The Wherewood

by Gabrielle Prendergast

  I’m pretty sure one of them is Winston Churchill. The other one looks like Genghis Khan. Churchill waves an old-style pistol at us.

  “Come on, lads!” he shouts. “We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!”

  “What?” Salix says.

  Genghis Khan shouts back at him angrily. I don’t understand the language he’s speaking, but clearly he disagrees. I have a feeling a small war is about to break out.

  There’s a noise in the trees. Three figures on squeaky bicycles come rolling through the undergrowth. I think I must be getting the hang of this ghost homework thing. I recognize all three of them. One is Louis Riel. Another is Gandhi. Leading them, a flaming torch in her hand, is Harriet Tubman!

  All six of the homework ghosts charge into each other. I grab Indigo and Rosa. We duck. Salix pulls Finola down. The ghosts crash together. There’s a huge noise and a flash of light. I’m blinded for a second.

  When my vision clears, the ghosts are gone.

  The forest is full of singed homework sheets. One flutters down near me. I pick it up. It’s an American Revolution word search. Delaware is circled. So is Hamilton. I toss it away.

  “Now what?” I ask. I just hope we don’t run into any chemistry homework. That could be dangerous. Rosa barks and pulls on her leash. She tugs me along. The others follow.

  “Where is she taking us?” Finola asks.

  “No idea!” I yell back.

  Rosa jumps over tangles of cables. I nearly trip on a pair of headphones. Suddenly I see another ghost ahead of us. Or is it a ghost?

  “Is that a witch?” Salix asks.

  The ghost looks a bit like a witch. She’s wearing a long black dress. But her bonnet is white. She looks like someone from an old-fashioned painting.

  Rosa tugs hard on the leash. It jerks out of my hand.

  “Rosa, no!”

  But I can’t stop her. She bounds after the witch. In seconds she catches her. Rosa jumps up. The woman screams. There’s another flash of light. The woman disappears in a puff of worksheets.

  I run to grab Rosa’s leash. Indigo, Finola and Salix catch up to me.

  “I guess that wasn’t a real witch,” Finola says.

  “No,” I say. “But what’s this?”

  Rosa has a piece of paper in her mouth. I carefully pull it out. It’s soggy, but I can still read the writing.

  “Name the winds. Name the seasons,” I read. “Speak your name. Speak your reasons.” I look up at Finola, Indigo and Salix. “What does that mean?” I ask.

  “That’s a spell,” Finola says. She’s excited. “I think it will summon a witch.”

  “Well done, Rosa,” Indigo says. “What a smart dog.”

  Rosa wags her tail. I’m not sure though. Do I really want to summon a witch?

  “Name your reasons,” Salix says. “Does that mean you can just ask for something? That’s what we need.”

  “Are you sure it’s not a trick?” I ask. “It seems a little easy.”

  “That’s how the Wherewood works,” Finola says. “There’s all kinds of weird magic here. It helps you. It actually wants you to find things.”

  I’m still doubtful. But I’ll have to try it. I want to go home eventually. So I have to get Salix into Merwood. I don’t want to drown doing it. I twist Rosa’s leash around my wrist.

  I look at the spell again. “It says the winds. That’s the directions, right? North, south and that?”

  Finola nods.

  “Okay then.” I take a breath. “North, south, east, west. Winter, spring, summer, fall. My name is Blue Jasper. I need a spell to breathe underwater.”

  For a second nothing happens.

  Then everything happens.

  A huge wind blows up. The homework sheets fly everywhere. Lightning crackles above us. The ground shakes. Finola and Salix clutch each other. Rosa cowers between my legs. Even Indigo seems scared. He takes my hand. I rest my other hand on the hilt of the ghost sword.

  Suddenly a puff of purple smoke rises up from the ground. It smells of chocolate and chili peppers. We all cough, even Rosa. When the smoke clears, a woman is standing there.

  She is tall and thin. Her shiny silver hair hangs down to her waist. Her eyes are bright green. Her purple and red dress blows around her. A black cape flutters behind her.

  It’s the witch!

  Chapter Six

  The witch looks around at all of us. She sighs.

