by B. J. Smash
Just then, a werewolf howled. A lump formed in my throat and I could barely swallow. I couldn’t see the werewolves yet, but more and more began to howl.
I tried to speak to Drumm but he couldn’t hear me. I tried to touch his arm but my hand went right through. It was as though I were dead. And suddenly, I was floating above the pit. Solstice stared at me and whinnied. His broken leg had been healed and he wore bandages made out of leaves, and he smelled of sage. I knew that he could somehow see me and I smiled at him. But I was not prepared for what I saw next.
“Oh noooo!” I said aloud but no one heard me.
Lucian lay on his back, his hands folded over his chest. His face was white as snow and his hair as dark as the night. His body lay stiff and rigid. “Lucian?” I said as a tear fled down my cheek.
I made my way down into the pit. It felt like swimming in water, and I moved my arms and legs as if I were doing the front stroke. I floated right above him and my tear fell onto his face. I reached down to touch his cheek and I expected it to be cold; for I thought he was dead.
On the contrary; he was hot. So hot that I yanked my hand away. One of my tears splashed on his left eyelid and he slowly opened both eyes. He was alive but he wouldn’t be for long. His body convulsed a few times and he said, “Ivy. I’m so c-c-c-old.”
“You can see me?” I squealed.
“I c-c-c-can.” His dry and cracked lips tried to smile. “I’m d-d-dying, Ivy.”
“No. No you’re not,” I whispered. But I knew if he was seeing me now then he was close to death. I was in spirit form. I don’t know how my mother pulled it off but she could pull me out of my body for these visions. Something similar to astral travel…I think that is what Izadora had told me.
“Ivy. I’m g-going to d-die, b-but I want you to know th-that I love you.” His dark, glazed eyes stared up at me. The deep gash that he had received from the demon dog was finally doing him in. He had poison inside him. He would die if he didn’t get the proper remedy soon. No one could fix him; not yet. The only thing Izadora had to say about it was: “Everything happens in due time.”
“You are not going to die. Lucian, you just hang in there. I will get the bottle tomorrow. You’re going to be fine. I promise!” I said as tears spilled from my eyes. I don’t know how tears formed during “astral travel” but I suppose anything is possible.
“I’ll t-try to hang in there,” he said.
Out of nowhere, Drumm said, “Lucian. You’re awake! To whom are you speaking with? The horse?”
“N-no. Ivy,” Lucian said.
“Uh…sure.” Drumm scanned the pit and scratched his head. “Just sit tight buddy. I’m going to be busy for a while.” Drumm reached down and grabbed a long stick from the ground. He turned and walked toward the pixie formation.
I was about to tell Lucian that everything was going to be alright, but I was swept up and out of the pit. My vision was ending. Mother could only show me so much and then it would be over. As I floated by Drumm, he lifted his head to the sky in the opposite direction that I floated, and said, “I fight for you, my princess.” Time and time again, I told him not to call me a princess. My mother was the princess! Not me. I smiled just the same.
As I continued to drift away, the pack of werewolves charged Drumm and the pixies. There had to be fifty of them. Their teeth were bared and froth spilled out of their mouths. Some walked on their hind legs and it gave me the willies. It was so unnatural; so disturbing. Patches of their fur were missing, showing human skin. Some had pointed ears like a wolf, and some had one wolf ear and a human ear. I had never seen anything like these beasts before. They were even more mangled than the ones I had fought, myself.
This didn’t faze Drumm in the least. As the werewolves charged him, he swung his stick above his head and screamed like a true warrior. He ran full force at them with not an iota of fear. Screaming like a mental patient, he kicked one in the gut and it went flying to the edge of the field like a football. He then slammed one in the head with his stick, crushing its skull.
They tried to taunt him by circling him but just to show how crazy he could be, he briefly knelt down and stuck his fingertips into the blood that dripped from one of the dead werewolves. He reached up and smeared it on his face and for an added touch, he growled.
