The Questory of Root Karbunkulus - Quill

by Kamilla Reid

  Now they were going fast! Holy kamoly they were going fast. Nothing could be seen other than a dark blur of racing water. There was nothing to hang on to either. Out of fear of pinching Corky they tried to brace with each other instead.

  It was a long ride. At least it felt that way. All Root could think about was Pooly’s haunting words and the horror in her eyes. She saw CPR’s face then. It was homely and beautiful and frightened, eyes rimmed white, wild with fear. If any happens to her…if anything has happened… Root thought she was going to be sick. She wanted to scream and bawl and pound her fists on something…anything. But that meant defeat. That meant CPR was dead. And she refused to go there.

  She gripped her friends’ arms tighter.

  No one let go until the force of the landing made them.

  Corky flew airborne then came down with an enormous splash. He roared. A burst of cool air hit them as his shell started to rise.

  The landing pool seemed to be sitting in the very heart of the White Woods, though it was hard to tell for the darkness. All around them a strong, bold forest of pure white sprung up. Root inhaled. The air here was so fresh and cool, she felt her headache instantly deaden.

  The relief would not last. For as they pondered their next steps it became very clear that the White Woods were immense indeed with nary a hint of possible direction.

  While the boys tossed out ideas, something occurred to Root. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before. Perhaps CPR had Quatra. If she did, and was still alive she could direct them right to her. Root concentrated. She felt around for a wave of CPR, a familiar frequency. Just as she thought she was getting close, a terrible clashing of power, an electrical shock, jolted her. She felt like her brain was tin foil in a microwave and immediately released her search, clutching her head as she did.

  “You okay?” Lian asked.

  “ Yeah, I was seeing if she had Quatra. But,

  obviously it didn’t work.”

  The fog had already begun to lift when they

  arrived and now its last wispy threads were trickling away. A bright new moon picked up where it last left off, sending silvery light to the Valadors as they began to look for signs. Perhaps there would be tracks they could follow in the fluffy white ground covering that now glittered in the moon’s fanfare. It was just like snow but without the cold or the melt.

  “Wait a minute” Dwyn said and threw himself to the ground. He lay on his back and flapped his arms and legs

  A snow angel? Root was about to explode. This was no time for…But Dwyn stood up and she stopped herself short. Behind him, something had moved. She watched as the groundcover smoothed over the snow angel as if the area had never been touched. Indeed, as they tromped around for more confirmation, they realized the whole of the White Woods was magically swayed to cover up the prints of its inhabitants.

  “I thought something was weird.” Dwyn said.

  This was not a happy revelation.

  With time teetering heavily away from them, they were at a complete loss. Soon it would be morning. Perhaps they could wait until then. At least they would have a better view of things. But then would they be too late?

  “I wish we had a flashlight!” Root said. “Wait! Lian, what about your Sea Light!”

  Good idea!

  Lian threw the travel pack off and began rifling through it. When he pulled out his prize invention, his face was far from happy. The Sea Light was snapped in two.

  Hope fell off their faces.

  Lian slumped over the travel pack. Root could hardly blame him for being mad. She would totally understand if he, in fact, wanted to just leave, go back and forget all about CPR.

  But despite Lian’s clear disappointment, he’d come to enjoy CPR’s company. Having been raised by a Fuffleteez, he had had his fair share of pets, all of which had chewed and destroyed something or other. And all of which had turned out to be beloved mates in the end.

  There must be a way. Without knowing it Lian began to pace.

  “Pssssst.” Dwyn said to Root and pointed.

  Lian was doing his figure eight. That meant the wheels were seriously turning in his brain. Something would come to him. They just knew it.

  They waited and watched and watched and waited until finally Lian stopped mid-eight. He looked at his mates, a twinkle in his eyes.

  “It’s only an idea...I can’t guarantee it will work.”

  “What is it?” Root pleaded.

  Lian dug into to the travel pack. He emerged with a bottle in his hand that read ‘Pansy Path’.

