by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
"Come on, Tony, let's go. We don't have a ton of daylight left, you know."
"Maybe I shouldn't have a weapon."
"Listen, I know you're afraid you're going to try and use it on me again, and to be honest, I am a little pissed that you almost did, because apparently you've figured out the secret code that gets this fucker working like a freaky-ass lightsaber. But I know it wasn't your choice, and you kinda sucked at it anyway, so it doesn't matter. Pick it up and let's go. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."
Tony gave me a dirty look and then picked it up, walking over to stand next to me. "You have a terrible bedside manner, you know that?"
I smiled. "I know."
Tony put his arm around me as we walked. "That's one of the many qualities I love about you."
"I know that, too."
We made our way through the forest in the direction of the waypoint, reaching it in less than an hour. I went up to the obelisk and tied our flags to the iron ring. There was only one flag on this one - a yellow one.
Tony and I stared at it for a while. He was the first to comment.
"Do you think the hag got to the person who had the pink flags?"
"I don't know, Tones. Maybe."
It was a sobering thought. Dardennes had the nerve to call vampires, gnomes, killer dwarves and a wicked corpse-like hag 'obstacles'. We'd only made it to the second waypoint and we'd already encountered this much. What would be next? And would we survive it?
Chapter Nineteen
I got down from the tree I had climbed in search of the third waypoint, caressing its trunk as I stepped away, sending thank yous out through my mind.
"The next waypoint is way the hell over that way," I said, gesturing to the west. "I could barely see it. It's next to a lake, on its far side."
Tony looked up at the treetops. "Well, it's probably about five o'clock. We can either keep walking or find a place to camp for the night. It's up to you."
"I think I'd like to stop for now. I'm a little tired after having defeated Evil and all, so maybe we can walk until we find a good spot and then quit for the night. Maybe even make a fire this time?"
"Sounds like a plan," agreed Tony, his voice telling me he was tired too.
We walked for close to an hour and then came to a very small clearing in the midst of the dark woods. "How about this spot?" asked Tony.
"Fine with me." I dropped my backpack on the ground and sunk down to my knees. The pine needles and old leaves were like a carpeted floor, soft and a little bit bouncy. "You know, before coming here, I'd never really spent much time in the woods, other than that trip to North Carolina I took with my parents."
"Yeah, me neither."
"Except for the evil creature part, I really like it here." I knew I must be going crazy to feel this way, but it was true.
"Well, I think you belong in the woods," said Tony, getting food out of his backpack.
"Belong here? How so?" I was trying to decide if I should be insulted, seeing as how this forest's inhabitants were not only bloodthirsty but also pretty damn ugly.
Tony looked at me like I was missing something. "Well, duh. You talk to trees. Hello."
"Yeah, well there's that. I'm sure it's just this forest, though - there's magic here, obviously. I don't talk to trees at home." I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I was accepting the presence of magic in my life so readily now. Seemed like it should have been a tougher pill to swallow.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Tony, mysteriously.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? That day with Brad Powers?"
"Of course, I remember the day; how could I forget? But I guess I missed the part where I talked to a tree."
"When Brad pushed you, all those leaves just fell down all over. You looked like you'd jumped into a pile of freshly-raked leaves, but they weren't there to start with. They only fell after you did; the tree shook them off. At the time I thought it was the wind or something like that, but after having seen you here, I think it was you talking to that tree and just not realizing it."
I thought back to that moment, which seemed like it had happened last year but actually had taken place less than a week ago. My, how time flies when you're fighting repulsive, supernatural creatures in an enchanted forest.
Tony could be right, but I didn't want to consider that possibility right now. I had been thinking all along that as soon as this test or hunt was over, we would be able to go back to our normal, mundane lives. To imagine that I might still be talking to trees when we were back in Florida was more than a little unsettling.
