by DM Fike
They made their way to the steepest mountainside yet, her feet sliding back in the pebbles with every step. Avalon thought she would die here. She opened her mouth to tell them so when Nobody yelled up ahead, “The bridge!”
Kay and Nobody waited at the apex of the summit as Avalon slowly pulled herself upward. When she caught sight of the bridge, she groaned. Crafted from haphazard wooden boards held together with rope for railings, it looked more like something out of a bad Hollywood action movie than an actual working structure. It hung between the mountain they had just climbed and another one half a soccer field length away. Avalon noted with some dismay that the planks creaked in the breeze, threatening to collapse into a yellow cloud below at any given moment.
“You’re reaching the outer limits of my trust,” Avalon told Nobody.
“Everything is downhill from here. Literally.” Nobody cringed as Avalon narrowed her eyes at him. “On the other side of this bridge, we’ll walk down into a valley and be near the base of Mt. Hornley.”
“And more barren wasteland,” Kay scowled. “We’ll die of thirst walking back. You’ve led us to our doom.”
“Oh ye of tiny faith.” Nobody jumped onto a rickety board of the bridge. “It’s best we go one person at a time.” The bridge whipped around in a frenzy. Nobody barely touched the rope railing, his footing sure in the middle of each plank. “I don’t think this thing will hold more weight than that.”
“We could fly over now, right?” Avalon asked. The yellow haze seemed twenty feet up. They might be able to make it.
Nobody hopped squarely from board to board. “The drafts are weird around here and try to suck you down, but sure, you can try.”
“Teleport?” Avalon asked.
“Nopity, nope, nope!” Nobody called, almost out of earshot. He lithely made his way across, a graceful if unkempt ballerina. “The gas zaps your magic. It’s easy to miss and fall down into the mist.”
“He loves to make us squirm,” Kay grimaced. “I promise you will be fine, Avalon. I’ll make sure of it.”
That seemed like an outrageous claim, but Avalon nodded, putting on a false bravery she did not feel.
Nobody landed on solid ground on the other side. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he shouted, “Go Player 2!”
Avalon put one foot tentatively forward. The board actually felt more solid than it appeared. She grabbed onto the rope railing and moved her second foot off solid ground.
The plank fluttered beneath her feet. Terrified, she leaned to the right, causing the entire bridge to shift slightly in that direction. As her feet slid toward one side, she screamed.
“Keep centered!” Nobody yelled. “Distribute your weight evenly! And keep moving!”
Avalon clenched the other rope railing. Her toes dipped forward as if they would slip right off the first plank and into the yellow cloud down below.
She froze.
Kay’s voice cut through her terror. “You can do this.”
Avalon nodded, letting go of a breath that had caught in her throat. She could do this.
Avalon kept a firm grip on both sides of rope. She balanced her body weight on the center of the first plank. The bridge bounced around wildly, but she didn’t think she’d fall.
“That’s it,” Kay said encouragingly as she moved one foot onto the second plank. “Take it easy. Find your balance.”
White knuckling the rails, she eased her other foot onto the second plank. She thought for sure she would falter again, but she held her footing steady, and the bridge stabilized.
From there, she made her painstaking way across the harrowing bridge. Nobody had made it across in under a minute, but her trek took an eternity. She tried to keep her mind focused on the next plank ahead of her, not the steep drop into the bottomless yellow haze below.
Finally, she had only three steps to go. Nobody cheered for her enthusiastically. “Two, Four, Six, Eight! Hope that you don’t die and... What rhymes with eight? Salivate!”
Avalon put one foot on the second-to-last plank. “Not helping, Nob—”
Shifting her weight onto the new plank, it suddenly snapped in two and gave way. Avalon’s feet broke through to open air.
In the ensuing panic, her left hand lost its grip on the rail. Her right arm screamed as she barely hung on, her torso now below the bottom of the bridge.
Avalon knew she didn’t have the grip strength to hold on. She screamed as she lost her final grip, waiting to plunge into the toxic cloud below.