A few of the werewolves backed away but the pixies pummeled right into them. They were like a swarm of bees and I am certain their sting was worse. The air smelled like smoke and a continuous zapping could be heard like that of a mosquito lamp. “Bzzzt.” Over and over.
Several of the werewolves were escaping back into the forest. Drumm chased after them, throwing kicks and doing spins. He was ensuring that they would not return this evening.
I wanted to stay and watch, but soon I was standing before my mother again. The waterfall hushed over the rocks and the breeze felt like a gentle massage. And then I slammed back into my body.
Chapter Twenty One
The sun was just rising as I opened my eyes. Bright golden beams tried desperately to escape through the dark clouds. Here and there a sporadic ray of light would hit the droplets of rain that lingered on the leaves. Ever-present fog rolled into the forest.
“It’s going to be a dreary day,” Ish said.
He toasted something over the fire and I leaned up to get a better look. “Marshmallows?” I asked.
“I love me a good marshmallow in the morning. I make me own from me mallow plants,” he said popping a gooey piece in his mouth. He held the end of his stick out and offered me a bite, but I held my hand up.
“No thanks.”
“You’ve got to eat something. You’ll be racing soon,” he said.
“I’ll find some berries.”
“You were talking in your sleep last night. You were twitching and mumbling on about some wolves,” he said.
“Really?” I said.
“Talking to some guy named Lucian, you were,” he said.
This was strange. How was my spirit here, and there, in the valley at the same time? Oh well, it was my mother’s tricky magic; not mine.
We stuck together most of the morning and managed to avoid the Fae, but as time went on Ish became antsy and impatient. He informed me that he wouldn’t be racing without Beanie.
“It is pointless to race without Beanie. I’d be trampled. I can’t even use my disappearing skills. It is common knowledge…magic is forbidden in the last leg of the race,” Ish said.
“It is?” That was good news to me. I’d be able to run for the bottle without getting shocked in the back with someone’s magical spells. “I’ll come with you and help you search for Beanie.” I didn’t really want to stay alone. The more time that passed, the more nervous I became. I didn’t know how many racers were still alive, but I knew that they would fight to the death for this bottle. Ish confirmed my thoughts.
“No. You stay here and keep rested. The last race is going to be dangerous. A lady like you shouldn’t even be allowed to race.” His eyebrows bent inward. “Don’t you look at me like that, missy. You be careful out there.”
“I will,” I said, and helped him down from the tree.
Ish nodded his head, adjusted his jacket and walked off into the forest. I watched his balding head till I could see it no more. I sure hoped he’d be alright. I’d gotten to know him a little bit, and he didn’t seem like such a jerk anymore. I like to think I had good judgment about people and beings. Unless I was proven wrong, I would say Ish had a kind heart buried beyond that little white hairy chest. I climbed up the slippery bark to my spot in the tree.
Leaning my back to the trunk, I watched the valley below me. It was narrow and rocky. One would never think a djinn bottle would be around here. I would think a djinn bottle would be hidden in a deep dark cavern somewhere.
The position of the cloud-blocked sun told me that it was around 9:30am. Two and a half more hours to go. The sky was still dark, but the sun tried to fight its way through the clouds, as if to give me a g
limmer of hope.
It was possible that I would die today. It was possible that all the racers could die. I wished that Drumm were here with me. At least then we’d have a fighting chance.
“No,” I said aloud to myself. “You promised Lucian you’d save him. Don’t be so negative.”
There…I had just given myself a pep talk, but my hands were still a little bit shaky. It wasn’t because I was scared. Not really. It was because I might fail, and then where would that put Lucian? Six feet in the ground.
I would not let myself fail. I slowed my breathing, taking in deep breaths. Pushing all thoughts aside, I joined energies with the tree I sat upon, and meditated. White light filled my body. Each time a thought pestered me, I let it go. One of the things I liked to do was picture water washing over me, carrying away every negative thought. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didn’t.
By some miracle, it must have worked today. Time passed and the next time I opened my eyes, I could see the townsfolk arriving at the head of the valley. The queen and her army of Fae arrived shortly after. However, among the many heads I didn’t see Darvon. He was probably still trying to find the racers; trying to kill them off.
