by Otto Schafer
“Yeah, well, I’m still missing something. We still don’t know who this queen is or what she wants with us,” Pete said, pressing his lips into a tight line. “I’ll keep working on it.”
The next morning, Garrett woke to a firm hand shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Paul standing outside his cocoon.
“Something’s happening,” Paul said.
Garrett climbed out onto the floor of their cell to find dim morning light just starting to penetrate the darkness. “What’s wrong?” he said, stretching.
“All the trees have stopped moving excepts ours,” Paul said, pointing out past the diamond-patterned walls.
He was right. The sound was different too. It was quieter, and there was no clatter from the other trees. In fact, the only sound came from the four large oak trees that carried their cell.
“Let’s wake the others,” Garrett said and walked over to Lenny’s cocoon. “Hey, Len, wake up – we think we’re getting close.”
Lenny sat up, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. “Great. Here we go.”
“Hey, Len, I’ve been trying to tell you something for the last few days.” Garrett crouched down next to his friend.
“What are you talking about, trying? You can tell me anything. So, what’s up? Are you okay?”
“It isn’t about me, Len. It’s about you, and I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I can’t go into whatever we’re about to face holding on to this secret. If… I die. Well, you just got to know before—”
“Garrett! What the hell are you talking about, bro?” Lenny asked, widening his eyes and rubbing a hand across his face.
“Look, promise me something?” Garrett asked.
“What the hell, Garrett? You’re starting to freak me out.” Lenny frowned.
“Promise me you won’t be mad at me for not telling you sooner?”
“I hate it when you have to make promises about shit you don’t even understand, but fine. You’re my best friend and we’ve been through too much for me to stay mad at you anyway. Now come on with it.”
Garrett had given a lot of thought to how he would start this conversation. In fact, he had been thinking about it for days. But when the moment came, it all went out the window. “You aren’t human, Lenny. Well, not all the way human.”
Lenny stared at Garrett for a solid three count before bursting out in laughter. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s just for starters, there’s more, Len. So much more,” Garrett said, forcing a smile.
Lenny continued to laugh, but Garrett held his own face stone serious.
“I know who your parents were,” Garrett said.
Lenny stopped laughing, and the smile fell from his face. “Don’t joke about my parents, Garrett – that isn’t funny.”
“Lenny, I would never joke about your parents.”
Lenny narrowed his eyes, his face twisting to an expression somewhere between anger and confusion.
“Lenny, it’s all in this journal,” Garrett said, holding the journal out to his friend. “Coach was your father, Lenny. Your mother was from Kingston, Jamaica. She died when you were still—”
“Shut your face, Garrett. Shut up, or so help me!”
“You promised, Len. Remember?” Garrett asked, still holding the journal out.
“You finished reading it days ago?!”
“I know, but I didn’t know how to tell you!” Garrett said.
“You didn’t know how? You’re my friend, Garrett! You just do it! That’s how,” Lenny said, snatching the journal from his hands. “You had no right to keep this from me!”
“You’re right. I just didn’t…” He shook his head. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make!” Lenny said, too loud.
“I’m sorry. But I want to talk. There’re things in there you need to know. Lenny, you’re Syldan’s son! Do you even understand what that—”
“Get away from me, Garrett,” Lenny said.
Garrett nodded. “I’m sorry, Len.”
For the remainder of the morning, Garrett paced around the cell restlessly as Lenny sat in his cocoon reading Coach’s notebook. Around them, the four oak trees continued to press forward through a seemingly never-ending forest of unmoving trees.
It wasn’t until Pete cleared his throat and said, “Guys, I think I know where we’re going,” that Lenny finally lifted his eyes from the notebook and joined Garrett and the others.
Everyone gathered around Pete expectantly.
“You still pissed at me, Len?” Garrett asked quietly.
“Hell yes, I’m still pissed,” Lenny said, leaning into Garrett’s ear so the others wouldn’t hear. “Have you said anything to the guys about this?”
“Lenny, come on! What kind of friend do you think I am?” Garrett whispered sternly.
“The kind who keeps secrets from his best friend.”
He deserved that. “I would never say anything unless you asked me to.”
“Good. I’m not ready for anyone to know, especially Pete. Can you imagine, after the hell I gave him about Janis?”
Garrett had actually already given this plenty of thought over the last couple days, but it didn’t stop him from giving Lenny a hard time. “Oh ho, shit, that’s right, she’d be your cousin, and Apep… Apep’s your uncle? Old world-dominating psycho uncle. Don’t worry, Len, every family has one, right? Oh crap! I don’t have to worry about you turning to the dark side, do I?”
“You dick! Too soon, way too soon!” Lenny said, shaking his head.
Garrett smiled. Lenny was plenty pissed and Garrett knew he had every bit of it coming, but in that moment he also knew that he and Lenny were going to be okay.
“Look, I just need to… I need to process all this, okay? I might have been ready by now if my best friend had told me all this days ago!”
“I deserve that. I should have told you, and it was stupid and selfish not to.”
Pete, already pacing, cleared his throat again. “Hey, you two care to share with the class, or can I have the floor?”
