Chapter 9: Journeys
Jake slumped over Max’s body, sound asleep. “Wake up, Jake,” he heard the Cat say. The Cat shook beneath him.
Jake snorted, then mumbled, “Five more minutes.”
“Youngling, I promise we’ll get a hotel tonight; but you need to get up,” Max’s British accent said.
“Why?” Jake grumbled.
“Because, we’re here,” The Cat said.
“Finally,” the seventeen-year-old grumbled. He slid and fell of Max’s back. He got up and looked groggily out over the ocean. “Man, the waves look so soft and fluffy; and the water is so clear it looks like the sky,” he said.
Jake shook his head, in hopes of clearing it of his slumberous fog. “Seriously, your waves look a lot like clouds,” he said. “It’s a little creepy.”
“That’s because, young prince, they are clouds,” Max said.
“My hearing must be off, I thought I heard you say that they are clouds,” Jake said. “How’s my hair?” he asked, patting his matted black hair.
“Even after all this time, you still see through eyes with such little faith,” Max sighed. “I did say that they were clouds. Remember, Narabithia is a land of the impossible; once you can wrap your mind around that, you will be able to cope with the mysteries of Eden.”
“So, your ocean is made of clouds?” Jake said, disbelief hinted in his voice.
“No, Jake, Narabithia’s ocean is the sky,” the old Cat said. “She floats high in the sky, secluded from the rest of Eden.”
“So, that’s why I can’t go see the rest of Eden?” Jake said. “You can’t get down, and they can’t get up?”
“No, I’m afraid it’s a tad bit more complicated than that,” Max sighed. “See, the rest of the rulers of Eden were jealous of Gunther, so the declared war. King Gunther defeated them, and they made a treaty: the common folk could travel between the countries, but the Royalty must say on their respective body of land.”
“Meaning…?” Jake wondered.
Max turned him around. He was facing the empty sky. He was confused, when suddenly, a large wooden vessel burst through the clouds. It looked like a vessel from the seventeen hundreds. It had multiple masts and sails, a crow’s nest with a Narabithian flag waving on it, and forty-eight gun decks on both sides.
It was massive; it was as tall as the Seattle Space Needle, over a mile in length, and several football fields in length. “Whoa!” Jake said in amazement, as he watched it dock.
Max chuckled. “My dear boy, the pact between your father and the other Royals, was simply this: that our people could travel freely to wherever they chose, but the Royals and the Nobles cannot travel off the rock on which they are stranded. So, the Royals of Narabithia can’t go to the rest of Eden, and vise-versa.”
“Bummer,” Jake said. Max nodded his massive head.
“Indeed,” he muttered sadly. They watched as hundreds of people flooded from the boat onto the dock. “Come on, we better check into a hotel before there’s no vacancy.”
Jen woke up in a cold sweat. She had just had a terrible nightmare that Jake had been brutally attacked by bald, flying monkeys. She had an odd flashback to her first time watching the Wizard of Oz; the flying monkeys terrified her as a four-year-old as well.
Jake had called earlier that day and told her all about his adventures to the coast. He told her about the flying air-ship, and how huge and beautiful it was. He also said that they were on their way home.
Now, after her twisted Wizard of Oz dream, Jen feared the worst. She hopped out of bed and hurried to the room across the hall. She knocked on the door. “Yes?” Tabitha’s voice whispered from behind the door.
“It’s me,” Jen whispered back.
“Come on in,” the Catling said. Jen pushed the door open and walked in.
Tabitha’s bed was a mess. Her blankets were all piled in one corner, and the sheet was coming off. Tabitha sat at a desk that occupied much of the right wall. A desk lamp illuminated Tabitha’s form hunched over a piece of paper.
“What are you doing up so late?” she asked.
“I should ask you the same thing,” Jen said.
“I’m a cat, a natural born insomniac,” Tabitha said, not turning from her work. “What’s your excuse?”
“I had a nightmare,” Jen said.
“Well, I guess you can sleep in my bed; but I have to warn you, I have fleas,” Tabitha said playfully.
“Haha, very funny. Actually, my dream was about Jake; I’m afraid he’s hurt, or worse,” Jen said, plopping on Tabitha’s bed. “You were kidding about the fleas, right?”
“’Course,” Jen relaxed. “But, um, just to be safe, you may want to have your clothes washed in extra hot water,” Tabitha said. Jen scooched to the edge of the bed.
“So, tell me your dream,” Tabitha said, turning towards Jen.
