Into the Forest Shadows

by J. A. Marlow

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Ayden heard a snarl. He swirled, bringing his axe up in a swing. A heavy body hit the inner handle, knocking it from his grip.

  He grabbed his belt knife and slashed as he rolled across the ground towards his one weapon. The blade flashed through the air, but the creature was too fast to be caught so easily.

  The back of his hand hit the handle. He twisted, grabbing it with his left hand as he found his feet again. The razor wolf lunged and retreated.

  With a start he realized he didn't have any protective trees around him.

  A strong tug of the spores caused his limbs to stiffen. Ayden forced himself to keep moving, refusing to give in to the control. He managed to keep the wolf off him, but he stumbled in his efforts. Captain Straos had to be somewhere near.

  The Ancient pulsed, a light moving away as a wave. The nearest trees responded, absorbing the light and starting to move. The wave slowly spread through the forest. With it the howls and screams of the trees ceased.

  A rage rippled through the spores, and with it a control he couldn't fight. The razor wolf looked up at him, confused at the ceasing of the fight.

  "Turn, human. Let the Ancient feel the bite of your axe," Captain Straos said from somewhere to Ayden's left.

  The razor wolf bounded away with a laugh as Ayden turned. He found himself raising his axe, advancing a step towards the Ancient.

  A spot of red on the ground caught his eye. A scrap of Kate's cape.

  He took a deep breath. Fighting every bit of the way he managed to turn. Captain Straos stood just out of the barrier trees reach, circled protectively by Shadow Creatures. Untouched by the battle going on around them.

  "Cut down the Ancient!" Captain Straos ordered.

  The spores tugged sharply. Ayden gripped the axe tightly, his eyes narrowing on the Newcomer. He would stop the source of the spores.

  With a cry of defiance against the spores against him, Ayden ran forward. He kept moving even when he saw Captain Straos raise his weapon.

  "Stop the death!" Kate's voice rang out.

  Ayden slid to a stop and turned.

  The Ancient shivered and moved forward. One bough reached out to the sacred tree he and Kate had taken refuge behind.

  The sacred tree shivered, gray powder rippling out from its bark. It then reached out to the trees nearest to it. The next trees did the same. The rippling movement moved through the forest, as each tree then touched further trees.

  The bark expelled gray ash where it drifted to the ground.

  The Ancient backed away from its fellow trees, coming to a halt with its roots splayed out around it. The bark in front rippled as if a liquid.

  A corner of red fabric emerged. Then a hand.

  Ayden swallowed hard. She'd been inside?

  She stepped free from the bark, her ragged cape swinging gently from her shoulders, the hood hanging off the back of her head. A branch of the Ancient came down to rest on one of her shoulders, a smaller branch curling around her upper shoulders in a protective gesture.

  "You have brought dishonor to your kind," Kate said.

  Captain Straos reached into a pouch. From a small object in his hand a large cloud of spores erupted, drifting into the the trees. "You will obey me, Ancient. Take me to the core of your city."

  Ayden ducked away from the cloud. His Uncle grabbed him and pulled him to the safety of a tree where Kate's mother already stood. Both looked ready to succumb to the spores.

  "Fight it," Ayden whispered, even though he knew without the tea it wouldn't do much good.

  "Your spores can no longer infect us," Kate said as the cloud drifted by. It was Kate's voice, but not her inflections. It had to be the Ancient speaking through her.

  She'd done it. She'd delivered the cure to the Ancient.

  A part of her shirt and the cape hung strangely, holes blown in them. While he could see blood, he didn't see any break in the skin showing on her abdomen. He'd feel better about it if she didn't have the blank look on her face. He preferred to see her fire.

  Shapes and colors shimmered in the air in front of Kate and the Ancient. They solidified to show two ships against a backdrop of stars.

  "When our ships collided, we acted to save life. You, Straos Nifisari, are alive today because of this action," Kate said.

