by L. EE
When at last they finished gorging, Andy pushed back from the table and declared, “That was delicious!”
“You’re welcome, boys.” A smile filled the old woman’s face.
“May I ask, what did you mean when you said you had been told to expect us?” Andy queried.
Anta smiled. “Years ago, when I felt the prompting to leave my comfortable life in the city of Oops and move into the Forest of Giants, people called me crazy. But I knew that’s what I was supposed to do.”
Andy interrupted absentmindedly, “That’s it! I remember Mermin talking about you! That’s where I’ve heard your name before.”
Anta Emm grinned and continued. “Since I’ve been here, even though it seems like the last place anyone would want to live, I have had great prosperity. I’ve never understood why. But then, a few nights ago, I had another prompting, that a pair of boys would be coming. I didn’t argue or doubt, just prepared for your visit the best I could. And here you are!”
Tension eased from Andy’s shoulders. “When you said you had a prompting, what happened exactly?”
“Oh, I received a message in a pulsing sphere.”
Alden raised a brow.
“Was it purple, and did it start with a trumpet blast?” laughed Andy.
“As a matter of fact, yes. How did you know?”
“I’ve gotten two of those now.”
The three of them chatted for a long while, swapping stories and laughing until their sides ached. Andy and Alden helped clear the table and put away the leftovers while Anta washed the dishes. When the work was done, she ushered them down a cheery hallway to a bedroom that smelled clean and fresh. There were two twin beds lining opposite walls of the modestly furnished room, and a vase of freshly cut wildflowers stood on the nightstand before an open window. They washed up in the adjacent bathroom—the soft, warm towels smelled like sunshine. Andy was the first in bed and Alden followed shortly thereafter. The sheets soothed his injured skin. They opted to leave the door to the hall ajar…just in case.
Dreams came quickly.
Warm sunshine streaming through the window woke Andy the next morning. It felt good. Alden still slept. He glanced over to see the door to the hall cracked open, exactly as they had left it the night before, and he smiled.
After dressing quietly, Andy tiptoed out the door. Partway down the hall his nose detected blueberry muffins being baked, and he tracked the tantalizing smell into the kitchen. Next to the table, he found two new backpacks standing at attention, filled to the top with clothes and food.
“I knew you’d be needing them,” Anta said as she entered the kitchen behind him.
“Thank you!”
Once Alden rose, they ate breakfast, packed up their gear, and said their goodbyes. After being without provisions, the weight of their backpacks felt comforting.
“I’m not sure where you’re going, boys, but be careful. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“We will, Anta. Thank you for everything.”
When they were several minutes away, Andy pulled out Methuselah. The blade extended and guided them as it had yesterday. Andy hoped it would lead them out of the Forest of Giants.
They had awakened to warm sunshine at Anta’s cottage, but the weather changed as they walked. The forest grew darker and they could hear thunder rumbling through the leaves overhead. Rain began to fall. For the first time, Andy and Alden were glad they had the thick canopy to keep most of the moisture away.
Hearty food coupled with the night’s rest had renewed Andy’s hopes. He was in a good mood and started to whistle. But a loud roar sounding through the trees put a quick kibosh on his merriment. It wasn’t thunder. They froze and waited. The roar came again. Methuselah pointed them toward the source.
“No, Methuselah,” Andy corrected. “We need to get out of here.” He willed Methuselah to retract its blade, but it ignored him. So he started walking away from the sound. Still, Methuselah remained steadfast, refusing to move in any other direction.
“I can’t believe this! We’re being dictated to by this sword.”
“Actually, I think it’s trying to show us something.”
“You want to get near whatever that is?”
“No, but so far it’s given us good directions.”
They followed Methuselah as quietly as they could. The roars grew louder. As they got closer, it became clear that they were overhearing an argument, even though neither of them understood the language. Several heated voices yelled and the roaring continued. Methuselah stopped and they took cover behind the nearest trees.
Peering through the foliage, they spied a beast, the likes of which they had never seen, standing in the clearing several feet in front of them. It was a monstrous red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, four enormous wings, and a gigantic tail that mowed down everything in its way no matter how big. A huge swath of trees and vegetation had been leveled in its wake. A liquid that looked like water spurted from three of its mouths, but when the clear liquid landed on its target, it sizzled and bubbled. A bright green mist spilled out of two other mouths, and fire out of two more.
Alden looked at Andy, his eyes wide. “What is that thing?”
Andy could not immediately tell which mouths spewed what, but the green mist looked familiar from his exploration of the castle and the dungeon door. When a whiff of the stench hit their noses a minute later, Andy knew without a doubt it was the same.
The dragon was furious, arguing with several oversized vulture-men. Not far from the gathering, Andy saw the fog-removing invention Mermin had given them!
The arguing continued in the unfamiliar tongue.
Andy gulped. Please don’t make me battle this dragon, he pleaded.
They stood watching for several minutes until Methuselah guided them away at last. They left as quickly and quietly as possible.
Andy had a sinking feeling this was not the last time he would be seeing the creature, and a chill ran down his spine.