“Well, Jake was riding Max, and they past a hill with ruins upon it. Suddenly, a bunch of bald, leathery, demon monkeys swarmed them like piranhas. They began attacking them; and when the monkeys flew away, Jake and Max were gone,” Jen said, finishing her story. “Do you think that could have happened?” she asked.
Tabitha smiled, but Jen could see the fear in her eyes. “My mom used to have dreams like that whenever my dad was gone. Nine out of ten times she was wrong. Don’t worry; if they aren’t back in the next couple days, then we’ll begin to worry,” she said.
Jen looked at her in disbelief. “He will be fine,” Tabitha said.
“’Kay,” Jen muttered. “Whatever you say.” She got up and walked back into her room.
She’s lying, Rikem said as Jen plopped on her bed.
Thought so, she said.
In reality, her mother was right nine times out of ten. Tabitha’s father was able to make it home without being rescued most of the time, the spear hummed.
So, do you think he’s in trouble? Jen asked.
Oh, I know he is. Nomark’s been sending out a distress signal for the last half-hour, the spear replied.
And you didn’t say anything?!
I couldn’t hear it till you went into Tabitha’s room.
Jen growled. So, are we going to tell Tabs, or are we gonna go on our own? She asked.
Rikem thought for a moment, and then answered, No, you heard what she said. She will wait until she is sure he needs help.
Why?
She is afraid. The Dakini are a force to be reckoned with; only the brave or stupid seek out a fight with them, Rikem said.
Dakini?
The Demon monkeys in your dream.
Oh, Jen muttered. She looked around her dark bedroom, and then set her jaw. Let’s go, she said.
Jen quietly snuck up on Black Fyre. He snored loudly as he lay on his back on his bed of hay. “Gold nuggets,” he muttered. Jen tried to keep from laughing; she had no idea that dragons slept talk. “Beautiful, gorgeous, delicious, golden chicken nuggets,” the dragon snorted.
Jen burst out laughing, unable to contain her giggles. Black Fyre awoke with a start. Jen ducked to avoid getting hit in the face by flaming snot. She rolled around on the ground, holding her sides as she continued to laugh.
“It’s not funny,” Black Fyre said. “I could have barbequed you.”
“Don’t worry, I came prepared,” she said, hitting her helmet and shield. She hauled a bunch of bags over to the dragon’s side.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“Jake’s in trouble; Tabs won’t help,” Jen grunted.
“What do you mean?” Black Fyre asked.
“Jake was kidnapped by the Dakini. She is holding on to the false hope he’ll be home tomorrow,” Jen said. “Tabitha is comparing Jake to her father. Jake is many things, but King Gunther is not one of them.” She sighed and shook her head.
“So, we’re going to rescue Jake on our own?” the dragon asked.
“Yup,” Jen said. “But before we go, I got something for ya.” She lifted up a saddle, which made the dragon smile. “This is to prevent anymore butt sores,” She said, rubbing her hind end.
“Thanks,” Black Fyre said.
“Yeah, I had the tailors and smiths put it together. It is super soft on both sides; so that way my butt doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t irritate your scales. It has cup holders, places for the saddle bags; oh, and my favorite feature, a seat heater!” She said, showing off the saddle.
“Whoa!” the dragon said, examining the saddle in awe. “That is awesome!”
“I agree,” Jen said. “Now, let’s put this thing on you; we don’t have much time.”
Light slowly poured in over the horizon. “How long have we been flying?” Jen yawned.
“Seven hours,” Black Fyre said, exhaustion filling his voice.
“Are we almost there?” Jen yawned again. She stretched and sighed. “Man, I love this saddle.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” the dragon said. “We should be arriving at Ruins Mountain, the mountain from your dream, any minute now.” His mouth stretched wide in a huge yawn. “But, I’m gonna need a nap first.”
“How long till Tabs finds out we’re gone?” Jen asked, becoming more alert.
“She won’t find out for another hour, or so. It’ll be tomorrow morning or later before they get here,” Black Fyre said. “I should be able to take a nap.” An explosion rang out not far from them. “Or not.”
He stopped a mile from the explosion. “I need a minute to rest,” Black Fyre said, panting. He collapsed on the ground. Another explosion rang out, and alarms began ringing. Black Fyre’s snoring melded with the noise of chaos.
“You can sleep later, Jake may be in trouble,” Jen said. The dragon groaned.
“Fine, let’s go save your boyfriend,” he said, slowly getting off the ground.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jen said, patting the dragon’s side encouragingly.
“Sure,” Black Fyre said, rolling his eyes. He lifted into the air and flew towards the chaos.
The entire side of a mountain had been blown to bits. “Look at that,” the dragon said, “Ruins Mountain is now Ruined Mountain.”
