Into the Forest Shadows

by J. A. Marlow

  "The Newcomers are stirring up the Shadow Creatures. Making them believe they have a chance at the power some have craved." Grandma sipped her tea, "Now the Ancients themselves are in danger."

  "The all-powerful Ancients?"

  "No one is all-powerful." Grandma regarded her with sad eyes, "The Newcomers bring to the situation a dangerous unknown. I don't know why they are here. I can't explain it, but I don't think their ship crashing on this world was a complete accident. I think they meant to come here."

  "Crash?" Images flooded Kate's mind, including the pictures of the human colony ship shown in history class. Now another ship on the planet? "The Newcomers aren't human, are they? Otherwise the Alliance could take care of them."

  "Once again you surprise me with your quick mind. You are correct." Grandma leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If something happens to me and you aren't able to find the Watcher, you must find the Ancients themselves."

  "I'll try. But I don't even know what they look like. No one knows what the Ancients look like."

  "The forest creatures do. The forest itself does. Learn to listen to the forest. It will lead you to where you need to go. I'm counting on you."

  Most of which made no sense at all. And, wasn't she already protecting Mother from a family leach? Now all this? The weight of it settled on her shoulders making her slouch in her chair.

  "Drink your tea, dear."

  "I don't like it," Kate said, wrinkling her nose at the pleasant aroma lying about the true taste.

  "Sorry about that. I'm playing with the flavorings but it's important you drink all of it. It's a protection and it takes time to build up."

  "A protection from what?" She sloshed the dark tea in her cup.

  "From what took over the sick trees you saw in the orchard." Grandma took a long drink from her cup. She promptly refilled it. "I fear because of my age it will take longer to become effective than it might you."

  Kate quickly checked her hands for any spots. "The trees are contagious?"

  "Possibly, but my main concern is direct exposure to the contaminant."

  "How could I be exposed?"

  "You will have no doubt when it happens. Watch out for the Shadow Creatures and Newcomers. I'm sure one of them is the source."

  Kate turned to study the landscape through the window, the shadows among the trees turning ominous. She looked down at the teacup in her hand and the dark hot liquid inside. Setting her jaw she drank it down in several large gulps. When Grandma refilled the cup she did it again.

  The bitter taste overwhelmed her mouth. As bad as it tasted it better work. She closed her eyes, forcing more of it down her throat, angry she even had to drink the disgusting stuff. All because aliens crashed on the planet and some of the animals were getting uppity.

  Why couldn't life calm down? Just a little?

  She felt a tickle on her cheek. A soft nose rubbed against her chin.

  She smiled. "Hello Bunbun."

  The teacup was gone from her hand. Instead of sitting in a comfy chair she found herself laying in the dirt of a dark room lit only by small slivers of light from around the edge of the door and along the floor.

  The strength of the spores diminished in the remains of her anger. Well, now she knew what 'direct exposure' felt like. She also knew what could fight it.

  Kate kept the rage. It didn't take much effort. Imagining Uncle Travis's face. The toothy grin of Diasis. The tree with the red mark laying in the middle of the clear-cut clearing.

  Bunbun cocked his head at her, looking into her face.

  "Found us, did you?" Kate asked, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat and forced herself to roll over.

  Ayden lay next to her, unmoving. She forced herself into a sitting position and reached out to shake his shoulder. His eyes opened but he didn't move. Bunbun climbed on his arm and poked at his face and he still didn't move. He'd had some of the tea, but had it been enough?

  She heard the sound of shuttle engines. Kate frantically searched her pockets. Finding the small flat lump she wanted she fumbled to open up the mobile phone. The signal status showed a secondary signal. She dialed the number for her mother.

  A voice said, "There is no available communications network. You can leave a voice message which will be delivered the moment this communication module reaches a communication relay."