  “I’m supposed to say some creepy stuff. Toil and trouble and all that. Try to scare you,” she says. “I can’t be bothered. What do you want?”

  Well. That’s not what I expected. But I can work with this. I hold out my hand.

  “Hi,” I say. “I’m Blue Jasper.”

  She looks at my hand for a second. Then she reaches forward and places a single marble in my palm.

  “Uh…thank you?” I try. “Did you hear my request?”

  “Yes, yes,” she says impatiently. “You want to breathe underwater. Who doesn’t?”

  I put the marble in my pocket. “Is that a spell you can do though? Safely? I don’t want to turn into a frog and stay that way.”

  The witch laughs. I can see into her mouth. Several of her teeth are bright blue.

  “Of course it’s safe,” she says. “Perfectly safe. But it will cost you. What do you have to trade?”

  I look around at the others. We’ve already eaten my mom’s cupcakes. I have a few bits of junk food, but I might need them later. Salix needs his lantern. Finola needs her sword. I certainly don’t want to give up the ghost sword. I doubt Indigo wants to give up his yo-yo. Rosa barks happily.

  The witch looks down at her.

  “Is that a dog?” she asks. “From the human world?”

  I don’t like the hungry way the witch looks at Rosa. Is she thinking of eating her?

  “She’s my dog,” I say quickly. “She’s not for sale. Or for trade.”

  “Too bad,” the witch says. “So many spells use eye of dog. Or tail of dog. Or liver of—”

  “Not for trade!” I repeat.

  Rosa whines and hides behind me.

  “Oh well,” says the witch. She narrows her eyes at Salix. “Are you going to this one’s wood? Merwood?”

  Salix crosses his arms. “Maybe. Do you know where the entrance is?”

  “Not exactly,” the witch says lightly. “But the Will-o’-the-Wisps like the swampy woods. I suggest you follow one. Have fun drowning.” She raises one hand like she’s going to do magic.

  “Wait!” I shout. I need that spell. “What about hair of dog? That can be used in potions, can’t it?”

  “Yes.” Finola nods vigorously. “Hair of dog is very…magical. Everyone knows that.”

  “Hair of dog?” The witch frowns down at Rosa. “I’ve never heard of that. What potions is it used in?”

  “Lots of stuff,” I say, playing along. “Cure for a hangover, for example.” I’m sure I’ve heard that somewhere. Seems kind of gross, but maybe it works.

  The witch pulls out a small bag from under her cape. “I suppose I could do some experiments,” she says. “Fine. One cup of hair of dog in exchange for a spell. Fair trade.” She takes a small pair of scissors out of her bag.

  I hold Rosa still while the witch cuts some hair off her tail and legs. Rosa is so fluffy, it’s barely noticeable. The witch tucks the tufts of hair into her little bag.

  “As for you…” She points at me. She has about three rings on every finger. “I have the potion you need right here.” Digging in her bag again, she comes up with a small blue bottle. “One sip will be enough. Give some to the dog too. Unless you’re leaving her behind.”

  “I’m not,” I say.

  “Shame,” she says. “You won’t be able to stay underwater forever. But it should be enough to get you safely through Merwood’s swamp and up into the trees.”

  “Thank—” I start, but Salix kicks me. I forgot you’re not supposed to thank F
aeries. I guess the rule applies to witches too. “We’re very gratef—” I don’t finish that sentence either. The witch poofs back into smoke and disappears.

  “That was strange,” Finola says. “But I have good news and bad news.”

  “What now?” I ask.

  “Well, the good news is that she, the witch, was a Faerie too. Some witches are. So she can’t lie. Which means the potion she sold you will definitely work.”

  “That’s a relief,” Salix says.

  “What’s the bad news?” Indigo asks.

  “The bad news is, the Wherewood has released me,” Finola says. “I felt it as soon as the witch appeared. For some reason the Wherewood thinks the witch is what I was looking for. So I could leave now if I wanted to.”

  “Me too,” says Indigo. “The Wherewood released me when I found my yo-yo.”

  “What?” I yell. “Indigo! That was ages ago. Why didn’t you say something?”

  Indigo shrugs. “I don’t want to go home. This is fun.”