But she did not fall. Despite losing her grip, her hand remained unnaturally stuck to the rope. Looking up, she saw her hand encased in a tar-like substance that stuck it to the rope railing.
“It won’t hold for long.” Nobody stretched out his knobby fingers, covered with the same substance. “Give me your hand!”
Avalon tried to swing her free hand to reach his. “I can’t!”
The bridge shook. Nobody glanced across the chasm. “Curse that fairy! He’s determined to kill us.”
Avalon barely heard Nobody, still trying to grab the gremlin’s outstretched hand. Their fingertips almost met, but the tar shifted, and she violently bobbed half an inch.
Avalon cried out in pure terror.
“C’mon!” Nobody yelled. “Don’t go out like a punk!”
Avalon strained. The gremlin tried to lean forward, but it was too late. The tar popped free of the rope.
Nobody shrieked.
Avalon fell, her left hand scraping for something, anything to hold onto.
Someone grabbed that hand, jerking her upward as he flew past.
Kay, balanced on the plank behind Avalon, hoisted her upward with all his strength and threw her at Nobody. She sailed across the air. Nobody caught her in a bear hug and rolled her onto stable ground.
Avalon watched in horror as one side of the rope bridge frayed in half where the tar had weakened it. Kay went down with the collapsing bridge.
She scrambled to the cliff edge. Kay had his wings spread, attempting to push himself upward, but true to Nobody’s prediction, he flailed about like a drowning person. He treaded the air, but the wind drafts slowly pulled him down toward the haze.
Avalon threw both hands in front of her, sending gusts of air to whirl around him.
A breeze rocked through the yellow cloud below Kay. A gush of haze whizzed past him as a result of Avalon’s magic. He choked as he barely fluttered out of its path.
“Sorry!” she yelled.
Kay appeared to be gaining some upward thrust, but he would be plunged into the yellow cloud at his current rate.
She had to do something. If she couldn’t save him with a draft, maybe she could move the yellow cloud far enough away to protect Kay.
Avalon closed her eyes, focusing her magic far, far below Kay. She imagined a whirling dirt devil, sucking the yellow gas from his immediate path. She swirled her hands back and forth, feeling it twist and turn for her.
Nobody peeked over the edge. “Whatever you’re doing, keep it up!”
Avalon cracked her eyes open. She saw Kay, deep in the cloud but surrounded by a bubble, her whirlwind sucking the air clean around him. He had managed to reverse his downward trajectory, his wings now beating a course that would bring him back to the mountain top.
He finally caught an updraft and landed in a heap on the ground next to them. As he crumpled onto land once again, Avalon rushed to him, releasing all her excess terror. Wind swirled as she wrapped her arms around him. Kay returned her embrace with the same fierce strength.
CHAPTER 40
TRUE TO NOBODY’S word, the other side led them down a smooth downhill slope. They only had to walk half an hour before shrubs and small scraggly trees once again dotted the hillside. The yellow clouds dissipated, and gray soil morphed back into a healthier brown. A clean, crisp sky freshened their lungs.
“Finally.” Kay spread his wings and took to the air, heading for the next ridgeline not far ahead.
“Wait!” Nobody crie
d as he ran after him. “You’ll ruin my big surprise!”
“What in Omni’s name?” Kay said as he landed, scanning the next horizon. Nobody and Avalon scurried after him.
Gone was the barren wasteland of the Quawash. Instead, grasses and short trees spread throughout a lush wide valley, a meandering stream running through it. Down below, a cluster of huts nestled against one sloping hillside, smoke curling from their chimneys. On the opposite side of the valley loomed the tallest mountain Avalon had ever seen, its summit hooded in rich snow despite the summer heat.
Avalon’s heart skipped a beat. It was Ladybug’s mountain.
Kay stared at the lush scene. “Where did this new forest come from? And who could possibly live in those homes?”
“You Emerged Falls people think you’ve got Llenwald all figured out, don’t you?” Nobody stuck out his tongue. “Mt. Hornley was ruined, true, but new life formed in the aftermath of Kryvalen’s destruction. Displaced Aossi have been living in Forgotten Bend for almost a decade, right under your noses, and you never knew.”