  At the beep Kate said as fast as she could, "Mom! I'm still alive, but Ayden and I have been kidnapped by the Shadow Creatures, Uncle Travis and an alien species who have crashed a ship on the other side of the mountains. They infected Grandma with something they call 'spores.' They're clear-cutting and murdered the Watcher. The Shadow Creatures are massing to attack the other Gatherer camps on the twin full moons!"

  A beep interrupted her. She looked down. No signal bar and no sound of the shuttle engines.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  She snapped shut the phone. Hopefully she made sense. She only hoped Mother would believe the disjointed message.

  Time to turn to her own situation. She had a promise to keep to Grandma to find the Ancients, and that meant escaping into the forest.

  She looked down at Bunbun, who had taken residency next to Ayden, nuzzling his neck. "Know of a way out, Bunbun?"

  Bunbun glanced up at her and then turned back to his nuzzling.

  "Of course. No group mind to help," Kate muttered. Too bad. Maybe with a group of bunts they could get out of the place, if they could get the creatures to understand.

  She quietly moved around the room, finding the small hole Bunbun squeezed in through. Her first impression had been correct, though. No windows and only the one door. And Bunbun's hole was much too small to help. The hard-packed dirt would take forever to dig out with the hands and fingers.

  And all the while the spores grew in presence and strength inside her. Her eyes felt heavy and her limbs sluggish. It would be so easy to prop herself up against a wall and fall asleep.

  She heard Ayden move. Kate turned back in time to see him roll on his back. Bunbun jumped out of the way only to climb on his chest when Ayden stopped moving.

  Kate knelt next to him and shook his shoulder, "Ayden, wake up."

  Ayden stared up at the ceiling, his face as blank as the other Gatherers. The expression scared her. A momentary lapse in attention and she would look the same way. Grandma's tea hadn't been strong enough. Even so, somehow she had to snap him out of it long enough to get into the forest.

  The question was how. Kate glared at the locked door. There had to be a way out!

  The spores inched back, their control slipping.

  She smiled, having found her answer. She bent down to Ayden's right ear and whispered loudly, "The city-girl is going hiking among the stupid trees. Do you really trust me to do that? I'm taking Bunbun with me."

  Ayden blinked. Kate felt a momentary thrill of excitement. Good. He was still in there somewhere.

  BunBun let loose with a low thrum, shifting nervously on Ayden's shirt. She grabbed him before he could hop away, stuffing him into her shirt, her eyes darting towards the door.

  Shuffling steps stopped outside the door. She poked at Bunbun until he quieted down, nestled against her stomach. She lay down on the ground and schooled her features to be as devoid of expression and emotion as possible. Pretend you're a zombie, Kate repeated silently to herself.

  If only she could be sure Ayden wasn't already one.

  The door creaked open. A shaft of light fell across the dirt floor. Kate worked hard not to squint at the sudden light. The light framed the shape of a Newcomer.

  She tensed. The Newcomer was still too far away and too firmly planted in the doorway to do much good. She was sure she could push her way past him if needed, but not while dragging Ayden behind her.

  "Both of you, stand up!" the Newcomer said in an authoritative tone that might have meant more if it weren't so high-pitched.

  Ayden immediately responded. Kate followed his lead and rose to her feet, staring
straight ahead with the blank expression on her face. But oh, how her face wanted to move.

  BunBun shivered against her at the change in direction. She hoped he didn't pop up. Who knew if the Newcomers hated the bunts as much as the Shadow Creatures.

  "You will work in the assembly area until further notice. Follow me."

  Into a building where it might be hard for both to slip out. She didn't trust that they would remain together and she wasn't about to leave without Ayden. She needed his expertise to survive in the forest.

  Their escape had to be now.

  Ayden stepped forward. In two quick steps Kate moved ahead of him, bringing up her foot for a sharp kick. The heel struck the hard armor of the uniform, jarring her knee.

  The Newcomer staggered back against a wall. He hit the wall and fumbled at his belt. Kate didn't wait to find out if it was for a weapon or more spores.