  “There’s not much left. Which actually might be a good thing. A very good thing.” His friends were hovering over him anxiously as he explained. “Remember when CPR knocked over the travel pack?”

  “Which time?”

  “The last time. Outside of the Drinkhouse.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, she’d knocked over most of my Pansy Path and gotten it all over herself, too. You can’t see it. It’s like a really fine powder.” Lian held up the bottle. Inside it they could see a mound of soft, yellow powder. “I was gonna brush her off but then we were going to eat and I thought I’d do it later. Well, thank goodness I didn’t because…”

  Lian plucked the stopper of the bottle. He stuck a finger in and sifted around. When he saw what he wanted, he sighed with relief and pinched the object out of the powder. “This is the Primary Pansy, the plug-in.” He held up a tiny bulb.

  “Plug-in?”

  Lian crouched low and started to dig into the fluffy white soil. Shortly he reached firmer ground and kept digging. When he was satisfied with the depth he took a deep breath. “If CPR is still covered in Pansy Path, we will know very shortly.”

  “How?”

  “When I plant the Primary seed, it will literally plug in to the line. Every powdery grain will light up.”

  “Woah!” Dwyn said and crouched excitedly beside Lian.

  Root bit her lip as she watched Lian drop the bulb into the ground and cover it up. He closed his eyes and mouthed something silently.

  They waited. It was a long shot for sure. But worth betting on, all the same.

  Nothing happened. Dwyn stood up, anxious.

  Lian remained. If there’s one thing he knew about nature. It had its own sense of timing.

  Then, in a magical kiss of creation, it happened. A twinkle. Right in front of them! It flickered as if it were growing. They watched in awe as before their eyes a tiny little bulb of light blossomed open in the shape of an exquisitely perfect pansy.

  And then, a few paces down, another! This one erupting from the trunk of a nearby tree. Another blossomed and flickered a short way from that one. And another. And another.

  A path of pansies! Literally. A beautiful, twinkling, glowing ribbon all along the ground and trees, lighting their way in the darkness.

  The team cheered. Lian was met with a round of hugs. He’d done it again. He’d given them hope.

  “So, all these tiny lights had fallen from CPR?” Root asked as they followed the path.

  “Yeah, thank goodness she managed to get a whole lot of powder seeds on her. Let’s just hope there’s enough to take us all the way.”

  They walked for a long time. Though still dim, the woods were beautiful and refreshing. The Pansy Path kept springing up ahead of them, bolstering more and more hope. As they followed Root tried to imagine what CPR’s unwilling journey had been like. Much of the Pansy Path sprang up from trees and Root wondered if CPR had been prodded and pushed so that she sideswiped them. They also came across a large expansion of Pansy Path where the tiny lights seemed to run amok, like a chaotic dance. Had CPR tried to escape here? Was there a struggle?

  The sun began to rise, seeping a layer of pale orange watercolor into the sky. Root started to panic. Soon, they would not be able to see the Pansy Path over the light of day. And they had yet to find CPR.

  They walked faster.

  They ran.

  And then, ju
st like that the Pansy Path was gone. Not because of the sun. It was simply gone. Disappeared.

  They were in an opening of the forest, a small meadow. The White Woods were a spectacle of sparkle in the surging sun. Trees were frosted from root to mounding top in glittering white. It reminded Root of the hoar frost back home but this was not a frozen covering. It was simply summer decked out in white diamonds.

  Dwyn followed a winsome little sound and came upon a pair of happy birds, round and fluffy and brightest red. They stood out like rubies against the glistening white branches.

  “Look at this.” He called to his friends. He thought they too would marvel at the beautiful contrast but when Lian arrived, his face drained of color.

  “No.” he whispered.

  “What?” Root asked, suddenly seized with fear.

  “Birds of Death.”

  A terrible screech split the air. They looked up. Another bird, this one three times the size and black as the night from which they had just come, was circling overhead. And another. And three more giant, ugly cawing beasts,.

