by DM Fike
Kay blanched at this. “Why do you want to hang out with gremlins?”
Avalon couldn’t reveal her true answer in front of Lint, so instead she said, “We need supplies, don’t we? I’m sure the gremlins will help.”
When Kay looked unconvinced, Lint nodded at Avalon. “Nobody made it pretty clear to me that you’re to be treated like an honored guest. I’ll guide you to the others. Let me close down the shop.”
When Lint skirted into the backroom, Kay glared at Avalon. “We don’t need their help.”
“We have an obligation to tell Mutt about Nobody’s death,” Avalon said. And the sooner the better, she thought. Maybe saying the words aloud to his friends would ease a bit of the ache in her heart that wouldn’t seem to go away.
* * *
Lint led them away from Forgotten Bend into the wilds underneath Mt. Hornley. With winter approaching, the flowers had all died, but greenery managed to thrive. They found a bridge over a river and walked toward the mountain’s purple slopes, woodland rodents scurrying out of their way and birds chirping at them from above in the trees.
With each step, Avalon tried desperately to think of what to say to Mutt. How much did he know about Nobody’s scheme to rescue Ladybug from inside her? How many details should she give in how he died?
Would he blame her for Nobody’s death?
Kay must have been mulling the same thing, for he let Isolde and Lint walk ahead to linger next to Avalon. “Gremlins aren’t known for their sympathy. I’d keep speech to a minimum if I were you.”
Lint paused to let them catch up, and their proximity didn’t allow Kay to say much else, but Avalon got the message.
As the next few hours passed, Avalon wondered when they would reach their destination. She expected the gremlins to dwell much closer to the Midsummer’s Eve campsite she had visited before, but Lint led them farther toward the mountain than she had ever been. As the incline steepened, she realized they were climbing along a rim of trees that skirted the mountain’s base.
Just when Avalon was about to ask how far they had to travel, chortles of laughter echoed in the air. Lint’s teeth cracked into a smile, picking up the pace. Kay trotted ahead after him, Isolde and Avalon not far behind.
They rounded a grove of trees and came upon a picturesque waterfall springing from the side of Mt. Hornley itself. Twenty feet in height, it cascaded into a deep pool before trickling into a stream that would likely lead to the river they had crossed previously. Tents had been erected on either side of the pool, some constructed with animal skin but a few made of polyester sheets. At first Avalon thought they were simply tarps brought from Earth draped over rope strung between trees to create a triangular structure, but upon closer inspection, they were actually Earth-based camping tents. The gremlins must not have known how to assemble the fiberglass poles through the fabric to keep them upright, so they instead tied the poles to trees and simply draped the fabric over them.
In between the temporary shelters frolicked the gremlins themselves. Dressed in bright kindergarten colors with hair to match, they pursued an assortment of leisurely activities. Two practiced pipes in the corner. Several swung from low branches. A few bent over a furry beast’s carcass, skinning its meat, and still others splashed water on each other in the stream. A group of children chasing a basketball ran across their path, kicking it straight in front of Kay.
Kay caught the ball with his foot, then smacked it back. The gremlin child grinned when he noticed the newcomers. “Hey!” he cried out to the others. “Lint’s back with company!”
Gremlins across the campsite lifted their heads to investigate this news. They all broke out into similar grins, friendly but curious. A few waved enthusiastically, and Avalon waved back shyly in response. Murmurs snaked through the gremlins as Lint brought them to the largest animal skin tent in the back. Avalon wondered what creature on Llenwald had green fur with blobs of bright orange splotches as Lint opened the front flap.
“Leader!” he called.
“Go away!” a sleepy voice growled. “Fell asleep, I just did!”
“Mutt!” Lint persisted. “It’s Avalon.”
This caused an immediate rustle from within. Two zippers swooshed inside the tent before the front flap opened. Mutt must have gotten caught in a sleeping bag because he struggled to remove it as he crawled out of his tent. After extracting himself, matted pinky-purple hair and all, he stood to his full height, not much taller than Avalon. He wore a plaid button-up shirt and jeans but with a cape to accessorize, all of which were crumpled after being slept upon.
