Into the Forest Shadows

by J. A. Marlow

  "I don't care how ancient your systems are. Shut down your weapon systems. We're landing!"

  Ranger Tottori sat down at a nearby station. The controller continued her arguments while the ship insisted on landing on its current course. Mary glanced at the main screen. The blue dot was still there, the energy readings building. Building for another shot.

  Ranger Tottori cleared his throat, "I apologize Ms. O'Hanson. The registry for the ship indicates it was stolen from a repair shipyard eight months ago."

  "The satellites are preparing to fire again. This time they won't miss." Mary rubbed the bridge of her nose. "And the ship invoked the Alliance charter. Illegal or not, the Alliance will expect us to rescue them even at our own peril."

  "We are not technically a part of the Alliance, and I will not order our shuttles out on a suicide mission," Ranger Tottori said. He turned back to the console. "But, there may be another way to get the ship back to a safe course."

  Mary didn't like being helpless. If this didn't go well, they would have the Ancients and the Alliance on their backs. They might even lose their permission to live on the planet. She couldn't do much about the Ancients. But, perhaps, she could do something about the Alliance.

  Mary slipped into the chair at the one empty console left in the room. She connected up to the Interplanetary Communication System, not bothering with anyone she knew in the Alliance Government. That wouldn't do any good, but a little pressure from a slightly different source might do it.

  A man appeared on the screen, his eyes wrinkled at the edges with laugh lines and two dramatic gray streaks at the temples. "There's my favorite Grand-Niece. How is business?"

  "Hello, Uncle Elliot. The business is going well. We're exporting as fast as we can produce."

  Uncle Elliot nodded, "Wonderful. You usually don't call this time of month. Is something wrong?"

  "This call isn't about me. It's about Oburos City. We have an unauthorized ship in orbit trying to land, and you know what that means."

  "Those strange Ancients using their technology?"

  "You got it. It was a warning shot. We're now trying to get them down safely before the Ancients fire again, but the ship broadcast an emergency signal to the Alliance."

  Mary looked up as Ranger Tottori crowed in delight, exclaiming, "I have a lock!"

  "Sounds like the idiots forgot you aren't a formal human government," Uncle Elliot said.

  "Exactly," Mary said, turning her attention back to him.

  "I'm surprised it's not my sister on the call. She loves to get riled up over things like this. I think in some ways she's as protective of that planet as those Ancients are."

  "Uh, I can't contact Mom right now. We've had odd weather and it's affecting planetary communications. I'm hoping for a little helpful pressure if this doesn't end well. And if the ship doesn't obey instructions to get back on the only approved flight path to the city, it's not going to end well."

  Uncle Elliot sighed, the smile leaving his face, "True. I'll do a little leaning. Hopefully it'll help. Before you go, can you send an extra canister of the hyperdrive lubricant? Top pay, as usual."

  Mary blinked at the sudden change in subject, "You went through the last shipment already? Your business must be taking off, too."

  "Dear, my last shipment was over a year ago."

  At first she didn't think she'd heard him correctly. It didn't make sense. He should be receiving shipments every six months. But, his face remained serious.

  She cleared her voice, "I'll see to it. And thanks for your help."

  As she ended the call Ranger Tottori asked, "Who were you talking to?"

  "My Uncle Elliot. He has a lot of helpful connections in the Alliance that might come in useful if this situation deteriorates." Mary stood up, wiping her hands on her pants. "Such as stopping the sanctions they tried to levy like the last time-"

  She stopped, realizing Travis stood next to Ranger Tottori's chair. He scowled at her, "There was no reason to bother him about this. I can take care of it, as I usually do. I know what I'm doing."

  "As do I," Ranger Tottori said, casting Travis an expression of disgust before turning a genuine smile towards Mary, "I talked to the shipyard where the ship was stolen into giving me the ship's main computer access codes. We're bringing them down on autopilot, and there's nothing they can do about it."

