Tony tripped over another root that was sticking out of the ground. It seemed to him that they purposely shot out of the ground and tried to make him fall. He shook off his imagination and blamed his clumsiness on lack of sleep. It had seemed years since he last slept, every night since their quest had started, his sleep was less and less.
His eyelids felt like heavy weights that were pulling his eyes shut, determined to make him fall asleep again. Ohh, to sleep, to find a comfortable spot and curl up, not needing to worry about time or work, perfect.
No! He needed to stay awake, he couldn't fall into the same trap twice. Tony shook his head and ran his hands up and down his face rapidly and wished for a cup of coffee. A nice steaming cup of Maxwell House and the morning paper, what a wonderful morning that was.
Being a janitor, he never really got to enjoy a Saturday morning. While normal people were sleeping in or have a large morning breakfast, his was limited to a stale bagel and a beer, working on the elevator or fixing the boiler. He didn't really care for coffee, but it did the trick at keeping him up and alert. He needed that now more than ever.
He trudged on through the swamp. His feet felt like they were buckets of cement that were hardening with each wavering step. Determined not to fall asleep to his death, Tony decided to really concentrate on the matter at hand and then to think about the huge king size bed that was waiting for him at the castle.
With his eyes, half-mast, Tony could swear he saw a small cottage up ahead. Passing it off as a mirage, he walked on, unknowingly towards the cottage. The path he was on curved around and brought him to the front of the house.
He paid little attention to the garden of moss-covered mirrors and the mist that seemed to only loom over the house and instead walked closer to the door. He suddenly remembered what Virginia had told him, something about Acorn being in there. Tony smiled a dopey smile, thinking he could sleep peacefully in there, at least knowing someone in this forsaken place he could trust.
He tightened his hand and hovered it over the door, preparing to knock when he heard a deafening slam from inside. Obviously someone was home, good.
Without a second thought, Tony opened the door and stepped inside. There was a single candle that had been blown out sitting in the middle of the room on a small oak table. He noted the fact that the smoke from the candle hung in the air, proving it had just been put out not to long ago.
He heard a voice from the cellar. It was muffled from the doors, but it was high pitched, it wasn't the voice of Acorn. Tony, now fully awake once more, walked closer to the doors. A long board had been slid under the handles, preventing it from opening.
"Something strange is going on here." Tony quietly muttered to himself. No one could possibly lock themselves inside somewhere while the lock was on the outside.
Quietly, he slid the board off the cellar doors and gently placed it onto the floor. He opened the right door, just enough so he could hear into the cellar clearly. Just his luck, no one was speaking.
"Just look at yourself," Tony thought. "Eavesdropping!" He scolded himself and was about to close the door when he heard an unmistakable voice. Wolf's voice.
"No! Just leave me alone!" Wolf had yelled. His voice seemed far away and distant even though he was practically screaming.
"This would be so much easier if you would only agree." A feminine voice called to him. Tony felt a fire burning, he knew, he knew it was the Swamp Witch. The one those fairies had been talking about. He also knew from the dripping sweetness in the voice that it was the same Witch that took his Christine from him. Feeling a fire build in him, he pulled the door open and went inside.
"I won't do it." Wolf said as he waved his hands, dismissing the subject. He turned his attention back to the iron bars that blocked his escape. Once he got through those, breaking the wooden doors would be nothing.
"My Wolf. Why deny yourself all what you know you deserve?" Her voice rang in his ears, it seemed so loud and deafening, when it was merely a whisper. Why couldn't she just shut up!? All he wanted was his creamy dreamy girl back, and instead he was getting this?
"Well, it is your fault," He thought as he pulled on the bars, one by one, testing each one for a weakness. "You just had to come down here!"
"No! Just leave me alone!" Wolf yelled instead at her over his shoulder. He gazed up at the cellar doors and saw that one of them was open. Someone was up there! Was it Tony? His hopeful thoughts were deterred as the Swamp Which called for him again.
"This would be so much easier if you would only agree." Wolf noticed how much alike she sounded to Christine. Both used a bittersweet tone that broke his spirit and gave it to them. It was nearly impossible to refuse. "Say it. Say you will be mine."
"No!" Tony shouted as he sprinted down the stairs and over to the barred gate. He glanced inside and saw the green misted tomb, but focused on Wolf who was frantically trying to get out.
"Tony!" Wolf yelled gratefully. "You gotta get me outta here!" He said desperately as he grabbed Tony's jacket, refusing to let him go.
"Don't worry, I'll have you out in no time." Tony ran his hands over the melted latch and tested the bars. That was just the thing, Wolf didn't have time.
