"Why aren't there any guards out here?" Mac asked.
"The city sent a large group of guards and assassins out here to clean out the tunnels once and they were never seen again. No one knows what happened to them, but he is fearful someone will turn his own army against him, so he has left things alone here since." Kris looked at Ed who was wiping the water off William. William stirred slightly, but was still unconscious.
"Do you think he will make it?" Mac asked looking at William and his protector.
"His body has shut down and is healing itself, but if we don't get him to a healer soon permanent damage is possible." Kris replied.
"I'm not sure how he is alive as it is." Mac said. "He must have a fighter’s spirit."
Kris chuckled slightly. "Yes, he certainly does have a strong spirit."
Ed finished dabbing the water off and stood looking around. After several seconds, he seemed satisfied and lifted the boy before heading into the dark woods.
"Shouldn't we be worried about the dregs?" Mac asked.
"Wiley traded with them last night and they will be sleeping their drunkenness off until evening rolls in. The wine was cheap garbage, but the fiddle flower he brews it with will cause even the heaviest drinkers into a blackout drunk. It has been known to kill inexperienced drinkers. The dregs love it." Mac and Kris followed behind Ed slowly watching the woods as they went.
"What is a dreg anyway?"
"Dirty forest pirates. They take, rape, and kill anyone they come across. It doesn't matter if they are men, women, or children. They are the lowest of the low around here. If you see a dirty foul smelling git armed to the tooth, get clear as fast as possible." Mac stepped slightly closer to Kris as they went. Kris smiled, but pretended to not notice.
As they moved deeper into the forest and further from the city the wildlife came to life all around them. The trees were a brighter green and rays of light illuminated their way. Mac shuddered slightly remembering her earlier encounter with the forest. She thought about asking Kris about the moving trees, but so far Kris thought her a numb individual. She didn't need her thinking Mac was crazy as well.
A warm breeze came out of nowhere and the tranquility of the area made Mac feel comfortable and at home. Then the ground began to rumble slightly and the air turned cold. Fear froze her where she stood and she looked around waiting for someone to come take her. The revolver rested inches from her hand, but she was too scared to move for it.
"Oh, calm down" Kris shouted to no one “and stop being a drama queen. It's only me." A young man peered out from behind a tree. His eyes lit up at the sight of Kris and Ed. The cold immediately subsided and the rumbling ground halted giving way to the warm breeze once again. The boy ran at Kris wrapping his arms around her hips and embracing her tightly in a hug. His face and hair was dirty, likely from playing outside, and Mac couldn't help but notice a thin orange strip of hair running through the dirty blond surrounding it.
After several seconds, he released Kris and stepped back with a sour look sprawled across his face. "It has been entirely too long. Where have you been?" His hands were on his hips and he was obviously annoyed at their absence. Kris couldn't help but giggle at his serious demeanor.
"We have come to visit with Maddy." Kris gestured to William. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the burn victim. He moved close to William and took a badly burned hand into his own. Mac moved closer noticing the hand which once was burned so badly the bone showed was now covered over with a thin layer of wrinkled skin. The hand began to glow green between the young boy’s hands and the skin became slightly less transparent and wrinkled.
As Mac stood in disbelief the glow disappeared and the boy ran back to Kris gripping her arm in his and pulling her deeper into the forest as quickly as he could. They moved swiftly through the forest and the trees seemed to be closer together and thicker making it next to impossible to see what was beyond them. Then the tree wall opened becoming more sporadic and much further apart. They stood a great deal taller than the other trees Mac had seen in the forest, and it was much darker since the tree cover was too thick to allow light to shine through.
The group slowed and the boy cawed twice considering the thick cover. Heavily leaved branches slowly lowered and spread apart revealing an entire village above them. Mac was in awe at the sight before her. Small wooden houses sat intertwined in the great branches of the oaks covered in leaves. Bridges of wood and vines hung creating walkways for the residents from one home to the next. Merchant stores were visible from where Mac stood and the villagers moved around calmly glancing at the visitors below with curious looks on their face before moving on. The camouflage to hide them from the outside world was perfect in every way. It was truly a beautiful sight.
Mac's stomach growled at the smell of roasted meats and freshly baked breads which floated down to her. Children lowered themselves with long vines to the forest floor where they began to chase each other in play. A group of men wearing dark hooded robes looked down on the new visitors watching their every move.
The boy pulled Kris again towards a larger than normal oak at the center of the village, then waved his hand at more of the robed men who were watching from above. The bark on the tree began to shift and transform into a staircase spiraling upwards. They quickly ascended the stairs before being met by two of the robed watchmen standing at the top.
Without a word one of the men reached out his arms to take William. Ed quickly pulled William closer and let out a threatening grunt looking dangerously at the men. The man pulled back and the wind began to pick up. Ed readied himself for the fight that was about to take place.
