Chapter 20
Muahahahha! Thanks everybody for the reviews! Oh yeah and anyone who is a big Moulin-Rogue Pirate reader then I have to tell you that she's grounded and she won't be updating her stories until May. She's grounded for 2 months from the computer or at least that's what she told me! Well alrighty then on to my story!
Young Masbath and Ichabod climbed onto their horses and trotted away quickly from the mysterious cave.
Ichabod sat there on his horse as they trotted farther and farther into the forest. "Take the Indian Trail…To the tree of the Dead…?", wondering what the mysterious witch meant.
Masbath sat in silence staring ahead wondering whether or not to tell Ichabod that Selena came running out of the witch's cave.
He had always known that Selena was a witch but a good witch. She was a wonderful person and he looked up to her, and he didn't want to say something that would break her trust in him.
Looking towards Ichabod, he knew that Ichabod loved her. He knew the moment at the Van Tassel's party when he looked at her eyes for the first time he knew that Ichabod was enamored by her.
He decided he wouldn't tell. For her sake he would not speak. He decided to break the silence in him as Ichabod continued to mumble the tree of the Dead.
"How will we recognize it?"
"Without difficulty I rather fear", as he went back to his thinking quoting what the witch said. "Climb down to the Horseman's resting place…".
"His camp?", as Ichabod shook his head. "His grave…"
All of a sudden they heard a branch snap creating a eerie echo throughout the forest. Once again the both became nervous as Masbath became worried for Selena. She was out in the forest, no horse and no weapon.
Ichabod whispered to Masbath. "Let us quicken our pace", as they gently kicked their horse's sides making them walk faster.
They had made it to a small hill when he noticed something moving throughout the woods. He stopped his horse and climbed off.
"Ride on…", he whispered to Masbath as he grabbed his pistol. Masbath became extremely worried. It might be Selena…
He would wait a few seconds and follow. Ichabod came across a figure covered by a large gray cloak, riding a gray horse. The figure had stopped it's back turned to him.
He cleared his throat and wet his lips. He cocked his pistol, "Halt and turned! I have pistol aimed!", as the figure turned around.
Ichabod's eyes widened to discover it was Katrina. She looked at him amusingly. "Well, well, well if it isn't Mr. Ichabod Crane out here in Western Wood".
"Katrina? I might of killed you. Why have you come?"
"Because no one else would, and because I am searching for my sister…", as she looked out in the distance of the forest as if expecting her sister to appear. She knew that she had appeared to the Crow but when she discovered her sister that her sister had ran off she became worried looking for her.
"She is missing?", concern in his eyes and voice as Katrina slowly nodded. "Oh yes…she was in the woods but mysteriously she has disappeared", as answered back eerily.
Ichabod felt a twist in the gut of his stomach. She was somewhere in the Western Woods by herself. This could not get any worst.
"Pardon my intrusion…", as Masbath was filled with relief and despair. Selena was not hurt but she was not here. She was still out there.
"Hello Miss. Katrina", as Katrina nodded her head back smiling. "I think you'd better come and look at this…"
They had followed Masbath on their horses as they came to a clearing. Slowing their horses down, they had found it. The Tree of the Dead. Its mangled branches twisted and black as night. The tree seemed to scream agony and pain.
Selena gasped when she noticed Ichabod, Masbath, and her sister standing there retreating from their horses. She hid herself behind the large trunk of the tree.
She had hoped they would not find it so soon. She wanted to go inside one more time to see what she could find. Of coarse it meant facing horrible memories but she would just face them.
But now that they were here her plan had back fired. "The Tree of the Dead", Masbath whispered looking at its dark misshapen form.
Katrina looked at it. She remembered her sister in there. And the dark memories that lie with her from being within it.
"It does announce itself", as she walked besides Ichabod.
"It would be best if you don't touch it…", as he stared at her curiously. "Let us just say that Selena has had some unpleasant memories from this tree", as Ichabod's eyes widened at the mention of Selena's name.
"Memories? Memories of what?", as Katrina only shook her head.
"Memories best left forgotten…"
"Well Katrina this tree holds something of great importance and I must see what it is", as he began walking towards it.
He stood in front of the tree, and slowly began to touch it and knock on it until he noticed a piece breaking off. He grabbed the small piece of trunk and took it off. A red sap began pouring from it.
