Rachel followed. I glanced behind me and saw that she was using the cave walls for support; her legs must have still felt a little weak. I slowed down so she could catch up, but didn’t offer to help her, sensing that she did not want me to.
“I can find my own way,” she said and made to grab the candle, but I moved it out of her reach.
“I know, but I want to remove the stiches and the bathing pool will be a good place to do it.” Any place would have been good, but for some reason I can’t explain I wanted to be alone with her when I did it. Maybe it was so that the less people who saw what I was doing the easier it would be to keep my secret. Then again, maybe not.
“Already?” she asked in surprise. “How long have I been asleep? Days?”
I laughed. “No, only a few hours. You will find you heal fast down here.” Another lie; it had nothing to do with being in the underworld. I am usually a very truthful person and am not used to being so deceitful so I was concerned at how easy I was finding it.
We walked to the bathing cavern in silence and when we arrived I made her sit on a rock and hold the candle above her so that it didn’t cast any shadows on her face. Using a small pair of scissors I carefully cut each stich, using the blades to remove the cotton. Other than bracing herself in anticipation of pain, she showed no reaction to my ministrations.
“All done,” I said when my task was complete. “It looks to have healed well.” I took hold of her chin and moved her head from side to side as I inspected my work. She remained silent as I placed my hand over the wound once more. I kept it there longer than I needed to, not wishing to take it away.
“Don’t be too long,” I said when I removed it. “If you’re not back by the time the food is ready I will send Perceval to get you.” She would be more comfortable with Perceval walking in on her while she was bathing than myself, but if it came to it I wasn’t sure I would be able to send the ogre. I suddenly wanted nothing more than to stay with her.
“Alright,” she said.
Before leaving I placed the candle on a rock beside the pool.
“Don’t you need it to get back?” she asked.
“No. I can find my way in the dark.” Before she could ask how, I left. I didn’t tell her that I can see in the dark, letting her believe that I just knew the way well enough to not need to see.
Perceval and I continued to catch up, the way old friends do, and Rob made no attempt to join in the conversation. I don’t even think he was listening in; he seemed lost in his own thoughts.
The food was cooked and I was carving the meat when Rachel returned from her bath. I looked up and smiled at her. “Perceval was just about to go and get you.”
“Then I have saved him a trip,” she said.
I noticed her eyeing the three plates and the loaf of bread in front of me. “Venison sandwiches. No butter I’m afraid.”
“What? You couldn’t get any out of your bag?” she asked sarcastically.
“Sorry, didn’t think of it.” What was wrong with me? Why did my mind keep straying back to Rachel instead of focusing on what I was doing? Yes, she was pretty, very pretty, but I had seen lots of pretty girls before, so why couldn’t I get my mind off this one? “Probably tastes better without anyway.”
Perceval made his excuses and left before the meal began. Before leaving he hauled the deer carcass, minus one leg, onto his shoulders and said he was going to visit some friends. He said warm goodbyes to me and Rachel and made us promise to clean up after ourselves before we departed. Rob he completely ignored.
As we ate I regaled Rachel with tales of some of the things me and Perceval had gotten up to as we grew up. I didn’t explain how I had grown up in the underworld, but I could see that she was curious. She didn’t ask me about it though, thank goodness. I had no idea how I could explain myself without revealing who and what I really am.
Rob appeared to be sulking. He remained silent throughout the whole meal and even refused to sit with us. The only words he spoke were ones of astonishment and relief when he noticed Rachel’s scarless face.
It didn’t take long for Rachel to get fed up with his mood and confront him.
“Just what the hell is wrong with you?” I ignored the use of that word again.
“You have got to be kidding,” he replied. “First I thought you were kidnapped and I had to rescue you from a vicious monster. Then I thought you were dead. The next thing I know I am hearing that it is all some stupid test designed to amuse Hades and our guide over there. To make matters worse, I accidently hurt you. Badly. What do you think is wrong?”
I watched as Rachel took Rob’s hand in hers and stroked it gently. “I cannot begin to understand how you feel, but please realise that this is not all some big joke. Nobody is laughing at you or being entertained. Kris is only doing what he has been instructed to do. There may be many other tests we will need to face; hopefully together next time. This could end up being a long and tiring journey and it will be a lot less unpleasant if we can all get along. Holding a grudge against Kris is not going to help matters.”
Rob grunted and pulled his hand away. “All I will say is that it is going to take a lot on his part for me to trust him.” I ignored the comment, not really caring if Rob trusted me or not.
He glanced over to where I was tidying up the plates, pretending not to listen in on their conversation. “Can we go now?” he called out.
‘Sure,” I said, as though I had not heard a word of what he had said to Rachel. “Just let me get my bag.” Rob was already wearing his, so Rachel retrieved hers from the sleeping cavern and we all left together.
The sun had passed its zenith and was beginning its slow descent when we walked out into the fresh air. Perceval was not in sight as we departed his cave, Rob leading us in the direction we had been heading before Rachel’s ‘kidnapping’. He set a fast pace, but Rachel was well rested so had no trouble keeping up this time.
