Avondale

by Toby Neighbors

  It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Usually, a soldier on patrol can gage the time of night by watching the arc of the moon across the sky, or how far the constellations overhead moved toward the horizon. In the pitch darkness of the blighted lands, there was no way to count the hours. He walked around the interior of the grove of trees, doing his best not to twist his ankle on the roots of the trees. If he didn’t know better, he would have worried that they were moving. Not that they slithered around like snakes, but sometimes they seemed to twist under his boots. He knew he was imagining things, that his fears were making him feel like the roots were moving, but that was impossible.

  Rafe waited until Ti’s fire died down to glowing embers, then he waited until he could barely make out the last remaining coals. Finally, he walked out of the grove of trees and roused his friend. Tiberius groaned, then got up. He arranged the blanket over Lexi, then stretched.

  “At least it’s warmer down here,” Rafe said, tossing some of the fallen branches that Lexi had gathered onto the last few coals.

  “You see anything?”

  “Nope,” Rafe said. “You can’t see anything in the dark down here. I didn’t hear anything either.”

  “I’m going to catch a few winks,” Rafe said. “See you in the morning.”

  “What time is it?” Tiberius called after him.

  “Don’t know,” Rafe said. “Can’t see the moon.”

  He walked back into the grove of trees. He had to move slowly in the darkness, his hands outstretched in front of him like a blind man. He felt a thick tree trunk and Tiberius’ warning came back into his mind, causing a shiver to run down his back. Rafe shook it off and went forward. He moved slowly, but it was impossible to see anything in the darkness. When he’d been on watch, he made sure to always know where Olyva was, even though he couldn’t see her and no matter where he was on his circuit around the grove. Now he was lost.

  “Olyva?” he called quietly. “Where are you?”

  There was no answer.

  “Olyva?”

  It was no use. He turned and went back to Tiberius’s fire. The branches he’d placed on the coals were just starting to ignite. He picked one up by the end that stuck out of the small fire, holding it like a torch.

  “Follow me over there,” he told Tiberius. “I can’t see where Olyva is in the darkness.”

  Ti nodded, and they walked back to the grove of trees. Rafe was just about to pass under the first tree they came to when they heard a hiss.

  “What was that?” Tiberius asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rafe said.

  He drew his sword and waited listening. There was nothing to hear except their own breathing. Rafe was angry. He hated being afraid. He would face any threat, but the unknown still made him uneasy.

  “Here,” he told Tiberius, holding out the makeshift torch. “Take this and walk around that way. I’ll check inside the tree line.”

  “Okay,” Tiberius said, as he fingered his bullwhip nervously. “Be careful.”

  “You too,” Rafe said.

  He ducked back inside the grove of trees. The faint light from Tiberius’ torch shone into the circle of trees. He could see the gnarled floor of roots all around him, but he couldn’t see Olyva. He followed behind Tiberius, letting his friend’s light illuminate section after section of the grove. The light didn’t shine very far into the cluster of trees, only between the two trees closest to him. Rafe felt a sense of dread, but he guessed that Olyva had moved down from the tree trunk she had been leaning against and was curled on the patch of moss. If he just followed Tiberius, he would run into her eventually.

  Rafe was really starting to worry that he hadn’t found Olyva when Tiberius’ campfire came back into view. It didn’t make sense, he thought. She wouldn’t just wander off into the darkness and if something had dragged her away, they would have heard something.

  “Seems okay to me,” Tiberius said.

  “No,” Rafe said. “I can’t find Olyva.”

  “What?” Tiberius said.

  “She isn’t here?”

  “She left?”

  “Why would she do that?” Rafe said. “Its pitch-black out.”

  “Well, I didn’t see her,” Tiberius said.

  “Bring that torch in here.”

  Ti was just moving to help his friend when they heard the hiss again. Both men froze, listening and staring hard into the darkness. Suddenly there was a loud crack and a heavy branch fell on Rafe, knocking him senseless. The next thing he knew Tiberius was dragging him out of the grove of trees.

