Dark Tree Shining

by Paula Harrison

  Laney lunged sideways to get away from the Thorns and cross the line into The Cattery, but Mr Willowby pulled her back with surprising strength. “I can’t get away,” she yelled to Claudia.

  “I’ll come and find you, OK?” Claudia shouted. “They won’t be able to stop me.”

  The Thorns pushed Laney up to Oldwing Rise, past several people who were sleeping on the path or the road. Laney swallowed. They must have fallen asleep exactly where they stood when they first breathed in the valerian. Craig was snoring gently on the path with vines crawling across him. Laney’s unease grew as she passed each sleeper. There was no one to protect them. She had to find a way to break the Shadow’s power over the Thorns, especially Fletcher, but there was no point going back for him until the other Thorns were out of the way.

  As she was shoved along Oldwing Rise in the gloom, she saw that her own house had been imprisoned in brambles too. Her dad’s face was peering out through a small gap in the leaves and vines that covered the upstairs window. The way in was barred by thick wooden stems that had wound sinuously across the wall and over the front door.

  At the end of the lane, another spiky thicket blocked the footpath out of the village.

  “Laney!” her dad called faintly, and the door juddered as he tried to force it open.

  Blank-faced, Mr Willowby dragged Laney to her front door. He touched the vines and they parted instantly. The front door burst open and Mr Rivers stood there brandishing a large pipe wrench. “Quick – get in!” he said. “Stay back, Willowby. I don’t want to have to use this on a man of your age.”

  Laney stumbled inside and Mr Rivers slammed the door shut behind her. With a soft scraping noise the vines grew back, covering the square of glass at the top of the door in seconds and cutting out the orange light from the street lamp.

  Mr Rivers hurried to the sitting-room window, which was also covered in vines, and peered through the stems. “He’s gone,” he said finally. “Laney, where’ve you been? I wanted to come out and look for you but I couldn’t leave Kim and Toby.”

  Laney drew a shaky breath. “Dad. Something’s happened to Fletcher.”

  Laney suddenly realised that she was still in faerie form. She closed her eyes and changed back. With everything else that had happened she’d forgotten about hiding her faerie form from Toby and Kim.

  “You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing you,” said her dad. “Kim and Toby can’t look at anything right now.” He drew back to give Laney a view of the sitting room.

  Kim and Toby lay sleeping on the sofa. Toby stirred, resting his cheek on his chubby little hand.

  “How long have they been like this?” said Laney. “There’s the scent of valerian on the High Street and along Beacon Way. Did that send them to sleep?”

  “Yes, there’s valerian everywhere,” explained her dad. “Just enough to send all humans into an enchanted sleep. It was released just before the plants grew out of control. The Thorns have been flying past every ten minutes, releasing more to keep up the concentration in the air.” He looked through the window, peering at the sky. “You can’t see the spell in the dark, but when the sun shines you’ll see little bits of it floating like green dust.”

  Laney knelt down next to Toby. He looked so tiny – too little to be caught up in all of this.

  “They’ll be OK as long as they don’t sleep for too long,” said her dad. “Staying in an enchanted sleep for more than a day could cause memory loss when they wake up.”

  Laney stood up, her hands growing hot. She shoved them in her pockets. “We have to fly them out of here. Then I’ll come back for Fletcher.”

  Her dad looked at her, amazed. “Laney, you’re twelve years old. I don’t expect you to do all that. Anyway I’ve already tried to fly away with Toby but the Thorns chased me and I couldn’t risk a fight where he might get hurt.”

  “It’s not the Thorn’s fault. They’re being controlled.” Laney remembered that her dad knew nothing of the Wildwood Arrow and the Shadow. She wished she’d told him more before now.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.” He frowned as if he’d read her mind. “You said something had happened to Fletcher. What is it? What’s going on?”

  Laney took a deep breath and told her father everything – from the Shadow faerie and the Crystal Mirror to what had happened earlier that evening.

  “What?” her dad exploded. “There’s no Shadow faerie living here – the last one was seen years ago, before you were even born. Who’s filled your head with this rubbish?”

