Chapter 4
They crossed the clearing and stepped warily into the darkness of the tainted forest. The first thing they noticed was how quiet it was. If Michael had thought the forest was quiet earlier then this was truly silent. No wind rustled the branches above them, no birds or animals could be heard at all, not even in the distance.
Michael peered closer at the trees, seeing how their trunks were twisted and the bark looked blackened while the roots looked appeared to have been pulled half out of the soil. The branches were bare of leaves and hung down towards the ground like grasping fingers. Even though there was no wind the branches swayed towards them as they passed.
“What sort of things are in here?” Michael asked Billy.
“There’s nothing too bad around the edges here,” Billy told them as he moved beside James. “It’s further in, closer to the Tree that the more dangerous creatures are.”
“Wonderful!” James muttered.
“Like what?” Michael asked, ignoring his friend.
Billy gestured around them, “Here it will just be sprites, brownies, just the minor fae. But closer to the centre you have the other Guardians. And they are dangerous!”
“There’s something else,” Michael said quietly, stopping and turning to look at Billy.
Billy looked away into the forest, shifting uncomfortably under Michael’s silent gaze. Finally he sighed and looked at him. “It’s the spirits that are trapped here.”
“What about them?” Michael asked sharply, fear making him tremble.
“Well,” Billy began scratching his ear, “they change after a while.”
“What do you mean, change?” Michael pressed.
“The same thing that has changed the Spirit Tree and the forest changes them too. It twists them into something bad.”
Michael felt his stomach clench and he had to fight to breathe properly. “My mother?”
Billy held up a hand to reassure him and said, “They don’t change straight away – there’s still time.”
“What about us?”
“Oh, you’d have to be in here a long time before it affected you!” Billy said smiling, “Although I would suggest you don’t eat or drink anything you didn’t bring with you. Just in case.”
Michael turned away without a word and resumed walking while James and Billy hurried to catch up. James chewed his lip in concern. He wanted to say something to Michael so he wouldn’t worry but didn’t know what to say so instead he turned to Billy.
“Will this path take us to the Tree?” he asked the Guardian.
“All the paths wind around each other and around the Spirit Tree.”
Michael stopped and turned to Billy when he heard this. “Do you know of a quicker way? One that will take us straight there?”
Billy said nothing straight away as he looked thoughtfully away into the trees. “There is a way,” he said slowly, “but it might be guarded.”
“Guarded by what?”
Billy shrugged, “A dragon.”
Michael looked at him in stunned silence. “There’s a dragon in this forest?” he asked in disbelieving tones.
“Well, he’s in a cave really,” Billy explained, “He doesn’t come out very often and actually sleeps most of the time so it is possible we could sneak past.”
He looked at the two boys with a cheerful smile on his face then frowned in puzzlement when they remained silent. “You said you wanted to get there faster,” he reminded them, “this is the fastest way.”
“But a dragon,” Michael emphasised, “We do need to get there alive, you know! Not barbecued by a dragon!”
Billy sighed in frustration and looked at them seriously. “The dragon is no more dangerous than what is roaming the forest these days. For some reason the taint hasn’t affected it and despite the stories you humans have made up about them, they are not evil! Do you want to take your chances with the dragon or the forest?”
Michael and James looked at one another, each trying to make a decision before their guide decided they were a lost cause. Finally Michael shrugged and indicated for Billy to take the lead and the two boys followed him as he took them off the path and in amongst the trees.
As they travelled along behind the strange boy Michael hoped that he was right in trusting one of the fairy folk. The old stories told of their cruelty as well as their love of tricks. He fervently hoped they were wrong. As he saw it though they had no choice, they needed his help.
After a while Billy brought them to a small stream and began to walk alongside it with the two boys trailing him. James paused for a moment to kneel beside the water and cupped his hands in the water to take a drink.
Billy turned as he heard the splashing noises and cried out, “No! Don’t drink the water!”
James opened his hands quickly to let the water fall back into the stream. Michael stepped up beside him and looked down at the stream seeing nothing but a rocky shore and clear water.
“What’s wrong with the water?” he finally asked.
“It’s tainted too,” Billy explained, “ I’m not sure what would happen to a human. Maybe nothing, but I wouldn’t chance it. I did just say that you know!”
As they were talking a slender blue-skinned arm slid silently out of the water, webbed fingers reaching out to grab James’ arm. Too late Billy noticed as James was dragged into the water.