“As long as there’s water, I will happily be wrong.”
“I love it when you’re wrong too.” Nobody motioned them toward a worn dirt path that led toward the valley floor.
It didn’t take them long to come across a babbling stream. Kay and Avalon squatted next to its rocky banks, thrusting their cupped hands into the frigid water. Nobody dumped Vimp on the ground so he too could quench his thirst. The little demon stuck his bottom in the air as he slurped, tailing swishing about like a satisfied cat.
With her thirst quenched, Avalon plopped backward on the ground. An enormous yawn escaped her lips. Nobody noticed and said, “We can catch a break here.”
“What about food?” Kay asked.
“We’ll grab some in a few hours,” Nobody insisted. He had drunk his fill and moved to lie against a white-barked tree. His poufy green hair covered his eyes as he settled down comfortably.
Kay’s stomach growled. “Perhaps I will journey on ahead.”
Avalon placed her hand on Kay’s shoulder. “You could also use rest.”
“And who will take watch?” Kay asked her. “Vimp?”
“Oh yeah!” The demon jumped on top of a large rock and scanned the horizon with his mitten-like paw. He hissed and made a wide swiping motion like a tiger to indicate he could handle the danger.
“You are satisfied with this?” Kay asked as Avalon snuggled down in a bed of clover. Nobody snored, drifting to sleep.
“I’m too tired to care,” she admitted.
Kay appeared unsure of how to respond. She fell asleep before she could convince him to take a nap.
* * *
“Avalon,” a voice whispered. Something pinched her arm. “Wake up.”
Avalon’s brain cut through the blank fog that dominated her sleep. At least she hadn’t dreamed of the mountain in the distance. The world had grown dark, stars once again overhead. She came face-to-face with a weary Kay.
“Did you sleep?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nobody says it’s time to go.”
Kay led her away from the stream. She stumbled in the pale moonlight, unable to see much of the ground below her. They came to a small rock outcropping that revealed another panoramic view, this one closer to the valley floor. The gremlin scanned the horizon, Vimp hanging from his bicep.
“What are you looking for?” Avalon asked.
Nobody did not answer. The trio stared into the blackness, viewing only the faint outlines of trees.
“It would be helpful if we knew what to search for,” Kay said.
“It would be helpful if you shut your… Hey!” Nobody cut off his own comeback. “Found it.”
He pointed toward the left, far away from the lights of the town. Avalon squinted. “You sure you see something?”
“Follow me!” Nobody cawed in reply. He morphed so quickly into a raven that Avalon missed the transformation. With a squawk, he took to the air.
Kay sighed and opened his arms to Avalon. She let him embrace her and the two took off after Nobody. They launched into the air, cheek-to-cheek, facing in opposite directions.
They were only in the air for a few minutes, the trees a whirring kaleidoscope below, before landing. Kay and Avalon let go of each other.
Avalon felt the heat before seeing the magnificent bonfire in the middle of the clearing. Twice as tall as her, the flames created dancing shadows in the woods around them. It was an impressive sight.
Impressive, until the she saw the gremlins.
About two hundred of them bustled about, some dancing around the fire, others laughing to each other in groups of three to five, still others eating from the sticks of meat laid toward the fire to roast. They had Nobody’s same wicked grins, jagged fingernails, and outrageously bold clothes—bright reds, blues, pinks, and yellows—as if a preschooler had used fingerpaints on them. Bushy hair sported hues from all across the rainbow, their skin tanned from brown to orange. A steady drumbeat filled the air, creating a jungle undercurrent behind the incredible scene.
“Yo!” Nobody screeched as he popped back into gremlin form.
Each gremlin’s head turned to face them. Kay moved slightly in front of Avalon as some bared their pointed teeth. Tension built in what threatened to become a stand-off.
A little girl toward the back broke the spell. “Huzzah! Nobody’s back!”
The gremlins broke out into uproarious laughter. “Huzzah!” they yelled, arms raised in flailing greeting. Some of the younger gremlins rushed forward to crowd around Nobody.