"Carl, put your penis away before I pound you like when we were kids." Kris said looking bored and annoyed at the man.
"I don't remember it that way." The man said in an amused tone. The wind calmed again.
"If I was you, I'd try to forget it also." Kris retorted. "As much as I would like to remind you of our childhood play time, we are in a hurry to see Maddy."
"You know we can't allow strangers to just wander in here." Carl said.
"We are hardly strangers." Kris said. Ed continued to stand ready for a fight and Mac took a step down trying not to get in the way.
"You and Ed are not strangers, but she is." Carl pointed at Mac.
"She is the one who saved William. Maddie will want to speak with her." Kris replied taking a step towards Carl impatiently.
"You're killing me, Kris." Carl said.
"If you don't take us to Maddie right away, William’s death will be on your hands." Kris said. Carl looked down at William and examined the open burns over his body. He sighed, shook his head, and stepped aside allowing them to pass.
Mac took in everything around her on the way to Maddie's home. The houses were not constructed from wood on top of the branches, but were a part of the branches themselves. The bark simply stretched up into a large round dome with a door placed at the center and round windows on each side. The citizens stared intently as Mac passed.
Maddie's home was beautiful like the others, but there was also moss and other greenery covering much of the small home. As they approached, Maddie sat calmly rocking in a chair out front. She was extremely beautiful. A smile stretched across her face and she was clearly happy to see her friends. Mac couldn't help but notice all the people were young and beautiful. As far as she could see there was no elderly or disfigured villagers to be seen. Even more interesting was the thin strips of multi colored hair everyone had. There was everything from Yellow to green and all the colors in between which all varied in shade. One couple had matching blue strips, yet his was a baby blue and hers was much darker. Mac was feeling much less subconscious about her gray strip and noticed herself running a finger through it while gazing at the others in wonder.
"I was wondering when you were going to grace us with your presence again, Mr. and Mrs. Edgecomb." Maddie said still smiling, though she looked at William and payed little attention to Kris and Ed. Wi
lliam was sweating now, likely from a fever. In Mac's opinion, his condition was worsening quickly.
"I am sorry to say this is not a social call, Maddy." Maddy had already stood and opened the door welcoming them into her home. Before Mac entered the home, Maddie stopped her and looked her up and down. Where youth showed over Maddie's face, her eyes looked much older and wiser. They took notice of everything quickly and carefully. Mac had no idea how old Maddie was, but if she had to guess from her eyes she would say she was a great deal older than she showed. Her hair was blond, but a long strip was almost forest green in color.
"Miss Blackburn, three houses down are my very good friend Mrs. Elowise Martin." Maddie pointed towards the home. "I was talking with her earlier and she informed me she would be making some fresh bread. I am quite sure she would be more than happy to treat you to a wonderful meal."
"I'm sorry, maam." Mac said. "You know my name. Have we met before?"
"I'm afraid the questions you want answers to should wait." Maddie replied. "As you are aware there are more trying issues at hand that I must attend to. I also understand you want to help young William, but I assure there is nothing more you can do for him right now. And I will reassure you to know he will be in great hands. The best thing you can do is to go have a hot meal and regain much of your lost energy. I can see you have not had a proper meal in some time." Mac's stomach let out a low growl in agreement and she could see there was no progress to be made in pressing the issue, so she decided to leave.
"Thank you." Mac knew she needed help not only to survive this place, but also in getting back home. Now she stood before someone who knew who she was and more than likely had the answers to all her questions, but once again the answers she was looking for were shoved to the side and would have to wait. Without another word Maddie headed inside and closed the door while Mac followed the smell of fresh baked bread.
Three houses here meant something much different from back home. Three houses down required a person to walk over multiple bridges and to several different branches. The home could be seen from Maddie's, but was not exactly close. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even the same tree, and after a couple minutes of walking and examining the homes with great fascination as she passed, she came to Mrs. Martin's cozy looking house. The smell of fresh breads and meats was strong and almost willed Mac to them.
The outside of the home was simple and plain with a few small flowers in pots hanging from the front window sill. There was also what looked like a mobile made of larger than normal acorns hanging by the front door. As Mac approached and reached her hand out to knock the acorns began to spin gently knocking against the door like a door bell.
A young woman with strip of dark red hair interwoven with her natural black hair opened the door. Like the other people Mac had seen, the woman wore handmade brown linen clothing and their shoes were pieces of leather sown together neatly. Mac now understood why everyone looked at here so curiously. She had worn a shredded wife beater and khaki cargo pants which she complimented with a pair of black Chucks on her feet. Her attire was anything but normal around here.
"Can I help you, miss?" The woman said after composing herself. Mac noticed the woman's jaw drop as soon as she opened the door and looked at Mac. It was quick and almost unnoticeable, but over the past couple of days Mac had seen the look over and over and was getting used to quickly noticing it whenever it occurred, so she ignored it pretending to not have noticed.