  “It’s not rubbish, dad! The Shadow is real – I’ve seen him. He’s been searching for the Myricals and now he’s got the Wildwood Arrow.”

  “Laney! The Myricals were lost years ago. Countless Elders have looked for them but no one’s ever been able to find them.”

  “The Shadow’s got one right now! He’s taken the Arrow and he’s done something to it – infected it with dark magic – and he’s using it to control the Thorns. He turned Fletcher into a tree and now Fletcher can’t move or speak or anything!” Laney took a deep breath. “I’m going back there to help him.”

  “You must be joking! You are not going back out there!” Mr Rivers said firmly. “Fletcher will be all right. The Thorns will look after their own, but it’s too dangerous for you and I won’t allow it.”

  “He won’t be all right. He looked awful!” cried Laney. “What if it hurts being stuck in that tree shape?”

  Kim turned restlessly on the sofa and muttered something in her sleep. Laney lowered her voice, saying urgently. “We can’t just stay here and do nothing.”

  “We have to protect ourselves and wait it out. Some of the Mists got out just before the plants closed in. I saw them flying away. They’ll go over to Gillforth and tell Frogley and the others, and then help will come. Once more faeries get here we can defeat the Thorns together. The humans are safe for now. We can make ourselves even safer. I know a good spell – I learned it growing up. It’s a Water Binding enchantment and if I weave it all round the house it will keep the Thorns out. My dad taught it to me.”

  “What if Frogley doesn’t send help?” said Laney. “What if the Thorns make the valerian stronger and we fall asleep like the humans?”

  “Listen, I don’t have time to argue. I have to go and start the protection spell, OK? Stay calm for me and look after Kim and Toby.”

  Laney thought quickly. She had to help Fletcher, and once her dad’s protection spell was done she would be trapped inside the house. That meant she had to leave now.

  “Stay back, Laney.” Mr Rivers wrenched at the front door, only managing to open it a tiny crack. He yanked at the branches barring the gap, snapping them off and throwing them to the ground.

  Immediately more branches grew in their place – thicker, stronger branches covered in thorns. Vines pulled at the door, banging it shut. Mr Rivers screwed up his face as he forced it open again and dragged the branches apart. Thorns scraped his skin as he climbed through the hole he’d made, leaving long red gashes down his arms. Laney climbed through after him, wincing as a spike stuck into her neck.

  Mr Rivers waded through the front garden, his face set with determination. “I thought I told you to stay inside! Now, keep back. I haven’t used this Longstone spell for years, so it could take me a couple of tries.”

  At the word Longstone, a picture of the Mist visitors she’d seen at Skellmore Edge jumped into Laney’s mind. “There were two Mists from Longstone at the Saturn Rising. One of them knew you.”

  Mr Rivers wiped his hands on his jeans. “Gotta concentrate on this, Laney.”

  “Dad?” She couldn’t stop herself. “Where did you meet Mum? Where did she live before you got married? You’ve never told me.”

  “Laney! This isn’t the time. Save it for later.” The air trembled and her dad transformed, dark-blue wings unfolding from his back.

  Laney stared in amazement. She’d never seen him in faerie form before. He looked younger
– full of energy. He pointed in the air and a fine curtain of rain fell steadily, separating the house from the lane like a sheet of grey glass. Laney noticed the sky growing lighter in the east. The sun would rise soon. She had to leave now before her dad finished this spell.

  Wings rustled overhead. Laney looked up, expecting to see the Thorns taking valerian around the village. A black-winged figure burst through the curtain of water, freezing it then shattering it instantly. Shards of ice flew in all directions, striking Laney’s skin like vicious needles.

  Mr Rivers fell backwards. The Shadow landed in front of him and folded his great black wings. “You didn’t answer her question, Robert. Where did her mother come from? Why won’t you tell her?”

  “Laney, get back inside!” Mr Rivers got up and faced the Shadow. “How do you know my name? What do you want?”

  “Forget the binding spell, Robert. You know you don’t do that kind of magic any more,” the Shadow said coldly. “I cannot allow you to complete it. This place is now under my control.”

