“What is it?” he asked.
It was above them now. A small bird. In one movement, it swooped down and then away again. A spluttering crack erupted from the fire, spraying them with sparks. Mulrox jumped back, cursing.
“Ow, hey!” Yahgurkin said, shaking little bits of hot ash from her clothing. “What was that about?”
Mulrox peered into the fire. In the middle of the logs and white ash was a stone. He looked up at Yahgurkin, puzzled. “I think it dropped a rock…”
The bird had returned. It hovered above them. In the moonlight, Mulrox could just make out the black swoop around its eyes and the vertical feathers on its forehead.
“Yahgurkin, it’s a cedar waxwing.”
“Yes, this seems like a great time for bird-watching,” Yvwi said. “Tell me more.”
Yahgurkin’s eyes had gone wide. “What? Mulrox, what’s going on?”
He wished he knew. This must be the danger Tabiyeh had meant but… Mulrox froze. A low, pulsing noise––almost mechanical––was coming from the woods. He looked to Yahgurkin. She’d heard it too. It was growing louder.
Then above the trees appeared a dark cloud. It stretched across the sky, clumping here, breaking apart there.
Mulrox snatched Geraldine and his pack from the ground. “Wait! I have an idea.”
“Yahgurkin, there’s no time…”
“No, listen. Fleecefuz was glamoured like the rest of them before Groxor took her in, and Tork… Tork was their leader, but now look at her.”
The grinder had malcognitos perched all along her back. She was standing at the edge of the trees, nervously clacking her arms together, waiting for them to join her.
“So?” Mulrox asked.
“The glamour can’t be that strong. We’ve been able to break it twice. We don’t need to fight them and we don’t need to run. We can fix them.”
The birds kept coming, streaming in from the west over the treetops. “There’s so many.” He swallowed.
“When you tamed Tork, what did you do?” Yahgurkin asked.
“I talked to her.”
“How?”
“In my head. I pictured the words.” The birds were so close now Mulrox could pick out the individual chirps and warbles, the pacing wingbeats. “Yahgurkin, I think we should go.”
“We can do this.” Yahgurkin sunk her heels into the ground and stood upright, her hands clenched in fists at her side. She faced the birds and then closed her eyes.
Mulrox glanced between her and the malcognitos. This was idiotic—they needed to run. He thought about pushing her, even carrying her, but Yahgurkin was a good foot and a half taller and much heavier than him.
“Here.” He shoved Geraldine’s cage toward Yvwi.
Yvwi, Spinakle-rex, Spit-on-him, and Toad-springs-eternal balanced the cage between them.
“This won’t work,” Yvwi whispered.
“Stay hidden,” Mulrox said and stepped up to Yahgurkin’s side and took her hand. She looked over at him and smiled before closing her eyes again.
The malcognitos hauled Geraldine into the cover of the trees.
The birds rushed toward the ogres, a pool of ink spilled across the sky, blotting out the clouds and stars. And then they were overhead, flapping and jabbering.
“Now!” Yahgurkin said.
Mulrox closed his eyes. Stop. He pictured the birds halting above them. Stop, please.
Mulrox felt the wind from their wings. A whirlwind of hot air plucked at his clothes and hair. He was waiting for the searing pain of claws and beaks, for the thud of their bodies, but all he felt was wind.
“It’s working,” Yahgurkin whispered. “Keep going.”
We are not your enemies. He pictured the birds turning around, flying off and leaving them.
Mulrox peeked up through his lowered lids. The birds hovered above them, cawing and jostling in confusion. They hadn’t left, but they hadn’t attacked either.
He glanced behind him. The dark trees looked empty. Tork and the malcognitos had hidden themselves well. He was about to turn away when he saw the palest glow of a spinakle poke out from behind a tree trunk.
A single bird above him shrieked and then dove. The bird soared past them, gunning straight for the malcognito.
The cry echoed through the flock, and then they were in motion again, barreling toward the woods.
“Yvwi, run!!” Mulrox screamed. He turned and sprinted after the birds.
Yahgurkin’s feet pounded behind him. “Oh no, oh no!”
They had only made it a couple yards into the trees before they found them.