"I already did that, it's no good. Can't you get a bar or something? We could bend them." Wolf suggested hopefully.
"You will never escape me, My Wolf." The Swamp Witch laughed. "Never."
Wolf tried his best to ignore her, but she was like a deadly Siren, weaving her song of promise and hope into his heart and pulling him to his fate. He turned back to her and looked in her eyes, the same way he did when he held her hand. That was his mistake, he could feel it, and knew it was too late to correct it.
"You remember the power you felt, don't you? I know you want more. Come to me my son, and take all the power you crave." She extended her hand to him again and made it glow a silky white. Wolf's eyes lit up and he turned himself around, dropping his grip on Tony.
Tony watched the entire thing in awe, he shook his head swiftly and brought himself back to the task at hand. He couldn't let Wolf fall victim to her, he had lost someone to her before, he wasn't going to stand by and do it again.
"Wolf stop! Snap yourself out of it!" He could see the effects of his words on Wolf, his steps were shaky and uneven, he was trying to bring himself back. "Come on Wolf, come back! Don't listen to her!"
Wolf reached out his hand and brought it closer to hers. Tony's words instantly cleared his head and he slumped forward, out of his trance. In that minor step he took forward, he felt a stinging sensation on his fingertips.
He looked at his hand and saw it touching the Swamp Witch's, both hands illuminated by the soft white haze. After realizing what was happening, he instantly recoiled and flew back to the bars. Tony hadn't noticed Wolf's connection with her, he instead was working on the gate.
Suddenly, without either of them even touching it, the latch cleaned over and renewed to the shiny black metal. Both Wolf and Tony looked at it incredulously, Tony grabbed it and opened it, before it would have a chance to melt again.
Tony and Wolf ran up to the cellar doors, but before reaching them, Wolf, and only Wolf, could hear the Swamp Witch's low chuckling and her faintly calling to Wolf. "You can run all you like, you're already mine."
Wolf angrily yanked the board, slammed the cellar doors shut and slid the board under the handles. He stared down at the doors as if they were alive and were about to attack him. He grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him out of the cottage.
Tony shut the door and turned to Wolf whose expression was still and unreadable. Blank. Tony watched Wolf with a perplexed expression.
"Wolf? What's wrong?" Tony asked. When Wolf finally brought his eyes to Tony's, he shakily drew in a heavy breath.
He disregarded the question and shook his head with guilt. "What have I done?"
His eyelids felt like heavy weights that were pulling his eyes shut, determined to make him fall asleep again. Ohh, to sleep, to find a comfortable spot and curl up, not needing to worry about time or work, perfect.
No! He needed to stay awake, he couldn't fall into the same trap twice. Tony shook his head and ran his hands up and down his face rapidly and wished for a cup of coffee. A nice steaming cup of Maxwell House and the morning paper, what a wonderful morning that was.
Being a janitor, he never really got to enjoy a Saturday morning. While normal people were sleeping in or have a large morning breakfast, his was limited to a stale bagel and a beer, working on the elevator or fixing the boiler. He didn't really care for coffee, but it did the trick at keeping him up and alert. He needed that now more than ever.
He trudged on through the swamp. His feet felt like they were buckets of cement that were hardening with each wavering step. Determined not to fall asleep to his death, Tony decided to really concentrate on the matter at hand and then to think about the huge king size bed that was waiting for him at the castle.
With his eyes, half-mast, Tony could swear he saw a small cottage up ahead. Passing it off as a mirage, he walked on, unknowingly towards the cottage. The path he was on curved around and brought him to the front of the house.
He paid little attention to the garden of moss-covered mirrors and the mist that seemed to only loom over the house and instead walked closer to the door. He suddenly remembered what Virginia had told him, something about Acorn being in there. Tony smiled a dopey smile, thinking he could sleep peacefully in there, at least knowing someone in this forsaken place he could trust.
He tightened his hand and hovered it over the door, preparing to knock when he heard a deafening slam from inside. Obviously someone was home, good.
Without a second thought, Tony opened the door and stepped inside. There was a single candle that had been blown out sitting in the middle of the room on a small oak table. He noted the fact that the smoke from the candle hung in the air, proving it had just been put out not to long ago.
He heard a voice from the cellar. It was muffled from the doors, but it was high pitched, it wasn't the voice of Acorn. Tony, now fully awake once more, walked closer to the doors. A long board had been slid under the handles, preventing it from opening.
"Something strange is going on here." Tony quietly muttered to himself. No one could possibly lock themselves inside somewhere while the lock was on the outside.