  The images showed the collision from the point of view of the oddly shaped Ancient's ship. At least, Ayden assumed it to be an Ancient's ship. It had the big red mark on the side.

  Debris floated off into space from the gashes in both large ships. Kate continued, "We transported you to your world. We helped save your damaged ship. Now, you have come to our world and repaid our kindness with murder and destruction."

  "I returned in disgrace, a disgrace that has not lifted in the years that have passed. Honor demands I have restitution," Captain Straos cried out. "And I will have it."

  "We returned to your home world upon completion of our mission," Kate went on. The images floating in the air changed to show a green and brown planet. "A treaty has been made between our peoples. We are sending a representative to your home world even now, to report what has happened here. Soon, your true dishonor will be known to all."

  A massive pull of the spores left him gasping for air. Uncle Henry went stiff while Kate's mother collapsed to her knees.

  "Ah, the spores," Kate said. "We have analyzed them with the help of our helpers. They are a malformed organism from our world. You must have taken them for alteration from the debris field of the collision. Did we not say they will no longer affect us?"

  "I will not tolerate these lies," Captain Straos said, releasing another cloud of spores.

  A pulse of light originating from the Ancient rolled across the ground. The light hit Ayden's feet, a piece of the light leaving to travel up his legs and body. With it the pressure in his lungs eased.

  Diasis slunk out of the trees, clinging to the shadows of the trees still standing, "The Newcomer has dishonored us all. The Shadow Creatures will gladly testify against Captain Straos, the Newcomer! He has harmed us all!"

  Ayden scowled at him. Seeing an out for himself, Diasis had taken it. His hatred of the creature built. Well, the Ancient was with Kate and she would set him straight about the truth. With fire, too.

  "And we will all testify against Diasis and the Shadow Creatures aligned with him," another voice announced. Ayden glanced slightly over his left shoulder. Vistus stood in the shadow of the sacred tree, grinning at Diasis. "Let all the forest know of the conspiracy within it!"

  Animals from the ground and the air answered back in a series of calls, howls and screaches.

  "So, another betrayer among us," Captain Straos said making an odd circling gesture with his hands. "And I had hoped that you would show honor in the end."

  Diasis barked curiously, falling flat on his stomach. In a halting growl, he bit out, "You? You lied! We are immune!"

  "Did you really think I would trust you so far as my life when you betray your own so easily? As I control you, I now control the rest of your kind who have been with me."

  "The Ancient will stop you," Diasis said before his jaw went slack.

  "Ah yes, the Ancient." Captain Straos looked back at the Ancient. "I admit, I cannot control you."

  Good, then the immunity in Kate delivered definitely worked. It didn't make Ayden feel any better about the situation. His hand once again tightened on his axe.

  He didn't like the wild twitches in Captain Straos's eyes. He moved away from his Uncle, pushing himself forward, prepared to intersect Captain Straos should he try to run towards the Ancient and Kate.

  Captain Straos saw his movement, a soft smile touching his face. "However, I can at least deal with the creatures who have dealt with me in dishonor. In at least this, the debt will be paid."

  He brought up his weapon, but didn't aim at the Ancient. Instead, he turned it towards his own head.

  #

  Kate could hear herself talking. She ev
en found the images interesting.

  But the mental connection and control bothered her. But she hadn't been in control since this all started. Perhaps it was fitting that in the end she had to give up power over herself.

  Captain Straos and his control of Diasis worried her. He had control of so many people and creatures, all forced into submission. It only proved again what the physically weak Newcomer was capable of, despite his claims of 'honor.'

  She caught sight of the same weapon that nearly killed her before. Kate said through the mental connection, "He means to attack!"

  Only Captain Straos didn't aim at them as she expected. He aimed at himself.

  "Come back to me!" the Ancient ordered, worry inflecting its mental tone.

  Kate didn't hesitate. She stepped back against the soft bark of the Ancient. The bark rippled and moved, bringing her safe inside into a comforting cocoon.

