A/N: Sorry for the delay! Hope you all are having a happy holidays!
Chapter Seven – The Witch of the Woods
The Mashups gathered in CJ's room, where they had their sleeping bags spread out for their sleepover.
"I couldn't find a cauldron. But I got a big pot!" Clampers pushed said pot over. "I hope it works."
"It'll have to." CJ said. She put the large rock at the bottom of the pot. They placed every ingredient on top: CJ's jellybeans, Clampers's caramel apples, the Rapunzel flowers from Trollzart's garden, crumbs from Ozzy's and Blue's banana breads, Coral Blush's mermaid scales, the one shoe from Trollex's Neat Stuff Collection, the wolf hair Ozzy and Clampers collected, the petals and thorns from the instant rose CJ and Cadence grew, Blue's gold tinsel, and every bird feather the kids collected. The rock was buried, and the pot almost full. The Mashups worked together to lift the pot onto the windowsill and strap it to the flowerbox outside, where it would be in within the glow of the full moon that night.
"You think it will work?" Ozzy asked as they settled into their sleeping bags.
"We shouldn't touch it at all until morning." Cadence said. "One full night under the full moon. We'll know if it works when we wake up."
"Hey guys?" Blue piped up. "I just thought of something. After we create the rainbow stone, we have to find the Wishing Well. Does anybody have any idea where that is?"
"We can check the book again tomorrow." Coral Blush yawned.
"We can't give up now." CJ said. "We're so close."
"Have faith, guys." Coral Blush said. "It's going to be great."
As the spell of sleep subdued them, their dreams went wild with how their success might look once they found the Wishing Well and made their wish. In the morning, Cadence awoke first. She stretched and yawned, fluttering her wings to warm them up. She remembered the rainbow stone, and Cadence tentatively flew up to the pot and pulled it inside.
Cadence gasped. "Guys! Wake up, everyone! Come see!" Her voice roused her friends, and they gathered around to look inside the pot. All their ingredients had mysteriously disappeared. Only one thing remained in the pot: a brilliant white stone, perfectly round and smooth, that shimmered with the colors of the rainbow.
"It's beautiful." CJ breathed.
Ozzy carefully lifted the stone as though it were a delicate bird egg. "It's not as heavy as I thought."
"We did it!" Coral Blush cheered.
"Halfway there." Clampers reminded him. "We still have to find the Wishing Well."
Coral Blush checked the encyclopedia. "No good. Nothing about where to find the Wishing Well."
CJ grinned to Cadence. "When in doubt?"
"To the library!" Cadence cheered.
Ozzy pushed the rainbow stone into his hair. The Mashups hurried to the library and returned to the quests and adventures section. They tore through book after book, scanned titles and perused stories about journeys.
"Here's something!" Everyone gathered around Ozzy. "'Sir Trollhann and the Quest for the Wishing Well.' I know it's just a myth, but maybe it's based off the real thing!"
"Then we should follow his path." Cadence read through the story once to memorize the knight's quest. "We should be able to follow this pretty easily. The first step is to 'walk towards the moonrise until you reach the Great Oak.'"
"So we have to wait until night?" Coral Blush asked. "My parents aren't going to want me wandering the forest in the dark."
"Probably ain't smart to do that anyway." Clampers agreed.
"We can find where the moonrise was." Ozzy led his friends outside. "My brother showed this to me. We can still see the moon for a little while in the daytime. If we find it, we can track the path it took across the sky and find out where on the horizon it rose last night."
"How clever!" Cadence complimented.
"There's the moon!" CJ pointed to the faint round shape in the clear blue skies.
"Let's see…..if the moon keeps traveling that way…" Ozzy did a few spins, stretching out his arms to trace the path the moon took. "We should go that way."
"The sooner we go, the sooner we find the Wishing Well! Follow me!" Clampers charged, her friends close behind. But then she skidded to a halt, and her friends bumped into her and each other.
"What's up?" Blue asked. Clampers shushed them and pushed everyone into the nearby bushes. They peered out as Barb and Thrash walked by with a couple Rock Trolls.