“Returned, dirty human?” he laughed at Avalon.
Avalon’s pulse quickened. She gulped down her nervousness. “At least I can wash it off. What will you do about your face?”
Isolde gasped, but Kay rolled his eyes, completely unamused by this exchange.
Mutt broke out into a full belly laugh. “You, I still like.” His eyes softened into something like anticipation. “News of Nobody?” he asked hopefully.
All of Avalon’s resolve faded as she stared at the gremlin leader. The eagerness in his tone, his anticipated gaze, she had seen that look when her father asked about her mother right after her death. She would deliver the same horrible news. She dreaded the horrible reaction that would follow.
Her expression must have betrayed her feelings because Mutt’s optimism slowly receded. “Got himself killed, didn’t he?” he asked quietly. “Chasing his sister, always.”
Tears streamed down Avalon’s face. She nodded, gulping down guilt.
Mutt made an advance on Avalon before Kay could intervene. In that moment, she would not have cared if Mutt had attacked her or not. Though Nobody had been responsible for his own death, she still felt horrible. The entire thing had been tied up with the Jaded Sprite Statue, Miasmis, and Bedwyr, which had ties to her. If Nobody had never spotted her outside of the Saluzyme building, maybe he would be alive today.
But Mutt didn’t attack her. He drew her instead into a fierce hug. “Your fault, it is not,” he whispered.
Avalon burst into full blown tears.
CHAPTER 18
THROWING PART OF his cloak over her, Mutt shooed the confused Lint away in order to give Avalon more privacy. She tried to contain her tears, but all the raw emotion she had yet to acknowledge refused to abate. The gremlin may have been a pain in the neck, but he had also been her friend when she had so few of them. In between sobs, she ended up telling Mutt everything: how Ladybug lived in her head because of Miasmis, Nobody’s determination to save his sister, his double-cross with Bedwyr, and finally, Nobody trying to save Avalon and how that cost him his life.
Perhaps it was not a time to cry, she thought as she finished her tale. Yet, Mutt let a stream of silent tears fall, never interrupting her. Isolde sniffled in the middle of the retelling. Only Kay’s eyes remained dry, although he blinked faster than he should have when she recounted Nobody’s death. In the end, the release of tears gave Avalon a small sense of comfort, especially given she shared it with someone who cared for Nobody.
It also completely exhausted her. Avalon could barely stand after getting the story off her chest. As the evening sun streaked the forest floor, Mutt lit a fire near his tent and brought a meal to all three of them: cooked meat from the animal carcass they had seen earlier with bright yellow and green root vegetables. Avalon usually avoided Llenwald meats, but she found herself famished and broke her own rule. It tasted unironically of chicken. Accompanied by a clear beverage that tasted suspiciously like flat lemon lime soda, it was hands down the best meal she’d had in a long time.
Other fires flared between the gremlin tents as the shadows grew longer. The largest bonfire in the middle sparked a spontaneous dance, young and old gremlins alike dancing and teleporting around it as someone played a string instrument very badly. No one seemed to mind the rhythmless music, keeping the beat with their stomping feet and ferocious laughter. Transfixed, Isolde pulled a leather-bound book from h
er bag to sketch the scene.
The fire reminded Avalon of Midsummer’s Eve and Nobody’s past. He had failed a gremlin tradition and felt cheated out of his dark magic heritage, which is why he’d pursued the Jaded Sprite Statue in the first place. She hiccupped dangerously as she recalled the memory of her friend, drawing her knees up into her chest.
Kay slid over next to her, his leg brushing against hers. It helped Avalon stave off future tears.
Mutt saw the exchange. “Made his own choices, Nobody did.”
“I know,” Avalon sighed. “Doesn’t make it hurt less.”
Mutt nodded, staring deeply into the fire. “Since childhood, my friend he was. Understand, I do. Missed greatly, he will be.” He paused to consider Avalon with his head tilted like a doll to one side. “Love you, Avalon, he did.”
Kay gave a humorless laugh. “He had a funny way of showing it, handing her over to Bedwyr.”
Avalon kneaded her fingers into her thighs. “He really thought he could handle Bedwyr and keep me safe.”
