him. He knelt down and started picking up the twigs he'd dropped before he answered. "It's not safe here. We could be watched. We need to get out of sight, and then we can talk properly."
Crystal took a step forward and knelt down to help him gather the wood. "But you will help us?" she asked.
"I suppose. Well, I'll do what I can." Jake rose to his feet and quickly headed off in the direction of his great oak. He looked over his shoulder and, as loudly as he dared said, "Come, follow me. And hurry."
The three companions had no choice but to obey. They scurried after him, and in less than a minute they all stood at the entrance to his great oak.
"Is this where you live?" Nic asked. She looked up and down the great expanse of tree, hardly imagining such a thing was possible. "In a tree?"
"Not in it, under it.” As Crystal spoke, Jake cleared the brush at the roots that hid the entrance.
"Cool," John said.
Jake descended the earth-cut stairway and disappeared underground. Crystal nodded her assurance to the others, and then followed after him, so John and Nic did the same.
"Whoa," John said.
As Crystal entered the familiar enclosure, she looked back to see John who stood firmly rooted to the spot. His jaw dropped and his eyes scanned every square inch of the cavernous space. "This is where you live? This is the coolest place I've ever seen."
"Sit down if you want to," Jake proposed. "Can I get you something to drink? I have tea and crackers."
"No, thank you," Crystal replied.
"That would be great!" John looked eagerly around for food. "I'm starving. I don't suppose you've got any cheese?"
"Possibly," Jake replied. "I'll look."
Nic sat down on the sofa and tilted her head back to look up at the ceiling. "Wow, look at those roots," she said. "It's like a naturally beamed ceiling. I've never seen anything so perfect. I could so live here. It's beautiful."
Crystal followed her gaze and once again, marveled at the great roots of the old oak as they wove their way carefully through the top of the room and the outer walls. Jake had made practical use of the lower limbs, which he used as shelving for his plates and cups. John, still overwhelmed, walked around the perimeter of the interior. Crystal watched as he picked up the small trinkets and pictures scattered all around the place.
"If this place wasn't so weird this would be perfect for role-playing," John said.
"Why are all the pictures of you?" Nic asked. "Don't you have family?"
"Family?" Jake looked confused.
"Yes, family. You know, brothers, sisters, mothers, dads, that kind of thing. Girlfriends maybe?" She giggled.
"I don't know what you mean," Jake answered. "There is only me, and the others."
Crystal, standing by the fireplace, picked up one of the framed photographs. She looked a little closer, only to see it wasn't a real photo at all. Jake was in it, all right, dressed just as he was now. But it was a woodcut picture, not just a photograph. It must have taken ages to make it. She wondered whose handiwork it was.
"Only you? What do you mean? Everyone has family." Crystal carefully replaced the picture where she'd found it. "And who are the others?"
Jake looked at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. "Why, the people of Caducus of course. Who else could I mean?"
John scoffed and raised his eyebrows. "Well, you might not have a family, but the others surely do."
"I don't know what a family is. All the people of Caducus are like me. We're all boys and girls of seventeen, a mix of friends and enemies. Is that a... family?"
"Wait, you're telling me, everyone in this place is seventeen? Everyone? No exceptions?" Crystal asked.
"Yes."
"That's impossible," Nic said.
"Not unless you're one of the lost boys from Peter Pan," John snorted.
"Peter Pan? I don't think I've met him. Is he from your world?" Jake shrugged. There was no lie in his looks, more a sense of wonder at how strange the others found this. Crystal looked from John, to Nic, then back to Jake. Instinctively she knew the answers they sought would not come from Jake.
"What has happened to Stu?" she asked. "What you're telling us is weird, for sure, but right now we have to find out where he is and what kind of danger he's in. You say they know we are here, who are they? The riders? Please help us. We can't find him on our own."
"Your friend has been captured by Queen Ella's Guardsmen. They answer to her and her alone," Jake said. "It has long been known that the queen fears these woods and she has them patrolled regularly. Just after you left, two riders passed me on my journey home. They asked me if I had seen anyone else like the boy they'd just picked up."
Jake lowered his eyes and stared at his feet. He shuffled awkwardly, and played with his hands, as if suddenly unsure what to do with them. After a moment he shook his head and walked over to the fire, where he put some of the dried wood into the great stone-lined grate.
"Is burning wood in here safe?" John asked.
"Quite safe," Jake replied. He smiled and his shoulders visibly relaxed. "There is a chimney that comes up a short distance away. The smoke is disperse
d by bushes and unlikely to be detected. Have no fear. We won't be burning down anytime soon."
In a flash the wood ignited. Crystal hadn't seen him grab any matches, or anything else to light it with.
"Woah," John said. "That was just like - magic. How did you do that?"
"Light the fire?" Jake asked.
"Yes."
"I dunno. I just wanted a fire, and on it came. That's how it works."
"Can you do other magic things?" Crystal asked.
Jake looked puzzled. "I don't think so."
Nic shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. "So, this really is another world!"
"That's what I've been telling you," Crystal said. "So, do you believe me now?"
"I guess we have to," John answered. "But what's the use of magic if we can't use it to find Stu?"
"What did you tell the riders?" Crystal asked Jake. "Did you tell them about me? About all of us?"
Jake turned away and looked into the fire. He placed his hand on the mantle and braced himself. His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Yes. Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be coming back."
"What did you tell them?"
"I... I told them I'd met a young woman. I told them your name was Crystal."
"Is that all?" Crystal asked.
"I said you'd gone back to your world. But that you'd said you had friends. I didn't think you would be stupid enough to come back here with them." Crystal frowned but decided to overlook the insult. Seeing her expression, Jake held up both hands, palms outward, in a placating gesture. "No, no, I don't mean I really think you're stupid, that was just what I told them to satisfy them."
"What did they say?"
Jake groaned. "If I saw you again, I was to bring you back here, and to wait."
"Is that all?" John asked. "Look, why don't we just meet them and find out what they have to say. This Ella person, she might not be so horrible. She might just be curious about strangers in her land. We could just talk to her and find out."
Jake shook his head, vehemently. "That's a really, really bad idea."
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