Chapter 12
“What should we do?” James whispered.
Michael didn’t reply as he had no idea what to say. He glanced at Billy but the forest guardian was chewing his lip in indecision and Michael got a sinking feeling in his stomach. To have come so far only to be stopped at the end was something he had never thought would happen and he could only think of his mother and how she would be trapped here forever.
“There must be something we can do?” he hissed quietly to Billy.
Before the fae could answer there was a strange scraping noise behind them. Very faint but close enough that the boys could just hear it from where they stood. Peering back through the mist they couldn’t see anything moving but Billy waved them to the side of the path anyway.
The strange noise continued along with a muffled whispering and suddenly Billy turned to grin at his friends. He began to slip back the way they had come beckoning them to follow him. Michael and James looked back at the orange glow of the torches through the mist then quietly followed Billy.
It was only a short distance before they caught up with Billy who, surprisingly, was talking in urgent whispers to Togan and Mutah. The two small fae grinned at Michael and James when they appeared, looking both happy and afraid at the same time. As the boys got closer they could see the rest of the group of fae behind them, all standing restlessly with a kind of fearful determination.
“How did you all get here?” Michael asked glancing worriedly over his shoulder. “Did you come the same way we did?”
The two fae shook their heads, their eyes wide in fear. “Oh no,” Togan said quickly, “We could never have come that way. No, we came under the trees where they couldn’t get us!”
“You mean like tunnels?” Michael asked turning a disbelieving eye on Billy.
Billy understood the look he gave him and hurriedly said, “No, there are no tunnels. They mean that they dug there way under the trees!”
Michael and James looked to where Billy was pointing and noticed about half a dozen small holes in the ground where fae were still climbing out. To the side of each hole was what looked like a large mole like creature that twitched and shuddered at every unexpected noise. The boys noticed the large spade like hands they had and realised who must have dug the way here.
“Tunnelers don’t usually come up to the surface,” Billy was saying to them, “But Togan here persuaded a few of them to help get them here.”
Michael turned to Togan and Mutah in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”
Togan and Mutah exchanged a look then Mutah stepped forward. “We wanted to help. We would be ashamed if we let two human children put themselves in such danger while we hid ourselves away in safety.”
Togan nodded along with his friend and added, “Healing the Tree would benefit all of us so it’s only fair we should help as much as we can.”
By this time everyone was out of the holes and stood behind the two small fae nervously. All in all there were about twenty of the small creatures. The strange tunnelers had disappeared back under the ground. Michael glanced over the small group of about twenty fae and could see they all had the same scared but determined look on their faces. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat at their bravery and a new determination welled up in him to heal the Tree not just for his mothers sake but for everyone in the forest.
Turning to Billy he asked, “Now what?”
The forest guardian had been standing to the side watching the orange glow through the mist that could just be seen from this distance. He turned to Michael and the others absent mindedly fingering the bandage that was around his leg.
“The Tree is in a clearing just past the ones holding the torches, if we could distract them long enough for you two to slip past and just hope there isn’t anyone there.” He shrugged as if to say ‘what other choice do we have’.
Michael looked to James who smiled in agreement and gave him a thumbs up. Michael smiled and nodded tiredly his hand going to the bottle in his pocket. He drew in a deep breath and stepped into the undergrowth at the side of the path picking up a heavy branch. Seeing this James did the same while the small fae pulled out their own weapons of clubs, small daggers and slingshots.
“This is what we are going to do,” Billy told them, “We will get as close as we can without them hearing us – the mist should help us stay hidden long enough. Then Togan, Mutah and the others will lead the way. Now this is important,” he fixed the smaller fae with sharp eyes, “I don’t want anyone trying to be brave! That’s the Kings Huntsmen back there so try and avoid any confrontations. Use your speed and size to distract them, that should give us time to get past.”
They followed Billy as they crept closer and then he motioned for them to stop. Michael and James stepped to the side while the smaller fae crept forward, eyes wide with fear but also determination. Michael watched them and felt pride at how they had decided to help them, he also felt worried as he noticed that the mist was beginning to thin.
Billy held up his hand for the smaller fae to stop for a moment and then he whispered some last minute orders that Michael couldn’t hear but it had the fae nodding and smiling slightly. Then the guardian stepped behind the little group and waved Michael and James forward.
“When they start running keep close behind and force your way through. Hopefully the Huntsmen will be too distracted with everyone else that they won’t notice. They certainly won’t have expected for us to have help!” Billy grinned looking for all the world as if he was enjoying himself.
The two human boys gripped their makeshift weapons and smiled grimly in return. They could feel their hearts pounding but there was excitement also as the end of their journey was here. Michael reached out and squeezed James’ shoulder in reassurance and his friend nodded to him in response.