  I have to take a cleansing breath.

  Salix puts his hand on my shoulder. “Maybe they should stay with us until we find the entrance to Merwood. Then Indigo can slip them both back to Farwood.”

  “That might be safer,” I admit. “Finola, do you mind?”

  She looks uncomfortable. “I guess not,” she says. “Indigo should go home. Oren will be furious. But…” She looks at Salix with sad eyes. “You’re not going to stay in Merwood forever, are you?”

  Indigo mimes barfing while Salix turns bright red through his green skin.

  “Of course not,” he says breathlessly. “I’ll just say hello to my family and come back to you. I mean, to Farwood. Or to…wherever you are. Once I find Merwood, I should be able to slip in and out. Just like I did in the old days.”

  Finola smiles shyly, and everyone goes silent for so long that it gets very uncomfortable.

  “Okay, let’s keep going,” I say when I can’t stand it anymore. Rosa barks and tugs on her leash. Indigo skips ahead. I let Salix and Finola walk behind so I don’t have to look at them holding hands and gawking at each other. Gross.

  We tramp through more piles of lost socks and credit cards until the moon comes out. It gives us some light to see by. But it also makes weird shadows out of the trees. Finally the sky starts to brighten. The sun is rising. I can’t believe we’ve been walking all night.

  Through the trees we start to be able to see some mountains in the distance. Salix slows down and stares at them.

  “I recognize this place!” he says. “That gorge there, see? We go through there!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes!” Salix says. “Come on!”

  He turns and runs toward the mountains. But before we’ve gone fifty feet, two dark shapes fall on us from the trees. I catch a glimpse of armor and know who it is. Olea’s guards! I see the flash of a sword. Before I even know what is happening, I have the ghost sword out. I’m fighting.

  Rosa growls and lunges at the guards. Finola’s sword swipes through the branches. Salix’s lantern cracks into an armored shoulder. Sparks and fire spray everywhere.

  “Get behind me!” I shout, pulling Indigo back as a guard bears down on us. Indigo yelps and goes flying backward. My sword arcs through the air. But before it lands, Rosa leaps up and gets the guard by the throat. He screams. The other guard dives over and drags him away. Finola and Rosa chase the two guards through the trees. After a few seconds the guards sink down into the earth and disappear.

  Salix runs toward me, breathless. “They slipped back to Nearwood,” he says. “Oren told me there are still Nearwood Faeries who support Olea. She would have sent them here to look for us.”

  I put my sword away and turn back to check on Indigo.

  He’s curled up under a tree, holding his stomach.

  His hands are covered with blood.

  Chapter Seven

  “Indigo!” I scream. I fall to my knees beside him.

  “Blue…I’m hurt,” he says.

  Gently moving his hands, I see the wound. It’s bad. A deep gash in his stomach. One of Olea’s guards must have slashed him with a sword. Indigo grits his teeth and moans. He holds his hands back over his wound. A faint purple glow seeps out from under them.

  Finola and Salix run up, Rosa behind them. Finola looks down at Indigo.

  “No! Indigo, stop!” she yells.

  “Stop what?” I ask.

  Finola helps me lay him on his back. “He’s trying a healing spell. But he’s too young. It will use up all his magic.”

  The purple glow stops as Indigo lets his hands fall to his sides.

  Rosa whines sadly, sniffing at Indigo’s feet.

  “He’s already weak,” Finola says. Her lips are pressed together. Her face is even paler than usual.

  “Can one of you heal him?” I ask desperately. Indigo is crying now. I haven’t seen him cry in years. His Grand Canyon T-shirt is soaked with blood.

  “I’ll try,” Salix says. He holds his hands over Indigo. His healing light is green. It glows down on Indigo.

  “Is it working?”

  Salix ignores me. His face is scrunched up in concentration. I’ve never seen him look so serious. After a few seconds Indigo seems to settle. But Salix is sweating now. He loses his balance and stumbles backward.

  “Salix!” Finola cries, catching him.

  “I’m all right,” he says, his voice raspy. “But that’s all I can manage.”

  Indigo looks a bit better. But he’s still bleeding. Finola lifts his shirt up and inspects the wound.

