The Journey to Northumberland and the Rise of the Undertoads

by Kenneth Mullinix

  ~Chapter 10~

  The Journey to Morpeth Falls and the M?jebro Runestone

  The travel inside of Digger's undersized rabbit tunnel was long-drawn-out and difficult. The adder stone...carried by Louis...lit the way giving some comfort to all. But Digger was only able to burrow and mine, so fast, for so long. It took the better part of two hours for them to reach the surface above Morr?gan's now entombed lifeless body.

  Upon exiting the earthen passageway Digger was the first to witness the supple lights radiating off the blue moon draped overhead. As the small planet oscillated in position over Northumberland, the Northumbria Mountains and snow covered mount Morpeth the moon reflected and irradiated blue hues and grey shades spreading outwards and external over the land, giving this strange world an odd position in all things greater.

  Shaking off their past experiences and filth from the Caves of Morpeth everyone was reassured and calmed by the warm moonlight and clean air circulating around them. Hugs and kisses flourished as each and everybody was thankful for Digger's and Louis's courage and cleverness in saving all from sure death. Chug had shaken off the ill effects of the venomous bite from Spydos the Spider and was tutored along the long journey through Digger's tunnel by Louis as to their pickle.

  Giving Chug another hug on the surface, Louis was the first to speak out, "Chug I cannot tell you how lucky we were to find you in that awful place. Thanks to Molly's keen eyesight we were able to find you. And I want to thank you Digger especially. You have been a good friend. One day I hope to repay your kindness."

  "Louis you do not have to thank me. It is understood by good friends that kindness does not always have to be registered and noted. It's natural for us two. I do one good deed a day usually, it just a way of life for me, but I guess being around you as much as I have been lately, I just have to do a few more good deeds for you than for my other friends, if you know what I mean?" understated Digger.

  Giving Digger another hug all joined as one on the inside joke at Louis's expense.

  "I have to go see my family again Louis. T?ngarar Spadefoot is allowing me to visit with them regularly for the first time in a long time. I do not know if I will see you in the very immediate future in this world. He has other tasks for me now. But know I will see you again in this underworld another time Louis, it has been written. That will be another story, but trust me we will meet. Just only trust as far as you can, and always remember I was born a thief and a burglar. I have to go back to Centerville now and pinch some more vegetables from Mr. Beamer's garden. I will let your parents know that you are just fine. I will let all of your parents know that you are all fine. Trust me" said Digger as he started to thump his feet upon the ground in a fevered state.

  "What do you mean, "it is written" and that "you will see me again inside of this underworld", I have to know Digger what...wait...what are you talking about..." asked a now troubled Louis.

  "That question will be answered on another day. I can say no more. I will say hello to all your parents. Now all take care and be safe everyone. Louis first and foremost always try to remember that fire and ice does not mix. Good bye all!" said Digger as his natural desire to dig again took over his two large feet. He was away, beneath Northumberland before another word could be said by anyone.

  "What does that mean fire and ice does not mix Molly" asked the puzzled Louis.

  "I don't know any more than you do Louis. I did try to read your books, the ones you carry but there was no mention of that" said Molly.

  "Digger is gone but we did get Chug back" said Tessie.

  "Yes back to Chug. Chug I cannot tell you how lucky we were to find you. When we first saw you hanging from that ceiling we were not sure if that was you then when we found out it was, we thought you were doomed that you were a zombie."

  "I guess I was a zombie. Being embalmed and ending up in a foul beastly stomach is no way to go through life. And from what you told me about this place everyone is out to eat us kids alive. Let's see who's hungry, there is: Noctuid The Black Witch, Draconilla the Vampire Bat, Morr?gan the Stone Troll and Spydos the Spider, is that it so far?" asked Chug.

  "Not even close Chug, there are tadpoles in the lakes and streams here that are the size of full-grown, adult-sized ocean manta rays, there are land draugs, Minotaur's, flying dragons, oversized snakes, Sleagh Maith fairies, brawlies, bug-eyed toads, you name it Chug. This place has it all. Were lucky we've made it this far. And as I told you before we still have to find Short Stack, then I've got to go to the city of Elphame where Elphen the White Queen lives in Hagby tower and kill her."

  "Speaking of tadpoles Louis we have to ask Chug if...if..." stated a worried Molly.

  "She's correct Louis, Chug, we forgot to look..." chimed in Tessie.

  "Look for what..."

  "Chug please pull up your pants legs and sleeves" asked Louis.

  "Why...?"

  "Just do it Chug."

