Pan's Secret

by R. V. Bowman

  Suddenly, bony fingers wrapped around her wrist, and she was being pulled. The creature’s face broke the water, but it wasn’t beautiful anymore. The green hair hung like slimy ropes of seaweed, and the mouth was filled with sharp teeth Rommy hadn’t noticed before. The beautiful music of a moment before turned into an earsplitting screech that sounded like chalk on a blackboard.

  Rommy pulled back, trying to tug her hand away from the creature’s grip, but the bony fingers were like iron bands on her wrist. Rommy shrieked as she felt herself being yanked toward the water. Finn’s warning about nixies flashed through her mind, and terror pooled in her stomach.

  She strained back, and her feet dug into the loose, rocky soil, trying to find purchase, but the nixie kept pulling her forward. Rommy skidded into the shallows of the water, and she scrabbled around with her other hand, trying to find a vine or anything to hold on to.

  Then her shirt was gripped from behind, her wrist was ripped from the creature’s hand, and she was being pulled from the edge. Her breath came fast and her whole body shook. A low growl sounded next to her. The nixie gave a last screech, and with a flip of her scaly tail, disappeared beneath the water, a v-like wake following her retreat.

  “Rommy, are you okay?” Finn was beside her, helping her to her feet. Her legs felt loose and watery, like all the strength had drained from them. She shook her head, still dazed.

  “What...what happened?” she said, her voice trembling.

  “It was one of those dratted nixies,” said Finn. “Didn’t you stuff those leaves in your ears?”

  Heat crawled up her neck and she glanced away. “I...I completely forgot.”

  “That ugly thing was a nixie?” asked Alice, walking up beside them, yawning. “Didn’t you think it was scary?”

  Rommy shook her head. “No, when it was singing, it looked beautiful and kind.” A shudder rippled through her again at how close the thing had come to pulling her into the river.

  Lobo scanned the water once more before returning to her side. “They are very predatory,” he said. “You are fortunate Finn and I woke up. Once they have ahold of someone, not many humans live to tell the tale.”

  By this time, the fairies had all awoken and were hovering around. Balo came to a stop in front of Rommy’s face. He shoved two green wads at her. “Here, girl,” he said. “Put these in your ears, unless you want to become a nixie meal.” He harrumphed loudly when Rommy tried to thank him. “Just stuff them in your ears so I can get some sleep.” He flew back to his nest in the trees.

  The rest of them made their way back to the fallen tree. It took a while for everyone to settle back in their places. Rommy stuffed the green wads in her ears and made sure Alice’s were firmly in place, too. She didn’t know if the nixie would try again, but she wasn’t chancing it.

  It didn’t take too long for the others to fall back to sleep, despite all the drama, but Rommy found herself staring up at the lavender moon. When she closed her eyes, the nixie’s face loomed in her mind. She couldn’t help the shudder that rippled over her when she remembered the creature’s cold, bony fingers around her wrist. A few faint dark smudges on her wrist showed in the moonlight. Bruises. If that creature had succeeded, she would have never seen her papa again. Their last words would have been angry. Tears pricked behind her eyes, and she felt a pang of guilt. Rommy just hoped their journey was successful so that she could explain to Papa why she had left.

  Chapter 27:

  Almost There

  Someone was nudging her shoulder. Rommy tried to push the person away and felt fur. She blinked into the dim morning light and sat up. Lobo’s blue eyes stared into hers before he stepped back. Everything sounded muffled, and it took a moment before she remembered the leaves stuffed into her ears. She pulled them out and the sounds of the jungle rushed in. The birds made a loud clamor in the surrounding trees.

  Rommy got to her feet and absently rubbed her wrist. When she looked down, there was a bracelet of bruises around it. Dumb nixie, she thought with a frown.

  Alice shoved half of a cassia fruit into her hands. “Eat up,” she said. “We gotta move it.”

  Finn was finishing his fruit, and the fairies were fluttering around the camp. Lobo was sitting on his haunches, waiting for them all, his ears pricked forward.

