If only he could reach one particular cleft in the ridge, before they reached him. He could hold them there, and send the girl on to safety. He looked back. They were close enough now to sense his fear.
***
Shy tried to look ahead to scope out their path. The runners would need to wind around some rocky outcroppings, trees, and boulders, before they entered into the fully forested hillside. It seemed that no matter how he shifted his path, Helen ended up in front of him. He was beginning to breathe hard, as was Portia, he could see. It wasn't easy to race up a hillside, much less with all the obstacles.
Helen, however, didn't seem to be breathing hard at all. He tried again to stare at her, and again she blurred, but the resistance to his Glamour penetrating ability seemed just too strong, he wasn't able to fight through it. He suspected if given enough time, though, that he would see cow legs and a tail, or maybe a hollow log as Tad had told them.
What was he going to do? If he got ahead of her, he wouldn't feel safe… and that was assuming he would even be able to. She was running very strongly.
They crested the hillside and, following the ribbons to mark their path, they turned from the direction of the Lake cabins, toward the Forest cabins. Shy felt at home under the pine canopy, running on the reddish orange needles that covered much of the ground and prevented a lot of undergrowth. By the time they ran past the spot where he had discovered the magic rope entrance, Shy had regained his breath. He pushed, and although they were separated by huge pines, he pulled even with Helen. As he flew past the huge pines, and kept his eyes on Helen, Shy was reminded of the scene from Return of the Jedi, where Luke and Leia raced through the forested moon of Endor, on speeder bikes.
He glanced again to his left and could see that she had edged closer to his path. That made him nervous. He adjusted to stay the same distance from her. He could see Portia ahead of Helen. He was a little off course, but by now he knew these woods, and was confident he could right himself.
A quick glance to the left startled him. Helen had somehow closed the gap between them almost instantaneously! She was matching his speed step for step, just a few feet away!
"Where is it?" She hissed with eyebrows furrowed. He could feel the evil pouring from her in waves.
He looked ahead. Portia was now almost out of site to the left and ahead. He was panicked. Helen didn't look like she could physically hurt him, she wasn't big. Of course, she wasn't really human either! She was fey… Unseelie was what Tom T had called them. He thought about the strength that he had seen Tom T display. There was no way to know how strong she was, or if he could survive a fight. What he could tell, as he ran, was she had a confidence tinged with anger. That confidence made him afraid.
"Boy… WHERE is the box?" She said now with spittle flying from her mouth.
Shy still didn't answer. He had to do something. He glanced again at Portia's disappearing shape.
"Your girlfriend cannot save you…. Nothing can, unless you give me the box!"
Shy threw on the brakes suddenly and made a sharp cut to the left. He yelled, "Portia!"
Before he took more than five steps the huldra was on him. She pushed him, hard, into a trunk. It happened so fast, Shy had no control. He slammed his left shoulder into the trunk and rebounded from the tree. He landed on his back in the fragrant pine needles, and she was instantly on him. She straddled his chest, pinning his arms with her knees.
He squirmed massively, but to no avail. This girl that could not have been more than seventy pounds, pressed down on him like she was two hundred pounds. Then, she slowly let a grin creep across her face. The smile was evil and oily; just the sight of it made Shy's stomach curdle.
She squinted down at him and said, "I know you know what I am. I simply don't care. You can't do anything to stop me… to stop us. You wouldn't even if you could little boy. So, tell me now, and you can live…. Where is the box."
Her confidence was her downfall. She had him right where she wanted him. She was in control, and must have relaxed her Glamour. Shy saw her change into her true appearance. It wasn't his ability, there was no blurring and snap, she just released her deceptive magic. Her hideous cow face dripped saliva onto him.
Simultaneously Shy saw Portia's face over Helen's shoulder. The brave blond girl had a look of horror on her face. His friend's arm raised and fell swiftly, and the huldra crumpled onto Shy. He squirmed even more aggressively, but had a hard time moving the cow body from on top of him. Finally, Portia had to help push her off.
