by Leah Day
“If you think that’s the best place to start. Personally, I think it’s a trap,” Patch said.
“It may beeee a trap, but that is Sunshine.” A single honey bee had returned. “Mally the Maker, weeee formed a beeeeeee train and flew to the mountain. It is Sunshine. All beeeeeees confirm it.”
“That settles it.” Mally climbed onto Patch’s back, shifting the yellow bag so it fit comfortably against her hip. She gripped the green star she’d help piece between his shoulder blades. Her heart raced wildly in her chest, but her voice came out steady as she spoke loudly to the crowd, “We’re going to save Sunshine. It’s getting dark outside and this is the perfect time to cut her free and learn what we can about Menda and what she’s planning.”
“But won’t the Ripping Witch find out we’re here?” a turquoise cat called.
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I wouldn’t leave any of you stitched to the side of a mountain if I could do something about it. I have to save her, and I need your help.” Mally looked up at the massive flock circling overhead. “Can the birds pieced from the darkest colors come with us? If you fly around Patch and me, that might hide us from view.” Immediately the purple, blue, black, brown, and dark green birds broke away from the rest and soared to the far end of the cavern.
“But we want to help too! How can we help?” voices called in all directions.
“You can all help!” Patch roared. “We need information, and the more the better. We need to know where the Ripping Witch is and what she’s doing. Mouse?” He searched for Goldie in the crowd.
“Take all the mice up to the mountain. With night coming and so much altered in Quilst, I’d bet that crazy witch is holed up inside. Sneak in and whatever you do, don’t get caught. She can and will slice you to ribbons so don’t give her a chance. Stay in the shadows and keep out of sight. Send reports with the birds so everyone knows what’s going on.”
“It will be done,” Goldie declared and with a flick of her tail, she was gone.
Mally caught Patch’s line of thinking. “It would be good to know where the snarls are and how many. Can the rest of you scout the landscape?”
“It will need to be the darker colors,” Patch pointed out. “Anyone who can move silently and is pieced in black, purple, brown or blue can leave the cave.
“But what about the brightest and biggest of us?” A hot pink bear called from the back. “Do you want us to just sit and twiddle our claws?”
“There is always a solution if you’re creative.” With that, Patch closed his eyes and began to grow. Mally gripped his back tightly as his body quivered and suddenly Patch was back to the size of Dad’s pickup truck. “If you are too big, think small thoughts. If you are too small, think big thoughts. If your colors are too bright, ride on the back of someone darker. If you want to be useful, you can find a way.”
The animals stared with wide eyes as Patch gave a lazy stretch. His wings snapped wide, then straight up into the air and Mally smiled to see him showing them off. You’d never know he didn’t want those wings stitched on to begin with.
“We’ll send word with the birds! Good luck!” Mally called. She’d been itching to move since they’d stepped through the door. Patch must have been feeling the same because he brought his huge wings down in a sweeping arc and suddenly they were in the air, soaring through the cavern. Mally let out a whoop of joy. No more waiting. No more stitching. It was time to save her friends!
The cave stretched on and on for what felt like miles. As the space narrowed, Patch shrank in size until he was back to the size of a horse.
“This way Mally Maker!” A red and green mouse was waving at them from the ground.
Patch landed lightly next to the mouse and they followed him through a tight tunnel that twisted and turned so many times Mally wasn’t sure it would ever end. They were rounding yet another switchback when she picked up a faint rustling sound in the distance. Patch hunched down to wiggle through a tight bend in the tunnel and suddenly the end was in sight.
Silvery light peeked through the waterfall. Patch carried her to the edge of the tunnel and Mally stuck her hands into the stream of rustling fabrics. The fabric strips flowing over her palms felt cool and refreshing, but like all the water in Quilst, it was not actually wet.
“It seems I’ll never be able to enjoy this waterfall in proper light. The last time I saw it was after Menda had ripped off the sun. And now it’s nighttime!”