For a moment, I closed my eyes and mentally scanned the forest. It took a lot of effort and it usually took quite some time, but I was able to open myself up and I could sense other beings in the vicinity.
After a few moments, I could feel some soft presences in the forest. I couldn’t see who they were. If there were Fae—I wouldn’t be able to feel them. Fae are too tricky and quite powerful at cloaking themselves. I thought I felt two presences to the left of me, and eight to the right of me; plus about a hundred small animals.
Out of the forest went four of the racers. Four people that I’d seen at the beginning of this whole fiasco, but I couldn’t recall their names. Shortly after, Tom and William walked down the hill and into the valley of rock. A surge of relief swept through my body. I was glad to see them still alive. Tom and William might be a strange pair, but I’d hate to see them hurt in any way.
Next came Ella. She had been to the left of me. She actually walked right by my tree. I didn’t move an inch and barely breathed. Alerting her would probably end up bad for me. After all, the second presence that I had sensed to the left…was no longer there. Whether my cousin was a cold hearted killer, I couldn’t say. I only knew that the presence I felt was gone. My stomach groaned and I felt nauseous. How bad did she want this bottle? And at what price?
Snake Man walked down the hill now, followed by another strange man that I remember seeing in the beginning but couldn’t recall his name. Reaching out…I felt no more presences. I had to wonder how far Ish McTish had travelled. He had definitely gone beyond my radar. And what about the Dark Elf? Where was he?
I jumped from the tree and made my way through the forest till I came to a path that would take me to the starting line of the race. The trees thinned out and soon I was out in the open. Many weeds and black-eyed Susan’s grew along the pathway, but they began to thin out until there was only dirt and a few giant boulders.
I could hear the crowd ahead but couldn’t see them around the bend in the path. They were all getting riled up, cheering and hooting. Something about their cries sounded menacing, like they were about to hang a witch or something.
Fae music began to play and the melody carried in the wind causing my spirits to rise. This time the music was intense with stringed instruments and beating drums, but it was the angelic voices of the Fae that reached out to my soul. I was in a cloud. Therefore I did not expect nor sense what was about to happen.
Just as I was about to round the bend and pass the boulder, I was pushed with great force. I stumbled forward, falling against the giant rock. My forehead smacked the granite and I slid down to the dirt. Intense pain filled my skull.
A hand grabbed my hair and pulled me back to my feet. At first I saw nothing but stars, but then his face came into view.
Darvon. I never heard him approaching.
I winced in pain as he slapped me across the face. The taste of iron filled my mouth as blood dribbled down my chin. He slapped me again. I felt dazed and I could barely open my eyes. I knew that if I didn’t snap out of it; he was going to kill me.
“Stop,” I mumbled over the blood that dribbled out of my mouth.
“I will not stop.” He pulled my hair tight and put his face two inches from mine. “You cannot race for the bottle, lest you get ahold of it! I am not going to kill you but I am going to tie you up so tightly that you won’t be able to escape. When the veil lifts for Hunter’s Hollow, you will not make it through. You will remain in Helsberg with the cursed wolves and the wretched townsfolk! I must be rid of you before you can tell my sister the truth!”
“What truth? All I know is that you have a lot of girlfriends and that you don’t want your sister to leave Helsberg for some reason. Why would I bother to tell her?” I was telling the truth. What else could I possible know about Darvon?
“My sister? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if she left Helsberg. She is not the one I worry about. Unfortunately, if my sister is set free…so is she!”
I opened my eyes wide and focused on his words. “Who?”
He punched me in the stomach and I buckled over. The breath left my body and the intense pain almost crippled me. I watched as he stepped back and picked something up from the ground. “Look what I have here,” he smiled, showing all of his teeth.
Gaining my balance, I looked at what he held in his hands. Fire and brimstone welled up inside me like a volcano. At the moment, I felt like I could choke the life right out of Darvon. In his hands were two items that shook me to the core. Ish McTish’s green jacket with the little gold buttons and a large white deer horn.
