Nightshade Forest

by Nikki Mitchell

  Shortly after making their way through the village, the weather started to turn. As soon as they reached the back gates, rain began to fall. They pushed through the downpour and began their trek to the castle gates.

  “Is this rain because of the magic too?” Eleanor asked.

  “Yes. We have to find that crystal; this weather is bad for my hair,” Elfie joked.

  “If it isn’t somewhere in the castle, where could it be?”

  “I don’t know, but the queen can’t control any of the magic in the kingdom, and the problem is starting to spread. I don’t even think the weather will be the biggest problem, either.”

  “What do you mean? Does this have to do with those green fish I saw earlier?” Eleanor asked.

  “Yeah. Whoever has the crystal is obviously controlling some of the creatures in the kingdom too. The green salmon are pretty harmless, but who knows what we will see next.”

  “What do we do, then?”

  “I think we just need more information on what actually happened to the crystal.”

  Elfie and Eleanor continued to talk about the problems in the kingdom as they walked through a giant rock garden located just outside of the main village. Stones for the construction of houses, lofts, and dams were built here, but recently, the rocks had stopped growing and in their place were piles of sand. Even the dwarves were having a hard time mining small light crystals.

  The dwarves were the first ones to freak out when the crystal went missing, especially since they already mistrusted the magic in the kingdom. Pix’s mom had gotten in a fight with the foreman about needing light crystals for their fairy lofts. The foreman explained that the castle had needed an extra batch of them, so the fairies would have to wait. After a heated argument, she somehow channeled too much fire, and it exploded out of her hands and into a mine shaft.

  So naturally, they were very concerned when the source of the magic controlled by the queen went missing.

  The beavers weren’t damming, the fairies couldn’t fly because the owls may have taken the side of whoever had the crystal, the gargoyles had turned, the salmon were now green, and the snow was falling wherever it wanted. The kingdom was a mess. And in order to get home, Eleanor had to figure out how to fix it all before the last chapter. It was a good thing she had Elfie because she didn’t even know where the castle was.

  They walked through meadows and trampled through snowbanks, all as Elfie kept talking. Eleanor was thankful for Elfie’s talkative nature because she was learning a lot. As they grew closer to the castle, the crazy weather stopped. The trees were covered in white apple blossoms and the sun’s rays glittered. The entire place smelled like honey.

  “Are we getting close now?” Eleanor asked, stopping and breathing in the aroma.

  “Yes, the magic of the castle must be keeping the weather from turning here too,” Elfie said. “At least, for now.”

  Once they could see the castle gates, Elfie pulled her binoculars out and looked. The guards were sound asleep. She spotted the gargoyles up in the towers and could see the bright green in the creatures’ eyes. “We need to get closer so we can see inside,” she said.

  Eleanor and Elfie both wore their hoods as they moved closer. Elfie looked up at the sky, searching for the large white snowy owls, because while they were invisible to most creatures, owls could see right through fairy hoods.

  Moving closer to the far side of the castle, Elfie put her binoculars back up to her eyes and looked through the throne room window. She could see Queen Maribelle sitting in her gold throne with her head in her hands. The royal throne room held two chairs: one for the queen and one for her younger brother, Prince Franco.

  On their way there, Elfie had explained to Eleanor the laws of the Nightshade Kingdom. Only queens could rule, as they were the only ones who could rightfully control the crystal. Many male rulers, including Maribelle’s grandfather, had tried to control the magic but failed, leaving the kingdom a mess.

  Elfie looked away from the queen and onto the rest of the room. Franco’s chair was empty.

  “He must be searching for the lost crystal so he can return it to his sister and save the kingdom,” Elfie said, letting the binoculars fall back down around her neck.

  “So, what do we do?” Eleanor asked.

  “Well, it obviously hasn’t been returned yet, so I say we join in on the hunt. There’s no use sitting around waiting for it to happen. Maybe Prince Franco could use the help of a few fairies,” Elfie said.