  “What happened?” he said.

  “A tree branch fell and hit you,” Tiberius said, as he struggled to pull his friend away from the grove of trees and closer to the fire he’d built with Lexi. “Stay here, I’ll go get Olyva.”

  Chapter 28

  Tiberius

  Tiberius was angry. He’d warned Rafe not to stay in the grove of strange trees, but he didn’t listen. It could have been a coincidence that the branch fell, but Tiberius didn’t think so. The strange hissing, Olyva disappearing, and now Rafe was hurt. He drug his friend within the ring of firelight where Lexi was waiting. She had a spear in one hand, her curved dagger in the other.

  “What happened?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “A tree branch fell on him,” Tiberius said.

  “I’m fine,” Rafe said in a thick voice, the way a person sounds after being woke up from a long night’s sleep.

  “He’s bleeding pretty badly,” Lexi said.

  “It’s just a head wound, he doesn’t have much to hurt up there,” Tiberius said. “I’ll see to it when I get back.”

  “Where are you going?” Lexi asked incredulously. “Please tell me you aren’t going into that grove of trees.”

  “I have to get Lady Olyva,” Tiberius said.

  “No, you don’t. At least not yet. Wait until sunup, then you and Rafe can go together.”

  “That could be too late.”

  “You could die going in there,” Lexi said. “There’s no need to risk it.”

  “Lady Olyva is in there,” Rafe said. “We can’t leave her.”

  “You should have listened to Tiberius,” Lexi said angrily. “Don’t do it Ti, you don’t even know what’s happening.”

  Tiberius was torn. He knew he needed to do something, but he wasn’t sure what exactly that was. He knew he needed more light. He picked up another of the burning branches and held them both over his head, casting the light as far as he could.

  “I won’t go in,” he told Lexi. “I just want to see if I can find her.”

  “Let me help,” Rafe said, but he struggled just to sit up.

  “No, stay here. Just give me a minute.”

  Tiberius moved closer to the grove of trees. He held the torches high. The burning sticks did little to light the interior of the grove. Tiberius edged a little closer and heard the hissing sound again. He was sure it was coming from the grove of trees. He also heard a creaking, the way a tree sounds as the branches bend and sway in a strong wind.

  He moved back slowly. His eyes no longer trying to penetrate the darkness of the grove of trees. Instead, he watched the dark trees themselves. He couldn’t see them moving, but he was sure they were. They were more alive than any tree he’d ever known. They were defending themselves and their catch. Lady Olyva was in danger, but Tiberius didn’t know what to do to save her.

  “What’d you find?” Lexi asked.

  She was kneeling by Rafe, who was leaning against her leg. She had cut a piece of fabric from their blanket and was using it to staunch the flow of blood. Tiberius leaned down with his torch to inspect the wound.

  “The trees have her,” Tiberius said. “I’m sure of it. They’re fighting to keep us out.”

  “We have to get to her,” Rafe said, struggling to get up.

  Tiberius put his hand on Rafe’s shoulder and held him down.

  “Let go of me,” he shouted at T
iberius. “They could be killing her in there.”

  “They haven’t killed her yet,” Tiberius said in a calm voice. “If they had, they would be trying to lure us back in so they could do the same to us.”

  “Did you see her?”

  “No,” Tiberius said sadly. “I couldn’t see anything. I need a plan before I go rushing in after her.”

  “We have to do something,” Rafe said.

  “I am; I’m going to heal you. Now lay back and relax.”

  Tiberius glanced at Lexi, who was watching him with wide-eyed fascination. She had never seen him work magic on another person. Ti focused his attention on Rafe’s head wound. It was a pretty nasty gash. He couldn’t tell how deep it was in the dark and with his friend’s hair matted with blood, obscuring his view.

  “Sano Grasilis Abscido,” Tiberius said in a soft voice. He chanted the words, forming a rhythm that he repeated over and over.

