by Dani Swanson
14: The Winding Woods
As the sun rose, its rays warmed the mossy ground. Dewdrops dripped down, splashing Izzie on her face, waking her from her slumber. What a strange vision, she thought, falling into a black void, swimming through a dream, and never having to come up for air. She stretched out her arms and felt the moss beneath her, not the fabric of her sheets. She suddenly was aware of her surroundings and sat up, finding herself alone in the middle of the lush green woods.
"Where am I?" She questioned out loud as she made her way to her feet. She was used to having someone answer her. She was in a clearing among the trees under a canopy of leaves. The clean, crisp smell of the leaves, grass, and moss was soothing to Izzie as she looked around. Her brain told her that she should be afraid and panicked, but she felt at ease in her surroundings for the first time since she could remember.
The trees were taller than those she was used to around school. The leaves were almost more blue than green, the bark was a dark brown that nearly was black, and she saw little yellow specks throughout the tree. Upon closer investigation, she saw that the yellow bits were tiny windows looking into houses within the trees. Inside she could see small elves, all asleep just as Zyon had painted the picture of the Winding Woods. She smiled. She knew precisely where she must be. If she hadn't spent her entire life growing up with a boggle, she might be concerned, but Izzie knew that she had finally made it home.
"Now what?" Izzie questioned aloud, as if she was expecting the boggle to be in her ear. She started to wander through the trees, heading toward a dirt path, leading to the unknown. She decided to head to the left, for all the video games that she played with Nathan, always had them go to the left to find their way out of the temple.
Nothing stirred other than a slight breeze. The sun was moving higher in the sky, and she was starting to get hungry. She dug in her pocket and found some gum. Her cell phone was buzzing. "Unable to connect to the network. Well, that's helpful." She smashed the keys and even tried to dial 911. Nothing worked on the phone. She turned it off to save her battery in case she found a spot outside of the trees that may give her some service. Izzie was struggling to remember the night before; everything was just a daze.
She walked for what felt like miles, the road curved back and forth throughout the trees, never-ending or going any place that Izzie found to be useful. She started to see things move out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head, she was alone.
"Hello?" Her voice cracked as she called out. "Who's there?"
Izzie started to feel uneasy. She knew where she landed; how could she not. The boggle had told her stories her entire life about the Winding Woods. She saw the sleeping creatures in their houses, she saw the moss-covered trees, and now she was on the never-ending road, trying to get out of a place that doesn't go anyplace.
She was scared, but at the same time, she felt euphoric. Izzie knew that she wasn't crazy! She didn't dream all of this, and the boggle wasn't an invisible friend. He is real! All of this is real! She could feel herself smiling as she continued down the road, ignoring the movement out of the corner of her eye. She was busy taking in her surroundings, the flowers' odd colors and the leaves on the trees. Izzie passed a purple leafed tree, the veins on the leaves had a hot pink hue.
Her stomach was audibly growling, and she moved off the main road into an opening where she found a bush covered with berries that were in rounded clusters and were a cheery orange color. She's never seen anything like it before, but she needed to put something in her stomach. She sat down on the ground and picked a handful of the berries.
Don't eat that!" A black shadow came running past, slapping the berries out of her hand, and pushing her backward, causing her to land flat on her back. "Cloudberries are poisonous!"
She dug the heels of her boots into the dirt as she tried to back away from the little man, but she was unable to gain any traction on the slick grass. The boogeyman held his hands up in protest, trying to show Izzie that he didn't mean any harm to her. "You're okay, Isabella; no one is trying to harm you!"
Izzie paused for a moment before making it up to her feet. "How? How do you know my name?!" She started to back toward the road when she saw more shadows out of the side of her eye.
“Secure the perimeter! Make sure no one is near us!” One of the shadows shook himself; the shadow lifted like dark billowy smoke into the air, revealing a small green man with blaze orange hair, known as Robin. He closely resembled the drawings from Izzie’s book page she took from her English class. The boogeyman was showing her his proper form. “Don’t be frighten, Isabella; we are here to help!” The little man nodded at the other shadows, who one by one allowed their true selves to show.