“Don’t make excuses for him, Avalon,” Kay snapped. “If it wasn’t for him, Scawale wouldn’t have the Indulia right now. Humans wouldn’t be losing their lives to dragon attacks. He’s a villain, not a hero.”
“But he was a brother trying to save his sister.”
Kay scooted away from Avalon so he could face her better. “A brother whose actions led to his sister’s death.”
Avalon clenched fists in her lap. “He didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“He handed over an innocent child, Braellia, to a madman in order to increase his own magical power. Are you going to tell me to forgive him for that too?”
“I don’t know,” Avalon said with a mocking tone. “You forgave Desert Rose pretty quickly for leaving me with Scawale. I suppose you have some extra forgiveness to spare.”
A tense silence descended between the two of them. Isolde stopped sketching, wide-eyed.
Mutt cleared his throat. “Perfect, Nobody was not. Bad things, he did. Angry at him, I am. But love, also.” He threw up his arms in a helpless shrug. “Right or wrong, black or white, easy to draw lines, it is not.”
Avalon and Kay backed down from each other, not completely placated but no longer so self-righteous either. Forgiveness is complicated, Avalon thought. People wrong each other in so many ways. It’s so easy to latch onto one slight and hold it close. For so long, she had been mad at Bedwyr for what he had done to her and her mother. She still was, but then seeing his whole tribe hovering in limbo, near death, she could only assume that he felt he had no choice. It forced her to view the same horrific event from a different angle. It took the edge off of her hatred toward him.
But not all her anger had vanished. Scawale was out there, consumed by her genocidal intent against humans and wielding not only the greatest magic on Llenwald but with dragons at her beck and call. Forgiveness had its place but so did action.
“The more pressing issue is stopping Scawale, and that means finding the Temple of the Heavens.” Avalon gave Mutt a brief background on their mission.
“On Mt. Hornley, you say?” Mutt rubbed his chin.
“We believe it’s the same place where the original Guardians faced off against Kryvalen,” Kay said.
Isolde nodded enthusiastically. “A third of the way up the mountain, on the western side. There won’t be a path, but there should be large boulders blocking the entrance. That’s how Bedwyr supposedly sealed up the entrance the last time he took a crew there looking for statue fragments.”
Mutt shocked them all by nodding solemnly. “This place, I know.”
Isolde sucked in her breath.
Mutt nodded. “Saw Bedwyr’s army many times, gremlins did. Followed them discreetly, always.”
“Could you take us there?” Avalon asked.
Mutt paused to think, a sharp-toothed grin spreading on his face. “Payment, I will need,” he declared.
“Payment?” Isolde blinked.
Kay growled. “This is exactly why I hate dealing with gremlins. It’s always got to be something.”
“We don’t have much of value,” Avalon told him.
Mutt did not nudge, waiting for a response.
Payment. Avalon’s mind raced. What would a gremlin want that they could give? She knew many of Nobody’s secrets. She wondered if any would help.
Kay leaned forward menacingly. “I don’t suppose saving all of Llenwald means much to you?”
Mutt simply shrugged, a grin spread across his thin lips.
Avalon stared at his plaid shirt and noticed the words “Outback Apparel” embroidered on a label near the collar. It triggered the memory of a few conversations she’d had with Nobody. Her face brightened. “I could help you win a bet.”
This piqued Mutt’s interest. “That, how is?”
Avalon shot Mutt her own sly smile as Kay and Isolde stared at her in confusion. “Nobody lied to you.”
“Is that news to anyone?” Kay mumbled.
“About kangaroos,” Avalon announced with a flourish.
“Cane-ger-oos?” Isolde repeated slowly.
Mutt squealed with excitement. “Real, are they?”
Avalon grinned conspiratorially. “As real as you and me on Earth. They live in a country called Australia.”
This sent Mutt into a further frenzy. He jumped on his feet, delighted. “Boomerangs and vegemite, what about?”
Avalon nodded. “Those are real too.”
“Knew it, I did! Knew it, I did!” Mutt whooped and hollered, dancing in a circle around his tent as a shocked Isolde and bemused Kay watched on. “Bet, I won! Bet, I won!”