“And now you sound like Jeff,” Jen replied. He grinned and landed in front of the rubble. Jen grabbed her helmet from the saddle bags, drew her spear, and readied her shield.
“Let’s go find Jake,” She said.
“And Max,” Black Fyre added.
“Who?” Jen said. She thought for a second. “Oh, yeah; him too.” She put her helmet on and she began sneaking into the gaping hole in the side of the hill. “You stay there and keep watch,” she called to Black Fyre.
“’Kay,” he muttered.
She walked into a metal hallway, much to her surprise. She looked at the walls of the hallway. On each side was a capsule –like tube; each was broken and shattered, as if whatever had been in there had found a way out.
A Dakini on the floor stirred. Jen walked up to it and placed her spear on its neck. “Where’s Jake?” she growled.
“The would-be king?” it hissed.
“The to-be king,” she barked at the Dakini.
“Why should I tell you?” it rasped.
“Because, I have a spear that would just love to pierce that black little heart of yours,” Jen snarled. “I don’t know how long I can hold her back.”
“I have backup.” The Dakini screeched loudly. Several screeches answered it. Suddenly, a great force knocked Jen in the back of the head. She turned to look at her assailants and was knocked into a wall. She looked up, and saw that she was defenseless; her helmet and shield had flung in different directions. She had only her spear to protect her.
How is that possible? She wondered.
They’re demons, Rikem replied. Who knows?
Jen looked up and saw a Dakini flying at her with a broken spear. She ducked and barely avoided the spear tip. In an instant, ten Dakini surrounded her. I’m dead, she thought. Suddenly, her dragon ring began to expand and cover her hand.
Before she knew it, her whole arm was covered in dragon-like armor. The ring continued to expand; it covered her chest, then her torso, and then her legs were armored. The Dakini watched in horror as Jen’s ring continued to expand, swallowing her body whole. Finally, the ring ceased to expand.
Jen was completely covered in black, scale-like, full-body armor. Her helmet was spiny and dragon-like, as if she were wearing the head of a draconian, a human/dragon hybrid. The ring dragon’s head was Jen’s helmet; its mischievous green eyes blinking happily where the holes for her eyes should be, and it smiled joyfully.
Jen looked at herself in complete shock. The world was tinted green, as if she was looking through the dragon’s gemstone eyes to see. Then it dawned on her, she was looking through the gems on the dragon’s face.
Don’t be afraid, a young boy’s voice said in her head. You’re still in control. Then, the voice was silent.
“What the heck just happened?” Jen asked aloud.
We only have time for one question, Rikem buzzed. Do you want to ask it, or shall I?
I got this one, Jen said. But, I may need your help persuading the little weasels to talk.
Works for me, the spear replied. Jen threw one her spear at one of the dazed demons, piercing its chest and pinning it to the wall. The Dakini got over their stupor and began attacking Jen.
One dove at her, and she flip-kicked it into a weak section of the wall, causing the whole wall to come crashing down on the demon. Jen summoned her spear, which took out another Dakini which was flying over her. She impaled one and cut the throat of another. To her amazement, her helmet incinerated some with a large belch of flames.
Soon, only one Dakini was left. It tried flying away, but Jen jumped fifteen feet into the air onto its back. She grabbed it by its throat and slammed it into the ground. “Where is Jake?” she roared, literally. The dragon-head magnified her voice and made it sound like that of a dragon.
The Dakini clawed at its windpipe, which was being crushed by Jen’s iron grip. It screeched in outrage. “Spill it, or I spill you,” she snarled.
“Never,” it said.
“Tell me,” she growled. Jen pushed the tip of her spear into the Dakini’s stomach. It began gushing black blood.
“Alright, fine,” it squealed. “Fine, I’ll tell you. He went into the Xilon Forest , five miles that way,” it pointed west, “but I cannot guaranty he is still alive.”
“Thank you,” Jen said, removing her spear from its stomach. “But I cannot guaranty you will live either.” And with that, she left.
When she reached the plain in front of the mountain, she saw Black Fyre snoozing in the warm sunlight. “Black Fyre,” she called. He snorted before slowly getting up. He saw Jen and immediately became alert, growling at her ferociously.
“Who are you?” he barked. “And where is Jen?”
How do I get the armor off? Jen thought. Suddenly, the armor shrank back down into the ring. Black Fyre gasped.
“Jen? How…What?” the dragon stammered.
“My ring is super awesome,” Jen replied.
“Your ring?” he wondered. “Let me see it.” Jen raised her hand towards the dragon. He stared at it in awe. “Oh my gosh, that’s one of the rings,” he muttered.