"Excuse my intrusion, but are you Mrs. Martin?" Mac asked.
"I am"
"Maddie told me you might be able to offer me something to eat. I have not had very much the past couple of days and anything you might be able to spare would be much appreciated."
"Yes, of course." Mrs. Martin said while stepping to the side to let Mac in. "Please come in." As Mac entered she couldn't help but be in awe over the interior of the home. It was simple, but beautiful and cozy. There was a large clay wood burning oven in the center of the large round room with its chimney heading straight up through the ceiling. The rest of the room was, like the house, an extension of the tree itself. The chairs and table were not cut and nailed together, but were pieces of the tree pushed up through the floor. They were flat and smooth, but were not cut in any way. It was almost like someone had just pressed them flat on the surface until there was no lumps left. The cupboards, sink, and washing area was all the same. The dishes were made from wood and the glasses looked like they had at one time been bright green thick leaves which had been folded into drinking containers. The only metal Mac saw at all was the forks, knives, and spoons. It was truly a sight to see.
Mrs. Martin noticed Mac's curious look and couldn't help but smile at her. "The trees giving us shelter and a place to live is a blessing. Without their help, we would be at the mercy of the Duke and his assassins, and would have likely been exterminated by now."
"What do you mean, the trees give you shelter?" Mac asked remembering the help from the trees the day before. "You mean you were able to make homes in the trees, right?"
"It is much more than that, but please sit and make yourself at home before we get into all of that." She motioned to one of the tree made chairs.
"Thank you, Mrs. Martin."
"Please call me Elowise." While Mac sat down on the chair it seemed to sink slightly molding itself to her and making the seat much more comfortable. Elowise took a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with a steaming bowl of stew from off the stove. She then cut off a large hunk of bread and brought it to Mac. Finally, she filled one of the cups with something that poured freely from a branch sticking out of the wall of the home and placed it in front of Mac then sat down next to her with a piece of bread for herself.
Mac took a spoon full of the stew and shoved it in her mouth ignoring the hotness of it. Elowise just watched with a small smile. After chewing and swallowing, a burn running all the way down to her stomach, she regained her manners.
"I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. I am Mackenzie Blackburn, thank you for being so hospitable. It is the first time since I got here that anyone has been truly kind to me."
"It is very nice to meet you Miss Blackburn." Elowise said with a smile and bow. She stood and went to pull something out of the oven while Mac continued to devour the stew. By the time Elowise came back the stew was gone and the bread was nothing more than crumbs. She placed a plate of venison and root vegetables down in front of Mac who almost leapt from her chair with excitement, then calmed herself.
"You may call me Mac. Thank you for allowing me to eat like a pig in your home." Mac said. They both chuckled and Mac started eating again, but more slowly, taking smaller bites and chewing them more thoroughly then before. When she sipped the drink, she was surprised that the liquid was like water only sweet and very refreshing.
"Think nothing of it." Elowise said. "It is always nice to entertain new guests, especially when they enjoy my cooking so much."
They both sat at the table quietly while Mac ate. She was used to fast food and canned junk. After finally eating a homemade meal she felt like Thanksgiving had just taken place without all the family drama everyone told her about. But, as she finished the last few scraps of meat and drank the last few drops of sweet water she knew it was time to try and get answers for all the questions she had.
"I had hoped you could tell me where I am exactly." Mac said looking at Elowise.
"This is Topacre Village." Elowise explained. "It is the oldest village to survive this close to the city and our village is home to some of the oldest and wisest of our people. We have been able to evade the duke since long before the great purge."
"Though interesting, that is not exactly what I meant." Mac said. "One minute I am sitting in my book store reading a good book and then I am attacked and there is a huge flash of light. Next thing I know, I am wandering around this strange world and wondering if there is any way back home."
"I am not really sure what you are talking about."
"I do not think I am the best person to answer the questions you have." Elowise said with a sigh.
"There has to be someone who can explain all this to me. For two days, I have been beaten and yelled at. Most of my questions have been evaded, dodged, or simply ignored all together. If you can't answer these questions for me, do you know of someone who may be able to?"
"Why don't you try a friend," Elowise started then looked to the side slightly and Mac could tell she was hiding something,"or a family member?” It was more of a question than a statement.
"That would certainly be a difficult thing to do since my mother died when I was born and my father hasn't been heard from since I was a little girl. My uncle died in a car crash a few years ago, and since I am in the Twilight Zone I have no friends to call upon."
"If I had to venture a guess, I would say Elowise is likely talking about me." A voice said from the door. Mac turned to see Kris standing in the doorway staring at her. Elowise sat with a guilty look on her face.
City of Steam (Blackburn Chronicles) Page 7