Yes, life had been boring in high school. I sat around every day in class, waiting for the world to come to me and offer me something more. Now, here I was, getting exactly what I had wished for - something a lot, lot more than just geometry and homecoming dances. But I was, in a way, regretting the fact that I hadn't appreciated before how easy my life was. How uncomplicated it was. So, I had a molester in my house? Nothing a swift shot of my softball bat couldn't fix. Now instead, I had ... this. Whatever this was. I had wished for a more interesting life, and now I had it - in spades. I had only myself to blame for what was happening to me right now. Dammit, I hated being adult about things, and that was what this felt like. It was all so serious and gut-wrenching and annoying. What a drag.
While I bemoaned the direction my life had taken, Tony got a fire started. He'd found plenty of dry pieces of wood lying around the forest near us. Even the rotten wood still had a vibration to it, although it was more like echoes and shadows than the electric energy I usually felt from a living tree. My green friends didn't seem to mind the burning of their already dead parts. The night air was getting cooler, so the warmth they generated felt awesome. Thank you, Green Forest.
Tony and I finished our dinners and then laid down by the fire, using our backpacks as pillows. We were head to head, keeping our bodies parallel to the flames.
"Jayne?"
"Yes?"
"Did I kiss that ... thing back there? You can tell me. I won't freak out."
"No, Tony, you didn't. You wanted to, but I wouldn't let you."
"That is just so disgusting. I can't stop thinking about it."
"Yes, well, now you know how I feel about that asshat boyfriend of my mom's."
"Now I'm sorry I didn't shoot him."
I laughed out loud. "You're awesome, Tony. Thanks for being my friend."
"Thanks for forcing me to be yours."
"You're welcome." I was smiling when I said it. I had good taste in friends, Tony was proof of that.
A few minutes passed in companionable silence before Tony said, "Do you think we should sleep in shifts?"
"No need."
"Well, if I were a blood-thirsty creature, I'd probably wait until we were sleeping to come in for a snack."
"Yeah, but we have guards on our side, and I'm too tired to stay awake all night or even part of the night."
"Yeah, too tired from fighting Evil, I know."
"Yeah, and don't forget, I'm tired also from battling you, trying to keep you from making out with Her Hagginess or chopping me into little pieces with your axe."
Tony groaned. "Please, don't remind me!"
I snorted. "Sorry. I'll stop. We will never speak of your cadaverous girlfriend or murderous ways ever again."
"Thank you. And so who are these so-called guards that are going to protect us from the night creatures, anyway?"
I gestured above our heads. "They are."
"Oh. Cool. Good idea." Ten seconds later, Tony was snoring. Poor kid was exhausted.
I couldn't help but feel flattered that he trusted in my abilities and ideas so completely. It was a heavy responsibility, though. Dammit, but this hunt was causing me to come to all sorts of annoying and rationally mature realizations, perish the thought. I wondered briefly if it was it too late to wish for my old life back.
But then I knew - the truth was that I didn't real
ly want things to go back to the way they were. The life I had right now was seriously fucked up, yes; but there was no denying it was different than anything I'd ever experienced before, and no one could ever call it boring. And something told me there were going to be some other things to discover tomorrow and the day after. At least I wasn't sitting in a classroom drawing on my hand and doing the same old thing over and over again, wishing life could be different.
I put my hands on the ground, digging my palms and fingers into the leaves, pine needles, and soil beneath me. I stared up into the treetops, deeply inhaling the forest air and then letting my breath leave my lungs with a slow, controlled exhale. The serenity came to me softly but surely. I could smell the trees and the earth, feel the breeze and the pulsating energy that surrounded us. I sent my message to the living things growing in the Dell or wherever we were in the Green Forest, knowing now that my link to them was with the earth and even in the air around us. I was wired and wifi, and it was fucking awesome.
Protect us from those who wish to hurt us.
I received an answering feeling of shelter and security. Love. I knew the trees would let us know if the bad guys were coming. I wasn't sure exactly how that would happen, but I trusted that it would.