“What?” Jen said.
“Remember how I told you that at one point dragons had Riders?” the dragon asked. Jen nodded. “Well, long before Tabitha’s father was born, there were seven Riders and seven dragons. The Riders had the dwarves of old create rings for each of them, so that they would be more dragon-like if a critical situation would occur.”
“Like a fail-safe?” Jen wondered. The dragon nodded.
“Each of the rings had a different power. One let the Rider sprout wings and fly; while another gave the Rider the strength of a dragon. Another ring gave its rider speed, while another still, armored its Rider with dragon-like scales.
“But the leaders of the dragon Riders, a Normal named Cadmus and his dragon Tatsu, they had a different ring. Cadmus’ ring had the powers of all other gifts combined, plus some. His armor had a humorous baby dragon living in it, who breathed fire at his enemies; he did feats of strengths and might that no ogre could ever do, let alone a Normal man.
“He wowed the world with his gifts; and when it came time for the Riders to fall into the Everlasting Sleep, they hid their rings all over the worlds. It is said only descendants could use the rings powers, and bring the Riders to their former glory,” Black Fyre finished.
“Wow,” Jen said. “So it’s a lot like the Lord of the Rings?”
“In a sense, except Cadmus was good,” Black Fyre said. “So, have you been stronger at some points than you normally are?” he asked.
“Most definitely,” Jen answered. Black Fyre began grinning ecstatically.
“Then you, Jen, are the descendant of Cadmus, ruler of the Dragon Riders,” he said. Jen stared at her ring in awe. Now, she was the Heir to two thrones. Her head felt like it was going to explode.
“Was your mission successful?” the dragon asked.
“They’re in the Xilon Forest,” she said, still trying to recover from her shock.
Black Fyre shivered in fear. “That is the most dangerous place in all of Narabithia. Let us hope they are still alive.”
Tabitha paced around the Living Room in anxiety. “There is no sign of Jen or the dragon, and her spear is gone as well,” a servant reported.
“Darn it! Thank you, Malcom, you may go,” Tabitha said. Once the servant had left, she began swearing proficiently in Narabithian.
“Do I want to know what she’s saying?” Jeff asked Exlore.
“No, she’s putting sky-pirates to shame right now,” Exlore answered. He walked up to Tabitha. “Tabs, Tabs,” he said. She looked at him, tears of worry filling her eyes. “You need to relax, I’m sure they’re fine. Black Fyre’s a dragon for crying out loud. Very few things are stupid enough to challenge him.”
“What if they go into the Xilon Forest?” Tabitha asked.
“Black Fyre knows better; as does Max. They won’t go in there,” he said. He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in an encouraging hug. For a moment, she hugged him back, but then she stiffened.
“Would you go into the Forest to save me?” she asked.
“Well, of course, but-”
Tabitha pulled away from his embrace. “Then that’s what Jen would do. And I now know for certain Jake’s in there. We have no time to lose,” she said. Exlore reluctantly let go of Tabitha.
“How many do you want on the search?” he asked.
“Just the four of us,” she said, pointing to the twins, Exlore, and herself, “and Jon and Rosa.”
“The Steeds too, right?” Dara asked. “I mean, this is my father were trying to find. I want in.”
“The Steeds too,” Tabitha said. She turned to Exlore. “Do you think you can everything we need ready by lunch?” she asked him.
“Of course, malady. I will get right on it,” he replied.
They left at noon, and didn’t arrive at Ruins Mountain till dawn the next day. They looked in shock at the Mountain; a whole side of it had been blown to smithereens. “Look at that,” Jeff said. “Ruins Mountain is now Ruined Mountain.”
Rosa rolled her eyes as groans rang out from the group. Jeff’s jokes were never funny, and he was irritating; yet, Rosa couldn’t help but feel slightly attracted to him. No, no, she thought to herself. You are not going to follow through with your father’s wishes. You can’t let that happen.
“What the heck happened to the Mountain?” Tabitha asked.
“By the smell of it,” Jon said taking a deep breath through his nose, “Max and Jake escaped, but something drove them into the Xilon Forest. Jen and Black Fyre came by, interrogated one of the Dakini, and then followed the duo into the woods.”
“Wow, that is some nose,” Jeff said. The Wolfling smiled.
“Well, it has saved my life a time or two,” he said. “I’d be lost without it.”
“We need to split up,” Tabitha said, interrupting Jon’s train of thought.
“What?!” Exlore said. “Why?”
“I need to find out what is in the Mountain. There may be something in there that could mean the difference between victory and defeat,” Tabitha said. “I’ll be fine. You go with the others into the Forest,” she told him. “You’re their best chance for survival.”