“My name is Reyna. I am the captain of Team Zeta of the Guild of Shadows.” The small woman had red hair that was twisted and pinned to the top of her head. She had a gold hoop through the nostril of her nose that reflected in the sunlight. She pulled back her coat’s long opening to show a shirt with a large golden Z embroidered on it. The shield included the words Guild of Shadows wrapped around the top and Team Zeta at the bottom. She held out her hand as she had seen the humans do, but Izzie didn’t extend her arm in return. “That’s all right, let me introduce you to the rest of my team. Jade here, is in charge of communications. She talks to the ravens and gets messages back to base. Zallen is our navigator. He mapped out where we were going around your neighborhood. Pan is our portal guy. He found all the trees that met up with your world. And last but not least is our defense expert, Robin. He makes sure our weapons are in order for each mission.”
Each of the little green people nodded at Izzie as their name was said. She stood there, nervously looking each of them in the eyes. “I would like to be on my way now.” She cautiously started to back up toward the opening from which she had entered. Jade was blocking her path. “Excuse me.” Izzie’s voice cracked as she tried to sound polite.
“I’m sorry to say that you can’t go out there alone.” Robin interjected as he joined Jade to block her way back to the main road.
“It isn’t safe out there for you.” Zallen’s voice was much more profound than Izzie had thought it would be. She spun around to face him.
“I’ve been told my entire life to stay away from the shadows; I mean no disrespect when I say I am going to be on my way.”
“Who told you that? Zyon?” Pan felt comfortable that the area was clear and leaned his back against a tree with his hands coldly crossed over his chest.
“Zyon is the one that you need protecting from! We are not the ones that you should be afraid of; we are here to protect you!” Reyna cautiously was moving closer to where Izzie was standing.
“Team Zeta? That means there are like five teams that are ranked higher than you!” Izzie stared at the group of five little creatures standing before her. Why should I trust what they are saying? Where is Zyon?
“The name Reyna means Queen where we are from. I am Queen of the Shadows. My brother is Zallen, and he wanted to be on this team because it started with a Z. There isn’t any other reason. The Guild of Shadows doesn’t have one team that is better than another. We are equally equipped to protect.” Reyna gently smiled as she took a step closer to Izzie, who in turn took a step back from Reyna.
“Why do you call yourselves shadows? Aren’t you Boogeymen? And are the girls called the same thing? Wait, you know what, I don’t actually care. I need to get out of here.” Izzie swiftly turned and ran as fast as she could at Robin and Jade. They readied themselves for a collision; however, Izzie ran a circle around them and made her way to the main road. All those years of playing football with her brother paid off.
“He’s not who you think he is!” Reyna called after her in hopes that she would stop. She watched for a moment until Izzie was about to dip over a hill on the horizon. “Get her!” Reyna yelled as the billows of smoke swirled around her body. The others followed suit and started to run after her down the road. Their bodies mor
phed together, the waves dense and became a dark form, growing larger with each shadow that joined the mass. Izzie could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she ran as fast as she could; her lungs burned as she gasped for air. The darkness of the shadow engulfed her until all she could see was blackness.
15: Wandering through the woods
The boggle was gone when the boys came to their senses. He had left them the second that they came rolling out of the massive oak tree, landing hard against some boulders. He didn't wait for them to wake up and moved as fast as he could through the trees, heading back to his kingdom. He needed to find his brother and find out what had happened over the past fifteen years.
Xander was the first to wake. He forgot for a moment everything that had happened the night before and looked around in awe. There were bushes with orange leaves and purple berries, trees with spikes, and tiny creatures sleeping amongst them, undisturbed by Nathan and his presence. He realized that he couldn't be dreaming as he could smell the grass and feel the cool breeze across his skin. He reached out and started to shake Nathan's shoulders until he opened his eyes.
