by John Corwin
Evadora nodded. "To get pieces of the anchor stone." She shivered. "There's no air and it's so cold."
"Like outer space?" Max asked.
Evadora tilted her head curiously. "Outer space?"
His forehead wrinkled. "Yeah, the void outside the atmosphere."
I tried to measure the distance, but what looked like a mile could just as easily be twenty. "Did you touch the moon?"
"No. I went there, there, and there." Evadora pointed out small asteroids of green rock drifting overhead. "Back when the condors listened to me, they would fly me up there and fling me at the rocks." She smiled wistfully. "My skin would freeze, and my eyes would become frosty." She reached out a hand and closed her grasp. "I always fell short."
"Absolutely fascinating," Gwyneth said. "I'd love to fly the broom up there."
Evadora pointed to the south where a flock of condors circled at the shimmering edges of the atmosphere. "I wouldn't try it."
Gwyneth sighed. "I could spend months exploring this place."
I looked to the southeast, toward twinkling lights that weren't stars. Though I had never been there, I knew that was the Soul Tree. I'll see you soon, Cora. I wished I could go there and see myself through her eyes. If the Broken Relic couldn't bring her back, at least I would have some small part of her, a living grave I could visit.
We followed Evadora into the mountain palace of the Glimmer Queen. The last time I'd been here was when Galfandor and I came to fight her. Naeve had demonstrated just how futile it was to confront her in her home where she commanded the very grass we walked on.
We stepped through an arch and into the throne room. Gwyneth gasped as she beheld the cavernous domed room, its ceiling laden with every precious stone known to man and more. Light from the jewels shone bright as daylight, a nice change from the moonlight.
There were many more levels to this place: hundreds of rooms, rotting furniture, and faded tapestries. I'd wandered many of them with Galfandor during our search for Naeve. Since there was no reason to go inside, I requested a halt.
"Are there beds in this palace?" Gwyneth asked.
Evadora shook her head. "Nothing nice. It's all rotten and stinky."
The relic hunter looked around and sighed. "I guess we'll use the sleeping bags." She opened the lost room and brought out sleeping gear and food. We helped her set up tents that would block the bright light from the jewels. I was so tired I could have slept in broad daylight.
During supper, I couldn't stop thinking about Shushiel. Judging from the other downcast looks and minimal conversation from my friends, it seemed they were as preoccupied as me. I finished eating and told the others good night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the condor swooping in and taking Shushiel. Saw my friend's last desperate struggles as the bird took her to feed her young. I'd always thought such birds to be carrion feeders—vultures who wouldn't bother the living. Then again, the creatures in the Glimmer didn't follow the same rules as those elsewhere.
"Why did it have to take her?" I whispered to myself.
I am truly sorry for your loss, Della said. To think a creature born of an evil mind could be so good.
The ruby spiders seem to be the only good monsters Victus ever created. I'd fought a frogre before—part frog, part ogre—and it was a beast bred for mindless destruction.
The power of creation was his obsession and his downfall. An image of Della appeared in my mind's eye. She smiled sadly at me and I flinched at how vivid it was.
When I opened my eyes, she vanished, so I closed them and once again saw a pale gray shadow of Della regarding me. Why haven't you done this before?
"It never occurred to me until now." Della clasped her hands together. "I wanted you to see me for who I am, son." She closed her eyes, lips tight with concentration. Color flushed her cheeks, spread down across a loose red gown hanging from her thin frame. She smiled and stepped closer.
Though I had no body inside my mind, I felt her touch, cool soft skin against my cheek. Without opening my eyes, I touched the affected cheek and whimpered with the desire for this to be real.
Della kissed my forehead and embraced me, and it felt as real as any hug I'd ever had before. "Whatever happens, son, I want you to know that you saved this part of me."
I stepped back. "Saved you how?"