Shy got to his feet, and was still so scared that he gave Portia a big hug! He turned back to the huldra. .
"What do you see?" Shy agitatedly asked Portia.
"I heard you scream. I came back and saw Helen sitting on you. Then she changed." Portia shuddered. "I saw the tail, and her back looked like the mossy inside of a hollow log. Daniel had told me all about the huldra. I knew what she was then… and I knew I had to help you?"
"Thank you," was all Shy could manage.
The huldra began to stir at their feet.
"We need to go… run!" He pushed Portia forward, propelling her through the trees.
Shy glanced behind him. At the speed that thing could run, he was worried. Turning forward again, he saw a red ribbon signifying they were back on course. Shortly, they came upon the stamping station, manned by Tad. The counselor raised an eyebrow as they slowed to a walking approach.
"Where is Claudius?" Shy immediately asked Tad. Even though he disliked the Cave boy, he wanted to make sure he was safe.
"He passed here a minute or so ago. What's going on, Shy? You look frazzled," he said suspiciously.
Shy ignored the question, and instead asked Tad another. "Have you seen that Helen girl? From the Shore cabins?"
Tad indicated that he had not yet seen her.
"She is the huldra! She looks like Helen! I couldn't see through her Glamour right away, but I could tell in the eyes. Then, she attacked me! Portia saved me!"
Tad looked at the tall, long limbed girl. "She has been saving you a lot lately. So, where is this huldra now? I need to find Gust…did you see him? He was going to be following you…" Tad now sounded really concerned.
"We haven't seen him anywhere," Shy answered, and looked to Portia for confirmation. She nodded.
"OK," Tad started to move, then stopped and continued, "do you want me to bring you two back?"
Shy shook his head. "We are going to try to catch Claudius."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Tad smiled, "I saw him turn onto the wrong path about a hundred yards down that way. I am going looking for Gust, he might need help. Tell Clancy what happened when you get back. And Shy…" Tad paused, "Be careful! Keep an eye on him…" Tad added to Portia.
"I will." She said seriously.
"Tad, you be careful too," Shy warned.
Tad gave a single nod and jogged back in the direction that Shy said they had left the huldra, looking for Gust.
Portia grabbed his arm and they set off at a run, eastward towards the waterfall. When they came upon the river gorge trail, they took the southerly path, and immediately came upon the Cave cabin counselor at the third stamping station. He didn't say much, and they didn't wait. They got their stamps and pushed onward, soon reaching the intersection from the path that crossed the river gorge bridge. The same patch they had arrived on, and where Shy had been snatched into the air by the ticklish flying creature.
The path turned back northward, and they were again heading uphill. Portia was a strong runner, and Shy was starting to labor. However, he stayed with her, and finally they came upon Meg, Portia's counselor. She smiled at Portia, and at Shy.
"You're the first two," She said. "Hurry!" She stamped their hands and rushed them on their way. They nervously looked at each other, but didn't take the time to tell her what had happened. She must have taken their flushed excitement as a sign of their hard running.
They were off again. The last section was downhill, so they had to wat
ch the path closely so as not to turn an ankle. Shy was familiar with this route, he and Daniel had run it often. They were just north of the landing clearing for the Forest cabins' zip line. If they continued on their current path, they would cross that clearing shortly. Indeed, the red streamers led them to the opening in the forest where Shy had landed many times.
They didn't pause when entering the clearing; instead, they were able to increase their speed, because the clearing was free of boulders and trees. Suddenly, the huldra stepped out of the forest at the far side. Portia grabbed Shy's arm and they came to a screeching halt. Shy's vision didn't need to snap, he realized, because she wasn't using Glamour!
Portia's sharp intake of breath told Shy that she could also see the true form of the evil fairy.
The huldra stepped forward slowly, tenseness in her walk. A cow tail swished agitatedly from the behind. Her face was in the form of a snout, but the eyes were the same. Deep, dark, evil eyes.