"We're here. That little guy Zyon took off, dude. What do we do now to find Izzie?" Nathan cautiously got to his feet and did a slow spin on his heels, taking in all the flora around them.
"It's just like Izzie said it would be. She wasn't making this up." His eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe we're here. Everything is asleep, just like Zyon had told us."
"That's fine, man, but what do we do now? Is there someplace that Izzie would talk about? Like her home here? Her mom's house? Anything?" Xander was doing his best to get Nathan to focus on their past.
Izzie hadn't dived deeply into her childhood when she and Xander spoke. It was always a topic that she avoided and deflected. He could see now why that was. He wouldn't have believed her if she had tried to tell him about this place.
"I don't know where we are, let alone where to go." Nathan looked around. "The Mother!" He got excited; his eyes lit up and sparkled as he turned to face Xander.
"Yeah, I asked about her mom's place." Xander rolled his eyes as he tentatively examined a fairy that was sleeping on a petal of a flower.
"No, Xander. Not HER mother. THE Mother." Xander's face was twisted in confusion as all he could do was stare at Nathan. "Sorry, I threw a lot at you today. The Mother is a magical tree in the Winding Woods center that supposedly holds all the magic that created this place. You know, like Mother Nature? I bet she went there. She wears that sparrow necklace all the time, and that has some kind of power to it too."
"What do you mean power?" Xander edged into Nathan's ramblings.
"Izzie has powers. She's full of magic. Like she can move stuff with her mind. But she doesn't know how she does it. Why else would she have a little boggle guy as her keeper?"
"Like a witch?" Xander simply stated it as he continued to walk around each of the trees.
"Um, yeah, I guess like a witch. If they even call them that around here."
Xander just shrugged at that information. Nothing Nathan could tell him would be a surprise at this point. Xander motioned Nathan to walk with him. He wasn't sure which way was to the center or which way was out; he just knew they weren't going to find it by holding still.
They walked for hours, seeing creatures that they had only read about in fairy tales. Xander stood next to a centaur sleeping with his head resting on the trunk of a tree; vines had grown around his legs as he slept, twisting, turning around his knees. Most animals and creatures were covered by vegetation's overgrowth, gently covering their bodies as a mossy blanket. "How long have they been asleep?" Xander questioned as he reached out his fingers and pet the smooth fur of a rabbit; it was softly sighing while soundly sleeping. "They look like they just fell asleep where they were, but the woods kept growing around them. Like the vines are protecting them."
"What is that?!" Nathan held his arm out to stop Xander from moving forward.
Laying beneath the brush was a dark figure with a cat's head, but its body was a black shadow mass. It, too, like the rest of the creatures, was asleep. The shadowy mass was one from Izzie's stories. He knew it to be a Grimalkin. "We need to get away from that thing. Far away. If it wakes up, we're goners." Nathan started to run, looking over his shoulder to ensure that Xander was still there with him. "Bro, I'm serious!" He called back to him. Xander was standing next to the creature and bravely reached out, lifting one of its heavy eyelids to reveal the bright yellow of its eye. He swore he heard the beast growl, and he too started to run after his friend into the unknown.
16: Welcome Home
He had no choice but to leave Nathan and that other kid behind. They were going to slow him down in finding Izzie. Zyon ran through the woods as fast as he could. It amazed him how nothing had changed after all the years he has been gone. He still remembered every tree, every turn as he raced toward the kingdom known as Incubus. He had to know if his family was all right. When he left, Zyon left his brother in charge, and he never had a good feeling about doing that, but what was he to do? He was given a young witch to be in charge of, and he couldn't let her run through the kingdom. He didn't know the scale of her powers, let alone who else was trying to get their hands on her.