Exlore looked crushed. Tabitha began riding off toward the Mountain. “Go with her, mate,” Jon said. “We can take care of ourselves.” Exlore looked at his friend gratefully, before riding off to catch up with Tabitha.
He is so into her, Rosa thought, watching the Catlings ride into the Mountain.
“Alrighty then,” Jon said. “I guess I’m the leader, is that cool with you, mates?”
“Please,” Rusty said, “be our guest.” Jon smiled at her.
Hmm, Rosa wondered. Nah, it’s just my imagination.
Jon hopped off his horse and Rosa followed suit. “They’re too smart to go into the Forest,” Jon explained. “So, we’ll have to go on foot.”
“Are you guys coming?” Jeff asked Gideon.
“Don’t be stupid,” the black Cat’s deep voice said. “’Course we’re goin’.”
“But, we wouldn’t mind having a break from carrying you,” Dara said. The twins hopped of their Steeds.
“Now beware,” Rosa said. “The Forest is full of deadly and dangerous creatures, but they are the least of your worries. The foliage is your real foe.”
“What, like, giant poison oak?” Jeff joked.
“More like giant Venus Flytraps, and man-eating lilies,” She replied.
“Oh, that sounds bad,” he replied.
“Indeed, it is. Why do you think all fear the Forest?” Jon said. An eerie silence fell over them. “Well then, onward ho.” He began walking towards the Forest. Reluctantly, the others began following Jon toward almost certain doom.
They wandered the forest for hours, and they found no sign of the missing Heirs. Thankfully, they found no signs of anything man-eating either, beast or plant. They called out the names of their friends; the only response they got was their own echoes.
While Jeff was yelling, he heard a subtle hiss. “Guys, did you hear that?” The rest all stopped mid-scream.
“Hear what?” Rusty asked. The hissing began again, this time louder.
“That,” Jeff said. Suddenly, a cloud of dust appeared around them, causing Jeff to have an asthma attack. “Guys?” he called out between coughing fits. “Where are you?”
“I’m over here,” Rosa said. Jeff walked over to her. He squinted, trying to see through the great cloud of dirt.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Where’s everybody else?” she asked. Suddenly, a round of sneezing went off.
“I’m…Over…Here,” Gideon said between fits of sneezing. “I’m mostly okay,” he said. “I hate dust.”
“Where’s everyone else?” Rosa asked.
As quickly as it came, the dust vanished; they were the only one’s there.
“They’re gone,” Jeff said.
Rusty struggled to free herself from the snake’s tight grasp. Once they had gotten out of the dust, Rusty could see what had taken her. It was a large bronze snake, about twelve feet thick and who-knows-how-many feet long.
She, along with Jon and Dara, were trapped in one of the snake’s coils. After a great amount of struggling, Rusty managed to free herself from the snake’s crushing grip. The snake was zooming through the forest, so that when Rusty got out, she flew to its tail. She jabbed Marniam into the snake’s tail so she could hold onto the snake.
The snake did not appreciate getting stabbed with a knife; so, with one flick of its tail it dislodged her knife and sent her flying into the air. She screamed as she fell, expecting a back-breaking crunch when she hit the floor. Rusty was surprised to land on something not quite as painful.
She looked down and saw Jon lying under her. “Ow,” he muttered. She quickly hopped up and pealed Jon off the ground.
“Nice catch,” She said.
“Ah, well, you were worth the pain,” Jon said. He quickly corrected himself. “I mean, because you are the princess, you know.” He grumbled to himself, “I’m just gonna shut up now.”
Rusty giggled. Even though Jon was a wolf-boy with salivary issues, he constantly drools whenever he looks at her, he was still charming and some-what handsome. She enjoyed the way he fumbled with his words; most people didn’t have a problem talking to her, they only needed one word to sum her up: freak.
“Come on Dog-Boy, let’s go save my Cat,” Rusty said.
“Wait, was that said endearingly, or as an insult?” Jon asked. “’Cause, remember, I just saved your life.”
“Endearingly,” Rusty replied. “Now, how do we find the snake?”
“Follow the path of destruction,” the Wolfling answered.
“That snake was going over a hundred miles-per-hour,” She said, “We’ll never catch up to them on foot.”
“Lucky for you-,” Jon said, he began transforming into a real dingo, “-I have four feet.”
“What about me?” Rusty asked.
“You’re the Heir of the Elves, talk to the animals. One of them might give you a ride,” he said, taking off after the snake.
“But how?” She yelled back.