Shy grabbed Portia, who looked to be in a daze now, much like Daniel was on that night weeks ago. He turned her toward himself, and grabbed her face, cradled her cheeks.
"You HAVE to run!" He whispered urgently. "Run!" He spun her around and pushed her off.
He, himself, then spun back to face the huldra. She was now only inches from him, and he jumped back. How had she gotten to him so quickly and silently, he wondered to himself. He expected to get hit by a cloven hoof, but she just stood and looked into his eyes.
Finally she said, "Your girlfriend is under my power now. Take me to the box, or she may have a little accident."
Shy glanced over his shoulder, and could see Portia, still standing with her back to him, frozen in place, no farther away than he had shoved her.
He turned back to the huldra. She was now inches from him, face to face. He could smell her sour breath. She pulled his head towards hers by wrapping her hoofed forearm around the back of his head. He felt the sharp edge of the hoof bite into the back of his scalp. They were now mouth to ear.
"Tell me where it is, or I will kill you both…" She whispered in an eerily gentle voice.
She pushed him back away from her far enough that he could see she had transformed herself back to the pretty girl that he had seen with Daniel weeks prior. He again was not strong enough to see through her powers. She smiled slyly and sweetly, but couldn't hide the evil in her eyes.
All of this happened in the matter of a few seconds. He still had not spoken, and his mouth was so dry, he wasn't sure he could.
He saw behind the huldra, at the edge of the clearing, blurry areas appear. As he stared his vision snapped repeatedly. There were dark creatures moving in the shadows of the trees. Even with his ability, they were hard to see. Not because of their weak Glamour, he saw through that easily enough, but because they slid from shadow to shadow as they moved. Creeping and jumping, they stayed out of sight. Here and there, Shy could see a golden flash among their movements. His head slowly swiveled, taking in the edges of the whole clearing. They were everywhere! Her own little army. He was trapped!
Shy looked back at the innocent looking girl with the deep, evil eyes. Her smile widened. She knew he saw and understood his predicament. He looked again, to stall for time. What could he tell her? He truly wasn't sure where the box was. He had left it in his cabin, but somehow Tom T would bring that down to the Lodge. If his Dad had it now, she might attack him. What could he do?
"I grow impatient boy. You may have escaped my trolls, but they are stupid, uncouth beasts. You will not escape my goblins. They grow in numbers every day! The Unseelie are rising again! I will have the box and its power. I will not wait for you any longer. Where is it?" She spoke with finality.
Shy took a step back, and she instantly closed on him. He bumped into Portia. There was nowhere to go. He stepped back into the Tae Kwon Do stance that his instructor, Mr. Ballanger, had shown him. It was no use, he looked and felt ridiculous. No martial art would help him now; he was facing a mythical creature and her army.
Suddenly, he heard a tinkling in the distance, like little bells. He saw Helen look up to the sky with something akin to fear on her face. The tinkling grew louder. Distracted, the huldra's power wavered. His vision snapped hard, and he felt Portia stumble free from the spell behind him.
The dark snouted creature standing in front of him now raised her hoofed arm. The goblin army slunk from the shadows and began to tighten the circle around Shy and Portia.
Shy's first impression of the goblins, in the light, was that they looked like beetles. They had black shiny skin and wore black shiny armor. Their heads and faces were black and looked like some cross between a giant bat snout and a that of a boar. Their upturned snouts were covered with dark fur, and they had a dark tusk-like spike from each side of their mouths. They were fierce looking, and creepy, Shy thought. The tinkling bells finally made him tear himself away from looking at the goblins.
He glanced up into the sky. His vision snapped repeatedly. There, floating down like a flock of butterflies, were the sylphon. More than Shy could have imagined. They were beautiful, just as when he was watching them previously in this very same clearing. As they drew down upon the circle of goblins, the goblins braced their dark bodies for battle. It was a surreal scene.
The huldra issued some other command, and a small group of goblins broke away from the circle and moved swiftly for Shy. Portia grabbed onto him from behind and screamed. The next thing he knew, he was gently lifted off the ground. The goblins jumped and grabbed at his feet. He kicked free and rose further into the air.