  “It’s partly healed,” Finola says. “I’m worried that if I try to heal him, I’ll use up all my magic. But we could slip right back to Farwood now instead. They have skilled healers there.”

  “You can do that?” I ask.

  “Yes,” Finola says. “Wherewood has released us both. And Indigo is a prince of Farwood. He can invite me.”

  My mind is spinning. It’s so hard to keep Faerie laws straight. And who belongs to which kingdom. But, as usual, Finola is being the most sensible. She’s right.

  I look back at Indigo. He’s pale again. His eyes flutter.

  “Indigo!” I shake him gently. “Finola, you better go right now. He’s getting weaker.”

  Finola kneels next to him. She holds him around the shoulders.

  “You have to invite me to Farwood, Indigo. Do it quickly,” she says.

  “Finola,” Indigo murmurs weakly. “Finola MacLear, I invite you to the kingdom of Far…wood.” His eyes close.

  “Go now!” I say, tugging Salix back.

  Finola looks up at Salix. “Be careful. And don’t worry, Blue. I’ll slip right into Oren’s Great Hall. The healers will be there in seconds.”

  The ground starts to heave under them. Indigo moans with pain as they are sucked into the earth. Roots made of electrical cables and long scarves and knitting wool twist around them and pull them down. The jumble of mittens and socks and other lost things starts to close over them.

  “Finola,” Salix whispers beside me. But they’re gone.

  Salix and I stand there and stare at the ground for a long moment. I’m still shaking. My fear about Indigo’s injury is turning to anger. Finally Salix speaks.

  “What if I never see her again?” he says.

  Something seems to crack open in my head. I spin around and glare at him.

  “What if you never see her again?” I yell. “Are you serious? At least Finola’s alive! Did you see my brother? He’s half-dead because of you!”

  Salix’s froggy eyes widen. “I didn’t know—”

  I don’t even let him finish. “Yes, you did! You knew it would be dangerous to come here. But you made me come with you anyway. And of course Indigo wanted to come along. He follows me everywhere.”

  Salix tries to interrupt. “The plan was—”

  But I’m on a roll. I’m angry with everyone. At Oren for letting Indigo come along. At Indigo for going through t
he van into Wherewood without permission. At Olea for trying to kill us again.

  But mostly I’m angry at Salix. He tricked me into making a deal with him. So I would owe him “something.” And he could have asked for anything. Something safe, like a book or a batch of cookies. But instead he forced me to come along on this stupid quest. And now my brother has been stabbed.

  And the worst thing is, I can’t even leave Salix here. This stupid magical Faerie wood won’t let me. Not until we find Merwood. I’m stuck with him.

  “I don’t care about the plan!” I say. “Plans are stupid even in the human world. In Faerieland they are worthless! Why do you even want to find Merwood now? Couldn’t you wait?”

  Salix hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Blue,” he says. “I’ve messed everything up.”

  At least he admits it. But now I’m too mad to speak. I cross my arms.

  “I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Salix says.

  “Promise?” I say. “Like a deal? No thank you. Let’s just find Merwood so I can go home.”

  I try to stomp away. But it’s hard to stomp on ground made of lost mittens and socks. Salix follows me.

  As we walk, I calm down. The strange Wherewood trees begin to clear. We get closer to the mountains. The sun is shining down on us. I dig in my backpack for one last yogurt tube and cheese stick and eat them, ignoring Salix. The mountains are farther away than I thought. By the time we reach them, the sun is behind their peaks. It’s not dark yet. But we’re walking in shadows.

  Beside me, Salix murmurs something I don’t quite hear.

  “What?” I ask irritably.

  “I said I need to find Merwood because if I don’t, I can’t grow up,” Salix says.

  I stop and stare at him. Rules and laws in Faerieland are all weird, but this one beats everything.

  “I’m over one hundred years old,” Salix explains. He looks down at his skinny, boyish body. “I’ve been like this for nearly ninety years. It’s time for me to grow up. But I can’t unless Merwood’s high council grants it.”

  I try to make sense of that. “So…if you didn’t want to grow up, you wouldn’t have to?”