Avalon waited patiently until Mutt had lapped the area several times before calling out, “Is that fitting payment?”
Mutt did not pause in his fit of jigging. “Tomorrow, we go!”
Isolde cleared his throat. “Can someone explain what a va-jay-mate is?”
Kay groaned. “How is any of this even relevant?”
But Avalon did not let Kay’s indignation foul her mood. “It’s the thing that gets us closer to the Temple of the Heavens.”
* * *
“Joke, it was,” Mutt insisted. “To the temple, I would have taken you, even without payment.”
The gremlin leader had rose at the crack of noon to usher them up the western slopes of Mt. Hornley to the Temple of the Heavens. Kay had fidgeted all morning waiting for the leader to emerge from his tent, but most of the gremlin camp did not appear to be early risers. Isolde, Kay, and Avalon ended up eating breakfast by themselves from last night’s leftovers. Now, well into the afternoon with the morning frost melted, they’d left the forest to wade through knee-high brush. As they climbed higher, the air turned crisp, aided by the gray clouds forming around the sun. Avalon felt thankful for the extra sweaters Mutt had given them to wear over their tunics, even though they were made from synthetic mohair fibers.
Kay had a less grateful attitude, constantly picking at his furry sleeve. “Gremlins aren’t known for sticking to their word.”
Avalon threw a dirty glare at Kay over her shoulder. “That’s no way to treat our guide.”
“If he’s guiding us to where we want to go. That remains to be seen.”
“I’m sorry, Mutt,” Avalon called loudly to him. “Kay has trust issues.”
“I trust gremlins,” Kay clarified. “As far as I can throw them.”
Mutt cackled. “Good one, that is! Not a bore, fairy may be yet!”
Before Kay could protest at Mutt’s name-calling, Avalon asked, “How much farther do we have yet?”
“Close, we are. Find the right landmarks, I need to.”
Mutt stopped climbing upward, cutting a horizontal path through the brush as he scanned the grassy landscape. Isolde stopped every now and then, closing her eyes and stomping her foot on the ground.
Kay waited until she opened her eyes before asking, “Searching for the temple entrance?”
Isolde nodded. “The sol
dier said it was all underground. I’m hoping I will be able to feel the empty pockets if we get close.”
They continued this way for another half hour. The clouds darkened with a telltale heaviness to the air. It might rain or even snow so high up in elevation.
Just as Avalon wedged her frozen fingers under her armpits, Mutt whistled up ahead. He pointed to an odd outcropping of rocks nestled in the slope. Having encountered very few boulders on their climb thus far, they stuck out, egg-shaped and taller than most people.
Isolde stomped her feet. She grinned from ear to ear as she announced, “I sense a tunnel dug behind them. This is it!”
Kay stared dubiously at the dull rocks, splotched with lichen. “This is the entrance to an ancient temple of Gaea?”
“Not likely the original entrance,” Isolde explained. “That was probably destroyed long ago. Even so, Gaea temples are not known for their grandeur. They are simple, giving the visitor more time to commune with nature than any temporal structure.”
Isolde placed her hands on the rock, sending tiny vibrations that Avalon could feel in her teeth. Frowning, Isolde said, “These boulders are quite heavy. It’s going to be quite a chore to move them.”
Isolde ordered everyone to stand uphill from the boulders. She planned on rocking them from their positions, then let gravity roll them down the hill to where the land flattened again. The first boulder rocked but did not quite make it over the hump, maintaining its original position. Face stern at first, sweat soon broke along her brow as the strain of moving the boulders took its toll. As Isolde’s neck grew taunt and red, Avalon wished she could help with the earth magic she felt heavy in her own limbs.
“We may need to find another way in,” Kay observed.
Isolde released the boulder in a huff, bending over her knees to catch a breath. It wobbled back and forth but eventually settled back in its original position. “We… can’t…” she wheezed in between big gulps of air.
“Can’t you follow the tunnel with your magic?” Kay asked. “We may be able to find another entrance or perhaps a place to dig that doesn’t involve moving boulders.”
