by Tom Hoffman
“Come on, Captain Orville, no time for dawdling!”
“I’m not dawdling, there’s something not right about the gate. I’m not sure what it is, though.”
“Think about it while we’re walking. Aelric said it will take us three days to reach the Forest of Thorns.”
“That place sounds creepy. Why do you think he said we should sleep during the day and travel at night? That doesn’t make sense. If you travel during the day you can watch out for scary creatures who live in the forest.”
Proto replied, “If the scary creatures are nocturnal, hunting only at night, it would be safe to sleep during the day, but not safe to sleep at night.”
Sophia nodded. “That makes sense. Aelric was right, it’s a good thing we have you standing guard at night, watching for all those dreadful creatures who want to eat Orville.”
Orville frowned. “Very funny. Suppose the creatures in the forest are different from anything we’ve encountered before? Suppose they’re weird and ghosty or have dark powers beyond our comprehension? Or maybe they’re invisible?” He waited to see how Sophia would react to the idea of invisible creatures.
She gave him a look of mock terror. “Invisible creatures with dark powers beyond our comprehension? You mean dark magical powers? Like creepy old wizards who will turn you into a big warty toad?”
“Stop talking about big warty toads! I didn’t say anything about them turning me into a toad. I’m just saying there could be something to all those stories about dark magic. You know, like that book about Mendacium the Dark Wizard. You heard what Aelric said about the castle, about all the gruesome and grisly tales.”
Sophia thwacked Orville’s arm. “I also heard him say he’d never been to the other side of the mountains. Stop worrying about imaginary invisible creatures. Relax and enjoy this lovely walk. The wildflowers and the trees are beautiful.”
Orville gave a yelp. “The trees! That’s what was wrong! The first time we walked through the iron gate there was a big shade tree next to it. This morning the tree was gone. That’s what threw me off balance.”
“I don’t remember a tree being there.”
“I’m telling you, there was a big tree next to the gate when we walked in, but not when we left. It had thorns on it.”
“Maybe Aelric cut it down for firewood.”
“We would have heard him chopping it down. Besides, we were only there for one night so he wouldn’t have had time. I told you about those weird noises in the night, like something really big was being dragged down the road. Maybe someone cut the tree down and stole it.”
“Who steals big trees?”
“I don’t know, maybe someone needed firewood, or timber to build a house. All I’m saying is, the tree was there and then it was gone.”
Sophia looked extremely dubious, but did not argue.
The narrow lane they were on eventually converged with a wide dirt road. “Look, wagon wheel ruts. Probably from farmers taking their crops to market. Maybe the creatures here aren’t as scary as I thought. It must be safe to walk around during the day.”
Sophia called out when she crested a steep hill. “I see a little town!”
Orville darted to the top of the hill and slipped on his flying goggles, twisting the silver dial to magnify his vision. “It reminds me of Muridaan Falls. It has a wall around it, but it’s not nearly as big as the one around Aelric’s farm. Some of the houses have thatched roofs and there’s a bunch of little wagons being pulled by rabbits.”
Sophia smiled. “I like this world. It’s simple and it’s beautiful.”
“Do you think we should stop at the village? They might have more information about Castle Caligari, or the Forest of Thorns.”
“We don’t have time. The overlapping of the worlds is accelerating. Think about the stormy red sea we flew over. If that spreads across the Vesarak it could destroy Muridaan Falls. Besides, I guarantee most of the rabbits in that village have never even heard of Rabbitons, much less seen one. I don’t want to frighten them or cause a big stir.”
“You’re right. I just wish I knew why Aelric and Gemma built that big wall around their farm.”
The answer to Orville’s question arrived that night, long after he and Sophia had curled up in their sleeping bags. Proto was resting in a comfy green chair shaped by Orville, gazing up at the heavens, musing over a pale yellow crescent moon floating through the night sky.