Michael made a grab for him but only managed to get a handful of clothing, which he pulled as hard as he could. Billy jumped into the water, dagger in hand, slashing at whatever had a hold of James. Michael couldn’t do anything else but keep a grim hold on James’s clothes as the creature in the water still tried to drag him under. Michael just hoped his friend could hold his breath until they could get him free.
A high-pitched shriek sounded and the water suddenly bubbled with a cloud of black liquid Michael could only guess was the creature’s blood as James suddenly came free and they both landed backwards on the ground.
James rolled over, coughing out a mouthful of water and then gasped in huge lungfuls of air before another coughing fit took him. Michael patted his friend on the back and helped him to sit up properly. James pulled up his sleeve to see the bruised welts that the creature’s fingers had left on his wrist.
Billy leapt from the water to land in a crouch beside James, his dagger still in his hand with the blade still smeared with blood. “Are you alright?” he asked James.
James nodded, still coughing. “What was that?” he managed to ask.
“It’s an Undine,” Billy told them. “Just a minor water sprite.”
“A minor water sprite!” Michael exclaimed angrily, “It nearly killed James!”
Billy shrugged looking at James who still sat on the ground but had now began to shiver in his wet clothes. “I know of a place you could rest and we can light a fire.”
Michael choked back his anger, realising it wasn’t Billy’s fault the Undine had attacked. He had got such a fright at the attack on his friend. They helped James to his feet and Billy took them to a steep hill with a small path that led up to a hidden cave.
“This is one of my hiding places,” Billy explained as he gathered some sticks from a pile at the back of the cave. “I make sure there is always some dry wood in case I need a fire.”
“How many hiding places do you have?” Michael asked him while he helped James strip off his wet coat and boots.
“About five that haven’t been found yet,” Billy said as he efficiently arranged the firewood and small clumps of dried grass. “It’s always a good idea to have several places.”
Michael said nothing. He couldn’t imagine living in a place where you needed to have secret hideouts to keep yourself safe. They were all silent for a while as they watched Billy light the fire and then feed the flames until they were burning cheerily, warming the small cave quickly.
James had stopped shivering and was sitting with his feet pointed towards the fire, his socks steaming as they dried. He sighed in contentment as he fi
nally felt warm again and turned to Michael who was rummaging through his bag.
“I’m starving!” he announced, “A near death experience always makes you hungry!”
Billy laughed but Michael frowned, looking at his friend with annoyance. “You nearly drowned! I don’t see what’s so funny! It’s…” Michael paused for a moment as he struggled with his emotions. “It’s my fault it happened. It was my idea to come in here. I’m sorry James.”
James smiled at his friend and said, “You didn’t make me come in here. I came because I wanted to help your mother too.”
Michael smiled back at his friend not trusting his voice to sound normal.
“So,” James said reaching for the bag, “What’s for eating? I wish I brought some of Mum’s cakes!”
Michael was looking through the bag with James when Billy spoke behind them.
“What’s cakes?”
Michael looked at James in astonishment and then asked Billy, “You really don’t know what cakes are?”
Billy shook his head and then cocked his head to the side and asked, “Are they those apple tasting things you had the other day?”
“So it was you that took them?” James exclaimed triumphantly.
“Those were apple cinnamon biscuits that James’ Mum makes.” Michael explained. “Tell you what. You get us to the Tree then we’ll get his mum to make you a huge cake!”
“With icing!” James added.
Billy grinned despite not really knowing what they were talking about and fed the fires some more wood while Michael pulled out some food from his bag and they shared it out. Much to Billy’s delight James had some of the apple cinnamon biscuits with him and he wolfed down the ones he was given, smacking his lips in contentment.
When they had settled down to eat and rest Michael took that opportunity to try and get some more information from Billy about what was happening in the forest. “Billy? What happened here? What happened to the Tree?”
Billy was enjoying the biscuit he had pinched from James when he wasn’t looking but paused when Michael spoke. He popped the last of the biscuit into his mouth while he thought of what to say.
“There was a sorcerer named Samuel, an evil sorcerer. He devised a plan so that he could not only pass through the Tree but also keep his power in the next life. All the evil souls usually go straight to the underworld with no chance of reincarnation but this Samuel came up with a plan to thwart that.