She held out her hands helplessly. "I don't know, Conrad. Perhaps it was when you grasped for an avatar. Perhaps it was showing me that perfect moment. You revived me. Something reminded me of the person I once was." Della wiped a tear from her cheek. "I was alone in the dark, but you showed me the light, dear boy."
I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks in the real world. "I wish I could save the rest of you, Mum."
Della choked on a sob. "You called me Mum."
I'd said it without even realizing it. "You are my mother, even if only a sliver."
She hugged me quickly and stepped back. "I can't hold onto this much longer, Conrad. I'll need all my strength for what's to come."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
The color drained from her dress, brilliant red turning gray. "Your quest, of course." She kissed my forehead. "Sweet dreams, son." Her fair skin faded and her form turned to mist before dissipating into darkness. Once again, she became just another voice in my head. Good night.
I must have instantly fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, I felt wonderfully refreshed. My arcphone told me it was seven in the morning Queens Gate time. I used one of the magic pans Gwyneth brought to cook some sausage and eggs while her magic teapot boiled water.
The others woke to the smell of freshly brewing tea, or so I imagined, since it seemed particularly fragrant this morning. Max stumbled from his tent, rubbing his tummy and staring intently at the sausage. Evadora dashed from within the tent she'd shared with Ambria and prepared herself some toast. Ambria appeared several minutes later, not a hair out of place, and took a cup of tea.
"Good morning, Conrad." Ambria smiled sweetly. "Did you sleep okay?"
I answered with a heartfelt smile. "It was much better than usual."
Max grunted. "Feels like I barely slept a wink. Couldn't stop thinking about Shushiel."
Evadora stopped chewing her bread and her entire body sagged. "Don't make me sad again."
I slashed a hand through the air. "This is not what Shushiel would have wanted. She'd want us to finish this mission She knew how important this is." I pushed back the sorrow threatening to rise. "We can be sad when we get back home. For now, we need to keep going." A part of me wondered if Shushiel hadn't died for my own selfish reasons. Finding the heart was just a stepping stone in the path of finding the Broken Relic. Even it might not transform Naeve back into Cora or cure Delectra of the demonic poisoning in her mind.
I prayed Shushiel hadn't died for nothing.
"Where's Gwyneth?" Max looked toward the relic hunter's tent.
Evadora dashed across the room and poked her head inside the flap. "She's not here."
We went outside to the terrace and looked around, but there was no sign of the girl. Max shouted and pointed toward the sky where the silhouette of a figure on a broom stood out against the moon.
"She's trying to reach the moon!" Evadora said.
It was difficult to tell how far away Gwyneth was from her goal, but her body contorted violently and the broom drifted back down. She lay down against the saddle horn and I imagined she was probably catching her breath after trying to breach outer space.
"Do you know how hard it is to hold your breath in cold water?" Evadora said.
"It's impossible," Ambria said. "And it's even harder to catch your breath."
"That's what it's like when you hit the blackness," the other girl breathed. "It makes you lose your breath."
I looked around and saw no sign of the condors that had hunted us yesterday which was probably why Gwyneth had chanced going up there. Moments later, she touched down and smiled as if everything was just fine.
"Your arms are covered in goose bumps," Ambria said with a note of disapproval. "Perhaps you should've bundled up before going into outer space."
Gwyneth's eyes turned once more skyward, brimming with wonder. "There's nothing more amazing than discovering new places and things. When I was a child, I wanted to be an astronaut more than anything else."
"The Overworld doesn't have astronauts," Max said. "Not even Science Academy goes into space."
"Why is that?" Gwyneth said. "Why do we limit ourselves to this planet?"
I circled my finger in the air to indicate the realms around the moon. "There's plenty to explore right here if we can find a way to get there."
"That's what I hoped." Gwyneth sighed. "Every night I dream of the other realms. After the Grand Nexus was repaired, I thought I'd finally have a chance. But then the Alabaster Arches stopped working again, and all I can do now is dream."
Max patted her shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I know what you mean."
Ambria scoffed. "Says the boy who hardly leaves Queens Gate."