  The magical power that seemed to swirl to life between Tiberius and Rafe was familiar. It was a force that seemed to pulse with intrinsic goodness. He skillfully directed the magic into Rafe’s wound. Tiberius had practiced the simple cut healing spell many times with fruit, but now, healing his friend’s deep gash, was more difficult and time consuming. Tiberius could feel the magic working, pulling and mending the torn flesh on the top of Rafe’s head. The cut was deep enough to need stitches, but not so deep that it exposed the skull. Tiberius let the magic work, continuing to chant and direct the flow of magical power. It was obvious that the spell wasn’t strong enough to heal a really deep cut, one that severed muscle or tendons, but luckily it was working on Rafe’s gash.

  After almost half an hour, Tiberius could tell that the cut was completely healed. He stopped chanting the spell and slumped down. The magic had no effect on Tiberius, but staying focused and chanting the spell for such an extended period of time wore him out. Rafe had fallen asleep and Lexi eased his head down on the mossy grass, and then covered him with the blanket that she and Tiberius had shared.

  “Are you okay?” she asked Ti.

  “Yes, I’m fine, just tired.”

  “Well, rest if you can, I’ll stand watch. I don’t think I could sleep anyway.”

  “Warm some water,” Tiberius told her. “We need to wash the blood off Rafe and make sure there isn’t anything else wrong with him.”

  Lex found a metal cup and filled it with water from the water skin. They didn’t have much left, especially since Rafe’s supplies were still in the grove of trees. If they couldn’t recover his pack, they would have to be very careful not to run out of water before they found more.

  She set the cup near the fire and then stood up, stretching her tired muscles. Tiberius watched her, marveling at how strong she was. She was small, very thin, and Tiberius thought she was completely beautiful. His mind wandered back to what she had told him about the bruises on her face. She’d been attacked by two men, and she’d killed them both. He had never killed anyone, and yet Lexi, who seemed so innocent and sweet, had. Her life had been so difficult and all Tiberius wanted was to protect her and give her everything she never had before. Instead, he had somehow convinced her, without even trying, to leave everything they knew to go wandering across the blighted lands. He simply couldn’t imagine the courage that must have taken. There was nothing for him in Avondale. Even before his family turned against him, he knew he couldn’t stay. Lexi, on the other hand, could have had a full life in the city, yet she chose to forsake it all just to be with him.

  Once the water was warm, Tiberius and Lexi dribbled it onto Rafe’s scalp, gently rubbing away the sticky blood and probing his head for any sign of the gash.

  “What are you doing?” Rafe said, his eyes fluttering open.

  “We’re checking your head for any sign of intelligence,” Tiberius said. “So far… nothing.”

  “The cut is healed,” Lexi said in an excited voice. “There’s not even a scar.”

  “It feels better,” Rafe said, lying still and letting the others do their work.

  They used all the water in the cup. Rafe’s hair wasn’t clean, but Tiberius was certain there were no more cuts or obvious injuries. His friend was lucky that the branch hadn’t cracked his skull. He could have died from such a wound if it had been much worse.

  “So what now?” Rafe said.

  “It will be sunup soon,” Lexi said.

  “I can’t believe I’m not in there searching for Olyva.”

  “We will be soon,” Tiberius said. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

  A slow hour passed, and then finally the sky overhead began to lighten. It took another half an hour before there was enough light to see into the cluster of trees. Tiberius and Rafe circled the grove, but there was no sign of Lady Olyva.

  “Are you certain she didn’t go wandering off?” Tiberius asked.

  “She was sound asleep,” Rafe said. “She fell asleep before sunset. I sat with her until it was dark out, then I got up and stood watch. She hardly moved at all.”

  “Okay, so maybe the trees have her,” Ti said.

  “What exactly to you mean by that?” Rafe said. “How can trees take someone against their will?”

  “Maybe they lifted her up into the branches somehow,” Lexi said.

  “Or they might have covered her over with their roots,” Tiberius said.

