‘Thank you,’ said Alex.
‘It’s time for us to go,’ said Carrie, as she passed Alex a backpack.
Alex checked the weight. ‘I’ll have the other one if it’s all the same.’
Carrie frowned. ‘Are you pulling the macho role over me?’
‘No, of course not. You can’t carry it and use your bow if we need it quickly.’
‘I was only trying to be helpful, your energy might be best saved getting us through.’
‘And what about yours, you’re not coming to keep me company. Which will be very nice, but you’re going through for a reason.’
Carrie passed him the bigger backpack. ‘You really think I’ll be of help in there?’
‘Yes, I’ve no doubt about that.’
‘Let’s go then.’
‘Wait a minute . . . it might be a good idea if we find out where the eggs are.’
Krakar turned his head upwards. ‘You see the large mountain in the centre of the forest, there is a cave at the bottom. The eggs are cared for by a powerful race, and they will be very wary of you. The path is a dangerous one with many pitfalls. There is a race of humans who also live in the forest now.’
Alex walked over to his mother. ‘Please be careful.’
Luella embraced him. ‘I will, and I do have three great protectors.’
‘And you too, my friends,’ Alex said to the wolves.
We will, said Chi, just make sure you make it to where we are supposed to meet.
‘We will be there.’
‘So you don’t have a plan for this?’ said Claire.
Alex shook his head. ‘No, we’re going in blind, and it might be more fun without a plan.’
‘I like your plans, I would be more confident if you had one.’
‘You’ve changed,’ Paige said to Claire.
Claire shrugged. ‘His last plan saved thousands of soldiers, what else should I think?’
‘Come on, Mister, before we all get depressed about it,’ said Carrie, and took Alex’s hand before entering the mist.
Many of the others tried to follow but came across an invisible barrier.
~~~~
‘Great Lady,’ said Hubert, ‘please let us escort you.’
‘There’s no point,’ said Luella, ‘as I’m the only one with a horse. If Krakar is correct and red dragons mass there, it would be too risky for you.’
Luella climbed onto Bronte and said her goodbyes. She rode to the east side of the forest with the wolves, and Krakar took to the skies.
Jodie watched them go. ‘So we just sit here and wait?’
James shrugged. ‘What else can we do? You and the elves could always teach our new friends how to use a bow and arrow.’
Stormhook looked injured by it. ‘Our archers were quite accurate today.’
‘Yes, but none of them were doing it while riding a horse.’
Jodie scratched her head. ‘We don’t have any horses here.’
‘Not yet, but there will be a few here soon.’
~~~~
There is no way back now without the egg, said Lorbronika.
Drosca leant up a wall. ‘What do you mean?’
Alex is here with the others, and Dagur’s body has just been destroyed.
‘How can he be here?’ said Drosca, wanting to scream, but thought better of it.
He obviously knows what you are after . . . you must have been lazy when taking the thoughts from the goblin.
‘I only took what I could,’ said Drosca, and ran.
Stop you fool, said Lorbronika, as the devil ran straight into a tunnel across one of the huge caverns. Get back out now, this is the wrong tunnel.
‘What difference does it make? It’s a tunnel isn’t it?’
Look at the shape, it is perfectly round. Some creature made this and one is coming now.
Drosca saw what looked like a huge mouth filling the tunnel, which stood two feet above its head. The mouth was full of teeth which rotated, and the devil jumped out of the tunnel at the last-minute.
~~~~
Alex and Carrie walked along in silence for the first hour, studying their surroundings. The insects they saw were much larger than anything else they had seen, and the heat inside the forest was only just bearable.
Carrie wiped her forehead on a sleeve. ‘This is either going to take a long time, or just feel like it.’
Alex nodded. ‘Yeah, and we’re not alone.’
Carrie looked back. ‘Do you know what follows us?’
‘I’m not sure, but they’re ahead of us too.’
They appear to be human, but it is hard to tell, said House.
Alex glanced up. ‘It’s nice to hear you, my friend.’
I wish I could help you more.
Alex squeezed his hands together, as he didn’t feel quite right. ‘I know what you mean. It’s like my power is restricted, and I doubt I could run very fast.’
‘Are the others OK?’ Carrie asked.
They are fine, just a little worried.
‘You could always take Blaze and Summer home?’
Not if they do not want to go.
‘Ask them to go to the children . . . they don’t need to be stuck out here.’
I will ask them.
They walked on through the forest at a steady pace. Alex could sense they were still being followed. The undergrowth was thick and easy to hide in, but many may have seen them enter. It soon became dark, and they built a small fire which would not harm the trees. Alex cooked the elf food in a small pot.
Carrie watched him. ‘Wait until I tell the others about this.’
Alex passed her a plate. ‘I can cook, I lived alone for years.’
‘Did you cook your own meals every night?’
‘Most nights I just shoved my meals into the microwave.’
‘That’s not cooking.’
Alex leant back. ‘No, and it never tasted like food either.’
After they had eaten, Carrie cleaned the plates with bottled water. ‘Are we going to bed soon?’ she asked, sounding worried.