“A lovely moon tonight. I’ve always been drawn to crescent moons, more so than full moons. There’s something quite beguiling about them, an intriguing and mysterious quality, the way they peek out from the shadows, hiding the true depth of their being.” Proto chuckled, imagining a shy and reclusive moon darting about in the night sky. His lunar musings were interrupted by a curious shuffling sound, his bashful crescent moon slipping behind a tall tree. It took Proto a moment to realize the moon had not moved behind a tree, but a tree had moved in front of the moon.
“Great heavens!” Proto leapt to his feet, flicking on his night vision optical system. His eyes grew wide. With its roots acting like great spindly spider legs, an enormous tree was ambling across the road toward Proto. It stopped twenty feet in front of him.
Proto was stunned, never having encountered a tree capable of mobility, but was intensely curious about its nature. Perhaps the tree was not a tree at all, but was a sentient being, an intelligent creature who bore only a coincidental resemblance to a tree.
Proto stepped closer to the tree and introduced himself. “Good evening, sir or madam, I am Proto the Rabbiton. It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The enormous swaying tree shuffled forward, its branches rustling as it walked. When it was almost upon him, a slender branch reached down, running its soft leaves across Proto’s face, as though it was trying to determine exactly what he was.
“As I previously had mentioned, I am a Rabbiton, created by the Elders over fifteen hundred years ago.”
The branch pulled away from him, the tree motionless.
Proto waited a moment, then rapped his long silver fingers gently on the tree’s wide trunk, but there was no response.
“How peculiar. It would appear the trees on Tectar have gained the rather uncanny ability to move about at will. Quite remarkable, I’ve never heard of such a thing, other than those purple flowers on Varmoran who tried to eat Orville. They were mutations caused by the Anarkkian greenstones dropped on Varmoran during the war. It’s possible the Anarkkians dropped greenstones on Tectar, drastically altering the physiology of the trees. I will need to research this when I return to Muridaan Falls.”
Proto decided this remarkable discovery was cause enough to wake Orville and Sophia. “Orville! Sophia! I have solved the mystery of Aelric and Gemma’s great wall!”
Orville’s eyes were barely open when he crawled out of his sleeping bag. “What? What is it? It’s the middle of the night. Why did you wake me?”
Seconds later a bleary-eyed Sophia emerged from her sleeping bag. “I was having the best dream. What about their wall? Why are you smiling?”
Proto was looking extremely pleased with himself. “I am delighted to announce I have personally discovered Tectar’s greatest secret. It is my pleasure to inform you that the trees which grow on Tectar are quite mobile, our tall leafy friends able to ambulate about at will, to walk around, take a stroll, go for a hike, meander about in the dark of night.”
Orville groaned. “It’s not very funny to wake someone in the middle of the night and try to trick them. Trees don’t walk.” Orville was suddenly wide awake. “Wait, if they could walk, that would explain the disappearing shade tree at the iron gate and the weird shuffling sounds I heard!”
Sophia rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I think you’re mistaken, trees possess highly developed systems specifically designed to convert sunlight into sugar for–”
One thing Orville admired about Sophia was her ability to take the most astonishing events in stride. No matter how ext
raordinary, she would logically analyze the situation, make a carefully considered and accurate risk assessment, then proceed to act on it. This, however, was not one of those times. Sophia gave a piercing shriek when a large branch reached down from above and ran its leaves across her face and shoulders. She skittered wildly backwards, the branch jerking away from her. With the same strange shuffling noise Orville had heard at the farmhouse, the tall tree lumbered back across the road into the woods.
Sophia gaped at the tree, then at Orville. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m going back to bed. I’ll need a lot more sleep before I can face a world filled with walking trees.”
The following morning Sophia emerged from her tent to find Orville cooking snapberry flapcakes over a small fire. She flopped down next to him. “We need to use logic. First, we all know photosynthesis is how trees make their food.”
“Um, what is photosynthesis again? I remember something about it from school, but I’m a little hazy on the exact details.” Orville’s voice trailed off into awkward silence. He had no idea at all what photosynthesis was. Sophia gave him a disapproving look.