Malcognitos were flying every which way as the birds chased them. Tork was a whirlwind of limbs. She had three birds trapped in her net arm even as the other arms smashed and cut and slashed.
Mulrox dove into the frenzy, heading for the malcognitos. He swung his arms, shielding himself and knocking the birds aside. His hand connected with a ball of feathers, and he held tight as it clawed at him. Mulrox grabbed the bird and threw it to the ground.
“Get him!” it chirped.
He saw three of the birds turn his way. He lifted an arm to protect his face and winced as talons tore at it. A bird careened into his pack, knocking him forward. He felt its claws tear into the fabric, nicking his skin.
A wild croak caught his attention, and he spun until he spotted her. Geraldine’s cage was wedged between the exposed roots of a tree. There were four birds trying to lift the cage, but Geraldine was swatting at them with her tongue through the bars, knocking the birds from their grip. The cage lifted an inch off the ground before it crashed again. Mulrox barreled over to her, scattering the birds, and shoved the cage under the crook of his arm.
“Mulrox!” Yvwi shouted. He huddled amidst a cluster of malcognitos, as a waxwing dove straight for them, talons outstretched. The malcognitos tried to scatter but got tangled up in one another, bumping and jostling. The cloud became a jumble of mixed-up legs and arms, hopelessly snared to one another. From below, a lone white shape darted up toward the bird. Death-with-a-kiss.
There was a blur of limbs and feathers as the two creatures clashed.
The bird screeched and winged back up again, something white and limp clasped in its claws.
“No.” Mulrox looked for something to throw, anything to stop the bird in its ascent, but he could see nothing, not even a pine cone. He ripped a branch off a tree and hurled it at the bird, but it dodged to the side, the stick falling uselessly to the ground.
Another shape shot up after them, its reaching branches propelled by two bouncy frog legs. The bird was not as fast with its captive in tow, and Tree-with-frog-legs was on them in moments. He slammed into the bird and wrapped his floppy legs around its middle, poking and jabbing at the animal with his branches.
Pain shot down Mulrox’s arm. Three birds had attached themselves to his left arm and were pecking at him. Mulrox grabbed Geraldine’s cage and swung, knocking the birds from him.
Tree-with-frog-legs was still wrestling with the bird that held Death-with-a-kiss. He was pulling downward, dragging the bird back to the ground. But the other birds had spotted the struggle and flew to the aid of their fellow, surrounding the two malcognitos in a cloud of pink feathers.
Where were the other malcognitos? Why didn’t they help? To Mulrox’s horror, he could see little flecks of white raining down around him.
“Yvwi, do something!”
Tree-with-frog-legs gave one final squeeze, this time pinning the bird’s wings to its sides. The bird and the two malcognitos plummeted. There was a miserable shriek as they hit the ground. Death-with-a-kiss rolled from the bird’s grip with a warbling gasp.
Run!
Tork scrambled forward and shielded the two downed malcognitos. She lifted all but three of her legs into the air and began to spin them in a terrifying whirlwind of vicious-looking tools.
Go!
The birds hesitated, staring at the frenzy of blades beneath them. Mulrox ran toward them, scoop
ed up Death-with-a-kiss and Tree-with-frog-legs, and ran for all he was worth, Yahgurkin and the other malcognitos on his heels.
There was a series of dull thuds and a great screech of metal. Mulrox stopped. He wanted to go back, but her voice was in his head again.
Run!
So Mulrox ran. Yahgurkin and a floundering band of malcognitos beside him. They were getting away.
“Mulrox.” Yahgurkin’s panting voice stopped him in his tracks. She pointed.
Up from the trees shot a new flock of birds, a wall of hovering bodies blocking their way forward.
“This way!” Mulrox darted to the left.
Behind Mulrox, Yahgurkin bellowed in pain. A bird had latched onto her neck. She knocked it from her, but he could see a deep gash. She took a step toward him, stumbled, and then went down. Mulrox watched her fall but couldn’t make sense of what he had seen. She had fallen and then, just as she should have hit the ground, disappeared.
He heard her scream but could not see her anywhere.
Mulrox roared and ran back toward where she had been. He grabbed and snatched at the birds, tossing them this way and that, furious, despairing.