Touching it with his fingers he rubbed the liquid and sniffed it.
Blood
"The tree bleeds. How can this be?", as she stared horrified "This I do not remember…"until a memory of her sister covered with blood came to her. That is where the blood had came from. From the tree….
Ichabod walked back over to his horse looking around in his saddle bag pulling out an axe.
"What is it?", Masbath asked curiously.
"Stay here"
He walked over to part of the trunk and began to chop away at it, as blood squirted from it covering his face, and his clothes.
The tree began to drip blood from the marks Ichabod was causing on it.
"What are you doing?"
"Just keep where you are"
Masbath walked a little closer ignoring Ichabod's warning. Breathing deeply, Ichabod dropped the small axe grabbing a large slab of the tree and peeling it off.
What he found horrified him. Bloody, wide eyed, mouth gaping heads from the victims who were decapitated.
Katrina stifled a small scream, as Selena covered her mouth holding in her gasp. Before Masbath
could clearly see what was in the trunk Selena grabbed his face hugging him towards her.
There lay Phillips head looking towards him, and also the head of Jonathan Masbath's head. They all seemed to have grown roots within the tree.
"My god…", Katrina whispered catching another glimpse of the heads.
"He..He tries to take the heads back with him….but they will not pass"
"We must leave this place", closing her eyes shut.
"This is a gateway, a gateway between two worlds", as he climbed over the protruding roots of the tree to find the Horseman's swords stabbed within the ground.
He moved his foot around the soil and he crouch down on his knee's. In the distance the sunset could be seen as Selena looked towards the sky. Night would soon come and so would the Hessian. She grew extremely worried.
"Climb down the horseman's resting place…", he whispered once more touching the soil. Turning around he noticed Katrina hugging Masbath.
He became angry with himself for not noticing that Masbath had just seen his father's head. "Forgive me..I..I..", as Masbath shook his head wiping his eyes.
"Yes sir, shovel and the rifle I suggest…", as he grabbed them handing them over to Ichabod.
Time had past and it grew dark. They had lightened a lantern. Selena had not moved from her spot watching them and waiting for the Hessian to make his move.
Ichabod shoveled through the dirt noticing that the dirt had been disturbed by someone. He had finally found what he was looking for. The skeletal form of the horseman lay. Vines had wrapped itself around his bones.
He sat there looking at it until he noticed something. The skull was missing. "LOOK!", as Selena rushed up towards the grave to see what Ichabod had found.
"The skull is gone. What does it mean?", as Ichabod stood up quickly snapping his fingers. "It means my dear Ms. Van Tassel! It meansyes! What exactly does it mean? It means unless I am mistaken…it means something. What that something is, time will tell! But I sense we are very close to the
answer here, if only we have on more clue".
They grew silent thinking as they stared at his skeletal form. Unknown to them that the wind had picked up the ground began to shake. Selena look up, seeing dark clouds forming above them. "It has begun…", she whispered. "He's coming"
"Ichabod…", Katrina murmured noticing the strange occurrences. Ichabod looked up and noticed that Masbath had started to move back because the roots in the tree began moving unfolding before him.
A large rumbling is heard from within the tree as the heads of the decapitated as moved back, as blood began to bubble forth. The horses began to nay in fright.
Suddenly the opening of the trunk exploding gushing blood and small cinders of wood in each direction. Before either of them know it, the Headless Horseman appears galloping out of the tree, as leaves and fog picked up under them.
The Horseman gallops pass them through the forest. Everyone stood their in shock at what they just noticed.
"Did you see that?", he whispers
"Masbath take Ms. Van Tassel home", as he jumps up on his force pulling on its reins in the direction of the Horseman as he galloped away into the darkness.
Selena appeared from the Tree. "Well that is something you do not see everyday", as Masbath and Katrina turned around surprised.
"You saw that?", Masbath asked. She nodded her head. "We better follow. Something tells me that he's going to need help.
Selena got onto Masbath's horse as he held on behind her. Katrina and Selena began to gallop their horses in direction of the village.
"I hope he will be alright…", Selena thought seeing the darkness of her village before her.
Well that was the next chapter. Hope you guys liked! Please review!