  “This is my home and no one else will come near it.” Mr Rivers rose into the air, conjuring the sheet of water again. “Especially not someone who uses a dead faerie’s dust to help themselves to power. You disgust me!”

  “Dad – don’t!” Laney saw the red lightning crackle in the Shadow’s hand.

  “You should listen to her, Robert,” said the Shadow silkily. “She’s felt my lightning strike before.”

  Laney’s dad clenched his fists and blue lightning sizzled inside them. Flinging his arms out he threw a stream of pale lightning bolts at the Shadow, who countered it with a barrage of red. Mr Rivers’ lightning held back the Shadow’s at first, but gradually the stream of blue began to weaken. With a sudden flick of his hand, the Shadow aimed a bolt at Laney and her dad dived to block it. The bolt hit him in the stomach and he collapsed, hitting his head on the concrete path.

  Laney ran to him. His body changed back to human form and he lay still, eyes closed. A cold fear crept around her heart. “Dad, get up!”

  “He should not have got in my way and neither should you,” said the Shadow, spreading his bat-like wings. “I will have all the Myricals. Your efforts to imprison the Crystal Mirror will not delay me for ever.” He soared upwards into the air.

  Laney took hold of her dad’s arms and pulled him up the path and through the front door, tearing at the vines as they got in her way. She managed to drag him inside. Then she knelt by him, studying his face. She was sure he was breathing. She took his pulse, reassured by the steady beat.

  “Dad?” There was no response. “Dad, can you hear me?” Her heart ached. He should never have tried to fight the Shadow, especially as he was so out of practice with magic.

  She leaned back against the wall, her hand over her eyes. Her dad had just wanted to protect her and that’s what had got him hurt. One by one it felt as if all the people close to her were being taken away.

  When her heart stopped pounding, Laney fetched a pillow and eased it underneath her dad’s head. His eyes flickered and he groaned softly. She leaned closer. “Dad, are you OK?”

  “Just … tired,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I … didn’t believe you about the Shadow.” He closed his eyes again.

  Wanting to be near him, she got a pillow for herself and lay down close by.

  When she opened her eyes again, tiny patches of sunlight were glinting through the dark, plant-infested windows. She must have fallen asleep. How could she have wasted time like that? She checked her dad’s pulse again. It was still quite steady. “Dad?” She shook his shoulder gently and he muttered something but didn’t open his eyes. A large lump had swollen on his forehead. She knew he needed a doctor.

  She passed the sitting room where Kim and Toby slept on and went to her bedroom, where she managed to open a window very slightly. Grabbing a pair of scissors she hacked away at the vines and leaves that blocked the glass. Before the plants grew back, Laney looked out across a deserted Skellmore in the pale morning light. Valerian, with its tall stems and little white flowers, rippled gently in every garden. Brambles covered the roads and the church was hidden under a mass of clinging vines that had climbed to the top of the steeple. Trees stood in parts of the graveyard where they’d never been before and roots poked from cracks in the earth. The sun rose over the rooftops, revealing a million tiny green flecks floating in the air like dust. The valerian spell.

  She had to escape and find Claudia quickly. She needed her Mist magic to work for once. She would need every tiny bit of power she had.

  Branches covered with jagged thorns grew across the gap she’d made, barring the way. She took hold of the nearest stem, remembering how she’d defeated the roots that had imprisoned Craig in the forest. The thorns dug into her hand and a drop of blood ran down her skin. Ignoring the pain, she held tight and felt her hands grow hot. The branch shuddered and went limp, black marks were imprinted on the stem where her fingers had been.

  Forcing the window open wider, Laney climbed halfway out. She grabbed hold of any branches in her way. A thick yellow vine wound itself tightly round her throat. Panicking, she tried to pull it loose, her fingers burning with heat. The vine darkened where she’d touched it, then it unwound and slithered away. With little time to think, Laney climbed the rest of the way out then stretched her wings and flew.

  Circling over the rooftops she took one last look at her home, now lost under a tangle of branches. Her family were lying helpless in there. It was hard to fly away from them but the only way to fix this was to get the Arrow.