Alex could tell from her voice, it was one thing sleeping in the same tent but now they were away from the others. ‘I doubt we’ll find a bed here, you grab a blanket and sleep while I take first watch.’
Carrie raised an eyebrow. ‘And you will wake me up to take second watch?’
Alex nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘You better, Mister,’ she said, and kissed his cheek.
Alex sat in front of the fire, he could see creatures flying around but none approached. He could see figures among the trees watching them. The gnomes sprang to mind and the fact that he did not check on them when they came to this world, upset him.
You are not very happy, said House.
I’m worried about the gnomes.
Their strange feeling has grown since we came here.
This is a giant world, why would it affect them?
I do not know, and neither do the healers.
We will sort it for them, said Alex.
~~~~
‘Time to swap over,’ said Carrie.
Alex turned to her. ‘You’ve only just gone to sleep.’
‘No, that was hours ago, I asked House for a wakeup call.’
Alex glanced up. ‘Did I bore you?’
No, it was a very pleasant few hours for me, said House.
‘Well you can tell me all about it,’ said Carrie, as she swapped places with Alex.
Hello, Carrie.
Hi, how are our friends?
They are fine, and most of them are asleep. James is taking watch with Fergal as the gnomes are finding it difficult to sleep. Blaze and Summer returned to the mansion.
Good, maybe the others should go home too.
They are worried about you.
Carrie added some wood, which Alex collected, to the fire. I know, but wouldn’t it be better to worry in comfort.
Yes, but I have to go through the portal first as I cannot take them from
here.
That must make it difficult for you.
Yes, but I will manage. If you were waiting would you go home and wait in comfort?
No, I wouldn’t. How are Luella and the wolves?
They are asleep with Krakar the dragon watching over them.
Why are those who are hiding just following us?
I do not know, but there is a bigger group ahead.
That’s a nice thought, said Carrie, as she put a blanket over her shoulders to keep off the chill. They chatted until it started to get light, before she made breakfast.
~~~~
Alex woke and sat in front of the fire. ‘They’re still here then.’
‘Yeah,’ said Carrie, ‘and House said there’s a bigger group waiting ahead.’
‘So they’re not following us, just making sure we get to where the others are.’
Carrie passed him a bowl of elf food. ‘That will be fun.’
‘I woke up expecting porridge, but this is how to start the day off,’ said Alex. ‘Apart from Summer’s cooking of course.’
Carrie nodded. ‘I never want to see porridge again.’
After breakfast and when Alex made sure the fire was out they made their way through the forest. The path they were on was easy to navigate, as the trees along it were so high that the lowest branches were nowhere near them. There was thick bush about five metres from either side of the path.
It appears they are waiting for you up ahead in a clearing, said House, two hours later.
Alex glanced up. ‘Are they friend or foe?’
Their mood is not very friendly.
‘Be prepared,’ said Alex, and took his spear out.
Carrie took her one arm out of her backpack and removed her bow which freed the quiver of arrows. ‘I hope the training Jodie and the elves gave me will pay off.’
They reached the clearing where a group of large men stood in front and to the side of them. Alex and Carrie lowered their packs and stood watching each group.
‘You’re trespassing in our forest,’ said one of the men, who stood at least eight foot tall.
Alex folded his arms. ‘The forest belongs to no one.’
‘We dispute that fact, little man, and you’ll pay for trespassing.’
‘Is that meant to be a threat, and yet you wait for us, unsure how we managed to enter.’
The man pulled out his sword. ‘It matters not, you’re going to pay and it’ll start with those bags you have, now throw them over here.’
Alex grinned. ‘Come and take them.’
‘Do that whirring thing with your spear,’ said Carrie.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Like what you did in the gym with the cane.’
‘What would I do that for?’
Carrie reached round and pinched his backside. ‘Just do it.’
‘Ouch,’ said Alex, and the blades shot out as he spun the spear. ‘See if you can float.’
‘What for?’
Alex reached round and pinched her backside. ‘Just do it,’ he said, and she floated.
The men backed away with some of them shouting. After a few minutes, the man who spoke felt brave enough to step forward.
‘Nice tricks, but that spear could only hurt one of us then we will get what we want,’ said the man, giving Carrie a lecherous look.
‘Is that so,’ said Alex, and threw the spear which landed at the man’s feet.
‘Ha, he cannot throw it,’ the man shouted, which got a roar of laughter from the others as he picked it up.
‘I wouldn’t touch it if I were you,’ said Alex.
‘But I only want to show you how to use it,’ said the man, with a crooked grin. ‘You should also be thanking me for not letting you go into the dark part of the forest.’
‘But you don’t know how to use it,’ said Alex, as the blades retracted. It spun hitting the man under the chin, knocking him out before it flew back to Alex.
Carrie floated back to the ground. ‘They have archers.’
Alex heard the buzz of arrows, and threw up a shield protecting them and the arrows bounced off harmlessly. He was not in the mood to play around, and the blades of his spear shot out once more, and it spun. He sent the spear spinning towards three archers killing one and injuring two others,’ Carrie released arrows in quick succession, injuring four of the men.