“Why are you looking at me like that? I can’t know everything. I know I didn’t do very well in science class, but it was because my science teacher didn’t like me. Master Osterous always asked me really hard questions on purpose.”
“Then pay attention, because this is important. Trees use a process called photosynthesis to convert sunlight energy into chemical energy, which they store in a special kind of sugar they use for food. Animals have to run around to find their food, but trees don’t, all they need is sunlight and water.”
“I don’t need to run around to find my food, I can shape anything I want.” Orville flicked his wrist and a large oatmeal cookie appeared in his paw. “Mmm, I love oatmeal cookies.”
“Focus, please. This is exactly why you don’t know what photosynthesis is. Plants need sunlight to live because they use it to make food, which allows them to grow. Now, since you’re so good at noticing things, what did you notice about the trees besides the fact that they can walk?”
Orville finished his cookie, brushing the crumbs off his chin. “So tasty. They only move around at night, not during the day.”
“Brilliant! Exactly right. Why do you think that is?”
“You’re just like Master Osterous, always asking me really hard questions.”
“Orville Mouse, would you please stand and tell the class how Proto’s discovery makes trees on Tectar different from the trees found on Earth?”
“Certainly, Scholar Sophia, I’d be happy to. Unlike the trees on Earth, the trees on Tectar like to sneak up behind little mice in the dark and choke them into oblivion with their long creepy branches.”
Sophia burst out laughing. “Very good, Orville, you may be seated. Class, Orville is quite right. The trees on Tectar remain motionless during the day because they are busy absorbing sunlight and producing sugar. The sugar they make during the day provides the energy they need to walk around during the night, choking little mouselings who don’t pay attention in science class.”
“Wait, what about the trees in the Forest of Thorns? If they walk around during the night, it changes everything.”
“You’re right, we need to rethink our plans. The trees we’ve encountered so far seem harmless enough, ambling around at night, but I have a strong feeling the trees in the Forest of Thorns will not prove to be so friendly. You heard Aelric’s warning about a deep simmering anger in the forest.”
Orville shivered, imagining a horde of angry trees chasing after him, trying to stab him with long venomous thorns.
Chapter 17
Forest of Thorns
Rounding a curve in the dusty road at the top of a rolling hill, Orville had his first glimpse of the Forest of Thorns.
“Creekers, look how big it is!” Half a mile away stood a massive wall of dark trees, the outer edge of a forest stretching to the horizon. “It must go on for a hundred miles.”
Proto scanned the forest with his wide spectrum optics. “I see nothing unusual other than the extremely close proximity of the trees to each other. There does not appear to be sufficient space for us to pass between them.”
“What do you think we should do?”
Sophia eyed the dark wall of trees. “We should study them before we try anything, learn what we can about them, watch their behavior, maybe we’ll discover a weakness.”
“Maybe they’re not as scary as Aelric thought. Sometimes stories get exaggerated.”
“That’s true. We’ll camp here and get some rest. Proto, why don’t you wake us after dark and we’ll pay a visit to the forest. The moon is out so we’ll be able to see what they’re doing. Maybe they spread out during the night, far enough for us to pass through.”
After a quick dinner, Orville and Sophia took a nap in preparation for their nocturnal expedition to the forest. Orville woke with a start when something pinched his foot. Proto’s voice rang out. “Giant crab!!”
“Proto! Scaring a sleeping mouse is another thing that is not funny. Remember what I said about your poisonous vegetable jokes? Some things are not funny. And just so you know, I didn’t think a giant crab was biting my foot.”
Proto gave his loud staccato laugh. “Ha ha ha ha! Rise and shine, adventurers! Time to meet our leafy ambulating neighbors. I do hope their thorns aren’t venomous. I don’t wish to alarm you, but I have read about a species of flying creature native to Nirriim who spray a caustic chemical mist capable of eating through a sphere of defense in seconds. We must keep a wary eye out for unknown terrors such as these.”