He stuck out his tongue. "Oh, shush, Ambria. I'm here now, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are," she said with a curt nod.
We packed up our gear, keeping out a spare broom just in case, and took the invisible elevator back down the mountain. Though the forest was nearly as thick, the violent beasts of the broken islands were few and far between on the northern side of the mountain, replaced by ordinary looking goats, cows, and wild chickens.
The reason for the free-roaming livestock became evident a half mile from the mountain where we found a village. Some houses were carved into the trunks of huge trees, while others were hewn of stone and mortar or even ordinary wood. Black vines as thick as my leg ran through stone-paved streets. Thorny creepers grew from the main trunk and into houses and other buildings.
"Don't touch the thorns," Evadora warned. "They'll put you to sleep."
Ambria flinched back from one of the vines. "For how long?"
"Forever," Evadora hissed.
It was then I saw the first Glimmer folk that weren't Naeve or Evadora. The woman was a little taller than me, her skin coppery, hair dark green and down to her shoulders. She lay snug in a nest of vines as did a man of similar appearance just a few feet away. Black creepers were wrapped around their torsos, the thorns digging deep into the flesh.
We saw dozens more people held this way, all so still as to be dead, but actually asleep.
Evadora stopped in front of one couple who shared the same bed of vines. "I wish I knew how to wake them up."
"It's a wonder their muscles haven't atrophied," Gwyneth said. "Do the vines feed them, or does the sleep spell preserve them?"
Evadora shrugged. "Naeve never told me. She didn't like people, so I stayed away from her as much as possible."
Gwyneth shuddered. "What a horrible childhood."
We made our way carefully through the village, avoiding the thorny vines, and the path ended at a dense forest of black-barked trees with leaves as red as blood. Evadora stared at the blocked path for a long time. "This is the Crimson Forest."
"Where Treek lives?" I asked softly, almost afraid he might hear his name.
She nodded.
"Treek?" Max gave us a questioning gaze.
"Someone who crossed Naeve," I explained. "She turned his skin into bark and made him go mad."
Ambria looked at the lone broom on Gwyneth's back. "Perhaps we should fly."
Evadora shook her head. "The night birds will get us."
Max groaned. "More giant birds?"
"No, they are small, very quick, and do not like anything that invades their territory." Evadora made a pecking motion with her finger. "Their sharp beaks could pluck out your eyeballs before you even knew what happened."
"In that case, I want the giant birds back." Max watched the air and flinched as a score of small shadows darted across the sky, bodies whistling through the air.
"Be prepared to run," Evadora said. "We do not want Treek to catch us." She clenched her teeth in concentration. Two trees trembled and broke free of the earth, stepping aside to reveal a foreboding tunnel through the trees.
Gwyneth seemed to steel herself and stepped inside.
Ambria gripped my arm. "Spooky."
I swallowed hard. "Let's hope we make it through before Treek comes after us."
Max took out more of his glass marbles filled with the slick potion. "He won't be able to stand up if he does."
When we stepped into the forest tunnel, tall mushrooms glowed, lighting the path for several feet in front of us. The tree branches and roots grew thick on both sides, shrouding what lay beyond in mystery. Insects chirped, the night birds warbled back and forth, and the hoots of the giant owls echoed from somewhere above. The forest sounded alive with hidden activity.
A centipede nearly six feet long slinked across the path and vanished into the thick undergrowth on the other side. Light bugs blinked off and on in random patterns, their faint illumination drowned out by the glowing mushrooms. Something buzzed past my nose and landed on a mushroom. A tall flower struck like a snake, its petals clamping over the insect and devouring it.
Ambria gasped and jumped back, nearly knocking me over. Gwyneth spun and looked at us. "What is it?"
"Nothing," I said. "Just a big bug."
She nodded and turned around, treading cautiously down the path.
"You should get your wands," Evadora said softly. "Just in case."
Gwyneth held hers high, a beam of light piercing the forest shadows. Mine was already in hand, though I didn't remember drawing it.