We saw no sign of any other ogres as we travelled and the day passed uneventfully. As the afternoon wore on we headed away from the mountains and toward a large forest. Rob kept ahead of us the whole time, only allowing us to get close to him when he needed instructions from me as to whether to enter it or not. Not that I was complaining.
I indicated that we should walk around it for a while and Rob headed off again without speaking.
The sun was beginning to set by the time I called out to him that we should make camp for the night. I expected him to protest that we could continue on for a few more hours, but he didn’t. Whether this was because he was tired and hungry or he just didn’t want to speak to me I didn’t know and didn’t care.
Rob put up the tents while Rachel hunted for firewood and I started preparing food. We were camping next to the forest and while she was still within earshot I called out to her, warning her not to enter it.
“There are dangerous things in there. It is best to only enter during the day. This is the reason we are stopping early. Tomorrow we will go through it. Hopefully we will be out the other side before the sun sets.” I could have given her details on exactly what was in the forest, but I didn’t want to scare her.
I made sure there was enough firewood laying around for her to find without getting too close to the trees and we soon had a small fire going. I put water on to boil and added ingredients for a vegetable soup. I noticed Rachel head toward her tent, but she was way-laid by Rob.
He took her to his own tent and, despite the temptation, I decided not to eavesdrop.
I have no idea what Rachel said to him, but when they emerged from the tent, Rob came up to me.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a seat by the fire. “I know none of this is your fault and I should not have reacted the way I did. I have been behaving childishly and you deserve better.”
“I agree,” I said, but not unkindly. “You need to start thinking before reacting if you wish to survive this journey.”
“I will try,” Rob said, then asked if he could do anyt
hing to help with the cooking.
The meal was eaten quietly with none of us having much to say and Rachel and Rob retired to their tents almost as soon as it was done, despite the hour not being late. I stayed by the fire until I was sure they would not be coming out again, then disappeared.
I went to see grandfather first, to let him know how his test had gone.
“He didn’t abandon her then,” he said, somewhat surprised. He had not had any confidence that Rob would really try to rescue Rachel, despite what I had told him. It was not that he doubted his bravery, it was the delay in rescuing Tammara that he thought would have been the deciding factor. He was quite pleased to have been proven wrong.
“No. Rob surprised me. He actually threatened Perceval. He was shaking like a leaf at the time, but he still did it.”
“It all went well then?” grandmother asked.
“Not exactly,” I admitted as I was passed a glass of wine. “There was a slight accident and Rachel got hurt. I had to stitch her up then make sure it wouldn’t scar.”
“How did you explain that one away?”
I shrugged. “I said that people heal quickly in this realm and they believed me. I suppose being exposed to things they thought were just myth makes them willing to accept almost anything they are told.”
I spent a few hours relaxing with my grandparents before heading to Death to give him an update. Nobody was in sight when I returned to the campsite and I went straight to my tent to get a few hours sleep.
Forest
Everyone woke early and after a quick breakfast we headed into the forest. I was not sure I was doing the right thing by taking them through it, but Rob would appreciate the short cut and it would mean the end to my ‘babysitting’ duties much sooner.
It is not a normal forest. From the outside it looks normal, with tall trees covered in green leaves that shine in the sun, but once you get inside, the trees change. The wood is much darker and the leaves are black. It is not shadows making the leaves look so dark, they really are pitch black.
All of the leaves which had fallen on the ground were a dull grey colour. I watched as Rachel picked one up and it fell apart in her hand.
“Why are these a different colour?” she asked.
“They’re dead.” Seeing the confused look on her face, I continued. “What colour would your hand go, eventually, if you cut it off?”
“Grey I suppose,” she said, sounding unsure of herself.
“Why? Why does it change colour?”
“Because there is no longer any blood circulating through it,” Rob said.
“Exactly.” They both still looked confused. “Okay, let’s try something else. Why are leaves usually green?”
“Chlorophyll?” Rachel suggested.
“Correct. So, leaves are green when full of chlorophyll, your hand is sort of pink when full of blood and goes grey when it has none and the leaves go grey when they are not attached to the trees. What does that tell you?” I could just have told them why the leaves were black, but I wanted them to work it out for themselves. I didn’t think they would believe me otherwise.
“Are you trying to tell us that these trees have the equivalent of black blood flowing through them?” Rob asked in astonishment.
“Yes.”
“No way,” he said. “This I must see for myself.” He began to walk closer to one of the trees, but I called him back, knowing full well that he was going to pull a leaf off to see if it ‘bled’.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“And why not?”
“What would you do if someone cut off one of your fingers to see what colour your blood was?”
“I would hit the bastard,” Rob replied.
“What makes you think that tree you were about to vandalise would react any differently?” I was beginning to think I had made a mistake by not telling them about the trees inhabiting the forest before they entered.
“Because it’s a tree,” Rachel said. “Trees are inanimate.”