Garrett waved his hand with a flourish. “All yours, Petey.”
Pete shot Garrett a disapproving look and started in. “I was thinking about this most of the night. Remember how I said there is one clonal tree even older than all the others?”
David nodded. “Yeah, right, you said over fifty thousand years old.”
“Scientists say that clonal grove of trees may be the oldest living thing on earth. Now that I’m sure Governess and Jurupa are clonal trees, I’m ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure my new hypothesis is also correct.”
“Earth to Pete! Mind getting to the point?” David asked, throwing up his hands.
Pete stopped pacing and looked at Garrett and the others. “Guys, does it feel like we might be in Utah?”
“That’s a pretty specific guess for a kid that hasn’t traveled outside Illinois, but yeah, that seems right,” Paul said, standing with his legs apart and his arms crossed. “I know from the sun and what little of the night sky I’ve been able to see through the canopy that we’ve been heading dead west. Plus, as you guys should have noticed, the days are getting warmer too, and the air seems dryer.” Paul nodded at Pete. “So what? You math this out based on speed of travel estimation?”
“No, nothing like that,” Pete said, shaking his head. “It’s all about the trees.”
“Okay, Pete, so what’s this got to do with your fifty-thousand-year-old cloning forest?” Lenny asked.
“Well, everything, Lenny… Everything. I think I just figured out who we’re going to see.”
34
Return of the King
Friday, April 29 – God Stones Day 23
State of Amazonas, Brazil
When Helreginn first stepped into the morning air, green vegetation bounded him on all sides, enfolding him in colors he had not seen for so long he had nearly forgotten what they looked like. And the smells! Fresh dirt, leaves, and somethi
ng sweet, something… familiar. Then he heard strange cries as little humans crept carefully forward from the jungle as if to sneak upon him. Ah, a smell so sweet indeed. The small tribe of humans threw themselves facedown as his feet. Humans were so much smaller than he remembered. The tallest of these barely stood to his own navel.
All the king’s twelve wives joined him, marveling at this new world. How truly magical this must be for them, as none of them were born before the descent. It wasn’t until centuries after the long walk that the first oracle was born of the red sun. It was her vision that counseled the king of the nephilbock to take one wife to represent each of the Helreginn’s twelve fingers. The twelve fingers that ruled Agartha. And so it was. Once a century for twelve hundred years, Helreginn had chosen a new wife. Then after, should one of his wives die (as three had), he waited until the turn of the century and chose a replacement. He had taken fifteen wives in total since the first century of Agartha.
He smiled as he watched his wives feast on the flesh of the human sacrifices.
His wives smiled back at their king, pride filling their hearts as their first taste of human flesh filled their bellies.
That was two days ago. Twice the yellow sun had crossed the sky and washed over King Helreginn’s face for the first time in nearly eight millennia. Eight millennia since they had pushed him from the land under the blue sky and forced him to retreat to the center of this world. Eight millennia since the human wizard stole his gods and killed nearly all his people – nearly all, but not all. Now look at his nephilbock. Look at the unstoppable force he had built.
Where was their human wizard now? Let any pathetic human try to stop the deluge of might that bubbled forth from the soul of this planet. For today, two days after his own arrival, all twenty-five thousand of his nephilbock gathered en masse, as the last of his people finally ascended from the depths of Agartha to serve their gods!
The weary king smiled up at the fading sun, and though he was tired, and his body still ached from several days of climbing, he was ready. His people, all gathered now in this isolated jungle, were ready. It was time to march north toward their gods.
Besides, they couldn’t rest here lest they starve. His people had already eaten all they could carry during the ascent, and the meager sacrifices from this tiny tribe of bony humans simply would not do. If there was any disappointment to be found in their rise from below, it was that the world seemed so sparsely populated. All this time, he had grown his people. What had the humans been doing? Hadn’t they populated?
The leader of Helreginn’s High Guard, Gato, approached.
“Father,” Gato said, kneeling and bowing his head.
“Stand, my son.”
Gato was one of fifty-five children King Helreginn had fathered. He had become the king’s favorite son after completing the seven tests and defeating the mighty warrior Ragok in a fight to the death for the right to lead the High Guard. Head of the king’s High Guard was the highest honor any warrior of Agartha could achieve. Gato’s victory had brought honor to his bloodline, and this pleased Helreginn greatly. “What troubles you?” Helreginn asked.
“Our people have traveled far. Some are becoming weak from hunger,” Gato said.
“Have you traveled far?” Helreginn asked.
“Of course, Father.”
“Have you eaten more than you could carry?”
“No, Father, of course not.”
“Are you weak, Gato?”
Gato straightened and pushed out his chest. “No, my king!”
“Then our people are not weak from lack of food. They are simply weak.”
“Yes, Father!” Gato said, beating a fist into his chest plate.
“You are excused,” Helreginn said, pounding his own fist into his chest. Helreginn watched as his favored son faded into the ranks of his people. His son was right that his people were hungry, but he could not and would not allow them to be weak.
“Human!” the king said to the tribe elder, who was still hovering around him. “Where are all the humans of this world? Are there not more sacrifices? You disappoint your gods!”