“Something to look forward to, little Maker. Now, where is the exit?” Patch asked the mouse.
“Just climb through here to reach the top of the cliff.” Mally followed his pointing paw and found an even tinier tunnel angling to the right.
“I have a better idea. Hang on!” With that, Patch sprang through the middle of the waterfall, sending fabrics flying in all directions.
Mally laughed as the soft cloth brushed past her face. She caught a few scraps as they broke through the barrier, then looked back to watch the waterfall shrinking rapidly below.
She stuffed the scraps into her bag as Patch took them higher, soaring up above the trees. Goldie had been correct. Two moons hung in the sky over the Open Door, casting a silver glow over the landscape of Quilst. Miles of green hills and dense patches of trees stretched out before them, leading up to the largest purple mountain in the distance. With a rush of wings, a flock of dark birds surrounded them.
“Hi, Mally Maker! Night Company at your service!”
“We’re the best flyers in Quilst!”
“And we’re going to save Sunshine! Wheee!”
It seemed many of the birds shared Sunshine’s cheerful personality, but they were all business when it came to hiding them from view.
One by one the flying geese landed on Patch’s back and wings and pressed their dark fabrics over his bright orange body. Soon the cat looked like he’d been covered in a triangle patterned slipcover. Mally tried not to laugh as a handful of geese attached themselves to his tail, their points lined up perfectly end to end.
A few birds landed on her shoulders and expanded in size to block her hair and face from reflecting the moonlight. They angled their wings so she could still see clearly in all directions.
Not that there was much to look at. More birds surrounded them in tight rings until she could barely see anything except dark triangles against the even darker sky.
A black and blue bird fluttered down to land on her shoulder and spoke clearly in her ear, “Hi Mally Maker, I’m Midnight. I’m going to perch here on your shirt just in case something goes wrong. It’s always good to have a backup plan, right?”
“Right,” Mally said nervously.
A faint buzzing sounded in her ear and she whipped her head around to find three tiny honeybees hovering nearby. “Mally Maker, weeee bring a warning. Threeee beeeeeees have entered the mountain and not returned. This may beeee a trap.”
“Exactly what I was saying,” Patch grumbled, his ears pulling back against his head.
“What can you tell us? How is Sunshine?”
“Weeee cannot tell. Sheeee is stitched in place. Weeee saw two lines tying her to the mountainside. You will neeeed to cut her freeee.”
“Then Menda will know we’re here.” Mally bit her lip, considering. “You said the bees have disappeared? Where? What happened?”
“The beeeeeeees entered the window in the purple mountain. Beeee careful Mally Maker. Weeee will beeee close by if you need us.”
“Thank you!” Mally whispered as they disappeared into the night. She watched the purple mountain slowly growing closer and closer with each beat of Patch’s wings. She could just barely make out a tiny orange triangle in the middle below a dark blue square.
The sight of the window in the mountain made her stomach twist. She’d risked her neck jumping out of that window, and she had no desire to go anywhere near it again. But it
also broke her heart to think of Sunshine stitched in place and unable to move.
“What’s the plan, little Maker?” Patch asked. “Any chance we can avoid flying straight into a trap?”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not lashed to the side of a mountain!” Mally countered.
“If I might make a suggestion,” Midnight broke in. “If we fly in low and don’t attract any attention, we might be able to cut Sunshine free without anyone knowing we’re here.”
“Perfect!” Mally said. She rooted through the yellow bag at her hip and pulled out a silver seam ripper.
“That’s assuming nothing goes wrong.” Patch angled his wings to take them into a dive. “Ever heard of Murphy’s law?”
Mally ignored him. Her heart beat wildly in her throat and she found it difficult to breathe against the wind rushing in her face.
The mountain was suddenly upon them, purple fabric glowing strangely in the moonlight. Patch flew so low Mally felt the yarn grass on the landscape brush against her toes. Then with another sweep of his wings, they were soaring back up once again, flying nearly parallel with the side of the mountain.