  Sitting down on a nearby rock Chug was compelled to please. He slowly lifted the cuffs of his pants, then his sleeves of his fairy outfit.

  "Him as well Louis" said Molly as she began to cry along with Tessie "he has been bitten as well."

  "I'm so sorry Chug we thought it was just us..." added Tessie between sobs.

  "What are they talking about Louis?"

  "You are to be an Ogbanje like we will soon be. You were bitten by one of Spadefoot's spies."

  "What...? I'm going to be a what...?"

  "Chug we have all been bitten and soon we will all turn into undertoads, we will be one of Spadefoot's children soon, Ogbanje is a term meaning "child who comes and goes" meaning you are now a changeling, you have the same warts, moles and growths as we do. You have to rub some mugwort plant on your arms and legs, and make a broth of the rest. It will slow the growths and heal the bite marks there."

  "Louis what have you gotten us into...?"

  "I know Chug I have had this conversation with the two girls already. Molly use what I have left of the mugwart plant and cook us up another batch of magic for us all. I have to talk with Chug. I have to tell him the whole truth."

  "We have all been through a lot the last few hours and days, we are all tired. Louis let's build a fire, make another shelter and stay at the foot of mount Morpeth for the night. Then in the morning we can move on to the next task, of finding Short Stack."

  "Good idea Molly" said Louis.

  "Yes good idea Molly. I need a bath and a hot meal" said Tessie.

  Picking up what supplies they had left everyone headed towards a natural occurring shelter found directly in front of them about a hundred yards down the road. A large rock overhung a small grassy flat clearing, which made for a good shelter.

  Louis gathered an abundance of dry firewood, stacking it neatly under the rocky outcropping at a far back wall. Then Louis was off again, rooting about the clearing and a nearby streambed to find ingredients for a soup; basil, parsley, rosemary, tubers, wild potatoes and a few other herbs were found to the joys of the others. Molly began to brew another mugwart magical brew as Tessie began to cook the vegetables provided by Louis. Chug went about arranging fresh green leaves, soft grasses and dry mosses to make a few comfortable beds for the night.

  As the soul-warming soup simmered over the open fire in a small cooking pot, Molly finished cooking her magical stew.

  "It will taste terrible Chug but it slows the venom from the tadpoles from taking complete hold of your mind and body, and it will slow the physical effects of the bite, and future swelling. I am only guessing but I figure that you were bitten the same day that you arrived here as we all were" stated Louis as he motioned for Chug and the others to drink down a soul saving cup full of magic. Chug rubbed part of the wild root over the bite on the top of one foot. The strange plant and healthful magic immediately diminished and began to clear the growths in a noticeable fashion of
all infected collectively at once and each one individually.

  "Is this the last of the magic Molly?" asked Tessie as she finished her dosage.

  "Yes Tessie. Unless we can find some more of this supernatural plant then this will have to be enough until we can reach the surface of our world again. Hopefully this magic will keep us going till then" said Molly as she as well drank the last of her agreed upon amount.

  "I plan to be out of here in a few days Molly as we all do, so that should be enough magic. If not I am sure we can find some more mugwort plant in the area. So don't worry. Let's all just enjoy the moon setting and the evening if we can. We have a safe place to sleep tonight and we just benefitted from a great meal cooked by Tessie, so let's try to relax the best we can" said Louis as he pointed outwards at the moon hanging low in the Northumberland sky.

  As the slumbering moon began to wane over the Northumbia Mountains the air began to chill. The sky was clear except for a few distant thunderclouds looming off in the coldness, as intermittent thunderclaps echoed out off the nearby mountains. Bright sheet-lightening cracked out above horizontally where they sat. Louis stoked the small fire while Tessie cleaned up the campsite after dinner. Chug was sitting by the entrance to the encampment lost deep in thought about all that had recently happened. Molly and Tessie wrapped a few cotton blankets around themselves to ward off the evening's chill, then...as only two good girlfriends could do...they went off into deep conversation for the night. Heading towards Chug Louis as well began an insightful conversation.

  "It is a beautiful world at times."

  "Yes it is Louis" said the reflective and somber Chug "from what I have seen of it today it could be even more beautiful if only a sun would shine here, there is only blue moonlight."

  "The sun could shine here again in this land, if the dark curse from Noctuid the Black Witch and the one from the White Queen could be broken. I drove off Noctuid deeper into Bramble Forest but she is still alive, and her curse lives on, she will most likely return one day. As for the White Queen we shall see."

  "What are we doing here Louis, what is point of all of this suffering and unhappiness?"