“Not these ones.” I could tell they were not believing me, so I decided to put it in simpler terms for them. “Have you seen the Harry Potter films?” Rob and Rachel both nodded. “Then you have heard of the Whomping Willow.”
“But that’s fictional,” Rachel protested.
“Of course it is. There is no such thing as a Whomping Willow. But that doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a tree that can move.”
“You mean move its branches, right?” she asked. Her doubt was beginning to waver.
“Among other things.” Being cryptic would annoy them, especially Rachel, but I wasn’t sure how they would react if I told them the full truth. “But don’t worry, they only walk at night, when it’s dark.”
“Is that why you said we needed to get through this forest in one day?” Rachel tentatively asked. “If we have to make camp, will they walk all over us?”
I suddenly felt unsure of myself. I was not handling this conversation very well at all. “Not exactly.”
“Then what ‘exactly’?” Robert asked. The almost friendly tone with which he had been conversing with me since the previous night had gone. Now there was a threatening undertone to his words.
“They tend to eat people who get caught in here after dark.”
This statement was met by a stunned silence. It was broken by the sound of howling coming from nearby. Nobody asked what was howling, thankfully. They would not have liked the answer.
“This place is really creepy,” Rachel said. “Please can we leave?”
“It is the quickest way to get to Pestilence’s lands. It will save us days of travel.”
“I don’t care,” she snapped. “If I stay here much longer I am going to be eaten by insects, the beasts that are howling or the god damn trees. Get me the hell out of here.”
I winced. Not only had she used that word again, but she was shouting. In this forest it was best not to draw attention to yourself.
Rob was calmer. “Can we get through this entire forest before nightfall?” he asked.
“Maybe.” I was lying again. We couldn’t, but I wanted to see how they would react.
Rob nodded. “Can we make our way through while staying closer to the edge so that we can head out of the side as soon as the sun begins to set?”
“It will not save us as much time as if we went through the heart.” I liked the fact that he was thinking logically.
“But at least we would live through it,” he countered.
“Then let’s get going.” I didn’t tell them that the trees would not attack while I was present as I would then have to explain why. I was happy to let them believe they were in mortal danger, at least for a while.
The look on Rachel’s face showed that she was not happy with the decision, but she did not argue against it.
We kept walking for most of the day without stopping for lunch. Rachel obviously felt very uncomfortable in the forest and kept shivering despite the fact it was not cold. Around mid-afternoon I took pity on her. I announced that it was time to start heading out and changed direction. We didn’t need to leave that early, but I was feeling sorry for her and she wanted to get out of there as soon as she could.
As we headed toward the sun the number of insects started to increase and the buzzing noises they made began to grate on everyone’s nerves.
We were heading toward swampland. I had been hoping to bypass the area by staying in the forest, but I couldn’t bring myself to make Rachel suffer any longer than I had to.
The sun was still in the sky when we eventually left the forest and found ourselves in a meadow.
“I thought you said this was a swamp,” Rachel said as she breathed in the fresh air. The forest had smelled of rotting vegetation and, despite being next to a swamp, the air in the meadow was clean and cool. It was also free of insects; they were all swarming above the swamp.
“Take ten paces to your left and you will find that the ground is not quite as solid a
s it looks. Another ten and you will be swimming, well trying to at any rate.” I contemplated warning them about the creatures that live in the swamp, but decided against it. Hopefully they would not see any and if they did, I would deal with that situation when it arose. “We camp here tonight.”
Rachel glanced nervously toward the forest. “Should we not put some more distance between us and the flesh eating trees?” she said.
“No need. The trees never leave the forest. There is a ring of ordinary trees that surrounds them, acting as both a disguise and a barrier. We are perfectly safe here.” She didn’t look convinced.
“Why are they even here?” Rob asked as he started to set up the tents.
“One of the gorgons created them and Hades didn’t have the heart to destroy them, so he found a way to entrap them within this forest, thus stopping them being a danger to anyone.” I purposely used the name for my grandfather that Rob and Rachel would be more familiar with.
“Except those stupid enough to enter the forest,” Rob said. ‘Except those stupid enough to enter the forest without a god or demi-god as a guide,’ I silently amended, but said nothing out loud.
Rachel and Rob were both irritable, but neither seemed to want to talk about the reason why. I lit a fire and served up a cold meal; I wasn’t in the mood for cooking.
The meal was eaten in silence and Rob departed to his tent as soon as it was complete. Rachel started to rise in order to do the same, but I stopped her by placing my hand gently on her arm.
“Have I done something wrong?” I desperately wanted to know what was bothering her.
“You needlessly put our lives at risk.”
I frowned in confusion. “No I didn’t. At no point were you ever in any danger. Rob wanted to shorten the journey, so I found a way to do that. The forest is only dangerous at night and I made sure we were out before the sun set.”
“Unless you get too close to one of the carnivorous trees. Our lives were at risk and we should have been warned before we entered the forest.”
“Would it have made a difference?”
Kris's Story Page 5