Mally gripped her seam ripper tightly, her eyes on Sunshine. The bird had been stitched facing the mountain, the light from her body blocked by the purple fabric. Patch spread his wings wide and stopped about twenty feet below the bird.
“Show time, little Maker,” Patch whispered. “I’ll take you up slow and steady. Be ready to rip those stitches.”
They rose in small flutters, completely silent now. Midnight squeezed her shoulder. Mally rose to her feet and balanced on Patch’s back with difficulty. The dark flying geese camouflaged his orange fabrics so perfectly she could barely tell where he ended and empty air began.
Another small flutter of wings and the bottom edge of Sunshine’s triangles were finally within reach. Mally barely had time to take in the line of crude zigzag stitches lashing her friend to the mountain. She set the tip of the blade against Sunshine’s wings and pulled straight across.
ZZZIIIPPPPP! The stitches split easily down the line.
Blinding light suddenly flooded the darkness as the air filled with an ear splitting screech. Sunshine thrashed against the mountain. The top edge of her wings was still firmly attached. She twisted and bucked, her bright little body flashing like a strobe light.
“SHHHH! Sunshine! It’s me!” Mally whispered loudly, but the bird couldn’t possibly hear her over the racket she was making. She tried pressing her hands to her friend’s back, but it only made matters worse. Sunshine hollered louder than ever, her glittery legs kicking viciously.
Mally had just caught hold of her wings when she felt something huge emerge from the window in the mountain. It brushed past her hair as it passed and she ducked, releasing Sunshine.
“Gig’s up! We’ve got company!” Patch roared. Mally’s stomach plummeted as they dropped out of the sky. Time slowed as she hovered in that place between falling and flying, still standing upright on Patch’s back. He pulled out of the dive long enough for her to scramble down and hook her legs in front of his wings, and then they were off, diving away from the mountain.
Mally craned her neck to keep Sunshine in view. Instead she caught sight of the creature pursuing them. It had wings like a bat, but a huge circular body that was strangely flat when she caught sight of it from the side. Light from the two moons reflected off the round pink body and all the hair on Mally’s arms suddenly stood on end.
“Web! It’s a spider web with wings!” she yelled, gripping Patch’s back tightly. Her skin crawled with the memory of the wiggling threads weaving through her clothes. If it got hold of them, there would be no escape.
“That’s a bat! Hang on tight,” Patch said. “Focus on Sunshine. Birds, protect the Maker at all costs.”
His wings beat fiercely, taking them high into the air. He abruptly banked to the left, changing direction so rapidly Mally had to wrap her arms around his neck to keep from falling off. The bat had smaller wings and couldn’t change course as quickly.
The birds flanking them immediately fell back and formed a solid wall with their dark wings. Midnight squeezed Mally’s shoulder and whispered, “He’s working around for another pass. Be ready to rip her free.”
Mally nodded, focusing on Sunshine’s bright shape. They were nearly there when a strong gust of wind blasted in her face. Her hair whipped across her eyes and a violent squawking filled her ears.
“What happened?” She clawed her face clear and turned to look back. Dozens of flying geese had vanished from the sky. Only a handful remained, beating their wings quickly to catch up with Patch.
“On your left!” Midnight shouted, jerking her attention back to the mountain.
“Sunshine! It’s me, Mally! Hold still!” Mally yelled. Patch slowed the tiniest amount, but they were moving too fast to properly rip out the line of stitches. On impulse Mally stabbed the blade into the purple mountain, then angled it quickly to cut a long gash in the surface.
RRRRIIIIIPPPPPP!
A horrible, piercing scream split the night air. It was coming from the mountain room. The sound made the hair on the back of Mally’s neck stand on end. It was the same sound she’d heard before the tornado destroyed the Open Door. Menda was here.
She gritted her teeth and tried to angle the seam ripper to cut the line of stitching locking Sunshine to the mountain.
She missed.