The birds fell back under his blows. Yvwi and the others clustered by his side.
“Where is she?” Mulrox shouted. He scanned the ground, hoping for any sign. Even in the dim light, the giant form of an ogre should have been clear. “Yahgurkin!” he yelled. There was no response.
Mulrox fell to his knees. He tucked Geraldine under one arm and, with the other, felt about the ground. His hand slapped against moss, roots, and rocks, and then suddenly, Mulrox fell forward, his arm plunging into emptiness. There was a horrible moment when he thought he would tumble into the dark expanse, but he threw himself to the side, rolling away from it.
He could now see that it was a hole, five feet across and so deep he had no inkling of where it led. Yahgurkin was down there somewhere.
The birds were preparing for another attack.
“Yvwi!” he shouted. “Down here!”
The malcognitos sped toward him.
Tork! he called.
There was no response.
The birds must have realized they were losing them, for they descended all at once, a terrifying wall of claws and beaks.
Mulrox stood at the edge of the hole as the malcognitos sped past him. He did his best to shield them as the birds attacked. He swung his fists, but there were sharp pains now all over his body.
“We’re clear!” Yvwi shouted.
Mulrox tried to picture where they were, tried to send Tork a message. But there was no reply.
He gave one final roar and, holding Geraldine’s cage above his head, leapt into the abyss.
33
Cold, damp air pushed against Mulrox as he fell into darkness. He landed on his feet, the cage still clutched in his hands. The impact sent a jolt of pain up through his bones, but he remained upright. After a few deep breaths, Mulrox forced himself to look up. He could see small patches of the night sky blotted out by the circling shapes of the waxwings. The birds had not followed. They screeched and yelled but came no closer than the edge of the hole.
Mulrox peered into the cage and saw Geraldine with a wild-looking smile. “You’re fine,” he said. “Or as fine as you were.” He set her cage down.
They were standing in a cave. A small pool of light directly under the hole illuminated his immediate surroundings. The ground was soft with what must have been years’ worth of decaying pine needles. The musty smell clogged his nose, and he had to shake his head to clear it. He ran his fingers through the dirt, feeling the needles fall apart in his hands. Above him, the rough walls extended up and up, stone and dirt, crumbling and dripping. Mulrox’s eyes were adjusting to the dark. From where he sat, he could tell that the cave extended some ways beyond the pool of light, but how far, he couldn’t say. He couldn’t see anyone else.
Mulrox stepped into the darkness. A faint blue glow emanated from around his neck. The foxfire necklaces. He looked down. His had been nearly decimated by the birds.
“Yahgurkin?” Mulrox said.
Yvwi floated into view. “She’s here.” He pointed to a large dark pile off in the corner.
“Is she okay?” Mulrox rushed to her.
He had one or two whole-looking mushrooms left on the string. He kneeled down and squished these together and held them up over Yahgurkin.
She was breathing, but her face was pale.
He shook her shoulder gently. “Yahgurkin.”
He felt her twitch, and then very slowly her eyes opened.
“Grendel’s toes.” Her voice was weak at first but grew stronger. “Is this death? It’s as dark as I thought it’d be, but it’s more disorienting.”
Mulrox sat back and let out a deep breath.
Yvwi floated down and landed on her chest.
“Yvwi? What are you doing here? Are you dead too?”
“I don’t think I’m dead. But then again, I’m not really sure. How can any of us really be sure?”
“You’re not dead. No one is dead.” Mulrox held up the foxfire to his own face so she could see him. “How do you feel?”
“Fine. I think I—” Yahgurkin tried to sit up. “Gah!” She gasped and rested her wrist in her other hand. It hung at an awkward angle, and he could see it was already swelling.
“Second pouch on the right,” Yahgurkin said through clenched teeth.
Mulrox pulled open the pouch and peered inside. It looked like a bunch of sticks. He fished out a handful of them.
“Was this what you—”
“Thanks.” She snatched the sticks from him with her good hand, shoved them into her mouth, and began to chew. “I think it’s broken.” She said through mouthfuls. She pointed to her mouth. “With this, I won’t feel it as much in a few minutes. Actually, I won’t feel much at all.”