  "Unless they shut down the main computer," Mary said, disturbed at the expression of partially masked anger on Travis's face. Why did he look at her like that? What had she done?

  "A ship that large can't be flown without the main computer," Ranger Tottori said.

  "It can. It's difficult, but it can. I've done it myself, a long time ago."

  Mary found Travis next to her with his hand on her upper arm. He guided her towards the door. "Mary, please. Let me take care of this situation. Haven't I already taken the lead in searching for Kate while the Directory hasn't? Go home. I'll be by later to take you to dinner."

  Mary found herself outside the door in an empty hall with the door to the Communications Department closed. She rubbed her arm where he'd touched her, fury building up inside.

  She'd help Ranger Tottori. Why shouldn't she be in that room? She'd been the one called in. There was no excuse for treating her like a child in front of others.

  She laughed derisively at herself. She was acting just like Kate.

  And perhaps Kate had seen the situation clearer than she from the start. Perhaps it was past time for changes.

  She glared at the closed door. Time for big changes.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  "The Kiset River. It's the only big river between us and the camp." Ayden stopped at a ridge above the water.

  Kate agreed with the definition of river. The clear water flowed wide and fast. A short distance down river she saw a tree that gave her the shivers, "Yeash, Memory Trees are everywhere."

  "They love water," Ayden said. "This will be a safe place to cross."

  Kate studied the steep embankment down to the rushing rapids. Neither the rapids or the wide distance across looked friendly to crossing. "You'll pardon me if I disagree."

  "Oh, we aren't wading across."

  She shifted on aching feet. "Sorry, I never learned how to fly."

  "Ha ha," Ayden mocked.

  He handed her the backpack and Bunbun and activated the red cutting edge at the top of his staff. He walked to a stand of trees to, studying several. After one more glance at the river he put a hand on the straight bright yellow trunk of the tallest. "This one will do. You better move over back."

  "Do you think that's a good idea right now? I mean, we've already been beaten up by trees once today," Kate asked as she stepped away.

  But Ayden was already swinging his staff. The cutting edge bit deep into the trunk. Kate cringed. Her eyes darted to the canopy of the tree, waiting for it to react.

  Ayden swung again and again, each swing biting ever deeper into the trunk. A creak shivered through the tree. Ayden stepped to the side.

  With a graceful movement the tree tipped to the side. Leaves and limbs trailed behind it as it fell across the river chasm with a mighty crash. The ground under her feet shuddered at the landing.

  Kate looked at the trees of the stand. Still no movement.

  Ayden grinned at her, deactivating the cutting edge of his staff, "It's a matter of knowing the trees."

  "Still, with what's happened today you can't assume all of them are safe to treat as normal," Kate said as he took Bunbun from her.

  "This one I know. Look at the trunk."

  The ragged edge of the trunk quivered. Out of the middle a green sprout poked up. At the top of the sprout uncurled one leaf. As Ayden walked towards the fallen log the sprout grew taller, sprouting several more leaves.

  "It's called a Banded Yellow Palm and it'll re-grow in no time. It's the tree a lot of fiber products for the city comes from."

  "Not one of the more intelligent ones?" Kate asked as she contemplated the fa
llen tree bridging the two riverbanks. Good, no trees moving towards them as if to attack.

  "Definitely not. Look at it more as a giant stalk of grass or bamboo," Ayden said. He hopped on top of the log. "How good are you at balancing?"

  She touched the bark of the tree. Yep, it felt as smooth as it appeared. She gulped, "No guarantees."

  "Just take it slow. You'll make it."

  Ayden started inching his way across with his staff held vertical. Kate climbed on top, pushing herself to her feet. She scuffed her shoes against the bark, trying to see how much traction she would have.

  She slowly followed Ayden, wishing she could walk across with as much confidence as him. Maybe she should try crawling across instead of walking.

  The sound of the rushing water served as a constant reminder of how close disaster lurked. Shadows moved through the water, adding an element to the crossing Kate didn't need. If the shadows were fish, then they were big fish.