"We're counting on you to be vigilant." Barb told the Rock Troll pair. "The safety of Music Central is everyone's responsibility. I appreciate you two volunteering to take this shift."
"Is there anything specific we should be looking for?" one of the Rock Trolls asked.
"Anything suspicious." Barb said. "No children are allowed into the forest alone. They must be accompanied by an adult."
"Yes, Queen Barb." The Rock Trolls saluted to her.
The Mashups slunk back into the shrubbery. "That's new." Blue mused. "Since when did we have a guard set up in Music Central?"
"Do you think we can find a grown-up to help us?" CJ asked.
"We're big kids. We can handle it." Clampers scoffed.
"But we cannot get past the guards without a grown-up." Cadence reminded her.
"Maybe we can." Ozzy said. "This way!" He took the lead, guiding his friends closer to his home. When trolls from each kingdom moved to Music Central, they often brought their own architecture with them, leading to quite the variety of housing in the kingdom. Ozzy led his friends behind the rock igloo he and Riff lived in and past Riff's herb garden. Ozzy pushed aside a seemingly random rock and potted topiary to reveal a large hole. "I found these tunnels while exploring. They go all over Music Central. One of them leads just outside the kingdom. Riff doesn't even know this is here."
Blue swallowed. "Um, I'm not big on dark places."
"I got glow sticks!" CJ passed them around. "And we'll be right there with you."
"Lead the way, Ozzy." Clampers urged.
Ozzy slipped into the hole. Clampers was the last one in, covering the entrance behind her, and she took up the end of the train as Ozzy led them through the tunnels. The others couldn't see many markings or landmarks in the dim cave, yet Ozzy knew exactly where to go. Blue whimpered a few times, clutching his glow stick tightly, and CJ walked beside him to keep him calm. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Ozzy to push open a makeshift door and let the sunlight in. The Mashups exited the hole and found themselves in the forest. Music Central was shrouded by trees. Ozzy located their right direction, and they marched off happily.
"Where do you think we'll find 'The Great Oak'?" Cadence asked.
"Queen Poppy once told me about some awesome trees called Tae Kwon Joe and Tae Kwon Kevin, but I don't think they're oak trees." CJ said.
"I think we'll know a Great Oak when we see one." Blue said. "It'll be the biggest and bestest oak tree in the whole forest."
"We saw a lot of really big trees while camping." Coral Blush said. "I had never seen a real tree before."
"What does an oak tree even look like?" Ozzy asked. The kids paused, scratching their heads in thought, and came to the realization that none of them really knew what an oak looked like. Oaks were not native to most of their homelands; and even CJ, who grew up in the vast forest, couldn't distinguish an oak from a maple.
"Okay, what's the next step after we find the oak?" Clampers asked Cadence.
Cadence shut her eyes in thought. "'Leave an offering to your ancestors and pray for guidance.' What offering?"
"I have some candy from my stash." CJ said. She looked around and pointed to the largest tree in their area. "That looks like a Great Oak." The Mashups hurried to the tree, and CJ left a small pile of candy amongst its roots. They each prayed as hard as they could, waiting for some sort of sign to point them in the right direction.
Something did happen, though who can say if it was a sign or some strange bout of Murphy's Law?
A branch from the tree fell straight down and nearly crushed them. The kids looked around wildly, wondering how on earth that could have happened and thinking they angered some spirit or something.
"Hey guys!" CJ shouted to get everyone's attention. "It kind of looks like an arrow." The Mashups tilted their heads and squinted a bit, and they realized the placement of branches and leaves did indeed make this branch look like an arrow.
"I guess that means we go that way." Clampers suggested. They were off yet again, walking in the direction the tree limb pointed.
"Oh, these poor flowers." Cadence cooed after an hour or two of walking. She fluttered over to a small collection of half-dead flowers, withered and dull in color.
"That's weird." Coral Blush looked around. "These are the only patch of flowers that don't look so good. All the others look okay."
CJ looked up. "It's not autumn, right?"
"No. It's the middle of spring." Clampers said.