Chapter Fourteen
A Raging River
By lunchtime, Methuselah had led them to the edge of the Forest of Giants. They stopped and ate some of the delicious food Anta had packed. Rain continued to fall, more heavily than it had earlier.
While walking in the rain was inevitable, the boys didn’t look forward to getting drenched. After lunch, they rummaged through their backpacks and found Anta had remembered rain ponchos. Slipping them on over their packs, Andy started to laugh. Alden looked like an overgrown mutant turtle in his evergreen-colored getup topped off by his bushy, neon-green hair. Alden also broke out laughing once Andy had secured his own poncho.
They put their hoods up and ventured into the rain and dense fog, Methuselah leading the way.
Their feet became instantly soaked as they trudged through huge puddles. Having left the cover of the forest behind, it was difficult to stay hidden, but they quickly found the Great Wall that surrounded the land of Oomaldee and followed it. Andy hoped that between the downpour and the fog no one would see them.
They fell into silence as they walked. Every once in a while Andy would turn and say something to Alden, but his companion seemed deep in thought so Andy gave it up and trudged on in silence beside him.
A few hours passed before they could start to make out the Victory watchtower in the distance through the rain and fog. Even though they had ponchos, the boys were soaked to the skin as heavy rain continued to fall with no sign of letting up.
As the scant daylight began to fade, Alden suggested, “We need to find a dry place out of sight and camp for the night.” Andy made no protest.
The flat, open plain they had been walking through this afternoon did not provide much shelter, but a short way off they spotted the outline of a large willow tree, its flowing branches tossing violently in the wind and rain.
“What do you think? Can we climb up there?” Andy questioned.
“Let’s check it out.”
The tree’s massive branch
es were so thick, they reminded Andy of drainage pipes he had seen near his home. Clearly, the tree had been standing here for many, many years. Andy and Alden reached the willow and circled its base looking for footing to climb up. Halfway around, Andy found boards secured to the trunk that formed a ladder. He hesitated.
I hope no one else is taking refuge in this tree tonight.
He began his ascent. It wasn’t the easiest climb, what with a flapping poncho that tried to insert itself between his sandal and each slippery wood slat as well as a bulky backpack weighing him down, but he made it. He stopped twenty feet up, standing on the lowest branch of the enormous tree.
“Come on up,” he called down. “There’s a little dry place up here.”
Alden followed. Andy had found an area of dense branches and leaves that afforded some protection from the pelting rain. Upon further investigation, and to his surprise, he found another set of stairs leading higher up the trunk.
“Alden, look!”
Andy continued climbing another fifteen feet and found a round opening hollowed out in the trunk. It looked just big enough for them to squeeze through if they removed their backpacks.
Andy stuck his head into the hole and illuminated it with Methuselah’s blade. Empty. He removed his poncho and backpack, hung them from one of the steps, and squeezed through the opening. He stuck his head back out and pulled his belongings inside. Alden followed.
The space was cozy with both of them plus their packs inside. More importantly, it was dry. There was nothing special about the space, no decorations or comforts, but in this weather it was more than enough. It seemed someone or something had taken great care to carve out this sanctuary while not harming the tree. Whoever it was deserved much thanks.
With scant room to move, Andy and Alden took turns opening their backpacks to pull out long-sleeved shirts, food, and other provisions. After adding an additional layer of warmth, they munched in silence as Alden’s mood from earlier continued to dampen any conversation. Andy took quick glances at his friend.
At length Alden ran a hand through his neon-green locks and took a deep breath. He began, “I owe you an apology.”
Andy stopped chewing and glanced up to see the muscles in Alden’s face taught. “I haven’t been very nice to you. It’s just that…I just want people to—” Alden rubbed a hand on his leg. “Remember when you first got here? I told you I was ‘just a servant.’ You didn’t agree.” Andy nodded and Alden began moving a hand up and down his arm.
“I entered the Tower Chase competition, and I guess I saw it as an opportunity to earn some respect.” He cleared his throat. “I couldn’t believe it when Optimistic and I won.” A smile edged its way onto his face. “When they presented me with my first prize medal, I shut them up. Every single one. No one heckled. It was awesome.”
Alden reveled in the memory for a minute before continuing. “But then at the closing ceremony, when the governor brought you up on stage, the crowd cheered more for you than…and then when it seemed like everyone congratulated you and not…
“Then you talked about how you and your dad went camping together…and I wish my dad was still alive. Look, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. You saved my life. You’re right, I’m jealous of…” Alden stared at the floor, his shoulders hunched. “I shouldn’t have treated you like I did.”
“I never feel like what I do is good enough, especially for my dad.” Andy exhaled loudly. The admission drew Alden’s gaze upward. “I’m always in trouble with him and Mom, even though I try to do what I think they want me to. Somehow I screw things up and they’re always mad at me. For what it’s worth, Dad and I only went on that one camping trip. I guess that’s why I remember it so well. He’s always so busy with his business he never seems to have time for me.”
The two sat in silence, neither sure how to respond to the other’s confession.