“Ready?” Billy asked them.
“Let’s go,” Michael told him.
Billy turned to the small fae and nodded in command. Togan, Mutah and the others faced the orange glow of the torches gripping weapons tightly. Suddenly they all screamed at the top of their lungs just as they ran forward bursting into the clearing in a frenzy of motion.
The mist had cleared enough that it was no longer a camouflage which meant they could also see the Huntsmen clearly as well. The small fae wasted no time in diving in amongst the ones that were closest. Using their small size and speed as Billy had advised they jabbed at legs and bashed toes working together to distract the Huntsmen while the humans slipped past.
Michael and James followed Billy as he pushed his way through swiping and stabbing with his dagger at any Huntsmen that came too close. Michael and James also had to be careful of sword swings that came their way but the small fae were doing such a good job of distracting the far superior Huntsmen that they managed to get past the ring of soldiers and into the trees on the other side of the clearing.
There was not time to pause as the Huntsmen were barging their way through the small attackers to get to them so they had to keep running. There was only a thin growth of trees between the two clearings and it was only a moment before they burst into view of the Spirit Tree. Michael only had a moment to gape at the enormity of the Tree before he was grabbed by the arms and forced to his knees and James was forced down beside him.
The King and Queen stood side by side in front of the Tree their strangely beautiful faces gloating. A few of the Queen’s court stood to one side, clapping and cheering at their capture while watching them with hungry expressions on their cold faces. On the other side were more of the Kings Huntsmen silent and fierce.
Billy was still fighting with the Huntsmen who followed but Michael and James knelt silent and still in front of the united monarchs. Behind them the Tree towered overhead, blocking out any hint of sky with its heavy branches. The roots stood up in arches, splintered and blackened as if a fire had swept over them. The twisted trunk was massive and just as blackened as the roots but where the roots looked splintered the trunk almost flowed and pulsed while a s
trange keening noise could be heard through the wind in its branches.
Michael could almost feel the oppressive malevolence that radiated from the Tree as if it was a weight on his chest. He could feel himself gasping for air and noticed that James was doing the same. They may have been afraid of the fairy monarchs but the Tree was something nightmarish and the boys could barely look away from it.
By now Billy had been subdued and knelt beside them with blood running down his face from a cut on his forehead. It had gone quiet behind them and Michael prayed that Togan and the others had scattered like they had been told to do once they were past. He just hoped most of them had survived the encounter.
“So” the Queen spoke her voice sibilant like a snake, “You have done well to get so far little humans but it ends here. Tell us how you were going to heal the Tree and we will let you leave.”
Michael glared at her in impotent anger but said nothing until he noticed a familiar figure moving at the edge of the clearing. He couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him and the Queen smiled maliciously at his reaction.
“She’s why you’re here? To save her?” the Queen continued nodding towards his mother, “How could you possibly do that?”
She watched him with glittering eyes as he struggled to stay quiet while the ghost of his mother drifted closer to him. She still looked like the twisted version he had last seen and he tried to keep his eyes averted but the desire to see his mother was too strong. Looking into her eyes he could see that there was nothing of his mother in the creature before him and he looked away blinking back tears.
Suddenly a large shadow passed over the clearing and the Tree making the gloom even darker. Even the King and Queen froze as it passed over while their followers muttered in fear. Michael looked upwards but couldn’t see anything through the branches. When he looked to Billy he found the guardian smirking at his parents sudden fear.
Michael frowned in confusion then looked at James who was looking thoughtfully upwards before looking at him and saying “Sol.”
Michael suddenly smiled in understanding and his hand drifted to his trouser pocket where the bottle was safely wrapped in its cloth. The King heard the exchange between the two boys and stepped forward.
“What is Sol?” he demanded.
Billy’s head whipped around to his friends in surprise before he got himself under control. The King had already seen his reaction though and turned an angry eye on him before taking another stepped forward that brought him very close to the boys.
Before he could do anything though the shadow came again but this time a burst of flame lit up the branches above and the fae screamed in fright. The Tree itself seemed to thrash and the keening noise got louder as the fire singed the topmost branches.
Seizing this opportunity Michael yanked the bottle out of his pocket and unwrapped it. Jumping to his feet he pulled his arm back and flung the bottle as hard as he could towards the Tree praying it would hit its mark. The bottle hurtled over the head of the Queen and smashed against the trunk of the Tree, the Dragon Tears spilling out over the tainted bark.
There was a moment of complete silence as the sound of the smashing glass seemed to echo over everything. All eyes turned to the Tree expectantly and for a long moment nothing happened.