Despite her claims, her face was tensed up so tightly she looked like an old, shriveled apple.
“Can I see this?” Mulrox tugged at the scarf around her neck. She nodded.
He pulled it free. Mulrox took the scarf and held both ends up together. He crossed the ends once and then kneeled next to Yahgurkin.
“Rest your arm against this.” He pointed to the bottom loop of the scarf.
She gasped as she eased her arm into it. Mulrox then carefully adjusted the scarf until her arm hung at the right level and then knotted the ends together behind her neck.
“That’s handy,” she said.
They both ignored the familiar pop as a new malcognito joined the ranks.
“Geraldine was always getting into scrapes as a pollywog.”
He helped haul Yahgurkin to her feet with her good arm.
“How’s everyone else?” Yahgurkin asked.
“We’ve been better,” Yvwi said.
Of course. He had been so concerned about Yahgurkin he’d almost forgotten. “Where are they?”
“Hiding.”
“Hiding? Why?”
“We’re already your bad ideas. They’d prefer you didn’t see them like this.”
Mulrox shook his head. “Come out.”
Slowly, the malcognitos crept forward. It was all Mulrox could do not to gasp. Nearly all of them had been cut or torn. Some even had large chunks missing. Rock-like-skin now had so many holes he looked like a scrap of lace. Dinner-bell-of-destruction was cracked top to toe, and Cloud-of-locusts was more than a couple locusts short.
“Oh no!” Yahgurkin said, looking around at them all. “I have ointment and more sticks. We could bandage them.”
“Ointment won’t help them.”
“Where’s Tree-with-frog-legs?” Mulrox was suddenly very scared.
“Tree,” Yvwi said. “It’s okay. Come out.”
A sad-looking shape hobbled forward into the light. Tree was almost unrecognizable. Where once had been a wild profusion of branches and twigs and leaves was now a single lone stick poking out of his trunk.
“Tree…” Mulrox
gulped.
There was a muffled moan and a white shape shot toward the broken, little malcognito and wrapped itself around him. Death-with-a-kiss was clinging to Tree-with-frog-legs for dear life.
Mulrox looked down at his hands and then around at the other malcognitos. They had all grown, not only in size but in detail. Cloud-of-locusts was now nearly the size of a barrel, and Mulrox could see the ribbing in each one of the locusts’ delicate wings. He hadn’t thought about it at the time, but Rock-like-skin had covered the whole grinder pit, which meant he must be at least six feet long, and his rocky surface had become so convincing he had tricked Tork. Mulrox swallowed as he thought of the grinder. Hopefully she had made it somewhere safe. He pushed the thoughts away and focused again on the malcognitos.
He turned to Yahgurkin. “I need you to think about Tree-with-frog-legs.”
“Mulrox—” Yvwi started.
“No, I want to try,” he said, cutting Yvwi off and turning back to Yahgurkin. “Think about how he used to be, what he will do in the future, anything. Just think of him.”
Mulrox sat down, facing Yahgurkin and the two of them closed their eyes. Mulrox thought as hard as he could of the bouncy, little malcognito, hopping about and waving his full head of branches. He remembered Tree at the trap, leaping over the pit with Rock-like-skin fluttering behind him. He remembered Tree trying to tackle Groxor and instead sending Spinakle-rex into the water. Tree had been the only one brave enough to check whether Groxor was still alive. He had even pulled Mulrox to the safety of the woods when the sheep attacked his house that first night.
He then tried to imagine every detail of the malcognito as best he could. The frog legs with their long, webbed toes. The thick branches sprouting with twigs and leaves, and for good measure, Mulrox added flowers. He thought and he thought until the hard surface of the cave creaked into his bones. Finally, Mulrox dared to open his eyes.
Tree was floating in front of them, battered and shivering. Mulrox’s heart sank.
“How do you feel?” Yahgurkin asked.
“He’s better,” Yvwi said.
He didn’t look better.
Yahgurkin hurried over to the malcognito. “Yes, much better. I think you’ve grown half an inch, and I can hardly see through you anymore. And is that—that’s a new branch!” Yahgurkin was pointing to a tiny nub that had sprouted from his one remaining arm.
Mulrox and the Malcognitos Page 22