I realized later that I probably should have been more specific and maybe included a wider range of potential issues in my request - but I was new to this tree-whispering stuff and could never have known what was going to happen while we slept.
Chapter Twenty
We woke to a cold, dewy morning, the fire having long gone out. I stretched my arms above me, yawning without opening my eyes. My hand made contact with Tony's head, waking him up. I slid my leg to the side, intending to sit up, and it made contact with something hard. Not a tree. Something warm. Another body. For a second, it didn't compute. Tony was behind me, not on the side of me. What the ...
I jerked upright into a sitting position, yelling, "Tony! Get up!" I scooted as far away from the lump of clothed somebody as I could and rammed right into Tony's still half-asleep form.
"Ow! What?"
"Get up. Something's here."
Tony sat up quickly, pushing his knotted hair to the side and scrubbing his eyes and face to wake himself up more fully. He squinted at the lump, trying to focus. "Who or what is that?" he asked, cautiously.
I stared at it but didn't notice any distinguishing characteristics. We couldn't see its face the way it was lying there. And out here, it was possible the thing didn't even have a face. I stood slowly, backing away as quietly as I could.
Tony did the same.
After we were a few feet away, I felt more comfortable. "I'm gonna poke it with my stick. You get ready with your axe."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Jayne."
"Do you have a better one?"
"Yeah. Let's leave it alone and go."
I thought about the communication with the trees I'd had, before I went to sleep last night. I was sure they wouldn't have let something malicious get through to us; so that had to mean that this thing, whatever it was, wasn't planning to cause any trouble. At least, it wasn't planning to last night.
"I'm just gonna try to wake it up. I won't hurt it."
I took Blackie in hand and tiptoed over to the pile of clothes. I gingerly touched it with the blunt end of my stick, nudging it just a little.
"Hey. You. Get up."
Nothing. No response.
I poked a little harder.
"Yo! Wake up!"
"Uhhhhnnnmmm ... "
I looked at Tony. That groan sounded suspiciously human. It sounded a little bit like ...
Tony walked over, crouching over the figure on the ground. "Becky?"
"Uhhhnnmm ... "
"Holy shit!" he said, his face going white.
I jumped to Becky's other side, pulling on her shoulder to turn her over.
Her face was covered in bruises and scratches, and she had dried blood caked around her mouth and nose. Both of her eyes were blackened and swollen.
"Shit, Becky, what the hell happened to you?" I wanted to help but I was afraid to even touch her. If her face was this bad, I could only imagine what the rest of her was like. She looked like she'd been run over by a truck.
"Jayne?" she asked weakly, not opening her eyes.
"Yeah, it's Jayne and Tony." I looked up at Tony. "Get her some water."
Tony ran over to our packs and brought back a bottle.
"Here, Becky, drink this water." I tipped the container up to her mouth, forcing her to take small sips.
Her eyes fluttered a little as she tried to open them, but she was mostly unsuccessful, only able to get them open a slit. The whites of her eyes were bloody-looking too. Someone had really done a number on her.
I had a million questions, and they all started pouring out of me at once. "Can you tell us what happened? And where are the others? Are they okay? How did you find us?" I stopped when I felt Tony's hand on my arm, telling me to shut the hell up.
"Sit me up," groaned Becky. "I want to get up - please."
Tony and I helped her upright. She sat there, hunched over for a minute, either gathering her strength or just unable to move anymore, I couldn't tell which. I was amazed she was even able to do that much. If someone had kicked my ass that bad, I'd be on my back for at least a week, demanding ice cream and cookies every half hour. Even out here I'd do that.
"We were attacked when it got dark," she said softly. "Jared got away. I saw him run before I got hit the first time. Finn ... " She couldn't finish because she was crying too much. The tears slid down her cheeks, silently, making salty paths on her dirty red and purple skin.