  Eleanor’s stomach jolted, and she wished someone else could take on this mission. She loved reading and pretending she was a character on an epic journey, but being one for real was kind of terrifying. She looked up at the gargoyles on the towers, and although they looked like harmless pillars of stone, Eleanor wasn’t sure what the author of this fairytale had dreamed up. Plus, gargoyles weren’t supposed to have glowing eyes, she thought. Her eyes locked onto the largest gargoyle, and she swore his eyes were the same color as the green salmon.

  “Pix?” Elfie interrupted Eleanor’s thoughts.

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too,” Eleanor lied.

  “We should get some rest first,” Elfie suggested.

  The girls made camp near the castle for the night. They would get a head start early in the morning, which meant they had to survive the night and hope the owls didn’t alert the gargoyles.

  “Why are there gargoyles on the castle walls anyway?” Eleanor asked.

  “The queens have always used them as a window to the rest of the kingdom. It’s legend that stone creatures with large wings and sharp teeth keep those wanting to attack away. Most of the creatures around here aren’t fans of the gargoyles, so I guess it works. Unfortunately, anything can be enchanted with that crystal, so I’m not sure what they’re capable of now.”

  “Let’s just hope they stay put,” Eleanor said, only half-joking. She found a spot with the softest grass and tried to get comfy.

  Eleanor tried not to think about their glowing green eyes as she closed hers. She wasn’t used to sleeping in the daylight. She wondered if her parents even noticed she was gone. How long had she been gone? Was this a magical place like she read about in Alice’s grand adventures? With these thoughts buzzing through her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

  10

  “Pix, Pix, wake up! We have to go now,” Elfie whispered as she shook Eleanor’s arm. “The guards usually do their rounds about this time and we can’t be here. I’m not really sure whose side they are on yet, and I’d really not like to find out.”

  “All right, all right.” Eleanor yawned.

  They quickly packed their things up and headed down a twisty path on the far side of the castle. So far, Eleanor had seen more than she had ever seen in her lifetime. She’d been though a gorgeous blue and purple forest, a snowy village, a rainy rock garden, and the outskirts of the most magical castle ever.

  The sky grew dark again and blue trees could be seen in the distance. The Nightshade Forest must have wrapped around the whole kingdom.

  Elfie took out her flute and hung it around her neck, just in case. As they walked through the forest with just the illumination of the trees, Eleanor noticed that this part of the forest seemed darker than the one she fell into in the first chapter.

  Eleanor looked at the trees more closely. They were dying. Another problem created by the missing crystal; she was sure of it. Eleanor and Elfie knew they must find it soon. If the forest died, there would be no protection for the creatures who lived there.

  They walked faster. Suddenly, they heard a rustling of leaves behind them. Eleanor turned around and screamed.

  Elfie put her hand over Eleanor’s mouth. She didn’t know what was out there, and she didn’t want to bring any attention to them. Besides, some of the kingdom guards were out searching for the crystal too, and Elfie didn’t want them to think she and Eleanor were on the wrong side.

  Milo peeked out of the shadows. “Sorry to scare you guys, I was t
rying to be as quiet as possible,” he said.

  “It’s all good. How did you find us?” Elfie asked.

  Eleanor sat on the ground, trying to catch her breath and calm her heart.

  Milo leaned against a tree. “Oh, well I saw that you had taken one of my maps, so I put a tracker on it with the little fairy magic I have left,” he said.

  Elfie looked down at her shoes and shook her head. She had hoped he wouldn’t notice until she could return it.

  “I also wanted to catch up to you and let you know there has been a notice posted in all of the shops,” he explained. “Prince Franco is also missing. Everyone thinks that whoever stole the crystal also kidnapped the prince for instructions on how to pull power from the crystal. So, I figured I’d tag along. Add another person to this search party.”

  Eleanor was relieved to have another friend on the journey. She wasn’t sure how many chapters were in this book, but she knew she would be getting close to the end soon. She didn’t want to find out what would happen if she ran out of chapters.