  She pounced on him. The Newcomer squealed. She felt a hard cold object at the belt that the Newcomer tried to pull out. Kate twisted the object in a circle, breaking it out of his grasp.

  She backed away slowly, keeping herself between the Newcomer and the door. "To the back of the room."

  "But, you can't. The spores. No, you can't!" the Newcomer squeaked as he backed away into a dark corner of the hut.

  "Maybe they aren't quite as strong as you think they are," Kate mocked.

  "You, human, stop her," the Newcomer yelled.

  Kate grabbed Ayden's arm and pulled, causing him to trip out the door. "Ayden, go stand outside the door."

  She said it as firmly as she could. Amazingly, Ayden did exactly what she asked him to do. She kept the weapon up, hoping she was pointing the correct end towards the alien.

  "It won't work for you. It is keyed genetically to our kind." The Newcomer said, stepping forward.

  In an act of bravery the Newcomer rushed towards her.

  Kate stepped back and slammed the door shut. She leaned against it, reaching down for the board to slide across the two bars on either side of the door.

  With the door locked closed she took the time to scrutinize the area. The wood muffled the cries of the Newcomer. Time to get away before someone either came searching for him or heard the noise.

  Gatherers moved around the camp but didn't pay any attention to them. No Shadow Creatures in view, but she didn't count on it staying that way for very long.

  "Time for a walk, Ayden," Kate said softly.

  Taking his hand she dragged him behind her. Ayden willingly followed, but at a sedated walk. She tugged at him, hoping to increase the speed, but to no avail.

  Her cape was a bright red target. At every sound she expected someone to discover them.

  The edge of the clearing seemed as far away as ever. The mountain range towered over the area, with her eyes drawn to one specific peak. The perfect pyramid shape with a jagged summit drew her attention. She'd seen it in the images of the trees. She knew that was where she needed to head.

  The same direction also provided the most shelter from searching eyes in the form of tightly grouped small buildings. She hugged the buildings, doing her best to keep them between her and the ship. Anything to keep out of sight.

  An alarm echoed through the clearing. Kate's heart froze and then beat fast as she searched for anyone running towards them. She ducked into a hut with two open sides.

  Gatherers emerged from the nearby forest. Kate looked around, not finding anywhere else to go. She picked across the piles of tools laying on the ground, dragging Ayden behind her.

  The Gatherers ignored her. Coming to the hut they dropped their tools on the piles before moving further into the camp.

  "Meal," one of them muttered repeatedly under his breath as he walked by.

  Ayden turned and took a step after them before Kate yanked him back. She whispered to him, "We have work to do first."

  That worked long enough for them to get to the tool hut, when Ayden again tried to turn to follow the others.

  Kate grabbed him and pushed him against the side of the hut. She pulled his head down so she could whisper fiercely into his ear, "Do you want your Uncle and the rest of the Gatherers to be slaves to the Shadow Creatures and the Newcomers? Do you want to be a slave for the rest of your life, too?"

  A sudden spark showed in his eyes. He reached up with both hands and grabbed her forearms so hard that she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain. His face contorted.

  Great, she had a reaction. Too bad it was the wrong sort of reaction.

  "Wake up, Ayden! All the Gatherers are in danger."

  His grip suddenly relaxed. She saw a light appear in his eyes.

  "Kate?" he whispered hoarsely.

  Kate let out a pent up breath, "Thank goodness. I was wondering if Grandma's tea had done any good at all."

  "Tea? What are you talking about?"

  "The tea we had. Grandma put something in it to ward off the spores." She pulled up on his arm. "We have to get out of here. I know you are warring with the spores inside you. Find the strength to do it!"

  His hands dropped away from her. "Where are we?"

  "The Newcomers camp, and we need to get out fast before we're discovered missing." Kate pulled him towards a forest only a short distance away.

  He paused near one of the piles. She turned back expecting to find him following the other Gatherers. Instead, he reached down and grabbed two shortened rods similar to his old staff. He handed one to her while passing by.

