Chapter Fifteen
Whispering Willows
The five of them walked down the road. The air was bone-chilling. "Do you think we're lost?" Kane asked, rubbing his arms with his hands for warmth.
"Oh, I know we're lost," Cena admitted. They were walking towards another wooded area. They were hoping that this wooded area would take them to the rugged sea that Candice Michelle had spoken of. John looked up at the sky; there was nothing but pitch black. No moon, no stars. Only blackness. It felt surreal. John was still having some difficulty believing this was really happening.
"A jungle of willows," Lita said, her voice barely above a murmur. The riddle Candice had presented her with had her mind racing in circles. Dave was beside her, agreeing to everything she had to say. She had to admit that it was kind of cute. He was kind of cute. She saw what Candice was talking about. But she had much more pressing matters.
"Any thoughts on how we're going to get across this sea?" Dave asked. Lita shot him a wan smile. He felt his heart melt.
"One thing at a time, Big Guy," she told him gently. The smile stayed on his face, despite the cold. Lita's teeth were chattering.
"Right," he answered with a nod. Maria and Cena were walking behind them, trying to keep their giggles down. They thought Lita and Dave were adorable together. Maria was dressed in less clothing than Lita, and feeling the effect of the cold.
They stopped at the entrance of the woods. The five of them stared into the black abyss.
"Anybody wanna enter first?" Maria asked, breaking the silence. Dave and Lita shot each other smirks.
"Follow us," Lita called out, strolling into the woods. Dave was right beside her.
Randy Orton was irritated.
Lilian hadn't been to see him yet. He had no idea if he was on the right track or not. The headache that had started as a dull throb at the base of his skull was only getting worse, traveling up to the top of his skull. Layla had befriended Kristal and now neither of them would shut up. He was trying to think and trying his hardest not to snap, but the girls were making it next to impossible. He had told Stacy Keibler that he was a nice guy, and he was determined to show her that side. But as the time passed, Randy found himself becoming more and more angry.
"Do you think this Queen Stephanie and King Hunter thing is true?" Stacy inquired. Her brown eyes conveyed fright, darting around her environment. He wished that Stacy went to his high school. He thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on.
"Well, there has to be a reason we're here," Randy replied. "Because I certainly didn't book a vacation."
"Oh." They continued to walk. "Where are you from originally?"
"Stamford, Connecticut," he answered.
"Is it nice there? I've never been," she told him softly. He smirked. She was flirting with him. He knew it and he enjoyed it.
"It's okay. Full of snobs," he answered. He stopped. They were back at the intersection by the graveyard.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"I think we just went in a complete circle. Damn it."
"Mickie, that is just awful!"
"As long as Randy is walking around with Stacy and Kristal, we can't have him finding Queen Stephanie," Mickie answered in her defense. Lilian was insulted.
"She's right, Lilian. I know you don't want to hear it, but she's right," Beth told her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "As long as he is with those two, it's nothing but trouble."
"I thought he was better than this," Lilian said with a sigh. "Who knew he was such a..."
"A jock?" Mickie asked with a grin.
"Yeah. A jock. That's it." The girls laughed.
"Candice, I have this strange feeling about Lita," Torrie said. She was sitting on a lounge chair, twirling her wand in her hands. "Watch over her carefully. Lilian, Beth, you guys keep your concern on Mr. Orton. With those deviants by his side, this is only going to spell catastrophe. Lilian, you're going to need to make sure they don't kill him." She nodded.
With her arm linked through Cena's, Maria walked with John. She was terrified of her surroundings. Kane, with his intimidating size and strength, wasn't scared of anything. In fact, he led the way, taking a spot ahead of Lita and Dave. They continued to walk side by side.
"How are you feeling?" Dave asked her. Lita yawned.
"I'm starting to get tired. But the sooner we find this Queen Stephanie, the sooner we can go home," Lita answered. They fell silent. She buckled as she stepped into a soft patch of dirt, but Dave caught her, preventing her from falling and preventing an injury. They fell back into step.
"So what do you think of Torrie's party?" Dave asked. Lita laughed.
"Let's not even go there. I am going to kill Candice when I see her on Monday." Dave laughed. Lita shrugged. "At least I know why she carries that wand around now."
"Halt!"
The voice was a low rumble that echoed through the entire woods. The willow vine dropped down in front of Lita and Batista. A young man wearing two pounds of body paint slid down in front of them. His hair was every color of the rainbow. "Hey, Kane," the kid greeted.