The Winding Woods grew darker the farther West he traveled. The leaves were thicker, and the trees were growing closer together. "Where did they take you, Iz?" He muttered out loud as he continued racing through the trees. The denseness was so thick it was always as dark as night in this area. The creatures and humans that tried to hide what they were doing often took it here to the outskirts of Incubus. It was the perfect location to hide, deal, trade, or murder. Zyon immediately made himself invisible; he didn't know what was going to be waiting for him.
He had hoped that she remembered the castle and knew how to get there. It could be possible that being in the woods would trigger some of her memories. Maybe she would remember that Zyon is a king and go to his castle. He could only wish to have something so lucky happen to him.
Zyon found the back entrance to Chimera. He planned to swoop in, save Izzie from the shadows and then take her back to his kingdom where his guards could protect her. He found the sycamore that had the golden carvings of the shadows around the door. He placed his fingers on the appropriate knots and pressed with all his might, but alas, the door wouldn't budge. He could smell the stench of tanned animal hide mixed with the distinctive scent of sawdust used for sealing the door from the inside. The Shadows were expecting him.
"Reyna. This has to be her doing! They can't leave well enough alone!" Zyon needed reinforcements and left, heading to his own castle. He saw the fallen from the sleeping curse, laying out in the open as if they had just fallen over when Phantasma cast the spell. Zyon had gotten used to the silence as the only noise was that of the leaves crunching under his own feet. That is until he heard a twig snap off in the distance, or was it right behind him? "Iz? Nathan?..... Iz’s boyfriend?" Zyon waited for an answer but didn't get a response. He took refuge behind a large tree and waited for the movement to happen again. Only the shadows and the boggles were immune to Phantasma's curse; it had to be one of them.
The air around him grew cool, causing shivers to run down Zyon's spine, and he could see his hot breath escape his mouth in small billows of smoke through the air.
"It's been a long time, boggle." A frightful voice floated through the wind, echoing in Zyon's brain as if it was his thought. "Where is the little witch?"
He turned to see the melted face of Phantasma next to his own. He stared into the black sockets where her eyes should be. "I can see you boggle; even if you are invisible, you can't hide from me."
"She isn't with me at the moment. She has been put away for safekeeping." His deep voice was soft as he looked for his escape route.
The long robes of Phantasma gracefully followed her thin frame as she circled the tree that Zyon had used for cover. "You wouldn't be lying to me, boggle, would you?" The shrillness of
her voice burned in his ears.
"She is put away for safekeeping. That's all you need to worry yourself with."
"I have left your kingdom untouched the whole time you were gone, and that is the tone you choose to use when you have a discussion with me?"
"Where I choose to be is none of your concern. My kingdom was left alone to benefit you. All these creatures wouldn't care that they were asleep if all their dreams were sweet. The boggles of Incubus are needed, or your plan isn't torturing anyone into your bidding."
"Nonetheless, I want the girl, and I want her now." Her voice was cool as she once again stopped in front of Zyon's face. The smell of rot filled his nose, and he could see more of her hair had fallen out since the last time he saw her. "You'll bring her to me tonight at Silver Lake, or I will be turning my attentions to the boggles. I know you have lost her; you better find the girl and bring her to me! This isn't up for discussion." Phantasma spun into a floating orb and disappeared into the darkness.
Zyon ran as fast as his legs could carry him back to the safety of Incubus, looking over his shoulder the entire time, waiting for Phantasma to change her mind and follow him.
17: chimera and incubus
"Where am I?" Izzie was dizzy after the swirls of the shadow lifted from around her. She looked around and could see that cavern walls surrounded her, but the air smelled clean, and there was light as if she were outside and the sun's beams were filling the space.
"Hello?" Izzie slowly spun in a circle as she studied her surroundings with trepidation. There were tiny houses painted in cheery colors of yellows, pinks, and greens. The ground had the same soft moss as the clearing where she had woken up in the Winding Woods. Flowers with golden petals lined the brick pathways that led through the tiny village. In one window, she even saw what looked like a red fox sleeping on a cushion.