He was too far away to hear her, or answer back, so she stood there in the silent woods. After a few moments, someone said, “All you have to do, Princa, is ask.”
Rusty turned and saw a large elk standing behind her. The elk was unlike any she had ever seen; it had a lion’s tail, goat hooves, and the largest rack of antlers ever. When the buck smiled, a row of sharp canine teeth showed. “What the-?” she said.
“I am a Califa Elk, and I would be honored to give you a ride,” the buck said, bowing before her.
“Uh, thanks; how long have you been standing there?” Rusty asked.
“Since Dog-Boy saved your life and stole your heart,” he said.
“What?” Rusty said in shock. “He stole my heart?”
“Ah, young love, always blind and in denial. Now, you must mount me Princa, so we can save your Steed; and catch up with your knight-in-furry-armor.” Rusty reluctantly mounted the strange elk.
Once she was on, the elk zoomed off towards the snake and Jon. Within seconds, they had caught up to the dingo. “No way! Is that a Califa Elk?” Jon asked.
“Yes, I am. If you would be so kind to mount me, I shall be able to catch the Great Snake. Unless, of course, you wish to be left behind,” the buck said.
Jon quickly got over his shock and ran towards a downed tree. He back flipped off of it, and transformed mid-air, landing in Wolfling form on the buck’s back.
“Nice Job,” Rusty said.
“Thanks,” he replied.
“I’m about to enter warp-speed,” the buck yelled to them. “You’ll want to hang onto something.”
“Okay,” Rusty shouted back.
“Did he say something?” Jon asked.
“Yeah; ‘hang on’,” she replied.
“To what?” he asked.
“To me,” she said. He wrapped his arms around her waist, with only a slight hesitation. A warm, tingly sensation flooded Rusty. She quickly, got over the sensation and grabbed ahold of the elk’s neck. “We’re ready!”
The Califa Elk zoomed forward at the speed of sound. Rusty’s face felt like it was gonna fly off her skull, and nausea boiled in her stomach. The next second, they were atop the snake’s head. The elk stopped and let them off.
“Good luck, Princa,” the buck shouted over the roaring winds. He zoomed off towards the opposite end of the forest.
Rusty did her best to stand, but had little success. Jon made it to his feet, and stumbled over to help her up. She refused it, saying, “Thanks, but what I really need you to do is save my Cat. I’ll distract the snake.”
Jon looked as if he were going to argue, but decided against it. “As you wish, you’re Majesty,” He said, before sliding down the snake’s neck.
Rusty turned and faced the front of the snake. She jabbed her knife into its skull, making it scream. She copied Marniam and jabbed the copy into the snake’s skull, as well. She used the knives to crawl to the snake’s forehead, where she slid onto its nose.
She began hurling copies of her knife into the snake’s eyes. The snake hissed in outrage and began trying to shake her off. Rusty succeeded in hanging on, till the snake’s head fell off.
Rusty began falling at an alarming rate. Uh-oh, not again she thought. Before her body could force a scream, something flew through the air and caught her. They landed on the ground, and Rusty saw that Jon had caught her in his arms.
“Much better than last time,” she said, getting down. “Where’s Dara?” she asked.
“She’s over there,” Jon said, pointing to a multicolored mound. “She’s unconscious, but she’ll be okay.”
Rusty walked over to her Cat. She placed a hand on the soft tortoise-shell pattern that resided on Dara’s back. “Let’s find somewhere away from the dead snake to rest and recover,” she said, poking the carcass with her shoe.
Rusty tries waking her Cat, but to no avail. She grabbed a piece of wood and enchanted it to levitate. Jon helped her heave the Cat’s body onto the board; and they began walking forward farther into the forest.
“Well, it’s official,” Jeff said. “We’re lost.”
“It was official an hour ago,” Rosa grumbled. They wandered the forest helplessly, with no clue where they were going.
“So, this mission went from rescue to survive faster than I expected it to,” Jeff said. They stopped in a clearing by a pool of water.
“It was always a manner of survival, it would just be a bonus if we rescued them,” Rosa retorted coldly.
“Well, someone’s in a grouchy mood,” Jeff said. He looked around the clearing. He walked over and filled his canteen with the cool water. “This looks like a good place to stop and rest for the night,” he said.
Gideon sighed in relief and plopped on the forest floor. Jeff went to work taking off the saddle bags and setting up camp.
“For the night? It’s only lunchtime,” she informed them. Rosa sat on the ground, her legs crossed under her.
“Really? It feels like we’ve been in here longer than that,” Jeff said.
“Yeah, speaking of which, I’m gonna go hunting,” Gideon said, getting up and walking off into the forest. “Don’t leave this spot,” he called.