  Without saying anything Lian ran. He ran faster than he’d ever run in his entire life. He ran straight for the spot below the swooping, black cloud of black. He tore through a hedge of white trees…please, no, please, no, please no…

  When Root and Dwyn caught up with Lian, he was sunk to his knees. In front of him the mangled bodies lay still and silent.

  The glorious white of the woods was splattered in deep, murderous red.

  “No!” Root cried and ran forward. She fell at the head of the first body. Without its spirit it was so heavy. So robbed of light. She looked into its eyes. This beast was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

  When she realized what it was, she was overcome with anguish.

  The HaloEm lay cold and lifeless. Blood was seeping from its nose. A great rack of antlers sunk heavily into the white earth.

  Root heaved its magnificent head into her lap and looked at her friends.

  Lian was still on his knees. Great sobs were coming from him. Dwyn stood in stunned silence. Above them the black vultures circled, cawing, awaiting their turn. Root wanted to scream at them but nothing came from her throat. Her eyes drowned in tears.

  Dwyn approached the second body. He could hardly bear it. Its soft white coat was smeared in blood. A pair of magnificent iridescent wings fell mangled and torn. He carefully rearranged and folded them back into the HaloEm’s side, noticing a single space where a Quill was missing. He looked to his friends who were already locked on the wing, noticing the exact same space. No one said anything. What words could suffice? The universe had shifted. Something deep in each of them had changed forever. Dwyn kneeled down and stroked the soft, beautiful muzzle.

  And that’s how they remained while Time in all its efforts stood perfectly still and bowed its great head.

  35

  GUT OIL

  Awhimper broke the team’s silent eulogy.

  She was hanging from a tree, in a net. Her clumsy skinny legs were sticking through here and there. Her skin was torn in places and a cut over her eye was dripping blood onto the white ground below.

  But she was alive!

  “CPR!” Root cried.

  They had her free in minutes and were all over her with praise and love and relief. Lian did a quick inspection. Nothing was broken but she was trembling wildly. Root took her cloak off and slipped it over CPR’s raw shoulders and back. The beloved animal was too weak to even lick Root’s hand like she always did. Her watery legs attempted a few steps and collapsed. Root raced to her side and wrapped her arms around her. That’s all she could do in this far away place where color hibernated. CPR shivered and whimpered under the cloak. Was she dying, Root thought.

  Another crack in time found the team huddled next to CPR, beside the dead bodies. Something needed to be done but grief and horror wouldn’t allow it. Their brains were numb. All that their tired bodies and stricken spirits could conjure was blank confusion. Loss. Whiteout.

  They felt utterly defeated.

  In that hour the Quest had become something more. Something terrifying. Something dark and mad. And they wanted no part of it.

  As they slid further into the quicksand of grief Root reached out. Her mind stretched as far as it could before going under…Jorab?

  Jorab found the Valadors shivering and huddled over an animal. He had arrived with Mordge by Skywagon.

  “Oh! Oh have pity!” Mordge saw the HaloEm.

  “I will bury them. You take the children.” Jorab said.

  The burial was brief. Root, Lian and Dwyn stood around the plot that Jorab had made, still shivering and blank despite the relief of Mordge’s medicinal offerings. Jorab spoke a language even Lian did not know. It was an ancient tongue that ran like lightning along the branches of the forest. When he was finished he plunged a long golden staff into the heart of the mound. A flash of light blinded them and when it was gone, two brilliantly blue birds were in its place. The Birds of Life.

  Root watched them fly away.

  Mordge sat atop the sky wagon. Normally Root would be thrilled to see that it was pulled by six giant geese with long green necks but as Jorab offered his hand to help her inside the wagon it was all she could do to just breathe. She turned one last time to the White Woods. A pity the warm snow couldn’t cover up the blood that still stained its white floor. Jorab had said the power behind the murder was so strong that it had created a rift in the woods’ magic.

  A glint of something caught Root’s eye.

  It was half buried. A…a glass?