The blade slid smoothly through the purple fabric and across the top edge of Sunshine’s wings. The bird shrieked in pain, smacking Mally in the face so hard, she dropped the seam ripper. It bounced off the side of the mountain and spun out of sight.
Everything was happening too fast. Mally just barely had time to grab hold of the little bird before they were past the mountain. Patch carried them up into the sky in a climb so steep it made Mally’s ears pop.
Sunshine was wriggling in her grip. She lashed out with her beak, biting at Mally’s hands.
“Sunshine! It’s me, Mally! You can’t fly! I cut your wings, I’m so sorry!” But nothing she said did any good. Dimly she was aware of their pursuit and Patch’s erratic flight, but her attention was entirely focused on the little bird, now screeching on the top of her lungs.
“Can’t you shut her up?” Patch roared.
“She won’t stop! It’s like she doesn’t know who I am!” Mally cried desperately.
“Hold her down then! Cover up her infernal light!”
Mally pulled Sunshine into a tight hug, muffling her cries against her shirt. The bird continued to struggle, her light flashing like a beacon in the darkness. Midnight let out a short cry and three flying geese lifted off Patch’s back and wrapped their wings around Mally’s shoulders. Their dark fabrics blocked Sunshine’s light completely and darkness enveloped them once again.
As her eyes adjusted, Mally was suddenly aware of how fast they were flying. The landscape raced by at a sickening speed. Patch abruptly changed direction and sped between two mountains.
Mally looked back to find the bat monster still on their tail, and worse yet, it had grown bigger. Moonlight reflected off the creature’s body which had expanded to fifteen feet across at least. The spider web in the center had turned black and nearly blended into the dark sky.
Mally frowned, wondering how it could have grown so large so quickly. That particular pink color reminded her of something too, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. As she watched, one of the birds perched on Patch’s back took flight. It joined with the remaining birds in the air and together they attacked the monster’s wings.
It appeared to work for a few seconds and the distance between them grew. But then a thick rope shot out and whipped through the air.
“Watch out!” Mally called, but it was too late. The frayed ends of the cord caught the bird’s wings and like all the ropes Menda made, immediately wove throu
gh their fabrics. The birds struggled, fluttering helplessly as they were pulled inexorably into the center of the spider web. The black area in the center of the monster expanded and Mally understood.
“It’s eating the birds!” she screamed, horrified.
Midnight squeezed her shoulder. “We need a place to hide. Quick!”
“The house in the sky! Patch take us up!”
“Not with that monster on our tail! We have to lose it first,” the cat argued, diving for the ground. “I have an idea. Just keep that bird quiet and her light off!”
Patch was heading straight for a small blue mountain. Mally squeezed Sunshine tight as the dark peak rushed closer and closer. She tucked her head, ready for a crash.
At the last second Patch changed course. His left wing skimmed the side of the mountain as they swung in a tight arc around the patchwork. He changed course again, flying even closer to the next mountain.
“Get ready! Hold on tight!”
Patch pulled out of the dive abruptly and they slammed to a stop on the side of a dark blue mountain. Mally gasped as the bones in her body rattled with the impact. But she didn’t let go of Sunshine. She clung to Patch’s back and hugged the little bird even tighter to her chest. The flying geese already covering Patch silently expanded their wings to cover her completely.
“Don’t make a sound,” Patch breathed.
Mally squeezed her eyes shut and thought, We’re invisible. Just fly past. We’re invisible. You can’t see us. Go away! Go away! Go away!
A gust of wind blew past her hair and she resisted the urge to turn and look. A faint sound reached her ears and she had to clamp her jaw shut to stop from retching. It was the same sound the spider web threads had made as they wormed through her hair. The sound faded into the distance, returned for a time, then faded into the distance again.
Sunshine twisted in her grip, still fighting furiously to break free. Mally pressed the little bird firmly against her shirt, ignoring the digs from her sharp claws.
Several long minutes passed. No one moved or spoke.