“Okay!” Jeff yelled back. “We should still stay here till tomorrow; so we can recover from that crazy lily attack. You know, to be honest, I was really hoping that you had lied about the man-eating lilies… Rosa?”
He looked at Rosa closely. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was extremely tense. “Are you okay?” he asked her. Rosa stared blankly at the trees. She slowly nodded. Jeff smirked. He knew better.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Rosa mumbled.
“I’m not stupid,” Jeff said. “You can tell me what’s wrong.”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Tears began welling in Rosa’s eyes. Jeff sat beside her on the ground.
“Oh, yeah? Try me,” he said.
Rosa looked at the ground and shamefully muttered, “I’m afraid of the plants.”
“Really?” Jeff said incredulously.
“I knew you wouldn’t understand,” Rosa said, laughing bitterly.
“Really?” Jeff said, looking her in the eyes. “You have an amazing connection with plants; they’re like family to you. Now, they’re attacking you and cutting you off from they’re family, making you an outsider. You feel helpless and abandoned.” Rosa looked at him with awe.
“How did you-?” she asked.
“I’ve felt helpless for the past ten years of my life; watching my sister’s curse tear our family apart, and having no clue how to bring us back together again,” Jeff said.
“I had no clue,” Rosa said.
“Of course you didn’t,” Jeff replied. He grit his teeth. “It’s not something I like to talk about.”
“So, what happened? What did Rusty’s ‘curse’ do to tear your family apart?” Rosa asked, her demeanor becoming calm.
“When we were five, our parents took us and our older sister to the Golden Gate Bridge. Rusty’s curse had only just started developing and we thought nothing of it.” Jeff sighed. “Rusty nearly destroyed the Bridge, and my dad wasn’t re-elected as Governor of California. He lost the position to Pete Wilson.
“My dad began drinking, and everything went south. Our mother was the only one that cared for us and treated us as if we were her real children. So, naturally, our father and sister began treating her badly as well. The greatest news of my life was that our cousin Jake and his family were moving back to Oregon.
“Our mother filed for divorce and we went to live with Jake and his family. Things gradually got better, for everyone but Rusty. Everyone knew she was the one who had nearly destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge with some wacky power, and kids always teased her and called her a freak.
“Ever since then, she’s hid her curse behind a pair of gloves, terrified that her curse will ruin everything all over again. I didn’t know how to help or what to do. The one time I tried protecting Rusty from our father’s wrath, I nearly died. After that, I became too afraid to help her, I just watched on, helpless, as our mother took our father’s wrath upon herself to protect Rusty,” Jeff finished.
“No one loved her like our mother,” he said.
“Wow,” Rosa said. Then, she did something unexpected; she hugged Jeff tightly. Jeff hugged her back. “I guess we have more in common than I thought,” she said.
Not wanting to push her away, Jeff summoned some sandwiches from the saddlebags. He handed her one and began tearing into another, leaving one arm wrapped around Rosa. She reluctantly began eating it. “Thank you,” she said between bites.
“Aww, it was nothing more than a little levitation spell,” Jeff said.
“No, for helping me feel better,” She corrected him. “If you can survive a childhood like that, surely I can survive a couple of days in a forest with evil plants.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jeff said. He handed her his canteen. “Here, you need to drink something,” he said. She popped the top off, and a sweet, chocolaty aroma filled their noses.
“So, what are Xilons, and why haven’t we seen any?” Jeff asked as Rosa began sipping the hot chocolate.
“Xilons are what Earthlings call ‘dinosaurs’, large reptiles will pointy teeth that will saw you in half. They mainly stay near the Marsh, where food and water is abundant. We are on the edge of the Plant Territory and the Marsh,” Rosa explained.
“They probably don’t come over here because of the giant carnivorous plants,” she said. She sighed.
“Feeling better?” Jeff asked. Rosa nodded. “Good enough to help me set up camp?”
“Suddenly, I feel very fatigued,” Rosa said jokingly. She feigned a yawn and placed her head on Jeff’s shoulder. She began fake snoring, which made Jeff laugh. They began laughing together, which made his heart soar.
Sadly, when their laughing stopped, so did Rosa’s hug. She knocked his arm out from around her and stood up. Jeff followed suit, and said, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Rosa replied, her back turned to him. “We just need to start setting up camp, that’s all.”
Jeff didn’t believe her, but he decided to not go down that road. Rosa will tell me when she’s ready, he thought. I hope.