"So why are the trees missing so many leaves?" CJ pointed to the several trees around them that seemed to be missing half of their foliage.
"Most of the trees in Volcano Rock City don't have leaves at all." Ozzy shrugged. "Maybe these trees are like those."
Blue shivered. "Does it feel colder to anyone?"
"Hey, knock it off." Ozzy complained. "Quit freaking me out."
"Relax." Clampers calmed her friends. "There's no need to panic. I think we're just in a new part of the forest."
"Wait, I think the book mentioned this." Coral Blush said. "Something about going through the Forest of Darkness?"
"Well, it is pretty dark." Ozzy mused. Despite the sunshine, the forest didn't look so bright anymore.
"What was that?!" CJ yelped, causing everyone to jump.
"What?" Blue hid behind Cadence.
"I saw a dog, I think." CJ said. "It went that way!"
"Let's follow it!" Clampers urged.
"Maybe we shouldn't." Cadence said. "What if it's dangerous?"
"Can't be any more dangerous than me and Ozzy!" Clampers said.
"She's got a point." Coral Blush shrugged. The Mashups ran deeper into the darkened part of the forest. They saw flashes of shadows, heard the loping gait of an animal, and occasionally noticed the smell of something burning. But with the lack of smoke in the sky, they assumed the smell came from whatever animal they followed. They soon lost sight of the creature, but Clampers pointed out something in the distance. They arrived in a clearing. Every bit of plant life was withered and dead. There was a well for water off to one side. Nestled amongst the roots of some dead trees sat a troll-sized cottage. The cottage was just as dark as the trees around it.
"Who do you think lives here?" Cadence asked no one in particular.
"Maybe they know where the Wishing Well is." Clampers said. "Let's ask them."
"This place is creepy." CJ said. "We should get out of here."
"We will. After we ask if they know anything about the Wishing Well." Ozzy reassured. "Don't worry, guys. I'll protect you if anything goes wrong."
"I will, too." Clampers promised. "We got each other's backs, right?" After getting confirming nods from her friends, Clampers turned to the door and knocked.
The noise inside sounded like someone dragging something across the floor. The door opened, and the Mashups recoiled a bit in horror. The creature who opened the door sort of looked like a troll. Her skin was green like swamp moss, and her tangled black hair partially hung in her eyes. Her eyes were completely black, void of pupils or irises. From the waist down, she had a snake body instead of legs and feet. Claw-like nails protruded from her fingers. When she smiled, she revealed teeth pointier than even a Rock Troll's. The troll-like creature wore an old-fashioned, elegant dress, colored purple with many gems and bits of gold, which contrasted greatly against her appearance. She even had a gold circlet in her hair.
"Greetings, children." The woman's voice was surprisingly sweet, almost alluring. "What are you all doing way out here?"
"We don't mean to bother you, Miss." Ozzy was the first one to bravely speak. "We need directions to something called The Wishing Well."
"I see." The woman slithered aside. "Would you like to come in? I will help you locate the mystical well."
The Mashups paused. They never had to worry about going into a stranger's house in Music Central. Even if they didn't know the adults in the house, they never had a reason to distrust a troll. This, however, was a rather monstrous troll. Then again, maybe they were just being unnecessarily cruel for judging this creature by her appearance. In the end, the caring nature of a troll won, and the kids stepped into the cottage. The walls were lined with shelf after shelf of books. There was a fire in the hearth and a large cauldron in the center of the house. Everything looked strange, magical, creepy, or a combination of the three. The table of potion ingredients ranged from normal things like flowers to bizarre oddities like eyeballs. With a snap of her fingers, the troll creature caused a table and chairs to pop into existence, complete with a tea set for everyone.
"That's amazing, Miss…" Cadence realized they hadn't gotten the woman's name.
"My name is Kikimora." The woman took her place, as did the children. She tapped the teapot with her claw, and the teapot came to life and poured tea for everyone.
"You're a witch." Blue breathed. Kikimora nodded to confirm.
"What are you doing way out here?" CJ asked.
"I prefer my solitude." Kikimora explained. "Gives me the space I need to practice my art."