Orville crawled out of his sleeping bag with a groan. “Do we really have to do this? I’m so tired.”
Sophia was up and ready to go. “Come on, Captain Orville, you can sleep all you want after we save the universe. The forest is blocking our path and the only way to get past it is to understand it and find a weakness, just like Proto did with the Anarkkian attack spiders on Varmoran.”
Orville popped up a powerful sphere of defense. “Okay, I’m ready. Unless they spray us with that weird venom Proto was talking about.”
The three adventurers trekked down the long hill toward the Forest of Thorns, small bushes and scrubby trees darting out of their path. “This is so creepy. Bushes aren’t supposed to be running around, traipsing all over.”
“It’s normal in this world, and I kind of like it.” Sophia grinned as two little saplings dashed past her, one chasing the other. “Look at those little ones playing! So cute.”
Orville’s eyes were on the dark forest standing in front of them, the trees packed together so tightly it resembled a massive impenetrable wooden stockade. He stopped twenty feet from the wall of trees. “Whoa, look at the thorns on their branches, they must be a foot long. This is bad, really bad.”
Sophia inched closer to the forbidding trees, a powerful sphere of defense around her. “I’m going to try something.” She sent out a large pink thought cloud to the nearest tree. “A pleasant good evening to you, tree.”
Much to her surprise a puffy thought cloud floated back from the tree’s branches.
“Pleasant evening as well. Mouse out for moonlight stroll? Seldom seen. Lovely moonlight makes us still sleepy, quite lethargic.”
Sophia turned to Orville. “It sent me a thought cloud. I can talk to it.”
“I’m getting a dark feeling, I don’t trust this forest at all. Aelric was right, it’s really angry.”
Sophia sent a cloud to the tree. “We mean you no harm. We are travelers making our way to Castle Caligari. We are trying to reach the Obex Mountains, but I’m afraid your magnificent forest stands in our way.”
“Many unsavory tales surrounding Castle Caligari. Why shall a little creature be interested in dreadful places?” Sophia felt deep simmering suspicion in the tree’s thoughts. It shuffled toward her, its enormous branches rustling noisily.
Orville stepped back. “What’s it doing??”
; “Relax, we’re just having a conversation.”
The tree was now scant feet from Sophia. “Little mouses be careful not to poke yourself on the thorns. They are long and deadly. Purpose of thorns to clean our bark, destroy pesky insects, destroy little things which annoy us.”
“You’ve heard stories about Castle Caligari?”
The tree leaned down, sending a small gray thought cloud to Sophia. “Darkest presence.”
“A dark presence lives there?”
“Creature wields powers past thought. Creature to be feared beyond all.”
Sophia decided not to share this bit of information with Orville. “Would you allow us safe passage through your great forest? We mean you no harm.”
“No creatures pass. We are many trees, one forest, our thoughts many, our thoughts one. No creatures pass.”
“Are you saying each tree knows what the others are thinking?”
“We are many, we are one.”
Sophia eyed the tree. This was not going as well as she had hoped. “You’re certain a mouse did not pass through your forest three hundred years ago? A mouse named Haukesworth?”
“We are certain no mouse passed. We remember such a dreadful annoyance. Not allow such things.”
Sophia attempted a bright smile. “Thank you for your help. We won’t trouble you again.” She turned and walked back to Orville and Proto.
“What did the tree say? Can we get through?”
Sophia motioned for Orville and Proto to follow her. When they were a good distance away from the forest she told them what the tree had said.
Orville frowned. “If Haukesworth didn’t pass through the forest, how did he get to the Obex Mountains?”
Sophia shrugged. “Maybe he flew over it. He could have had a blinker ship or something.”
“He didn’t mention anything like that in his journal. I don’t think his guild had flying machines. Creekers, why is everything always so difficult?” Orville kicked a small stone, watching it bounce across the hard packed rocky terrain.