  She cleared her voice and asked, "There aren't river monsters on this world, right?"

  "What did you say?" Ayden asked, not even turning his head.

  She didn't try asking again. She didn't want to distract him from where he was putting his feet.

  The trunk shifted beneath her feet, enough that she bent her legs and grabbed at the trunk with a hand. Ayden glanced back at her over his shoulder. Kate didn't like the way his eyes went wide.

  Her balance regained, Kate took the chance to look behind her.

  A short stubby tree with long white roots sat at the end of the fallen tree. A tree that hadn't been there before. Roots grabbed at the log and ripped strips away, pulling them towards the base of its trunk.

  Another tree looking just like the first surged out of the forest, moving fast on the bundle of roots underneath it.

  "The trees are moving!" Kate shouted.

  "The White Troll trees are hunting!" Ayden shouted back. "Keep moving forward before our bridge drops into the water!"

  The second tree joined the first, their roots momentarily fighting with each other for a feeding place at the base of the log. The tree shook with each bit ripped out of it.

  Kate turned away. She rose and took several quick steps forward. Finding she still had her feet, she took several more. Even with the progress the other end of the river looked so far away.

  "We're almost there!" Ayden called back to her. "Keep moving forward!"

  Moving forward would be a lot easier to do without the tree trunk jerking and moving under her feet. In one way she should count her blessing that the troll trees weren't trying to get on the tree and chase them across.

  But as the trunk moved violently to the side she decided that was too generous. She didn't want them around at all.

  Her feet slipped. She grabbed at the trunk with both hands. For a moment she caught herself. The tree jerked in the opposite direction. Her feet slipped out from under her.

  She let out a cry as she felt herself slipping over the side of the log. She heard Ayden call out to her, but his words were drowned out by the rushing water coming up at her.

  The cold water sucked all the breath out of her lungs. She struggled to get to the surface, her mouth and nose filling with water. She came to the surface sputtering and coughing.

  The tree bridge disappeared as she was swept away by the swift current. Kate struck out for shore as strongly as she could, her hands opened wide, searching for anything to grab hold of.

  Her right hand caught something long and smooth, barely under the surface of the water. Her teeth started to chatter, but somehow she found the strength to keep a grasp on the only thing keeping her from getting swept away.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the gold green leaves of Memory Trees. And by holding on to what she suspected was a root, she was drifting towards shore right for them.

  A wave of water rose up and splashed her in the face, causing her to lose sight of everything above water for a few precious seconds.

  The water disappeared. She felt a furry head on her forehead, the bunt's ears resting over her hair. Grandma's voice softly whispered, "There are rumors of the Shadow Creatures making a deal with the Newcomers."

  "Newcomers?" Kate echoed, her eyes still closed to the rushing in her head caused by the bunt.

  "I've heard they have something that can control the forest creatures, possibly even the Shadow Creatures themselves. Be watchful!"

  "Katherine!"

  Her eyes popped open. Her father stood at the door of her room, his glare casting a wide net to include two of her friends helping her to study.

  "You don't have time to visit. I'm bringing home a client tomorrow night and this place is a mess."

  A room so pristine and colorless that it looked like no one lived there. A room echoing the rest of the apartment.

  "Time for your little friends to go home."

  Friends that never came back. Kate would go to their apartments without permission, which only gave her father another reason to yell at her.

  "Kate!"

  Kate looked up. Uncle Travis stood at the front door as her mother helped him take off his jacket.

  "Does your mother have to do everything tonight? Go watch dinner."

  While he sat on the couch lavishing fake attention on her mother? Oh yes, she knew how this worked. How could Mother be attracted to two slimy brothers of the same family?

  Another retched memory. No, this time it would be different.

  "No, do it yourself!" Kate screamed at him. "Get out! Get out and never come back again."

  She grabbed the pitcher of lemonade from the dining room table and hurled the contents at the smirking power-hungry snake.