Quietly, he slid the board off the cellar doors and gently placed it onto the floor. He opened the right door, just enough so he could hear into the cellar clearly. Just his luck, no one was speaking.
"Just look at yourself," Tony thought. "Eavesdropping!" He scolded himself and was about to close the door when he heard an unmistakable voice. Wolf's voice.
"No! Just leave me alone!" Wolf had yelled. His voice seemed far away and distant even though he was practically screaming.
"This would be so much easier if you would only agree." A feminine voice called to him. Tony felt a fire burning, he knew, he knew it was the Swamp Witch. The one those fairies had been talking about. He also knew from the dripping sweetness in the voice that it was the same Witch that took his Christine from him. Feeling a fire build in him, he pulled the door open and went inside.
"I won't do it." Wolf said as he waved his hands, dismissing the subject. He turned his attention back to the iron bars that blocked his escape. Once he got through those, breaking the wooden doors would be nothing.
"My Wolf. Why deny yourself all what you know you deserve?" Her voice rang in his ears, it seemed so loud and deafening, when it was merely a whisper. Why couldn't she just shut up!? All he wanted was his creamy dreamy girl back, and instead he was getting this?
"Well, it is your fault," He thought as he pulled on the bars, one by one, testing each one for a weakness. "You just had to come down here!"
"No! Just leave me alone!" Wolf yelled instead at her over his shoulder. He gazed up at the cellar doors and saw that one of them was open. Someone was up there! Was it Tony? His hopeful thoughts were deterred as the Swamp Which called for him again.
"This would be so much easier if you would only agree." Wolf noticed how much alike she sounded to Christine. Both used a bittersweet tone that broke his spirit and gave it to them. It was nearly impossible to refuse. "Say it. Say you will be mine."
"No!" Tony shouted as he sprinted down the stairs and over to the barred gate. He glanced inside and saw the green misted tomb, but focused on Wolf who was frantically trying to get out.
"Tony!" Wolf yelled gratefully. "You gotta get me outta here!" He said desperately as he grabbed Tony's jacket, refusing to let him go.
"Don't worry, I'll have you out in no time." Tony ran his hands over the melted latch and tested the bars. That was just the thing, Wolf didn't have time.
"I already did that, it's no good. Can't you get a bar or something? We could bend them." Wolf suggested hopefully.
"You will never escape me, My Wolf." The Swamp Witch laughed. "Never."
Wolf tried his best to ignore her, but she was like a deadly Siren, weaving her song of promise and hope into his heart and pulling him to his fate. He turned back to her and looked in her eyes, the same way he did when he held her hand. That was his mistake, he could feel it, and knew it was too late to correct it.
"You remember the power you felt, don't you? I know you want more. Come to me my son, and take all the power you crave." She extended her hand to him again and made it glow a silky white. Wolf's eyes lit up and he turned himself around, dropping his grip on Tony.
Tony watched the entire thing in awe, he shook his head swiftly and brought himself back to the task at hand. He couldn't let Wolf fall victim to her, he had lost someone to her before, he wasn't going to stand by and do it again.
"Wolf stop! Snap yourself out of it!" He could see the effects of his words on Wolf, his steps were shaky and uneven, he was trying to bring himself back. "Come on Wolf, come back! Don't listen to her!"
Wolf reached out his hand and brought it closer to hers. Tony's words instantly cleared his head and he slumped forward, out of his trance. In that minor step he took forward, he felt a stinging sensation on his fingertips.
He looked at his hand and saw it touching the Swamp Witch's, both hands illuminated by the soft white haze. After realizing what was happening, he instantly recoiled and flew back to the bars. Tony hadn't noticed Wolf's connection with her, he instead was working on the gate.
Suddenly, without either of them even touching it, the latch cleaned over and renewed to the shiny black metal. Both Wolf and Tony looked at it incredulously, Tony grabbed it and opened it, before it would have a chance to melt again.
Tony and Wolf ran up to the cellar doors, but before reaching them, Wolf, and only Wolf, could hear the Swamp Witch's low chuckling and her faintly calling to Wolf. "You can run all you like, you're already mine."
Wolf angrily yanked the board, slammed the cellar doors shut and slid the board under the handles. He stared down at the doors as if they were alive and were about to attack him. He grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him out of the cottage.
Tony shut the door and turned to Wolf whose expression was still and unreadable. Blank. Tony watched Wolf with a perplexed expression.
"Wolf? What's wrong?" Tony asked. When Wolf finally brought his eyes to Tony's, he shakily drew in a heavy breath.
He disregarded the question and shook his head with guilt. "What have I done?"