‘Nice, now let us see you do that again,’ said another of the men, with a large metal shield.
‘This is getting very tiresome,’ said Alex and threw his spear in the air. As the man stared upwards Alex closed the distance between them, and kicked the man’s legs from under him. He put his foot on the man’s chest, who tried to move it, but couldn’t. The spear came shooting down missing the man’s head by an inch. ‘Oh I missed, let me try again,’ he said, as the spear came out of the ground and lifted back into the air.
The man held up his hands defensively. ‘Please don’t, we will leave you alone, I promise.’
Alex removed his foot and caught the spear. ‘If I see any of you following us again, I will kill you.’
‘We won’t,’ said the man climbing to his feet, and motioned to the others to remove those that had fallen. ‘But I’ll warn you, he was not lying about the dark part of the forest you’re heading towards.’
Alex shrugged. ‘I’ve been to darker places than this forest could ever offer.’
‘I somehow believe you,’ said the man, as he left.
‘You can be so cool at times,’ said Carrie, as she embraced Alex.
‘Only at times?’
‘Yes,’ she said, as she pulled away from him to point at her backside. ‘You pinched a lot harder than me, and never even offered to rub it better.’
Alex was sorely tempted. ‘It’s probably something you really don’t want to ask me.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Carrie, and embraced him again. They held each other for what seemed like a very long time, both realising they had better stop the blood devil soon.
Carrie put on her backpack and held her bow as they continued on their journey. ‘What do you think he meant by the dark part of the forest?’
Alex glanced up and saw blue skies. ‘Maybe the trees are more condensed there.’
‘You don’t really believe that do you?’
‘No, but you can float so maybe our night-sight works too.’
‘You didn’t test it last night?’
‘No, I didn’t want them to see my eyes.’
‘Same here, so why is it I can float but you cannot fly?’
‘I’ve no idea, but at least some of our powers works OK, and hopefully that will be enough.’
‘How did you know those men would be wary of us?’
‘Because we entered the forest, and no normal person can do that.’
~~~~
Luella, Rho, and Chi reached the part of the forest, where the healer believed they could enter, at noon on the second day. They were at least twice as far as Alex and Carrie, but she had the use of the stallion. They had no idea what they were looking for, but just hoped for some sign.
Luella saw it, the largest tree she had ever seen. ‘This tree sickens.’
Krakar flew down to them. ‘It is the mother tree, and is as old as this world.’
Luella dismounted and walked over to the tree. She put her hands on the huge trunk. ‘It’s not age that ails it, but something else, it has been burnt.’
‘I cannot see any signs.’
‘Because you look on the outside, heat is causing her to die within.’
‘Yes, I see it now,’ said Krakar, ‘the ground around her is parched.
‘Dragon’s breath,’ said Luella, ‘but why would any use it on a tree?’
‘Dragon’s fire cannot harm the trees in this forest, so they are trying to kill her another way. If the mother tree falls, the enchantment will fail.’
Why would they want that? Rho asked.
‘The red dragons also covet our eggs,’ said Krakar, as he lo
oked up, and saw two of them flying high above, and took off after them.
‘House, is there any water nearby?’ Luella asked.
There is a stream not too far, said the spirit, I can divert some here.
‘You can do that here?’
Yes, and it would be good to do something at last.
‘Then, yes please,’ said Luella, as she sat crossed legs with her palms on the tree. She chanted a spell over and over until she sensed the water reach the roots. The tree shuddered as if it just woke up.
Rho looked up. How is it you can use your power to divert the water?
I can use some powers out here, said House, but inside the forest I can hardly see. I used the vase to move part of the stream.
‘The tree will allow us to enter the forest beneath its branches, but does the stallion need to come with us,’ said Luella, and Bronte snorted and nodded his head.
That answers that, said Chi.
Krakar flew back down. ‘The mother tree breathes again,’ said Krakar.
Luella nodded. ‘Yes, and we must leave you now.’
Krakar took to the air again. ‘I will go back and speak with the others.’
‘Do you notice anything about our horse friend?’ Luella asked the wolves.
There is something very familiar about him, said Chi.
‘Look closer.’
His eyes, there is a faint sparkle to them, said Rho.
‘Yes, we have met before haven’t we,’ said Luella, as she stroked the stallion’s neck, and he nodded.
Then it is Siphon’s horse.
‘Yes, the very same. How did Alex come to find him?’
The horse found Alex, who calls him Bronte, said House. He turned up one night when the mansion was being restored.
~~~~
They made a large camp at the portal which was still open. It looked like a holiday camp with many of them just sitting there waiting, but in truth they were all worried. The gnomes for the most part stayed inside a tent. They had hoped by coming to this world that they would find the answer to their strange feelings, but now they felt worse.
Jodie showed Dart and Stormhook how to fire a bow while sitting on a dwarf’s shoulder when he was running, as no horses had arrived yet. The dwarf did not mind, and it did lighten the mood for those watching.
The Final Destiny: Vesta Mansion Trilogy - Book Three - Fantasy Page 34