  Root dropped Jorab’s hand and ran. She picked up the object and looked at it. Her heart exploded in her chest. A mad rush of rage surfaced as her mind wrapped around the discovery.

  The vial in her hands had a label.

  Gut Oil.

  It was empty.

  The return to Hotel Gub was unheralded. Root slipped away unnoticed to her room and fell upon her bed. Her head was hot and rushed with blood. She’d spent the entire flight back to the castle blind with rage and confusion, unable to share her heinous discovery. She had to grasp it first. And, right now that was asking too much. She just could not fathom the evil required for such an act. And yet, the proof was now in her hand. She held the empty vial up.

  “Visitors!” Her door hand called, making her heart jump.

  “Who is it?”

  “Master Lian Blick and Master Dwyn Puffler.”

  “Tell them I’m sleeping.”

  After a moment. “They don’t believe you.”

  Root sighed. “Fine. Let them in.”

  “Hey.” Dwyn said and collapsed into Root’s chair.

  “Hey.”

  Lian sat on the edge of her bed.

  They looked awful. Pale, tired and shaken. Nothing was said. They hadn’t come for conversation, only the camaraderie of speechlessness. No one wanted to be alone right then.

  After awhile Dwyn broke the silence. “Kor got a Quill. Apparently they just got back.”

  Root’s brain was pierced in the news, drawing blood to it in a swelling of bitterness. She felt dizzy with rage.

  Kor returned with a Quill. Gee, what a coincidence.

  “What did you find in the Woods as we were leaving?” Lian asked, anxious to change the topic.

  Root decided it was best to tell them. She handed him the vial. His eyes saucered.

  “What?” Dwyn said as Lian passed it to him. Then his jaw dropped.

  They looked at Root, stunned beyond belief.

  “Kor?” Dwyn whispered.

  Root nodded. There was no doubt. No one could forget the vengeful fury on his face when he said CPR should be ‘strung up and left to die!’ The same night of the attack. He was connected to the mansion that had purchased the Gut Oil. How else could he have gotten that kind of money? And now of course there was the obvious. The HaloEm were dead and Kor had returned with a Quill.

  Root’s friends went silent again. The same
silence that she’d endured in the Skywagon. The kind that went rabid with vengeance and hatred. And fear, mostly fear. A silence where one suffocated in the comprehension of sinking into something way too deep.

  “I want out.” Lian said at last.

  His teammates looked at him.

  Root had already made her decision in the White Woods, with the HaloEm’s head cradled in her lap. This so-called treasure hunt was more than she’d bargained for. Had she known it would come to this she would have never joined. It was no innocent, fun kids’ race. Not anymore. “Me, too.” She said.

  Dwyn nodded.

  A new stillness crept in and with it questions of what they were to do now, now that their lives were completely changed. How could they go back? How could they go forward?

  All Root knew was that no matter how this would end, no matter the years thereafter, nor the separation of death, Kor Bludgitt would be her sworn enemy.

  Root awoke to a cold wind that had found entry through a crack in her window. When she went to seal it, she saw a swirl of copper tinged leaves taking off.

  Autumn. Already.

  Whatever.

  She drew her curtains and slid back into bed.

  In the afternoon she woke up again. Colder yet. She put on a few extra layers and headed to the stables. Jorab was there, kneeling beside CPR who was still a mass of trembling nerves. He assured Root she would be fine but Root couldn’t release the worry in her heart.

  The good news was that the Hovermutts, having been tended to and expedited home from Divit, were now fully recovered. Root leapt atop an exuberant Stogie and went for a long hike, far away from the gossip that had already begun to make rounds through the House of Gub.

  The Pinks were returned, having taken their sweet time in spas and shopping hubs along the way. Two Quills found now.

  Root went to bed without supper, having not seen the boys all day. She suspected their day had not been much different. When she heard that Lian’s father was away on business she could practically feel Lian’s relief in the wind. With everything still so fresh and ugly she couldn’t imagine having to deal with Lord Blick’s disapproval on top of it all.