The old human spoke. “Many humans, great one. Too many to know. We keep away. Protect the gate. Protect nephilbock!” The old human threw himself down into a prone position and wept.
The king frowned at the old human’s butchering of the nephilbock language. Such an unworthy human. Never mind that the words he spoke were no doubt passed from one gatekeeper to the next since the time of the descent. It was no excuse to be barely understandable, but Helreginn understood enough to know what he needed to know. There were many humans out there. This place was likely hidden to prevent others from finding it.
The king climbed above the cave and stood atop the cliff-face overlooking his mass of nephilbock. “My nephilbock! My family! Have I not kept my word? Have I not fulfilled my promise? We made the ascent! Some didn’t believe a yellow sun existed in a blue sky! Some of you doubted your king! Did you not know your whispers reached my ears?” Helreginn raised a fist high in the air. “But do not fear! I forgive you, this day. This is a day of rejoicing. But be warned, my children, never doubt your king again! I only forgive once.” He paused, allowing his gaze to drift out over his people. He found a few in the crowd and allowed his gaze to linger on them for a long moment. They shifted, uncomfortable under their king’s scrutiny. Good, he thought.
Still holding his fist high, Helreginn spoke again. “We have a great distance to cross! The trail will be long and hard! But do not doubt my next words! And dare not whisper at my back! The gods await us! We are the people of Agartha! We are the risen! I promise you, my loyal followers, you will not go hungry! Many humans lie between us and the gods!” Helreginn beat his fist against his armored chest plate. “Fall in behind your king! We march onward to the gods!”
Twenty-five thousand nephilbock raised their weapons, beat their giant chests, and shouted together, “To the gods!”
The rest of the meager human tribe were slaughtered and fed to the weakest of his people. For the good of his people, Helreginn ordered nephilbock still too weak to march sacrificed and consumed. King Helreginn ate nothing and would eat nothing until there was enough for everyone. They left the gate to the underworld unguarded. This was a new day. The ascent was over. Now began the long march to the gods!
King Helreginn walked forward through the masses to take his place and lead his people. But before the king could reach the front line, the ground started to shake, and his people began to scream!
Forward he rushed, pushing past men and women alike. The ground shook again. More screams. What was this? Humans? Could humans be attacking with a force that could shake the ground? “Out of my way!” he shouted, pushing forward still.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Then he heard something else. Something crashing through the jungle. But he couldn’t see it! The trees were moving, being pushed to the sides by something enormous. Something even bigger than nephilbock – but what? Then he saw, and his jaw clenched.
It was… it was a tree charging forward! And not just one. Many trees were breaking through the jungle, breaking through themselves! That’s why he couldn’t see! It wasn’t some creature coming through the jungle. The jungle was breaking through itself! What kind of vulgar magic gave trees motion? His gods had told stories of a time when trees walked. Had those times returned?
“Go back to the hole you crawled out of, nephilbock!” the tree shouted. “We don’t want your kind here! Go back or be destroyed!”
By the gods! The trees spoke!
“Father!” Gato shouted, swinging his sword at the talking tree, severing it in two. “The forest is alive!”
“Compose yourself, my son!” Helreginn shouted, felling a tree as thick as his own waist in a single swing. “Pyramid formation!” the king yelled. “Fall in and march! Kill everything that enters our path! Gato! Call back through the ranks and order the torches lit! Set this foul jungle afire at our backs.”
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“Yes, Father. But please, allow me to take point first, as your High Guard.”
“Son, in this moment I am your king! Now, as my High Guard, do as your king commands!” Helreginn raised his mighty sword in one of his giant hands and his kraken shield in the other. A smile stretched across his face, exposing a mouth full of sharp teeth. He had waited for battle so long he thought it might never come. Today was his day. Today was the day his people returned to the world. No force, magical tree or other, would keep his people from their gods.
Helreginn smashed his sword against his shield and shouted, “Attack!”
35
Reunited
Friday, April 29 – God Stones Day 23
Fishlake National Forest, Utah
With Gabi on her heels, Breanne followed Jurupa down bark-covered steps jutting out from El Tule’s many branches. Once on the soft loam of the forest floor, the girls were taken toward the three nightmarishly twisted trees standing along the edge of the clearing.
Breanne looked up at the strange, perverted trees, wondering if one of them might be the queen. She looked from one to the next as she was led past them. Each looked completely different in its fixed distortion, yet they were obviously the same type of tree. All three were twisted around like they had gone into a spin and gotten stuck that way. As she passed by the middle one, it spoke to her.
“Breanne Moore, the second sage,” the tree said in a feminine voice that sounded as old as the ancient tree looked.
Second sage? Then it occurred to her she was the second one to pledge herself to follow Garrett. Lenny had been the first.
“And Gabi De Leon, the last sage,” creaked the next.
“Are you the queen?” Breanne asked, turning back to the middle tree.
The tree laughed in a creepy way that Breanne didn’t much care for, then said, “I am Methuselah, and I am not a queen.”
“Be silent and walk,” Jurupa said, shoving Breanne forward.