Just as Michael began to get a sinking feeling that it hadn’t worked there was an almighty cracking noise as if something had become dislodged and a shockwave erupted from the Tree knocking everyone to their backs as it sped away through the forest like an avenging wind. A glowing red light seemed to follow it as an angry scream could be heard.
When Michael raised his head he could see the Tree shaking as if it shuddered from within and then the trunk slowly untwisted, the branches rustling softly. The roots trembled and slowly reformed their splintered edges, sinking gently back into the ground. The blackened colour of the trunk slowly began to fade but what Michael noticed most was the air didn’t feel as oppressive and the gloom began to disappear. It was as if the shockwave had blown some fresh air through the forest.
The King and Queen sat up with a dazed expression on their faces. They had changed since the shockwave had hit them, looking more like what they used to. The Queen looked more like an incredibly beautiful human woman with golden hair and large violet eyes while her large butterfly wings shimmered like mother of pearl. The King still wore black armour but it looked like nothing more than soft leather while his face had softened from its hard edges.
“Mother!” Billy cried out beside him and he watched as the young guardian ran over to his parents.
Looking around he searched desperately for his own mother and became alarmed when he could see golden lights floating towards the Tree. Realising that the trapped souls were finally making their way through the Tree he felt a sudden pang of loss just like what he had felt when he’d been told about his mother’s death.
“We did it Michael!” James cried beside him gripping his arm and grinning.
Michael smiled but couldn’t yet feel enthusiastic about their success. He had hoped to see his mother one last time, it had never occurred to him he might not. As he looked around at all the dazed fae slowly getting to their feet one of the golden lights seemed to pause before his face.
Reaching out a tentative hand he brushed a finger against it and suddenly he could smell his mother’s perfume, hear her laughter and most of all feel how much she loved him. The little golden light whizzed around his head ruffling his hair and making him laugh aloud. As it slowly drifted towards the Tree he could hear a soft ‘thank you’ and then she vanished into the trunk.
Turning to James he hugged him tightly not caring that he had tears running down his cheeks. They suddenly found themselves on the ground as Billy had launched himself at them in his excitement, laughing and hugging them both.
A sudden cacophony of small voices made all three look towards the edge of the clearing to see Togan, Mutah and many other of the smaller fae trotting towards them while others warily approached the King and Queen.
“We’re so glad you’re okay!” Michael cried as the little fae crowded around them, chattering in excitement and patting them in gratitude.
Togan and Mutah went into great detail about their battle and Michael noticed that a few of the Huntsmen were starting to look a little annoyed at their boasting. Before they could get themselves into trouble however, the King and Queen approached causing the little fae to fall silent.
The Queen had her hand resting on the King’s arm and both monarchs were smiling gently, so different from the vicious way they had looked before. Michael and James quickly stood up and brushed themselves down trying to at least look a little neat.
“We have much to thank you for,” the Queen said, her voice soft and soothing, “I don’t think we could have survived for much longer, the taint was taking such a toll on us. We would have destroyed ourselves eventually.”
She smiled at her husband when he squeezed her hand in comfort. Turning to smile at Billy she spoke again. “Billy briefly told us everything you’ve done. Did you really get help from the dragon?”
Michael nodded quickly, “Yes, it was thanks to his Dragon Tears that the Tree healed and if it wasn’t for Billy we wouldn’t have made it here at all!”
The Queen smiled proudly at her son and with a slight bow from both monarchs they drifted away into the trees followed by their people.
Billy turned to both of the boys and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “We did it! I can’t believe it worked! Everything will be alright now!”
“I’m so glad, Billy.” Michael grinned at his friend.
“Your parents seem to be okay now,” James remarked, “Does this mean you can go home now?”
Billy nodded and smiled. “I’m sure there is still some taint about the forest that will need to be taken care of but it looks like everything will be as it was!”
Epilogue
The sun shone over the forest and a gentle breeze ruffled the leaves
on the newly healed trees as animals and birds went about their business. At the edge of the forest a small bunny hopped over to a tree stump where it could smell something unfamiliar but tantalising all the same. It’s little nosed twitched as it raised its head to sniff the air but then a sudden noise from behind it had it sprinting back into the safety of the trees.
A strange golden eyed boy crouched beside the tree stump avidly staring at the strange round object that sat on a plate on the top. He reached out a finger and carefully scooped up a sample of the soft pink stuff that covered it and placed it up to his nose for a cautious sniff. Then the pink coated finger went into his mouth and he closed his eyes as he savoured the sweet sugary taste of the cake icing.
Billy grinned as he picked up the plate and disappeared into the forest.
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The Spirit Tree Page 12