  Milo helped Eleanor back up to her feet and asked Elfie for the map. He spread it out on a stump and pointed to the far end of the forest. There was a small cabin made for incoming travelers from other kingdoms. It hadn’t been used in several years, but Milo seemed sure that must be where the thief was hiding.

  “I’m guessing even the castle guards have forgotten about it,” he said.

  “How long until we make it there?” Eleanor asked.

  “It’s hard to tell, but we should be able to make it in a few hours.” He rolled the map back up and stuck it in his pack.

  Elfie shot him a disappointed look and glanced at her pack.

  He looked at Elfie. “Oh, you know I can read these maps better than you. Plus, you stole this from my loft, remember?”

  She rolled her eyes, but followed Milo’s lead. They heard another rustling in the leaves behind them.

  “Any chance you brought a friend?” Eleanor asked.

  “Nope. We need to hide,” Milo said.

  They hid behind the biggest trees they could find. Eleanor hoped the lack of glow from the trees would be in their favor. She let out a small cry as she saw a whole pack of jet-black wolves with bright green eyes come toward her.

  Elfie elbowed her and shook her head. Milo, who was across the path from them, put his finger up to his lips to imply “shush.” The wolves sniffed around and found Elfie’s pack at the stump. All three held their breath as the wolves looked around. The wolves caught their scent and howled.

  Elfie pulled her flute out from around her neck and started to play a soft melody. The wolves kept coming, so she played a little louder. The music wasn’t working; the wolves had spotted them.

  Eleanor screamed and started to run. Elfie and Milo closely followed.

  “Take to the sky! The owls don’t come this deep in the forest!” Elfie yelled.

  Elfie and Milo began to fly, but Eleanor was still on foot. She had no idea how to fly, but she could use her fire power. She turned around and shot fireballs at the wolves. The fire went straight through their black bodies. The wolves came at her faster.

  “Pix! Get up here!” Elfie shouted.

  Eleanor jumped up on a rock and then into the air. She mustered all her might and said, “Fly, fly, fly” over and over. Suddenly, she was up in the air. The wolves followed her down below, howling. As they howled, more and more green-eyed black wolves joined in. Eleanor’s wings were trembling. Elfie and Milo were flying in front of her and kept yelling something. Eleanor was too scared to hear them. She could only see the hungry wolves beneath her. She couldn’t fly anymore. She started to fall and reached out for a branch.

  11

  Eleanor climbed up a blue tree and prayed the wolves couldn’t climb. Half of the pack surrounded her tree and the other half kept on Elfie and Milo, who hadn’t noticed Eleanor was no longer behind them.

  Eleanor began to cry. The wolves began to climb.

  Suddenly, she felt arms grab her from behind, and she screamed before realizing that Milo and Elfie were helping her out of the tree. She began to cry harder. They flew with her to another tree. The wolves hadn’t noticed, but they would eventually.

  “You’re going to have to start a fire to block the path. They can’t go off the path too far, but we can. I’m going to throw some branches down and I want you to set them on fire. Maybe we can lose them long enough to get to the cabin,” Milo said.

  “I can’t. P-please, I’m too scared,” Eleanor replied.

  “Pix, you’ve got this. If anyone can set fire to a forest, it’s you,” Elfie joked.

  Eleanor nodded and thought about a big ball of fire while she waited for her friend’s signal. She saw him nod his head and shot the fire to the downed branches. She felt a sudden rush of relief when they lit.

  “All right, let’s go,” Milo said.

  Eleanor fought for the courage to fly again, and they zigzagged through the deepest part of the forest. She couldn’t help but look down the whole time, making sure the wolves weren’t coming. They continued to fly for a while to make sure nothing was close behind them. When they decided it was safe, the three landed in a small clearing. Eleanor slouched down next to a tree and tried to contain her emotions. She had never felt that rush of fear before.