He looked up and saw the smiling faces of the sylphon. He had one on each arm, and could feel Portia on his right, with her own transporters. She had stopped screaming and was staring in awe at the creatures. They must have turned off their Glamour for her. They rose above the clearing, though not above the treetops. It didn't feel like he was flying, really. It was more like floating, he thought.
He heard a horrible noise issue up from the clearing below, and looked down. The huldra was howling in frustration. It sounded like the State Fair stables when a cow was birthing. The goblins were backing into the shadows from her, in fear of reprisal. The other sylphon formed up beneath and behind them, creating a wall of wings. Slowly they blocked Shy's view of the clearing. The sound, though, carried with them for a while
He looked again at Portia. She was smiling.
***
The sylphon had set them down just before the forest opened up to the Lodge. Shy had turned to thank them, and then stopped himself. Instead, he and Portia simply returned the smiles of the small fairies and waved as they floated away into the trees.
They ran from the forest together. Though they had not spoken of it, they tried their best to cross the finish line together, in a tie.
Afterward, they stood with their parents and received congratulations from other parents and campers alike.
Eventually, Claudius had gotten back on track and finished third.
Tad eventually also turned up, with Helen in tow. At first, Shy was alarmed! He stared and stared at the girl, however, and his vision didn't blur. He grabbed Portia's hand and they worked their way closer to the front of the crowd, where Tad, Helen, and Clancy were huddled. As he came nearly face to face with the girl, Shy could see the difference in the eyes. She did not have the evil eyes of the huldra.
Tad, meanwhile, had a long private conversation with Clancy and other counselors. Clancy glanced at Shy often during their whispered conference. Eventually, she must have sensed the restlessness of the crowd. She whispered some quick instructions to the counselors and they went off as a group into the woods. Shy figured it was to look for Gust. Shy began to worry about him, and looked at the watch that hung loosely on his wrist. He still hadn't given it back to Gust, and now it was a reminder of how much Gust had done for him.
Clancy addressed the crowd.
"Congratulations to all our contestants! We have decided to split first place for the cross countr
y running. Their photo finish was as close to a tie as you could get. They will both be awarded nine points! The final scores then are: Shore 20, Lake 49, Cave 50, and Forest 51! Congratulations to the Forest cabin campers! Come on up here boys."
Shy's friends tumbled up to the front of the group. Sawyer and Henry held their hands aloft with the number one sign pointing to the sky. Shy found Daniel as he walked up. The tall boy was all smiles. He put his arm around Shy and they walked up together. As they stood in front of campers, parents, and counselors, Shy felt a wave of pride come over him. The thoughts of the goblins and huldra disappeared for a few minutes while he basked in the glory of applause.
The counselors had reappeared and Shy saw Tad give Clancy a slight shake of his head. Then Tad looked for Shy from the crowd and winked at him with the thumbs up sign. Shy could tell though that something was bothering Tad. They must not have found Gust. Shy wondered what could possibly have happened to the old man.
His eyes then came to rest on his dad clapping and standing tall with pride.
He saw Crutch standing with his arms crossed, being scolded by his mother for not clapping. Shy was happy.
***
Shy had a hard time when it was time to leave, because he had never had this many friends in his life. The group of boys gathered for photos, and then said their awkward goodbyes. Henry and some of the others handed out their email addresses. Shy had never had a use for one, so had nothing to pass out. Daniel came over and gave Shy his phone number.
"You coming back next year?" He asked.
Shy nodded.
"Nice. So am I. For sure, I asked my parents already. Call me this year… OK?"
"OK. Thanks."
Again an awkward silence stretched and Shy felt like he didn't know what to do with his hands. Daniel suddenly stuck out his hand and smiled. Shy grasped it and smiled back.
"See ya Shy boy! Next summer we are gonna find some real treasure!" With that Daniel was off to one of his parent's car, waving again over his shoulder.
The Fossegrimen Folly Page 24