"Long time, no see, Jeff," Kane replied.
"Are these guys with you?" he asked.
"Yeah. They've been tasked with finding the queen."
"Really?" Jeff was impressed, Lita could tell. His eyes fell on the group. "Did Kane tell all you guys about me?"
"No, I think he must have forgot," Maria piped up. She was hanging onto Cena as if he were a life preserver.
"It sounds just like the Big Guy to forget about little old me. Who are you guys?"
"I'm Lita," the redhead replied, stepping forward to shake his hand. He slid down the vine further to shake hands.
"Dave Batista," the man next to Lita announced, shaking Jeff's hand. Jeff acted as though Dave had broken his arm with his strong handshake.
"John Cena. This here with me is Maria," he said, offering a wave. Maria wasn't letting him go for any reason. Jeff gave them a curt nod.
"Jeff Hardy is my name. My brother Matt is around here somewhere. We keep these willows protected from Vince and his band of deviants."
"Just the two of you?" Lita asked, surprised.
"Don't underestimate us, Miss Lita," he gently chastised. "There may be many more of them than there are of Matt and I, but Vince never comes out this way himself. The girls that flock him can't navigate these parts half as good as Matt and I. We've been protecting these parts for the past few years, just Matt and I, and we've done just fine. There used to be four of us, but Bubba and D-Von perished.
"So I am going to do this: I will grant you answers to any three of your nagging questions. So ask away."
They all turned to Lita, expecting her to ask the questions.
"The night Queen Stephanie vanished, did Steve and Rocky lead her through here?"
"That they did," Jeff confirmed. Lita was very aware of the faint chatter behind her. She had the feeling that they were on the right track.
"Did you see where they took her?"
"I did not. It would have certainly made our jobs a lot easier, though, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. It would have," Lita admitted. "How will we know Vince when we see him?"
"He is two thousand years old with a killer physique and a huge ego. Believe me, you will know him when you see him. He will let you know," Jeff answered with a chuckle. He swung onto a nearby tree, taking the vine with him. "I leave you now to venture towards the sea, but beware the wretched sea creature."
"Sea creature?" Maria squeaked. Jeff looked over at her and nodded.
"Yes. They are known as the Spirit Squad, and they've been Vince's favorite pet for about a century now. There are five of them. Remember to never look them in the eyes. If that happens, you will become one of them." They all shuddered. They didn't know anything about the horrors of this monster, but the ominous tone of Jeff's voice told them it was nothing they wanted to become. "I bid the five of you good luck. You have a nice addition to your group with Kane. See you at the reunion party."
"Yeah. Tell your brother I said what's up," Kane told him. Jeff nodded.
"Will do. When your brother is reawakened, then you two need to come out here for a good old-fashioned jungle party."
"You know it."
With that, Jeff was gone. The five of them began to walk the trail again.
"What the hell kind of name is Spirit Squad?" John cracked.
"Not a very good one," Maria answered. They laughed.
"Remember, you don't want to make eye contact with them," Kane reminded the group. "Jeff has never steered me wrong before, so you should all remember his words."
"It's getting late, Kane. Do you think we should just post camp for the night?" Dave asked. Lita shook her head.
"We need to keep going. Who knows where Vince's deviants are. I don't want to run the risk of them finding her while we're resting," Lita answered.
"She has a point. We're just going to have to keep pushing," Kane agreed. "Their magic is much more powerful than mine, since they're under the tutelage of Vince."
"I'm sure Candice and the girls won't let anything happen to us," Lita assured him. She had unwavering faith in Candice. They had been the best of friends for years, and she refused to believe that Candice would turn her back on her or the group. She trusted Candice with her life.
Chyna and Dawn Marie were lurking at the entrance of the woods. They knew that Matt and Jeff Hardy were the protectors of these parts. Their strategy was to demolish the two boys and take out the group they had seen walk into the woods. Vince had told them that Kane had joined them now, but they hadn't seen him. Chyna was furious; Kane was just another man in a long line of her exes. The fact that her ex was working with a group who wanted to take her group down made her want to crush Kane into powder with her bare hands.
"Are you ready to go in?" Chyna asked. She was a vision in black leather, dressed in a bustier and small shorts. She was intimidating and vicious, a mountain of muscle. She was fastening her gloves. If anyone got in her way, she was ready to kill them.
Dawn Marie stepped beside her, dressed in a little black bandage dress. She looked at Chyna and nodded. "Let's go get them," she said, her lips curving into a devious smile.
Together, they walked into the woods.