"You got a lot of books." Coral Blush noted.
"Hey, we have a book like that in the Music Central library." Cadence pointed to a book sitting on a podium near the cauldron.
"Where do you get all these books?" Ozzy's chair was right next to one of the bookshelves, where he could see many titles yet only understand about a quarter of them.
"Oh, I collected them over the years from all the odd places." Kikimora shrugged. "You are all from Music Central?"
"My aunt is the queen of Lonesome Flats." Clampers said proudly.
"My, what an honor this is!" Kikimora said. "To have a princess in my home."
"What kind of troll are you?" Blue blurted out.
"He means which genre!" CJ said quickly, hoping the question would sound less offensive now.
Kikimora giggled softly. "I'm not really like anyone else."
"So, a Minor Genre." Cadence guessed. "What is your music called?"
Kikimora paused. "Ghostly."
The Mashups exchanged looks with one another. "That's cool." Blue murmured.
"I bet it sounds awesome." CJ said encouragingly.
"Well, I admit I do not play much music these days." Kikimora said. "I do see the lights from the parties Music Central holds. Quite an exuberant bunch you are."
"Thanks…..I think…." Coral Blush scratched his head, trying to figure out if "exuberant" was a good or bad thing.
Clampers felt like something watched her, and she looked up. She nearly screamed when she saw a pair of bright red eyes staring down at her from the shadows of the rafters. Cadence really did scream when she turned around and came nose-to-nose with a black creature.
"Now, now. It's all right." Kikimora said. "Deimos. Lupe. Be nice to our guests."
The creatures moved to stand on either side of Kikimora's chair like sentries. They had the appearance of dogs, a bit bigger than a full-grown troll, but they had wiry black hair, fully red eyes, and their teeth were yellow. They each wore collars: one to label Deimos and the other Lupe. They stood like statues, but that only made the kids tense, thinking about when the dogs might pounce.
"What lovely doggies you have." CJ said, trying to be polite.
Kikimora chuckled softly. "Oh, I wouldn't call them that. I'd call them…demons." Deimos and Lupe seemed to smile at this, as though they wore the title "demons" like badges of honor. "They protect me and my home. Then again, we don't get a lot of visitors."
"Have you visited the other troll kingdoms?" Clampers asked.
"No. I am not certain they would want to see me. Especially when I look like this." Kikimora flicked the tip of her snake tail. "Still, when I hear you lot in Music Central having a party, sometimes I wonder what would happen if I joined in just once."
"Well, we are going to have another party soon." Cadence said kindly. "We designed a sculpture, a new symbol, to represent Music Central. We're going to have this big party to celebrate. Trolls are going to be shocked by you, but I think they just need to get used to you."
"I mean, we're all different." CJ pointed out. "But we're best friends. I bet we can get the other trolls to see you for who you are instead of what you look like."
Kikimora smiled, showing off her pointy teeth. "How very kind you all are. You have proven yourselves worthy of finding the Wishing Well."
"Really?" The Mashups cheered.
Kikimora went to one of her bookshelves and pulled down one of several scrolls sat on a high shelf. "This is the same map I used to find the Wishing Well so long ago. It is tradition to pass the map on to another once your wish is granted."
"We'll do that. Thank you." Clampers took the map.
"What was your wish?" Coral Blush asked.
"A story for another time, if we ever meet again." Kikimora herded them from the house. "Go. Best of luck to you."
"Thanks, Kikimora!" the kids waved as they ran off. Kikimora watched them disappear through the trees. Her wolfish companions trotted over and sat on the stoop.
"My lady," Deimos spoke up. "I wonder if it was truly wise to give them the map."
"I agree." Lupe nodded. "Why lead them to the very thing that gave you your magic?"
"As if I care." Kikimora scoffed. "What could those foolish little brats wish for that could affect us? Besides, I got the information I wanted. My plans can finally move forward."
"What if they tell the trolls about us?" Lupe asked.
"Be at ease, my pets." Kikimora said. "Chef will take care of those children long before they arrive at the Wishing Well."