Inside their own train car that night, Arthur, Little Johnny and Merlynna slept in their own comfy bunk beds. Despite what had happened earlier that day with the ogre and with everything else, shutting their eyes came easy. They were just unable to keep them open. And though there was a danger of the beast making its appearance again and finding the train in the trees, the Children of the Forest were ready.
'With the extra traps we've placed around here, not only will the Wild Children have an even tougher time trying to find us if they plan on attacking us, the ogre will have a hard time too,' Esme had said. 'We'll be safe.'
And as a breeze floated through a window and over her bunk bed, Merlynna was dreaming of her feline companion. She was back at the Home for Enchanted Girls, lying down on a patch of grass and soaking up the summer sun. Fury darted above, trying desperately to catch a butterfly in his mouth.
'Stop that,' Merlynna giggled in demand but Fury kept at his pursuit. 'I said, stop that. If you do, I'll give you a treat.'
Now Fury listened. With a meow, he dropped out of the air and landed with a thud right on top of Merlynna. He then began to lick her face in a hungry obsession.
'All right, all right,' the young witch moaned in delight. 'Let me get the treat.'
But as she was about to retrieve the goody from her pocket, a chill came blowing by, nudging her from the slumber. And as a shiver sent goosebumps coursing over her skin, her eyes burst open and she found that was still being licked.
'Fury,' Merlynna softly beamed at her flying cat. She wanted to yell and scream with joy but she didn't want to wake Arthur and Little Johnny. 'You found me. I'm so glad you're safe.' She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.
Fury purred and purred some more but quickly got bored and wriggled free. Then to Merlynna's dismay, he shot into the air and flitted out of the window.
'Not again,' Merlynna groaned with a muted tone before jumping out of bed and out of the train car, where light from several lanterns dotted around strained her eyes. But they soon adjusted and she saw Fury swoop towards the forest floor right underneath her.
With everyone else sleeping, Merlynna made sure to keep quiet as she bolted after him. She leapt across a walkway, down a set of stairs, climbed a ladder, swung on a rope and slid down a slide. And as her shoes eventually touched the forest floor, she looked around.
'Fury?' she breathed. 'Fury?' A meow then caught her and she saw her friend sitting on a well underneath a lamp.
Slowly, she tiptoed over before pouncing and catching him in her arms. 'You're not getting away from me this time.'
She thought Fury would protest but all he did was stare down at the water in the well.
'What are you looking at?' she asked, glaring down too. It was then that she saw a face staring back at her and it wasn't a reflection.
It was the face of the mermaid at the lake. It was Nixie. Her skin gleamed as if it was made of a million sequins and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds.
Though shocked, Merlynna waved and said calmly, 'Hello.'
Nixie blinked before raising her head above the water. And she replied in a dreamy and hypnotic voice, 'Hello, young one.'
'I would never have thought I'd see a mermaid inside a well. How did you get in there?'
'Your cat brought me here. This well is connected to the rivers, creeks and lakes in this forest.'
'Did he now?'
'He told me of you.'
'You can understand cat?'
'I can understand many creatures.'
'We called for you at the lake. Why didn't you come over?'
'This forest has started to change. Change for the bad. I was a little hesitant. But after I saw your friend rescue Esme and after your cat persuaded me, I came to see you.'
'Why?'
'I'd like to show you something.'
'What is it? Is it the Lady of the Lake?'
Nixie bowed in sadness.
'What's wrong?' asked Merlynna.
'Please, let me show you. I'll take you there.' Nixie raised her hand out of the water and gestured to Merlynna to take it.
'You want me to come in the water?'
Nixie nodded. 'It's the only way I can travel. It won't take long. I can swim very fast. You'll have to hold your breath though.'
'Hmm, I don't know.' Suspicion throbbed at the back of Merlynna's mind but Fury soon started licking her ferociously. 'But I guess he wants me to go with you.'
'He does.'
Merlynna then whispered in Fury's ear. 'Do you trust her?'
And Fury responded with a prompt meow.
Merlynna turned back to Nixie and said, 'I'll come with you.'
Nixie smiled and raised her hand further out of the water. Merlynna took it and in she went.
'Oh, that's cold,' Merlynna squeaked.
'Now hold your breath,' said Nixie.
At once, water was rushing over Merlynna and she was diving into the growing darkness below. And she could feel Nixie's tail beside her flipping madly as their speed grew. Soon, she felt herself level out before light from luminescent fish cast their brilliance on the walls of an underwater cave. Then up and up they went until . . .
Splash.
Sucking in air, Merlynna looked around and saw they had burst out into a creek. Fury was hovering above them and frogs croaked in every direction.
Still holding Merlynna's hand, Nixie continued on, but this time much slower. And after they meandered upstream for a while, the mermaid stopped in front of a rocky wall covered in vines.
'Through this way,' said Nixie. Then like that, the vines moved aside, revealing a channel, and in they entered.
Further down, the narrow passage opened wide like a mouth. At the end was the most glorious of waterfalls Merlynna had ever seen, the glistening pool it poured into teeming with dozens of other mermaids.
'Wow,' Merlynna gasped.
Nixie gave out a sad smile and replied, 'We call this the Secret Pond. It's where we rest our heads at night.'
'So what do you want to show me?'
'The grave of the Lady of the Lake.'
Nixie's voice had stammered with heartache and the words sent Merlynna into a terrible dizzying spell.
'Any reason why you want to show me it? Merlynna then asked with a shudder.
'Because it was not long ago that her death occurred,' Nixie replied, 'and her magic is still around. Come.'
The other mermaids watched with twinkles in their eyes as the two drew closer to the waterfall. Then as eddies began to twirl around them, the plummeting liquid parted to let them through.
Beyond was a hidden lagoon where more luminescent fish bedazzled their surroundings. And in the middle breached a rock of which a heap of pebbles lay.
Nixie took Merlynna over and helped the young witch out of the water.
'Is this her grave?' asked Merlynna, glaring down at the mound.
'It is,' Nixie replied.
'How did she die?'
'She was killed.'
'Killed?' Merlynna burst out. 'How? Who? What?'
'It was a creature that the Lady of the Lake kept guarded inside a rock.'
'Like a prisoner?'
'Yes.'
'How did it escape?'
Nixie shook her head. 'It could have been biding its time. Ever since its appearance, though, this forest has slowly been encroached by beings that are not good at heart.'
'Like the ogre.'
'Yes. But there are other monsters even worse than that who have started to call Robin's Wood home. And there is one that had been kept a secret by Robin Hood himself here in the forest, a man in his own grave who was woken by the creature that killed the Lady of the Lake.'
'Robin Hood?'
'Yes, and the man had been his greatest enemy.'
'That–that could only mean–the–the Sheriff.'
'Yes.'
'Oh, my. And what of the creature? Do you know its identity?'
'She is named Morgana.'
Merlynna's mouth dropped again. 'King Arthur's greatest enemy. Are you sure?'
'Very much. And I'm afraid they could cause the destruction of this forest.'
'They could cause the destruction of much more.'
Merlynna grew more dizzy at the thought. Her legs gave out and she crumbled onto the pebbled grave. But suddenly, a flash of brilliant light and warmth engulfed the young witch.