  Rommy popped the last bite of fruit into her mouth and wiped her hands on her pants. She was almost used to the way the cassia fruit wiggled in her mouth now. Almost.

  She looked at Lobo. “Do you think we’ll find Unilisi today?” she asked.

  He shook his shaggy black head. “No, we probably have another day’s journey. If we travel quickly, we may reach the center of the jungle by sunset.”

  Rommy looked over at Finn, who nodded at her. “Lobo, do you know a different way to Unilisi?” she asked. “Tiger Lily can travel much faster than we can, and she could reach the Unilisi’s grove before we do.”

  Lobo’s muzzle wrinkled. “We can circle around, but if she is watching for us, I do not know how to avoid her. There is only one way to Unilisi.”

  Rommy sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I guess we will have to figure out a plan, then. Now, though, we should get started.”

  Lobo tilted his head. “A pack is stronger than a lone wolf,” he said.

  Rommy patted his side. “You are right.”

  Lobo headed back into the jungle, and the rest of the group fell into a familiar formation. Rommy followed Lobo with Alice close beside her. Finn brought up the rear with Nissa zipping around him. Talen and Kalen ranged behind them, keeping a lookout. Balo buzzed up and down the line, mostly complaining that they weren’t going fast enough.

  The day passed much as the previous one had, minus being shot at, of course. As the sun climbed in the sky, so did the temperature. While the heavy canopy of trees blocked the direct rays of the sun, it also made the breezes sparse. The humidity settled over them like a wet blanket. Insects buzzed around Rommy’s head, and sweat dripped down her face and back. She looked at the river that ran along the path with longing, but memories of the nixie kept her far away from its banks.

  The small band of travelers took a short break for lunch and then continued on their way, this time with Alice perched on Lobo’s back.

  As the sun slanted with the afternoon light, Rommy noticed that the jungle floor was climbing gradually but steadily. The huge pillows of moss were interrupted with large boulders and rocks that became more frequent the longer they walked. The plants grew thicker and the trees thinned out the higher they went.

  Eventually, Lobo came to a stop and faced them. “If we continue straight on, we will come to the grove of Unilisi, which is at the top. We can only enter there at dawn. We should circle around the backside of the grove and camp there.”

  Finn rubbed the back of his neck. “I think Lobo has the right idea. If we go around the back, we shouldn’t run into Tiger Lily. It will give us time to come up with a plan.”

  Rommy nodded in agreement.

  “I don’t care what we do as long as we eat soon,” said Alice from Lobo’s back. “I’m so hungry my ribs is talking to my back.”

  Rommy grinned at the little girl. Lobo, seeing they were in agreement, turned and walked downhill, and they all followed. It took almost an hour for the group to hike to the small clearing where Lobo led them to rest for the night.

  The clearing was ringed by thin, flexible trees topped with balls of fuzzy leaves in shades of yellow and orange. Vines with purple stripes hung from some branches and swayed, despite the lack of breeze. Rommy felt a sense of unease but brushed it away. They were almost there. Tomorrow they would see Unilisi. She would help them. Rommy wouldn’t allow herself to think of any other outcome, not after all they had been through.

  Chapter 28:

  Deadly Flora

  Rommy stretched her legs out in front of her and wiggled her toes. She had pulled off her boots to ease the ache in her feet. After tramping through the jungle for two days, her whole body was w
eary, and she felt sticky and in need of a good bath. She glanced over at Alice. Despite the long journey, the little girl’s eyes were bright as she teased with Finn.

  A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Rommy’s attention. She looked toward the nearest tree. Was it her imagination, or did that vine seem closer? She shook her head. Now she was seeing things. She took another bite of a root that Finn had scavenged. He had also found cloudberries. She popped one in her mouth, and the bright pink orbs burst over her tongue in a rush of sweetness.

  A creak made her turn her head again. This time she knew she wasn’t imagining things. The vine that had been hanging from one of the nearby fuzzy-topped trees only a few minutes ago now lay on the ground.

  “Um, Finn? Lobo?” she said, her eyes darting to the other trees and noting that their vines all seemed to have moved closer, too.