“Don’t worry. He didn’t struggle for long and his oversized deer, well…he’ll make a good minced pie,” Darvon laughed.
“You are pure evil.” I spit blood on him.
“Not really. I just like my ladies. But I’ve always been too smart to get caught. Tying up an elf and killing a leprechaun is just part of the plan,” Darvon said, lifting his chin up.
He started to say something else, but all I could see was him fading out to red. No words could be heard, because my ears thumped with my quickened pulse. All the pain that he had just caused me subsided as I ran straight for him.
I knocked him to the ground and punched his face a couple of times; but even with all the rage I had in me, I was still no match for him. He was one powerful high-ranking Fae. He pushed me off and I flew back into the boulder. Taking his fancy coat off, he lay it on the rocks and turned to me.
“Let’s just see what you’re made of.” He came for me and I jumped up and kicked him hard in the side. For a moment he stumbled, but he, himself, was swift. He soon had me on the ground and we rolled out into the open, but no one noticed us over the enchanted music. He sat on me and held a rock above my head. “Say good-bye now, Ivy.” He scrunched his face up and prepared to slam the rock into my head.
I struggled to free myself...but I didn’t have to. Out of nowhere, a bluish tinted Dark Elf named Ladriant tackled him to the ground and held his throat so tightly that you could hear Darvon gasping for air. I forced myself to stand.
Simultaneously, a gunshot reverberated throughout the valley and the crowd roared as eight contestants began to race toward the giant hill. When the queen said noon, she meant noon! If you weren’t present – too bad! Besides, she probably thought I was dead.
I was still dazed and in shock. I felt like I stood in a dream and all I could do was watch. An eagle’s nest appeared at the top of the hill. Squinting my eyes tightly, I used my elven vision to get a closer look. Amongst four white and brown spotted eggs lay a plain red bottle. The bottle of djinn!
Everyone ran through the rocky valley. Tom and William were in the lead. They were horseless and so was everyone else. I noticed Ella’s black robe and bright red hair as she caught up to Tom and stayed close t
o him. Snake Man ran right behind Ella. Two of the strange men were at Snake Man’s back and one took a knife and went to stab him. Snake Man must have sensed this and turned on him. He caught the man’s hand in mid-air and punched him with his free hand. The guy was a fighter and soon they were wrestling on the hard rocks. The other strange man passed them both.
Two other strangers were still at the starting line beating each other senseless. This must be why the crowd was cheering and they were rooting for one of them to die. I would never understand how some people could be so cruel.
Soon all of the other contestants began to climb up the steep slope of the hill.
The sky was dark like soot and it began to pour. The clouds hung low as if trying to cling to the djinn bottle itself. The contestants began to slip and slide in the mud and I saw Ella grab Tom’s ankle, causing him to fall and slide past her.
Ladriant swiftly popped Darvon in the face and knocked him unconscious. “Ivy! They are racing! We have to go…now!”
Finally, something in the urgency of his tone snapped me out of my delirious state.
I sprinted off before he even had the chance to stand but as I glanced over my shoulder I could see that he wasn’t far behind. Passing sections of the crowd, I could see the starting point right next to the queen. She had magically formed an archway filled to the brim with blue flowers, and white butterflies flitted from flower to flower. Once through that archway, the rocky valley began but on this side of the archway grew beautiful trees and flowers.
I don’t know if she was trying to brighten everyone’s mood or just her own mood. But I do know that she must love the color blue.
She wore a brilliant silk blue gown trimmed in gold. Her hair was in some sort of fancy braided up-do, and sapphires were fastened into the braid. Her skin was powdered with diamond dust and a single sapphire hung between her eyebrows.
I ran toward the entrance and I was just about to enter the race when something hard struck my temple. It stunned me for a moment and it hurt like a son of a gun. A green apple fell to the ground. More came from the crowd. Rotten tomatoes, spoiled potatoes, ears of corn. They were throwing all contents of their gardens at me!