Rusty stared across the roaring fire at her sleeping Cat. The dancing flames were casting orange hues across her face, and Jon tried hard not to stare at her beauty. To him, every part of her was amazing; from her face and hair, to the way she picked at her gloves when she was nervous.
Finally, he worked up the courage to ask, “What’s with the gloves?”
Rusty sighed. “I’m a freak, that’s all,” she said.
“Can’t be more of a freak than me,” Jon said. “Let’s hear it.”
“Only if you don’t treat me like a freak,” she said.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll tell you my tale of freakiness,” Jon said. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Rusty said. She took a deep breath and said, “Well, I have this curse. It’s really hard to explain-”
“Then, just show me,” Jon interrupted. “And I promise, sheila, I won’t freak out.”
“Good,” Rusty said. She reached for Jon’s sword. “May I?” she asked. He nodded and handed it to her. She laid the blade in her lap and pulled off one of her gloves. She touched her bare forefinger on the metal.
Flakes of red spread from where her finger touched across the blade, rusting the sword within seconds. “Wow,” Jon said. “Can you unrust things too?”
In reply, Rusty touched her finger to the blade again. The red flakes fell off and flew away in the wind, leaving the blade shinier than before. Rusty slipped her glove back on and handed Jon his sword.
“Sadly, I don’t know how to control it,” Rusty said.
“At least you can hide your gift,” Jon said. “Mine is much more obvious.”
“True,” Rusty said. “So, what is the freaky tale of Jonathon Brogan?” she asked.
“That’s the thing, I don’t know. Exlore and his dad found me frozen in the ice of the North. They woke me up and the only memory I had was my name; though I question whether that was memory or my dog tags to this day.
“Anyway, Exlore’s dad died saving me from a vicious Wolf Bear, and we had to make it home without him. We both marched up the military ranks quiet quickly for warriors our age, and the rest is history,” Jon said.
“So, is your memory, and the fact that you are the only Wolfling I’ve seen, what makes you a freak, or is there more?” Rusty asked.
“My Wolfling form is not my true form,” Jon said.
“Well, what is?” she asked.
“My human form; the dingo and Wolfling forms are just extras. When I’m in this form, I get exhausted faster. I take more naps than Tabitha, and that’s sayin’ something,” he answered.
“Then, and I know this is a stupid question, why don’t you just stay in your human form?” Rusty asked.
“Just like you don’t know how to control your gift, I don’t know how to control mine. No one can teach me how, because no one shifts anymore,” Jon said.
Rusty stared silently at her knife for a few minutes before saying, “I’ll teach you.”
“You?” Jon asked.
“Well, Marniam will. She says she knows how, and she’s willing to teach you through me. On one condition,” Rusty said, “you teach me how to control my gift. Can you do that?”
“Piece of pie,” he said.
“Then, do we have a deal?” Rusty said, holding out her hand.
“Looks like it,” Jon said, grabbing her hand and shaking it. He held on a little bit longer than he should have; and upon noticing this, awkwardly let go. “So, when do we begin?” he asked.
“We can start right now,” Rusty said.
“Sounds good to me, mate; I mean love; no, I mean sheila,” Jon said, inwardly cursing himself for his stupidity.
“It’s okay, I know what you mean,” Rusty said.
“So, I what do I need to do first?” he asked.
“You need to relax; your Wolfling form is triggered when you’re stressed. Marniam believes that if you picture something or someone that helps you relax, it will help trigger your human form,” Rusty said.
Jon closed his eyes, and the first picture that popped into his head was Rusty’s. He smiled.
“Very good,” Rusty’s voice said. Jon opened his eyes and looked at her, cocking his head in confusion.
“But, I haven’t done anything yet,” he said. Rusty lifted his hand in front of his face. It was the hand of a young man; it had no fur or claws, just skin, nails, and dirt. Jon felt his face. No fur!
“Yes! But how?” he asked.
“You thought of something that brings you peace and relaxes your soul. Because your soul was relaxed, your body relaxed and reverted to your natural form,” Rusty said. “Whenever you feel-” Rusty yawned, “stressed, think of this image you had in your head. It should-” she yawned again, “help revert you to your human form.” She yawned a third time.
“You should get some sleep, sheila,” Jon said. “I’ll take the first watch.”
“Thanks,” Rusty said. She got up, yawning as she did so, and walked over to Dara. She rested her back on Dara’s sleeping form. “Marniam thinks you should spend a lot of time at or with the subject of your image. It will help you master relaxing and shifting into your human form,” she added, closing her eyes.
“Good to know,” Jon said. He smiled and lifted his eyes toward the dark night sky. Then, as Rusty began to snore, he whispered, “Night love.”