Cry Heard Upon the Wind
By: Wilona Riva
Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG.
Author's Note: This is not part of my Spring series
Jamie shot up in bed. There it is again!
Time Skip: Next night
It was after ten, but before midnight, when the Burgess Six-Jamie said Sophie didn't count as part of the group because she was too little-met at the forest's edge. Jamie passed out the pocket flashlights he had purchased from the local market.
"Ok, listen up," he said. "I don't know what's causing that sound, but we are going to investigate. Just in case, we run into You-Know-Who, don't forget to sweep the shadows."
"Voldemort?" Pippa quipped.
"Wrong You-Know-Who," Jamie said, smiling a bit. He had had a bit of a crush on Pippa since the Easter fiasco with Pitch and the Guardians last year.
"Oh."
"So why are you dragging our butts out of bed for this?" Claude asked.
"We know about spirits," Jamie answered. "I'm not stupid to go out there alone."
"Nice," Caleb muttered. "One of these days, your curiosity is going to get us all killed."
"What if Pitch is back?" Jamie countered. "Someone has to tell the Guardians."
"Point," Cupcake said, sleepily. "Let's get this over so we can go back to bed."
"I agree," said Monty. "I have a test tomorrow."
The old forest was dense enough for shadows to snake their way beneath the moon's bright glow. The children were swallowed up by the darkness as soon as they entered. Jamie gulped, shivered, and used his eyes and his flashlight to sweep the shadows.
Was that Pitch watching from the shadows with glowing silver and gold eyes? No, just an owl gliding overhead.
Cupcake had to threaten the stuffing out of the Twins for scaring poor Monty at several points on the trail. It wasn't until the wind picked up that they heard the sound.
"Someone's crying," Pippa stated. "You weren't kidding."
Jamie raised eyebrows at her, but said nothing. Motioning onwards, they followed the path through the trees. It wasn't until they were near the old cabin that they realized where they were heading.
"Isn't this the way to the lake?" Monty queried.
"Uh-huh," Cupcake told him, realizing the same thing.
The sound of crying grew louder.
"GHOST!" screamed Monty, dropping his flashlight, and running off into the dark.
"I'll go after him," Cupcake volunteered. "Boy is scared of his shoelaces in day time."
"Alright," Jamie agreed.
Cupcake returned a few minutes later with a chagrined Monty.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Reflex."
"Idiot," Claude grumbled.
Another cry echoed from the direction of the lake. A shaft of moonlight seemed to grow brighter as they approached.
"Jack?"
Jamie was confused. Sitting in the center of the lake, covered in a circle of frost patterns, the Boogeyman was cradling Jack Frost, who was sobbing into his shoulder.
"What do we do now?" Caleb asked Jamie.
"You're his first believer," Cupcake reminded him. "Go, talk to him."
A light wind began to rise, and snow started to fall. If Jack Frost had opened his eyes, Jamie would have seen they were a bright frosty blue. Jamie paused, sensing he was intruding on some private moment.
Pitch murmured something softly to the Winter Spirit, who began sobbing again. He sighed, and looked upwards at the moon. "I was afraid this would happen," he said.
The moon grew brighter and then dimmed.
"If I must," the Nightmare King sighed. "She has a temper, you know."
The moonlight flickered in response.
"Yes, I quite agree."
Lifting the boy into his arms, the Spirit of Fear melted into the shadows.
The Burgess Six exchanged glances.
What had they witnessed?