  “Oh, damn!” Rafe said. “I felt the roots moving last night. I thought it was just my imagination. It was a little creepy in the dark and all.”

  “She’s buried alive?” Lexi said in a quiet little voice.

  “Not for long,” Tiberius vowed.

  “What are you going to do?” Rafe said, grabbing his friend’s arm.

  “I have an idea. Stand back and wait for the chance to go get Olyva.”

  “Why? What are you planning?”

  Tiberius ignored Rafe and marched toward the grove of trees. He was angry and he let his anger rise above his fear. If the trees were alive, they might be incredibly powerful. If the trees somehow attacked him or Lexi and Rafe, they could be killed. Still, he wasn’t going to let the trees kill Lady Olyva without even trying to help her.

  “Let her go!” he shouted at the trees.

  He didn’t know if the trees could understand him, but he did his best to project his anger and the meaning of his words toward the cluster of strange trees.

  A hiss emanated from the grove.

  “Let her go or I’ll burn you down,” Tiberius threatened.

  This time the hiss was louder and the branches of the trees shook as if a strong wind was blowing, the wood creaked and some leaves floated down to the ground.

  “Ingesco Exsuscito!” Tiberius shouted.

  He’d never used the spell before and was surprised at what happened next. He had expected the rush of magic to swirl around him, but instead, he felt magic being pulled from the nearest tree. It wasn’t the same magic he was used to, but rather a natural force that felt strong and nurturing. It seeped out of the high branches and leaves of the tree, and then, to Tiberius’ amazement, the branches burst into flame.

  The trees groaned and then limbs separated. The tree that was burning was suddenly isolated from the grove. There was a massive crack, that sounded almost like a lightning strike, then the tree was toppling away from the other trees, and right toward Tiberius.

  He heard Lexi and Rafe shout for him, but Tiberius was already dashing away. He darted backward, and just barely escaped being caught by the tree’s limbs. He felt the heat of the fire as it spread across the tree’s branches and leaves. Black smoke billowed into the sky and Tiberius stalked back toward the grove of trees.

  “Let her go, now!” he shouted.

  The tree roots moved, slithering like slow-moving snakes to uncover the curled form of Lady Olyva. She didn’t seem to be hurt, but it was impossible to tell.

  Rafe raced past Tiberius and into the grove of trees, which hissed and groaned, but no more limbs fell. Rafe scooped Olyva into his arms and
turned to start back when Lexi ran past Tiberius and into the grove. He started to shout for her to stop, but she danced across the still writhing roots, snatched up Rafe’s pack and sprinted out the far side of the cluster of trees.

  Tiberius felt relieved that Lexi was out of danger, but he kept a close eye on the menacing trees as Rafe was walking back toward his friend. Rafe was careful, moving slowly to avoid the slithering roots. He had just reached the edge of the grove when a root shot up and encircled his ankle. Rafe stumbled. Olyva came tumbling out of his arms and rolled past the tree’s roots.

  “Rafe!” Tiberius shouted.

  “Get her out of here!” Rafe called back.

  Tiberius ran forward and grabbed Olyva’s wrists. He started pulling her backward, dragging her away from the trees much the same way he’d done with Rafe a few hours before. He looked up and saw more of the tree roots rising up and wrapping around Rafe, who was struggling to escape. Tiberius wanted to use his magic and set more of the trees on fire, but he had to get Olyva to a safe distance first.

  Rafe managed to draw his dagger and hack through one of the roots. The tree limbs overhead were waving furiously. Branches dropped all around the grove. Then Rafe got his rapier free. The sword wasn’t ideal for hacking at roots, but he chopped furiously anyway.

  Sticky sap flew around him and the roots continued to wrap around Rafe’s legs. Tiberius finally got Olyva out of what he deemed to be the danger zone. Lexi was just jogging back to their campsite with Rafe’s pack. The horses were neighing and bucking. They had hobbled the horses the night before, using the reins to secure their front two legs together so that the horses couldn’t run away, but in their fear of the fire, the horses were bound to hurt themselves.