  She didn't hear the weapon fire, but she felt it. The pulse of energy, the ripple in the air. With it a ripple went through the spores around them.

  She found herself looking down at the scene from a funny upward angle. Branches and leaves pulled out of the way to allow her a better view.

  Captain Straos dropped to the ground, his weapon still in his hand. The forest cried out in agony. Through other vantage points she saw Diasis and the other Shadow Creatures dropping to the ground, rolling in agony. Through another tree, she saw her own Mother, and Ayden and his Uncle Henry drop.

  All in pain.

  All dying.

  Then she understood. Captain Straos controlled the spores. With his death would come the death of all those infected through him. And most of the creatures below her were infected, including the bunts down in the burrows who controlled the City defenses and other equipment. Except for the central bunt who was spore-free.

  A bunt who mentally recognized her. How odd. The only bunt she really knew was Bunbun.

  At the thought the little bunt mentally nodded.

  Well, one little friend was safe. The rest of them might not be so lucky.

  "What we were doing before isn't working fast enough. Isn't there a way to save them?" Kate pleaded with the Ancient.

  "I am of the trees, so I could facilitate their cure. You and the others are animal, and not of our sort," the Ancient said.

  "I'm animal," Kate offered.

  "It might be possible with a study of the cure at work within you."

  Kate didn't like the hesitation in the voice. She felt him consult the mass group bunt mind. The focus shifted to Bunbun. She sensed curiosity at the lack of spore pain.

  "He drank some of Grandma's tea, too. I think it worked in him so quickly because he's small," Kate said.

  "A cure among the humans, a cure among a native animal. This is possible but it will not be easy. You may not survive the stress."

  Kate accepted it. It was time to completely give up control of herself and her life. The soft mental touch of Bunbun agreed to the same.

  "Take from within me what is necessary," Kate said softly.

  Her senses exploded. Her eyesight split so that she saw multiple scenes from multiple viewpoints. She mentally shuddered, the images making her stomach upset. Her skin pricked, a roar filled her ears. She could feel her body shifting.

  Then she felt the pain radiating out from trees and animals all over the area.

  The Ancient connected with the bunts in their safe holes under their feet, using Bunbun to coordinate their own wave. A wave to stop the spores out of the bodies of everyone on the mesa, both plant and animal. They burst into the air as shattered and harmless bits of dust.

  She cringed at the pain of her mother as they pulled the spores out, but at least she was free and alive. They moved on to the remaining infected trees of the city along with the sleeping Ancients. With the bunt group mind cleared, the efficiency increased dramatically, causing other parts of the city to come to life.

  Down the sides of the mesa and into the forest below to the Newcomer ship where it had crashed in a nearby lake. To the spore-filled Newcomer crew inside, making Kate wonder how many of them had willingly followed Captain Straos.

  The trees that were awake in the Oburos winter helped them extend out further, tracking down and destroying every spore inside tissue or plant.

  The edge of the forest of Shadows and Memories, and then to the edge of the camp. So many humans. It bothered Kate they had to pull the spores out so fast and painfully. For the contaminated Shadow Creatures she didn't feel so bad.

  At the Ancients order the trees there came alive, ordered to protect the humans however necessary. The call went out to the loyal creatures in the area. The Shadow Creatures scattered as some trees uprooted and moved into the camp.

  By all the red-marked trees in which the Ancients hibernated through the winter. Racing through the mountain passes to the first human camp, releasing the trees and the few remaining humans.

  The Ancient paused to mourn the precious cut trees there.

  On to the one that had saved her and Ayden from the contaminated prescription and the the sick trees in Grandma's orchard.

  Outwards they flew, the immunity spreading across the forest and all in it.

  The human city and the surrounding ring of Shadow Creatures. The trees at the edge of the human habitation obeyed a request by the Ancient, tightening into a barrier as thick and as impossible to get through as the barrier trees around the Ancient city.

  Into the dark city.

  Dark city? What happened to the power?