  Finn looked up, still smiling from something Alice was saying. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Rommy pointed. “Those vines,” she said. “They’re moving toward us. Should we be worried about that?”

  Finn leaped to his feet, and Lobo pushed to his. They both swung around to face the trees, and the vines slithered forward.

  “Those are Viper Vines,” said Lobo. “But they rarely attack unless someone awakens them.”

  “Well, what did we do to awaken them?” asked Rommy.

  “And how do we make ‘em go back to sleep?” said Alice, taking a step closer to Rommy.

  “They don’t sleep again until they’ve fed,” said Finn, staring at one vine that was moving forward more quickly than the others.

  “What do they eat?” asked Rommy.

  Finn swallowed. “Whatever they can find.”

  “Well, they sure ain’t finding me,” said Alice. “We need to bunk it before these slithering things get us.” She took a step toward a gap in the trees, but Finn clamped his hand on her shoulder.

  “No, Alice, don’t run,” he said. “That will just make it worse.”

  Alice crossed her arms. “Worse? How can it be worse? What are we supposed to do? Just stand here and let ‘em eat one of us? I’m not volunteering, that’s for sure.”

  Lobo watched the vines, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat.

  “Well, how do we stop them?” asked Rommy, panic forming a lump in her chest as the vines kept moving closer.

  “We convince them we aren’t easy prey,” said Finn, pulling his dagger from his belt.

  Rommy drew the knife Little Owl had given her from its sheath.

  “They do not like fire, either,” said Lobo and clamped one of the sticks from the fire between his teeth.

  Alice grabbed another burning stick and waved it at the nearest vine, which had crept almost to her foot. It drew back, writhing on the ground.

  Rommy stabbed down at another vine, and Finn did the same. Soon, the vines had all drawn back, but it was only temporary. After just a moment or two, they crept forward again.

  Balo flew over a vine and rubbed his small hands together. When he pulled them apart, a glowing ball hovered between them. He brought it up to his mouth, whispered something, and then blew on it. The sphere rocketed toward the vine, hitting it and causing a stream of smoke. Rommy heard a hissing noise.

  “Is...is that vine hissing?” she asked.

  Finn raised an eyebrow. “It is a Viper Vine,” he said, just before he stabbed at another one that had flopped against his foot.

  Rommy, Alice, Finn, and Lobo stood facing outward in a tight circle. By stabbing and waving the fire at the vines, they were able to keep them from creeping too close. But Rommy knew they were going to have to find a way to stop them permanently. They couldn’t do this indefinitely.

  Between thwacking any creeping green thing that got too close, she called over her shoulder, “When will they give up?”

  “Not until they feed,” was Finn’s grim reply.

  “Not ever?” Alice asked, waving her torch at a slender shoot that had curled around her foot.

  “Not unless we kill ‘em,” said Finn. “And you hafta cut them off from the root.”

  Balo and the other fairies continued to blow their glowing orbs at the vines, which made them smoke and hiss but didn’t seem to cause permanent damage.

  “Balo,” said Rommy, “can you get to the root of these things?”

  Balo scowled. “Not easily,” he said. “They’re not going to just let me waltz right up to their root and cut them off.”

  Kalen and Talen buzzed around to face Rommy. “We will help find the root,” said Talen. Kalen nodded his head in agreement. Rommy wasn’t sure if she had ever heard the dark-haired fairy speak. His sister always seemed to speak for both of them.

  “Can you do it without getting attacked?” she said.

  Talen put her small fist over her chest. “We have sworn to protect you, and we will kill the Viper Vines even if we give up our own lives.”

  Rommy opened her mouth to speak, but the two fairies were already gone. She pressed her lips together. She would not let anyone in this group die if she could help it. Gripping her knife, she slashed at the vines with renewed energy.

  Two of the vines slithered away from the group. Rommy smiled in triumph. The plan was working.

  Suddenly a scream ripped through the air.

  Rommy whipped her head in the direction from which the sound had come. She could make out a form struggling wildly behind one of the thin, whip-like trees. She and Finn looked at each other. He pressed his lips in a tight line.