  She swooped low across Beacon Way, and as she got closer to The Cattery she heard a fierce yowling. Thorns were standing at the entrance to the road, led by Fletcher’s dad, Mr Thornbeam. His skin was a brownish-green and leaves sprouted from his arms. There was no expression in his normally kind eyes. The bungalow on the corner growled at the Thorns, its sharp spines standing on end.

  “Laney – watch out!” called Claudia.

  Tom and Charlie Springer flew past, their eyes fixed on the line of guarding Thorns.

  “Now!” Tom directed a volley of lightning at the Thorns. Then he flew back and a pack of cats streamed past him, making for gaps in the Thorns’ defences.

  Charlie swooped down, this time brandishing a large pair of shears. He sliced wildly at the Thorns, sending leaves and twigs flying until Mr Thornbeam wrenched them from his hands.

  “Here!” Tom tossed Charlie a pair of pruners and Charlie dived in to attack again.

  Laney saw her chance, weaving round the fighting and landing in The Cattery.

  “Over here!” Claudia took her to the shelter of the Lionhart house with its animal-patterned walls and its warning written above the door: Do not provoke the beast within.

  “We’ve been keeping the Thorns out of our road all night,” said Claudia. “Only a few of them seem to be able to transform and use their wings, which makes it easier. A few Greytails left the village but we decided to stay and fight. My mum’s making a spell to counter the valerian because we reckon it’s getting stronger and stronger.”

  “Did you tell them about the Arrow?”

  “Keep your voice down!” Claudia said urgently. “No, and I don’t want to! I know Tom would go after it – he thinks he’s a Greytail hero or something. Then the Shadow would catch him and kill him.”

  “We can’t fix this without getting back the Arrow.” Laney’s eyes clouded over. “My dad’s hurt – he needs a doctor. We’re running out of time!”

  “Have you got a plan?”

  “We need Fletcher. But we need stuff from Gwen’s house first.”

  “Great.” Claudia sighed. “I just hope the dark spell that chased us out isn’t waiting.”

  Dizzy came round the corner and sat down on her haunches, gazing accusingly at Laney. “Dizzy, I’m going with Laney to sort this mess out,” said Claudia. “Cover for me, all right?”

  Dizzy blinked slowly and uttered a low yowl.

  Claudia�
��s face was pale. “I’m ready, Water Girl. Let’s get out of here before we change our minds.”

  Laney spread her wings. She knew nothing would change hers.

  They circled over fields to reach Gnarlwood Lane without going too close to the park or the High Street. A huge fallen tree lay across the main road out of the village.

  “That’s clever,” Claudia said grimly, looking at the blocked road. “Now the humans can’t get into the village.”

  “And they can’t get out either,” said Laney.

  They glided down to Gnarlwood Lane and hurried to Gwen’s front gate. A bramble caught at Claudia’s ankles and scratched her skin. “Stupid Thorns and their plants!” she cursed, kicking the bramble away.

  “It’s not the Thorns’ fault,” Laney said quickly. She thought of Fletcher, his arms trapped into their branch form, and a lump came to her throat.

  “It’s definitely Stingwood’s fault! He planned that Avalon place just for his own tribe and he messed around with the Arrow’s power to do it,” Claudia fired up. “None of the other Thorns stopped him either.”

  “They didn’t know this would happen,” said Laney.

  Claudia fixed her cat-like eyes on Laney. “What if the Shadow was telling the truth when he said it was too late to change the Thorns back?”

  “That thing wouldn’t know how to tell the truth. I don’t believe a word he says.” Laney scanned the house, wondering if anything was waiting behind the dark windows.

  Claudia pushed on the gate. “Well, there’s only one way to find out if it’s safe in there.”

  They rushed through the long-stemmed valerian to Gwen’s door where Claudia fiddled with the lock until it clicked open. The door swung wide. Gwen’s sitting room looked the same as ever with no sign of shadowy movement in the corners. Claudia sprang inside and checked under the coffee table and behind the sofa. “All clear!”

  A snarling came from the bottom of the lane and Laney shut the door fast. “There’s a gang of hobgobbits coming this way but I don’t think they saw me.”