  She had the momentary satisfaction of seeing his expression change to one of shock before the image darkened.

  Kate shivered at a sudden cold. She forced her eyes open. At first she saw around her snow falling. She was back on Saturus, where her father had nearly bankrupted them with one of his schemes.

  She stomped her foot. Not another memory. She needed the present.

  She closed her eyes again, wracking her brain for the last thing she could remember.

  Ayden. She was in the forest with Ayden and his little bunt called Bunbun.

  Kate gritted her teeth, her hands clutching something tight. She concentrated on that and the sensation of biting cold.

  And wet.

  Kate coughed as she accidently inhaled water. The roar of the river filled her ears. Clutched in her nearly numb fingers she could still feel the length of root she'd managed to grab.

  "Hang on! I'm almost there!" Ayden called out over the sound of the water.

  Kate's eyes popped open, her field of vision filled with water breaking over her in waves.

  Memories continued to lurk at the edge of her mind. She fought them with the anger still burning from the remembered events.

  A tug went through the root in her hand. She shook her head, taking a deep breath. Further up the stream she finally caught sight of Ayden at the shore pulling on a thick white root. With each pull Kate felt herself move through the water.

  Her feet found the ground. She stumbled and sputtered her way closer to the shore.

  Ayden reached out and caught at her cape. With his help she crawled up onto the bank, collapsing in one big shivering wet lump.

  A crash was followed by a huge splash. The log rolled into the water. The hunting trees at the far shore had swelled to at least five, but it was hard to tell while they fought among each other.

  The end of the tree floated down river. In one tug the other end broke free from the shore. The entire trunk moved into the river, bouncing around the rapids as it floated past them.

  "That was close," Kate whispered.

  But Ayden didn't let her rest. He grabbed her arm and pulled her upright, "Come on, we have to get away from the Memory Trees!"

  "And I thought the day felt warm," Kate said with a shiver, the effects of the Memory Trees diminishing with every step they t
ook away from them.

  "You'll warm up as we walk."

  Warm up a little bit, but not dry out. Not with the sun blocked by the thick forest canopy. Her skin felt clammy and uncomfortable. She pulled the cape tighter.

  Ayden stopped in one of the rare meadows in the forest. He stopped in the center, turning around to look in all directions.

  The mountains caught and held Kate's attention. She felt her stomach sink. "The fog is already building."

  Ayden stopped to gaze in the same direction, "Yeah, I noticed. It's going to come down faster tonight."

  "Know of any Trailing Willow groves in the area?" Kate asked.

  "No. I've been to Camp Delta only a few times with no time to explore the surrounding area. We'll have to keep going and hope for the best."

  Not the news she wanted to hear. She followed Ayden back into the forest, squeezing as much moisture out of the edges of the cape as possible. She became obsessed with searching for Trailing Willows. She saw only one in the first hour, and it was a short tree barely taller than her.

  Ayden whooped, stopping in the middle of the path.

  "Please tell me you have a bit of good news," Kate said, plucking her still wet shirt away from her skin.

  Ayden glanced back at her with a grin, "We've found our camp for the night."

  Kate looked past him. Just more trees, including a few with charcoal-black trunks.

  Her eyes picked up the few distinctive narrow leaves of a Trailing Willow. And it was tall. She let herself smile. She didn't like the thought of camping outside for another foggy night, but this tree would surely protect them.

  Ayden dropped the backpack in front of the Trailing Willow trunk, rooting through his pockets. He smiled as he pulled out a lighter.

  Kate eyed at it nervously. "You aren't thinking of starting a forest fire, are you?"

  He rolled his eyes at her, "Of course not. But a little warmth tonight would be a good thing, especially with you so wet. Stay here."

  He slipped under the curtain of leaves and walked over to the tree with the dark bark. A few tries with the lighter and the edges of the tree bark shimmered with fire. It slowly spread along the bark to encircle the trunk. The flames grew, slowly spreading upwards.