Max whipped out his wand. "Why would he want to attack us if Naeve is the one who hurt him?"
"I think his punishment drove him mad." Evadora spoke softly, large eyes darting back and forth.
The faint crackle of twigs came from somewhere in the darkness. Gwyneth held up her hand and shined the light all around while the rest of us held our breaths. "See anything?" she hissed.
There didn't seem to be anything out there. Then her narrow beam of light caught movement. Gwyneth jerked it back, but whatever it was had gone. She bit her lower lip and shook her head. Another crackle drew our attention forward. Something glowed just beyond the light cast by the mushrooms. Gwyneth sucked in two quick breaths and shined her light.
A massive silhouette towered over the path, shadowy snakes dancing atop its crown. Gwyneth whispered something and the light on her wand brightened just enough to penetrate the dark.
Glowing green eyes glared from within a mask of twisted black bark. A jagged mouth opened, and a roar like a forest of trees snapping in half crackled through the forest.
Treek had found us.
Chapter 29
All the mushrooms of the forest burst aglow at once.
Flesh of bark and hair of vines, Treek looked absolutely terrifying enough, but it was the madness in his green eyes that turned my knees to water. He was part man, part tree, and brimming with insane rage. Gwyneth held up her wand but a vine on his scalp snatched it from her grasp while another snared her foot and jerked her to the ground.
I took out my arcwand. A vine whipped toward me. I leapt backward before it got me and fired a blast of ice. Several vines froze and snapped off at their midpoints. Treek bellowed. Several vines looped around Gwyneth's waist and jerked her off the ground then hurled her at Ambria and Max.
In a chorus of grunts, my friends went down. The black marbles filled with Max's potion scattered into the forest.
"Stop, Treek! It's me!" Evadora danced around the grasping vines, waving her arms. "I'm Evadora!"
He didn't seem to hear her. One of his gnarled arms knocked her flying into the woods. I cast another ice spell at his head and broke two more vines, but there were dozens more and I was the only one in my party lef
t standing. I had no desire to kill a person who'd once served Cora, but I had no choice if we were to survive.
I flicked through the pattern and unleashed fire. Bark caught flame and Treek roared in pain. Human screams mingled with his crackling bellows. He rolled on the ground, vines and arms flailing. Sap oozed from the bark, extinguishing the flames, but leaving parts of his skin blackened.
I readied another blast.
"No!" Evadora screamed. "You'll destroy the forest too!" She raced to the fallen Treek. "Please, listen to me!"
Ambria, Max, and Gwyneth struggled to their feet, shaking their heads woozily.
I stepped closer to Treek, wand at the ready. "We're here for Cora."
"The Earth Mother!" Evadora shouted. "The true Glimmer Queen."
The glow in the tree man's eyes faded ever so slightly and he seemed to actually see Evadora for the first time. "Earth Mother." His voice rumbled like a great oak in the wind.
"Your queen needs you." Evadora knelt beside Treek. "Her daughter needs you."
"You are her daughter?" More sap leaked from his wounds, covering the burnt bark. He moaned with relief. "But you are so big now."
I knelt next to him, and even though the sight of his skin repulsed me, I touched it. "We are here to save Cora—the Earth Mother. We need your help."
The phosphorescent glow in his eyes dwindled to brilliant silver. Treek gasped as if awaking from a long nap. He held up an arm and stared at it with disbelief. "Where is the false queen?"
"Trapped in another world," I said. "We're on a quest to save Cora, the true queen."
"Yes, she called herself by that name after Naeve banished her." He tried to sit up and groaned in pain. That didn't stop him from trying again. Treek's bark skin creaked, and the burnt sections crumbled even as more sap poured in to seal the wounds. "I will help you."
"Just like that?" Max said. "You tried to kill us a moment ago."
"Naeve's spell drove me mad," he said in a low ponderous voice. "The daughter has brought me back." He looked around. "Is Cora still banished?"