“Did you bring me chocolate?” one small boy with blue hair asked.
“Forget chocolate. Where’s the bacon?” another girl said, reaching into Nobody’s deep pockets in search of her prey.
“Sorry, squirts,” Nobody said. “This isn’t a supply run.”
“Aaaaaaahhhh,” the kids moaned collectively. With a lack of treats, they scattered back across the campsite.
“Ungrateful brats,” Nobody called affectionately.
“Chocolate and bacon?” Avalon asked. “I didn’t know you had those things on Llenwald.”
“We don’t,” Nobody confirmed. “I bring stuff back from Earth all the time. It’s the least I can do for my tribe.”
Kay stepped forward, wary of the many curious gremlin eyes peering at them. “I’m more surprised that they accept you at all, especially given the notoriety you added to the gremlin image during the Second Reformation?”
“He’s their leader,” Avalon told him.
Kay gave her a funny look.
Nobody coughed. “Well, not exactly.”
Avalon rounded on Nobody. “I thought you said you were the son of a great gremlin leader.”
“I am,” Nobody protested, “but—”
“Overthrowing me, are you?” a voice boomed into their conversation.
Nobody whipped around to find an unkempt gremlin. He sported a mop of never-combed pinky-purple hair framing his gaunt face. He also wore a button-up plaid shirt and jeans underneath his broad cape—a cowboy Aossi that made Avalon do a double take.
“Mutt!” Nobody cried as the scrappy gremlin threw himself on top of Nobody. The two gremlins rolled on the ground, pulling each other’s hair and screeching.
Avalon stepped forward, meaning to intervene. Kay held her back.
The two gremlins went from struggling with each other to hugging in a fit of laughter. The purple-haired gremlin yanked Nobody back to his feet. They shook hands, fist bumped, smacked hips together, and a host of other random moves before finishing with a high five.
“Glad you made it, I am.” Mutt reached into his pocket and withdrew an object. Avalon recognized it as the necklace Nobody usually wore.
“Perfect timing.” Nobody clasped the chain back around his neck, tucking the green gem underneath his tunic.
“Chasing kangaroos with that, are you?”
Nobody laughed. “Of course not. You know those do
n’t exist.” When Avalon opened her mouth to correct him, Nobody slapped his arm around her, purposely squeezing her bruise so she couldn’t speak. “This is Avalon, and her friend Winged Wonder back there.” He turned to a wincing Avalon. “Meet Mutt, leader of the Gadabout Gremlins.”
Kay pushed Nobody’s hand off Avalon, inserting himself between them.
Mutt examined Avalon, covered in dirt and sweat, and said to Nobody, “One ugly human, she is.”
Avalon couldn’t stop her retort. “And you look like the dog you’re named after.”
All the gremlins immediately hushed. Kay sucked in his breath. Avalon wanted to fade into the tree line, but she straightened her spine, unwilling to back down. She waited for the backlash.
But instead of a fight, Mutt threw his head back and howled.
The gremlins all around followed suit, some giggling, others tittering, a handful even falling to the ground and rolling with unbridled laughter. “Her, I like.” Mutt wiped tears from his cheeks.
“So glad to meet your expectations,” she said sarcastically. This caused a second wave of laughter.
Nobody put his arm around Avalon, drawing her forward into the camp. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s see if you can make friends by insulting everyone else.”
The gremlins offered them food—bits of browning meat skewers, berries, and crunchy root vegetables from bowls scattered around the campsite. Avalon avoided the strange-smelling meat, although Kay, Nobody, and Vimp had no problem chowing them down. Avalon was also offered a bitter brown beverage, which she swore tasted like flat root beer.
After refreshing themselves, Nobody introduced them to most of the gremlins around the campsite. Avalon politely greeted each new face, although Kay maintained his distance with a frown. Like Nobody and Mutt, the gremlins all had goofy nouns for names, crooked teeth, and infectious smiles. Avalon’s tired brain would never remember any of them individually, but collectively they put her at ease, a huge dysfunctional but loving family.