  No, the electricity wasn't why the forest couldn't see inside very well. The lack of plants on the very inside made it more difficult to 'see', to reach the people. But the spores had to be reached. In some of the Gatherers, in some of the workers that occasionally went out to the forest to work.

  And in Uncle Travis sitting in his office.

  Through the plants in the window she could sense his body full of spores, contaminating everything around him.

  Which meant Captain Straos controlled him, but for how long? Did it mean the man she'd come to dislike so greatly was really bad in and of himself? Or did a decent man lurk under the surface and what she'd dealt with was nothing more than a puppet of a hidden enemy?

  Uncle Travis lifted his head from his work and turned towards the window. Staring straight at the potted native plants. As if he was looking straight at her.

  Even if Captain Straos had been controlling him all this time, she still didn't like him. But he didn't deserve the death waiting for him when the spore death wave hit.

  Realizing her emotions were holding the Ancient back she forced herself to relax, letting the Ancient do what needed to be done. She could deal with the man once this was all over, somehow. If she survived it.

  The spores poured out his pores.

  Uncle Travis fought. Struggled first against the Ancient, and when she tried to calm him with a soft mental touch he fought her. Considering his strength she had a feeling he'd not been under full spore control.

  Hatred radiated out at her.

  "I know who this is, Kate! Die in the forest like a good little girl!" Uncle Travis yelled out at the window and the plants.

  She wanted to recoil, but she knew that would mean his death. She tried again.

  Kate shuddered against the waves of emotions. She managed to get out a few more spores.

  And he fought even stronger. She tried to whisper to him, tell him what needed to be done so he could live.

  "Go away, Kate!"

  Kate hated being so close to him. It felt awful. She'd known about his thin veneer of politeness, that ugliness lurked below the surface. But she hadn't realized how deep the negative emotion ran.

  But, she was as strong as him. She would get the last of the spores out of him, no matter what.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Kate turned her head.

  Grandma stood in front of a bulbed tree trunk and a red-marked tree, the
green light from the canopy filtering down on her. A mangled shuttle sat nearby, partially buried under dirt and forest-floor debris. Grandma looked younger with no gray in her hair, but her clothes were torn and stained.

  No, she didn't have time for this. She had one final person to save, no matter how distasteful it might be.

  Grandma shook her head at Kate. "Let him go. He does not want your help. That is his choice."

  Kate frowned, "But he'll die any minute if I don't help."

  "You don't have the right to force something onto him that he doesn't want. Just as no one has that right with you," Grandma reminded her.

  Kate looked back just in time to see the spore wave reach the city. Uncle Travis screamed out, convulsing in his office chair.

  Kate turned away. She couldn't watch. The past few days had been filled with much too much violence.

  Desperate to put it out of her head, she asked, "Where are we?"

  "In the early days of the colony, before regaining contact with the Alliance. A crop failed, so a group of us went exploring, hoping to find new food plants. The fog appeared out of nowhere." She gazed at the shuttle sadly. "I was the only survivor."

  "Is this the crash Mom sometimes mentions?"

  "It is. It killed my mother. I had a young daughter and husband at home who needed me." Her eyes went to the tree with the red mark. "Even in its sleep, the Ancient could hear my pain and great desire to live so I could return to them. This is the place where I became a part of the forest."

  "It absorbed you," Kate guessed.

  "I changed, but I lived. I have tried to find out how it changed me and have had limited success," Grandma said.

  "Uncle Travis wanted to know why you are living so long."

  "The secret to the longer life? It's now inside of you. As it's inside of me, and has been for some time."

  Kate drew her eyebrows together. How could that be? She hadn't found or taken any data disks from Grandma's house.

  But, in a flash she knew. "The trees. We're part of the trees now."

  "It is the secret Uncle Travis and Captain Straos wished to take. An obvious secret, but a secret all the same. I deleted all my research. Those outside the forest are not ready for such a technology." She put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Changed, just like you. It's not something to fear."