I looked at Tony. I was afraid from her reaction that Finn hadn't made it - that he'd been killed. I couldn't believe someone we came here with might not be going back. It was too ridiculously awful to even consider.
"Did you see Chase or Spike?" I asked gently. I didn't want to push her, but I needed to know.
"I ran away. I saw Finn go down, but when I left, Spike and Chase were still there, fighting. They were back to back." The sobs shook her body now.
I rubbed her shoulder gently, making whatever comforting noises I could come up with.
"I feel so guilty that I left them there. And Finn ... "
Tony tried to make her feel better. "You had to leave. It sounds like you were outnumbered. You have to take care of yourself in this place."
She snorted, sounding both bewildered and angry. "Outnumbered? Ha! That's a joke. It was the five of us against one."
"One what?" I asked. Tony and I already knew that a single certain type of creature could be like ten normal people.
"I don't even know what it was. It was there and then not there, too fast to watch. You never knew where it was going to show up next. It kept appearing, hitting me, tripping me, slapping me down. I had my knife, but I don't think I even got a single nick on the thing."
"Did you see what it looked like?" I asked. I wanted a description, thinking maybe there was a way the trees could help us.
"Not really. It was a man. Maybe just a boy. He was small, not much bigger than me. I saw him standing in front of me for barely a second. He, or it, looked angry. I'm not sure why - it's not like we challenged it or did anything. One minute we were setting up camp, the next minute we were getting our butts kicked."
"What happened with Finn?" I asked softly, waiting for more tears.
She took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled strongly. "He had his bow and arrows out. The thing was attacking Spike, and Finn let one of the arrows go. The thing turned around fast, and actually caught the arrow in its hand, in mid-flight. Then, in a flash it appeared in front of Finn and jabbed the arrow into his chest." She stopped talking and dropped her face into her hands, hissing at the pain she caused herself. "Ow, that frigging hurts," she said, before crying again.
Tony rubbed her back while I stood, pacing in front of them.
"What do we do now? Go find them? O
r continue our search for the next waypoint? This is so messed up; I don't have any idea what we should be doing right now. Doublefuck!" My pacing was helping, clearing my mind of the worst bits of panic. "I think we need to go back. If they're as messed up as Becky is, they're going to need help."
"We could be walking into a minefield."
"Yeah," I agreed, "a minefield of seriously fucked up shit. You remember how to use that axe, Romeo?"
Tony blushed. "I'm sure I could, if given the right circumstances."
"Well, if I recall correctly, those circumstances include you getting very pissed."
"I'm sure if we see our friends in trouble, I'll be pissed enough."
"Good. Becky, can you remember how you got here?"
"No, I don't think so. I fell down after that thing hit me for about the tenth time, and when I looked up, a path in the trees opened in front of me. I crawled in and the trees closed behind me. I followed the path that kept appearing, hoping it was you and your tree-hugging stuff. Eventually I ended up here. I saw your fire and sat down next to it, and that's the last thing I remember."
Tony looked at me, frowning in confusion. "Jayne? What's she talking about?"
"Wellll, I did ask the trees to protect us from harm. It's possible I was picturing Becky's face at the time when I said 'us'."
"I thought you said the trees would let us know if someone came around? If she were a bad guy she could have slit our throats while we slept." Tony scowled at the trees around us, as if they could see him scolding them for their shoddy guard-duty work.
"Actually, I think I only asked for protection from those who would do us harm. Becky doesn't fit that profile. I guess next time I should be more specific."
Tony narrowed his eyes, still looking at the trees. I could tell he wasn't totally ready to swallow the whole idea of the tree-love, even though he'd felt it himself. He'd missed all the really good stuff when he was mooning over Her Ugliness, the hag, so I couldn't blame him for the doubt. It was still hard for me to believe sometimes.
"I think the trees helped me last night. I know they did, and I'm so grateful. Thank you, Jayne. You and the trees saved my life. Will you tell them thank you for me?"