  Two vines had left, having found new prey. Two others were thrashing on the ground. While Rommy looked on, they went limp. That left two more vines that were still insistently creeping toward the group, but their odds had improved.

  Another scream sounded, fainter than before, and without even fully deciding, Rommy was running toward the struggling form.

  “Wait,” said Finn, but Rommy ignored him.

  She burst through the ring of trees into the jungle. A dark head was visible, but the vines had twisted up the person’s body. The one arm that wasn’t wrapped in the green leaves was trying to fight off the vines, but it was clear it was a losing battle.

  The plant tangled into a long dark braid, pulling the person’s head back. The vines twisted tighter, and the person gasped for breath. Rommy’s hazel eyes met fierce black ones.

  The eyes narrowed when they met Rommy’s.

  “You,” the girl said, almost spitting the word.

  It was Tiger Lily.

  Chapter 29:

  To Save Your Enemy

  For a moment, Rommy hesitated, the knife gripped in her hand. Then she shook her head, appalled at herself that the idea of leaving Tiger Lily to her fate had even crossed her mind. What was happening to her in this crazy place?

  Without a word, Rommy lifted her knife, and the other girl closed her eyes. They popped back open as Rommy slashed at the vines twisting around Tiger Lily. It seemed to take forever, but finally, the vines dropped away, slithering off her and leaving stray leaves on the other girl’s clothes and hair.

  Tiger Lily swayed on her feet, and Rommy put her arm around the other girl’s waist. “We should move away from those things,” she said, nodding at the vines that still writhed on the ground. “They’ll probably try again.”

  Rommy helped the older, taller girl limp to a nearby rock, where Tiger Lily sat, her legs giving way. She sat still, breathing deeply for several moments. Finally, she looked up at Rommy.

  “Why did you help me, your enemy?” Tiger Lily asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

  Rommy shrugged. “I couldn’t just let you die,” she said.

  “But why?” Tiger Lily persisted.

  Rommy blew her hair out of her face. “Because you simply don’t do that, that’s why. Just be glad my conscience is more active than yours.”

  Tiger Lily looked down at her hands that were clenched into trembling fists. “But I woke the vines,” she said. “I would have let them kill you, but you
saved me.”

  Rommy lifted an eyebrow. “You know, you should probably stop reminding me of that. Even though I didn’t let those vines choke you, we haven’t decided what we should do with you yet, either.”

  Tiger Lily opened her hands and held them out to Rommy. “I failed,” she said. “You should have let the vines take me.”

  Rommy sighed, a deep weariness settling on her shoulders. “I don’t understand why you are doing this, Tiger Lily,” she said. “You may hate my father, and I’m his daughter. But Alice and Finn have done nothing to you. Why would you try to kill them?”

  A long silence stretched out, but just when Rommy thought the girl would not say anything at all, she spoke. “You do not understand. I had to help Peter,” she said. Her eyes pierced Rommy’s. “He needs me. I love him, and he loves me. He’s all I have.”

  Rommy shook her head. “I don’t believe he loves anyone,” she said. “And you have your family. They love you, and I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

  Tiger Lily’s eyes snapped with anger. “What do you know of love?” she said. “You are still a little girl tied to her worthless father.”

  Rommy felt her own anger spurt. This hateful girl had caused no end of trouble for her, and she had hurt Alice more than once. Not to mention, they could have all died from those nasty vines.

  “I may be younger than you are, but even I know people who love you try to protect you. They don’t put you in danger,” she said. She leaned forward and stared into Tiger Lily’s face. “I know that if Pan truly loves you, he wouldn’t risk your life, sending you to go do his dirty work. He’s using you, and you’re too blind to see it.”

  Tiger Lily pushed to her feet. Rommy thrust her arm forward until her knife was an inch away from the other girl’s chest. Something tickled her foot, and she looked down. The last vine had slithered closer again, and Rommy quickly sliced at it. Tiger Lily, using the moment of distraction, shoved away from her.