Samuel was sitting at his desk poring over an old tome that lay open in front of him. On the desk were several other large books in various piles so he could hardly be seen. He was an old man but his face looked extremely pale and gaunt as if he had been ill for a long time. With a triumphant cry he stood up suddenly and strode to the waist high wooden stand where a large crystal ball sat that had glowing golden lights swirling around inside it.
Raising his hands above the crystal ball he began to mutter an incantation and as he did so the golden lights in the ball swirled faster until the glow was almost too bright to look at. When he stopped his incantation he clapped his hands together sharply then two things happened at once.
His spirit left his body, which slumped to the ground lifeless, and the golden light from the crystal ball floated outwards to cover the unhealthy red glow of his spirit. Encased in the camouflaging golden light his spirit began to move out through the walls of his home and over the countryside until it reached the forest. It moved fast, racing towards the Spirit Tree, the Guardians unaware of the approaching evil.
As Samuel’s camouflaged spirit reached the tree it caused a shockwave that knocked the surrounding Guardians including the King and Queen, off their feet. The branches of the Tree began to thrash and an inhuman high-pitched shrieking could be heard. With a last mighty shudder the Tree stopped thrashing and the trunk twisted as if turned by a giant hand.
“It happened so fast none of us could stop it.” Billy told them sadly, “By then it was too late.”
“His spirit passed through the Tree?” Michael asked.
Billy shook his head, “No. Even Samuel couldn’t fool the Tree completely. His spirit became stuck in the Tree unable to move on. But this means that his evil is now contaminating everything from the Tree outwards and the taint is growing more and more. Soon it won’t be just the forest any more.”
“Have you not been able to stop it at all?” James asked him worriedly.
Billy shook his head sadly, “Those of us that remain unaffected just don’t have the power to do anything.” He paused and cocked his head and looked at them sharply. “You said you had come to heal the Tree? How will you do that?”
Michael glanced at James and then said, “We don’t really know, we were hoping to figure it out on the way.” He knew James was looking at him with a puzzled expression and waited for him to say something about the Holy water but he remained silent. Michael couldn’t explain it but he didn’t want to tell the Guardian their plan. Not that he didn’t trust him, he just didn’t want to have to explain it right now.
“We should move on soon,” Michael continued, “I can’t tell if it’s night or not. It’s so dark in here!”
“It’s always dark here,” Billy told them as he looked out the cave entrance. “The sun can’t get through the darkness. Nothing grows here anymore.”
“Or lives,” James added. “What happened to all the animals and birds?”
“Most of them left before the taint could get them.”
“Most? What happened to the rest of them?” James asked worriedly.
Billy grimaced slightly and said reluctantly, “Some didn’t get out on time and they’ve … changed.”
“Changed?” Michael said, drawn into the conversation, “How do you mean?”
“Do we really want to know?” James added.
“Let’s just hope we don’t come across any of them,” Billy said and the two boys strangely did not feel comforted.
Michael noticed James touching the bruises on his wrist with a worried look on his face and he was tempted then and there to go back home but his mother’s face flashed in his mind’s eye. He was saved from saying anything when Billy spoke again.
“We better go, it’s best not to stay in one place too long.” He quickly dumped handfuls of dirt on to the fire to put it out and then they followed him to the entrance.
Suddenly he crouched down against the side wall and waved Michael and James down too. He held a finger to his lips when Michael started to ask what was wrong and pointed out to the forest where a light could be seen through the trees.
“The King likes to hunt,” Billy explained quietly, “The light out there is from his scouting parties. I’ve often had to avoid them so they can’t mark me for the hunt.”
“Mark you?” Michael whispered in confusion.
“The King has this amulet that can track someone no matter where they are. His scouts are told to go out and shoot someone or maybe an animal with a special tiny dart that is attuned to the amulet. That way he can hunt at his leisure because there is nowhere the prey can hide.”
“That’s horrible!” Michael exclaimed, horrified.
Billy hushed him as the light came closer and they stayed as quiet as they could. The scouts were just black shadows behind the light but they could make out that they were small and moved swiftly, almost like an insect. It was with a sense of relief that the light began to fade away as the scouts passed them by and went further into the trees.
Billy made them wait a few minutes more just to make sure the scouts didn’t come back this way again then led them quickly out of the cave and further into the forest.
The Spirit Tree Page 4