“Maybe we’re both looking for people to respect us,” Andy speculated a minute later.
Alden nodded. “I think it’s what the King calls dignity.”
“Well, I know he thinks a lot of you…and so do I, so you don’t have to prove anything to me.”
Silence again punctuated the night until Alden offered, “I’ve never had a friend like you.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Smiles mounted their faces.
Their reflections brought a calm despite the raging elements, and Andy noticed what had been uncomfortable silence took on a companionable air. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the songs of pelting rain and fierce winds sang the boys to sleep.
Andy’s dreams started singing harmony to the tumult as he found himself walking in rocky, mountainous terrain. Brambles and thorn bushes, which could barely survive in the dry, desert conditions, jutted out from crevasses. It was dusk and he heard the baying of wolves in the distance.
As he passed by a rock outcropping, he heard the noise of shouting in a language he didn’t understand. Someone or something was yelling at him. He turned slowly. Before him, the red dragon he had seen earlier reared up on its hind legs, blasting fire at him from two of its seven heads. Its wings fanned the flames hotter.
Andy jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the blasts. He drew Methuselah’s blade, infuriating the beast further. The dragon flew at him. It was faster than he expected. Just as he was about to be overcome, Andy woke up sweating and trembling.
Darkness reigned and rain continued punishing the tree. He heard Alden’s regular breathing and sighed. Sleep took its time coming after that.
Andy and Alden awoke to foggy sunshine and the sound of birds singing. What a different world morning brought! Andy didn’t mention his dream to Alden. They ate breakfast, packed up their gear, and headed out of their hideaway. As they started climbing down, they paused to survey their surroundings. Through the dense branches and fog, they could see and hear a nearby river running in torrents, its banks overflowing. The uproar of the storm had masked its presence.
“That must be the Red River,” Alden speculated.
They stepped down onto the ground and their sandals immediately sank into the gooey mud. It oozed through their leggings, between their toes, and sucked at their feet, laboring each step.
“At least it’s not quicksand!” Andy commented.
Alden grinned.
With the river as swollen as it was, they walked up and down the bank hoping to find some low point to cross, but nothing even remotely like a solution presented itself.
“Now what?” asked Alden after several minutes.
Andy sat down on a thick tree trunk that had been uprooted and swept downstream overnight and was now lodged firmly in the bank. He set down his backpack and pulled the gold key from his pouch.
“When we were trapped in that house, this key opened the door.”
“But there’s no door.”
“Yes, but based upon what it did to the stone statues, this key opens more than doors. Maybe it will show us a way across the river. What have we got to lose?”
Andy addressed the key: “Please, show us the way.” No sooner had he spoken than a creature popped its head out of the raging water.
“Glaucin, cousin of Mermin twice removed, at your service.”
The boys shifted back in unison. A merman! He was handsome, bare-chested from the waist up with aqua fish scales covering the lower half of his body. He had a robust tail that changed colors like a rainbow in the light. His hair and beard looked to be made of seaweed.
Alden shot a disbelieving glance at Andy.
“Where’s your trident?” Andy queried
“New technology. I upgraded last year to a disc implanted under the skin in my right hand.” Glaucin turned his hand toward the boys. “I don’t miss having to carry that clumsy thing. Kept dropping it.”
Andy cleared his throat, trying to bring the conversation back to the current situation. “We need to cross this river, Glaucin. Can you help us?”
“I can, but first you must answer a riddle.
If you answer correctly, I will carry you across. If you answer incorrectly, I cannot help you.”
“Why do we need to answer a riddle?” Andy asked, puzzled at the delay.
“I am the keeper of this river. The riddle separates those who are worthy from those who are not. If you are worthy, you will answer correctly.”
“But we are on a quest for the King!” objected Alden.
“Then you should have no worries about answering the riddle. Are you ready?”
“If you’re really Mermin’s cousin—” began Andy.
“Twice removed,” interrupted Glaucin, extending the index finger on his left hand.
“Fine. If you’re really Mermin’s cousin twice removed, why won’t you just help us?”
“I am helping you in ways you cannot yet see.”
“I don’t believe you. All I know is that you’re delaying us from our goal,” Andy snapped.
“Ah, a testy one! Nonetheless, it matters not whether you believe me. You have no choice.”
“So, you’re saying if we don’t answer your riddle correctly, we’ll have to walk all the way to where the Red River begins, way up into the mountains, in order to get around it?” clarified Andy, his temper rising. “That would add several days to our trip!”
“That is correct.”
“Fine! Ask your stupid riddle,” Andy sulked.
“Very well. The riddle is this:
“If you break me, I keep working.
If you touch me, I may be moved.
If you lose me, nothing will matter.
What am I?”
“Can you say that again so I can get all of it?” requested Alden, joining Andy on the log.
Glaucin repeated the riddle.
“We have no time for this!” shouted Andy, waving his arms.
“You make time for what is important to you,” countered Glaucin. “Nothing is more important to you than crossing this river as quickly as possible. With the rains, that is more difficult than usual, and I am your only option.”