  Milo pulled out his map and looked around the forest. He couldn’t say where they were exactly just by looking at the map, but he reached in his satchel and pulled out a small green pouch. Inside was fairy powder, the same magical powder he had used to track the girls. He put a few specks on the map and suddenly a red x appeared.

  “So, we’re right here,” he said, pointing to the x. “The cottage is only a little bit further, but I think we should build a fire, eat, and sleep here before continuing. I know it’s still early in the day, but I’m sure the wolves have notified the thief. We’re off the path enough, so we should be fine.”

  Eleanor was okay with resting. In fact, she wasn’t sure how much adventure she could handle after that chase. “Why didn’t your flute work?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe because they have chosen the thief’s side too. It should have enchanted them,” Elfie said, reaching into her bag for snacks.

  “The magic is so messed up right now, it’s hard to tell what will work,” Milo said.

  He had piled a bunch of sticks and thin logs and thrown them into a pile. Eleanor saw it and shook her head.

  “What?” he asked.

  “That’s not for the fire, is it?” Eleanor asked, pointing at his pile of sticks. She was clearly trying not to laugh.

  “Well, yeah. I think it looks pretty good. What do you know about making fires anyway, Pix?”

  Elfie gave Eleanor a look. She was Pix, not Eleanor. Pix didn’t grow up in America using matches to help heat her home.

  “Oh, you know, I read a book about it,” Eleanor said quickly. She couldn’t come out and say that her family’s house relied on wood to stay warm and she was an expert at fire building thanks to her dad. “Won’t a fire give out our location?”

  “Not if I sprinkle some fairy powder on it,” Milo said. “But since you’re the fire expert, you can build the fire and I’ll set up the hammocks. I still think it will be best if we just hang tight here for now.”

  Eleanor bent down and started arranging the wood like her father had taught her at a very young age. If only she had fire magic at home, it would save a lot on matches and oil. Once the wood was stacked properly, she reached into the little green pouch and pinched a bit of powder. She sprinkled it onto the sticks and brought fire to her hands. In seconds, the fire was lit. While warmth was coming from the sticks, no flame or smoke was to be seen.

  “Oh wow!” Eleanor said, looking at the fire.

  Elfie gave her that look again. Pix had obviously seen fairy fire before. Luckily for Eleanor, Milo was too busy fighting with the rope for the hammocks.

  Once the fire had been going long enough, Eleanor set a larg
er piece of wood on it and climbed into a hammock with her book. She couldn’t wait to disappear into another story for a minute. Even a history lesson would be better than being chased by a pack of angry wolves.

  “You always have a book with you, don’t you, Pix?” Milo asked as he threw a handful of dried cherries into his mouth.

  “Well, books are the most magical thing of all,” Eleanor said, curling up into a comfy reading position. She prayed this book wasn’t as magical as the one she was stuck in.

  While Eleanor read, Milo finished his snacks and dozed off in his hammock. He had been up since the market had opened. Elfie nestled into her hammock and closed her eyes. Although flying was something fairies could do, it left them feeling completely exhausted.

  After reading a bit on the modernization of treehouses, Eleanor started to drift off to sleep as well. She hoped for a dreamless sleep. But of course, a dreamless sleep didn’t come. Instead, she dreamed of floating green eyes and the sound of wolves yipping. An owl was about to swoop down and grab her when she awoke.

  12

  Eleanor sat straight up in her hammock and almost flipped out of it. Her heart was racing. She looked around to find Milo and Elfie sitting around the invisible fire with cups of steaming liquid. They were pointing at something on Milo’s map.

  Elfie noticed she was awake and called her over. Eleanor took a deep breath, calmed her heart, and joined the others.

  “Want a cup?” Elfie asked.

  “Sure, that looks good, thanks,” she said. “It’s getting cold. Is the magic fading even more?”

  “We think so,” Elfie said, handing Eleanor a cup of molten chocolate.

  “These trees look worse than the ones at the edge of the forest,” Eleanor pointed out.

  “I think it’s because we’re getting closer to the crystal. The magic is strong,” Milo said.