  "Chug so much has happened since we arrived here. You were lost from us for almost four days. The days and nights you spent in that cocoon must have been the worst of your life. I understand that as a truth. Molly and Tessie were also sent anyway into harm's way. I was not. I believe I was spared, that I was to be a part of the salvation of this land, if it was planned or not I am not sure.

  But now I have been sent on a wicked errand by T?ngarar Spadefoot to do his evil work for him. I was to go directly to Hagby Tower and defeat his enemy. I did not. He did not know that I had the courage to defeat his evil friends and free my friends during the process. Once I knew you were all here in this world with me, I just had to free you all first. He challenged me, he dared me to fail and I have been successful so far."

  "But we are still trapped here and Short Stack has not been found yet, so in reality you have not fully been as successful as you think."

  "That is correct Chug. But now I have the three of you to help me. We have been friends for so long and we must stay together on this. Just like when Frank Fatbottom attacked me during Walpurgis Night, you and my other friends were there to help me. It seems like it is still us against the world, even in this new strange world. It's like the same thing is going on here. I have a theory about what is going, but I need to fill in a few more blanks before I know, before I truly know this to be a self-evident truth, or in fact the reality you see."

  "Can I help you fill in the blanks?" asked Chug as he turned to face Louis directly.

  "Yes you can. Remember when I was tending the fairy circle when Molly showed up?"

  "Yes, and what about it?"

  "You took a swim, she came and left, we had lunch then you took a nap."

  "And...?"

  "You told me you saw tadpoles in the watering-hole and that they seemed to be very large. And you said you saw a large very ugly, and some kind of strange animal, you thought it to be an outsized beaver. Do you remember that as well?"

  "Yes. I don't get the connection..."

  "There are tadpoles like that all over this place. One of those bit you and other bit us. And I saw and even talked to a large ugly, strange looking creature, a beaver at a watering-hole that looked a lot like our own watering-hole. There were weeping willow trees all around the shoreline, a large clearing and what looked like a rock quarry at one end. Then I saw strange footprints in the mud inside of the fairy circle like those that a big toad might make. They were large webbed prints and they were everywhere. I am just saying. Do you think there is a correlation or a link to what is going on down here and up in Centerville?" asked Louis.

  "That is pretty far-reaching don't you think. I mean to think that these two worlds are linked together. Do you have any other evidence or any other thoughts on the matter?"

  "Yes I do. Doesn't Frank Fatbottom always wear his initials on his sweaters? FFJ is on everything he wears right?"

  "Yes that is right I have seen them, where are you going with this?"

  "Just another thought, when I entered Bramble Forest the sign above the entrance read: Bramble Forest Enter at Your Own Risk Home of FFJ, witches, hobgoblins, trolls and other unpleasant creatures."

  "Continue...Louis."

  "You were dressed as a hobgoblin or a Sleagh Maith Hairy fairy, same things are here. I am a child wizard those also reside here from what an elf told me. There are supposed Leprechauns that live here, I am sure of it. I am not sure about Noctuid the Black Witch who Molly and Tessie were originally with, when I found them but I have idea who or what that is. I need to think on that one still. Who or what is FFJ Chug, are you understanding what I am asking and saying?"

  "You are really reaching Louis. You do not have enough facts yet to think like that. The consequences are too great and there are way too many differences in both of these worlds?"

  "That is why I must find Short Stack besides just getting him free and saving him. He saw Frank Fatbottom the day before the Widdershins dance in clear detail during the daylight, just this last time he was in town. You only saw him at midnight in all that confusion, during the fight. But I saw Frank at the large oak tree in the center of town the day of the Widdershins dance. I saw FFJ initials hanging around Frank's neck. I have questions for Short Stack that might finally solve this mess."

  "Will we find him tomorrow?"

  "We should from all my calculation and by the map we have been following so far. We have a day's march to the very base of Morpeth Mountain where there is an ancient passageway that is blocked by an immense waterfall, supplied by a large wooden dam above. We are to find Short Stack there, somewhere. So let's get back inside for now, get our own blankets, warm up by the fireside and get some much needed sleep. It has been a long day."

  "Yes it has Louis...a very long day. Will we survive this Louis...will we?" asked a bothered Chug as he looked outwards once again. The last of the blue moon finally disappeared from view behind Mount Morpeth.

  "We will survive this Chug. I am starting to have a plan...a good plan..."

  "I know you do Louis...I know you do, that is what worries me the most..." said the now smiling Chug. Both looked out of the safety of their hiding place for the night, now both being a better person because of their understanding of each other and their true, never-ending friendship.