  Kate found the small rod of a collapsed Gatherer axe in her hand, almost exactly like the one Ayden lost in the other camp. No time to use it as a walking staff today. She used the clip on one end to attach it to her belt.

  Breaking into a run, she followed Ayden into the cooling shadows of the trees. Along with it came the full impact of the torment of the trees. White curled along the edges of bark and limbs.

  Grandma said the forest would tell her where she needed to go. She hoped Grandma was right and that the spores inside her wouldn't make it impossible to hear what she needed to hear. Or the spores in the trees around them.

  Ayden faltered one step, and then found his stride. It felt like old times, and Kate couldn't be more pleased. With the burst of excitement she felt the pull of the spores diminish.

  So, the little buggers didn't like any strong emotion. Good, she could use that. That was one thing everyone accused Kate of having too much of.

  They had to get out of the area, out to where the trees could still move and react the way they wanted to. Before the Shadow Creatures found them.

  A new alarm sounded from the direction of the camp. This time Kate knew the alarm was for them.

  A tree visibly shuddered as they ran past. Ayden turned to follow a larger path. On the other side of a rise she saw a bunt for the first time since arriving at the camp. It scampered away from them in a panic.

  A flock of birds flew up from the trees to their right. Kate caught a glimpse of a dark shadow running among the trees. She turned her head from the sight, concentrating on running as fast as she could.

  They ran down an incline, the ground beneath their feet growing soft and mushy. The mix of the trees changed. Twisted trunks intermingled with low dense trees. A group of bunts scurried for their holes as they rounded a dense copse of trees.

  Kate felt a familiar tug at her memories. Ayden must have sensed it, as well. He skidded to a halt.

  Past a wall of thick bushes stood the cream-tree trunks of the memory trees. Ayden led them along a trail running parallel with the trees.

  But the trail turned into the grove. In the other direction sat a shape that made Kate's blood run cold. Rustling behind them told her of other arrivals.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Diasis panted. His ears swiveled towards them as he regarded them closely. "I shouldn't be surprised you've found a way to resist the spores. It won't matter. Another dose and you'll be done."

  Ayden took a step back towards the forest, pulling Kate with him, "We
won't go back to be another of your slaves."

  "I don't see that you have any choice. I know the Gatherers have learned to leave the memory trees alone, but what you have behind you is an entire forest of the trees, along with a few other unusual trees. Not only will they feed off your memories, the forest of Shadows and Memories will feed off your bodies. To go inside is sure death for all creatures of the forest. The camp is your only choice for life."

  "Big speech for someone who can't be trusted," Kate said, mocking his dramatic way of speaking.

  She pulled the Newcomer weapon from her waistband and held the it in front of her. Ayden activated the blade on his axe.

  Diasis laughed at the weapon. "Do you think I do not know how the toy works? You cannot use it, for you are not of the Newcomer kind."

  Kate held it steady, glancing briefly at the forest. No pain emanated from the trees, no sign of spore contamination, only a strange haze that made her head swim. The trees wanted them all, inviting them in with a belying innocent appearance.

  She'd snapped out of the memories before. Just like the spores, they could not resist strong emotion. The thought of the fate Uncle Travis left her in would be enough to get the rage going.

  Kate caught Ayden's eye, saying quietly, "Remember what they've done with the Gatherers. Be angry at what Diasis and the others tried to do to you."

  Ayden shook his head at her, his brow wrinkled with his eyebrows pushed close together. His face then cleared and he nodded. "Okay."

  Kate turned and threw the weapon at Diasis as hard as she could. "Follow us if you dare!"

  Hand in hand, they ran into the forest of Shadows and Memories. She heard a frustrated howl behind her as they rushed by the first trees.

  She had the sensation of having heard Ayden cry out, but how could she? She was inside the cabin of the shuttle, staring through the small window. Standing a short distance away her mother stared back, the small figure dressed in gray, folding her hands together in front of her, her eyes sad.

  Kate's heart grew heavy over the lost opportunity.