Chapter Eight - A Tree of Nightmares
"Ash, wake up!"
Ash snorted a little as he bolted upright. "I'm up. I'm up. What's up?"
"We have a small problem." Harper said.
Ash rubbed his eyes and looked around. He jumped a little. The trees around them were dark and looked dead. There was little to no vegetation around them. The skies were filled with grey clouds, only adding to the spooky ambiance of the forest.
"Where are we?" Ash asked.
'The Western Woods.' Prowlus signed. 'Looks like we went off-course while traveling last night.'
"Sorry, guys." Ash looked at the map. "I wasn't even paying attention to the landmarks."
"It is hard to do so when in the dark." Sir Tandeth noted.
"How do we get out of here?" Gris gulped. "This place is creepy."
"Well, we don't know where we are exactly in the Western Woods, but we know what direction to go to get out of it." Ash said, tucking the map away in his hair. He rummaged through his bag and lit up. "All right! I knew Grandma might do this." He handed each troll a colorful scarf, and Gris even found one in his bag. Ash also pulled out a compass, with a note attached.
It can get cold out there, so keep the wind off your necks with these. The compass once belonged to your Grandpa Larch. Do take care to not misplace this like he did.
Best of luck and lots of love,
Grandma Rosiepuff
"She's the best." Ash grinned as he checked the compass. "Now, my best guess is that we're pretty deep in the forest. But we just need to head in that direction—" He pointed in one direction. "—or that direction—" He turned to point down another way. "—or anywhere in-between, we'll be good."
"I say we move out, my liege." Sir Tandeth suggested. "Onward, friends!"
The travelers agreed, and started to move. To their amusement and surprise, Sir Tandeth mounted Steve like a horse, and the crocodile followed the knight's guidance as they scouted the path ahead. Steve sniffed the ground like a bloodhound, obeying Sir Tandeth's commands without hesitation.
"Aw, they're friends." Harper cooed.
"I've heard Tandeth talking with Steve a lot since we met him." Gris pointed out. "I think they really are bonding."
"Awesome." Ash said. "Tandeth could use all the friends he could get. The thought of him staying in the Fearsome Forest for so long, all by himself, it must've been hard."
"It's nice to see Steve branching out, too." Gris said. "I think it's helping him cope with this quest. Not that it's hard, per se. Just that long journeys can take a lot out of you."
"Especially in this part of the forest." Ash said. "But don't worry. We'll face any challenge together and maybe avoid traveling by night from now on."
After about an hour of walking, they decided to take a break. While Ash still had confidence that they'd emerge from the forest shortly, it was still dead trees and dark clouds in every direction as far as they could see. Sir Tandeth and Steve surveyed the perimeter of their resting space and reported no dangers.
"Well done, Sir Tandeth." Ash said. "Take a break. Have a snack."
"Oh, I couldn't do that." Sir Tandeth shook his helmet head. "Must stay vigilant. Must protect my prince."
"Doesn't a knight also have to follow orders?" Ash asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Then I order you to spend the next ten minutes relaxing and having a snack."
Sir Tandeth paused. "Very well, my prince." He plopped down next to Ash and accepted the canteen of water from the boy. Steve curled up with both of them.
Prowlus studied the map Ash gave him, and he looked around. He wasn't sure what good looking at a map will do. After all, they didn't have any specific landmarks to follow out here. Ash made the right decision by following a general direction as dictated by the compass. But how long had they traveled during the night? What if they were taking the longest way out of the forest instead of the shortest one? After all, they had to take several detours already to avoid brambles, dangerous creatures, and poisonous plants.
Returning the map to Ash, Prowlus stood and walked a short distance away to climb a tall tree. He reached the top and looked around. The sight didn't help to ease his nerves. It was so dark with those clouds in the sky. It was only lunchtime, but it looked dark enough to be evening. He could make out the tops of the green trees from the happier parts of the forest, but that greenery was far off. It should be a straight shot to there, but who knows what else they'd have to go around just to get there?
Prowlus's ears twitched. He jumped to a lower branch and scanned the area with is detail-catching eyes. He slowly climbed to the forest floor, still searching for the danger he knew was there. Being so silent himself, he tended to pick up on sounds and sights others missed. It was well-known how intuitive Prowlus could be, and that certainly came in handy in places like this.
When he reached the ground, he reacted just in time to dodge an attack from a creature. Several more appeared: creatures that looked like flowers but with bat-like wings, glowing red eyes, and vampire fangs. Prowlus dodged more attacks and ran for his friends. This would be one of those times where being mute worked against him, and he had to do something he'd have to apologize for later.
Gris yelped in pain as a rock hit his skull. "Hey, what the—" His eyes widened. "Guys? We got a problem."
"In this part of the forest?" Harper droned sarcastically. "What else is new?" Everyone looked and saw Prowlus sprinting towards them with the creatures hot on his heels.
"Vampire flowers!" Ash gasped. "Run for it!"
"I thought they only came out at night!" Gris whimpered.
"It's the Western Woods! It's plenty dark enough for them!" Sir Tandeth said.
The travelers moved quickly, but the vampire flowers would not give up their prey so easily. The pack was large enough to overpower critters like Steve, Ebony, and even Gris. Not only that, but vampire flower venom was highly toxic. Even Ebony, one of the bravest phoenixes of her flock, was not foolish enough to tangle with them.
Suddenly, brambles shot from the ground, separating Ash, Prowlus, and Harper from the rest of their friends. A wall of thorny bushes began to circle the trolls.
"Keep going!" Ash called to Gris as half of the vampire flower swarm came after them. "We'll catch up!"
Gris herded Steve, Ebony, and Sir Tandeth away, and they disappeared into the forest with the vampire flowers close behind them. Meanwhile, the wall of bushes made a complete circle around the trio of trolls, blocking them in yet also keeping the vampire flowers out. The grass at their feet turned green, and flowers bloomed. One especially large flower looked like a Venus fly trap, and its mouth opened to let loose a sweet smell.
"What is this?" Harper breathed.
'It's better than what's out there.' Prowlus jerked a thumb towards the wall, where the vampire flowers still prowled on the other side.
"Funny to find something so pretty in this part of the forest." Ash tapped his lip in thought. "Something's not right."
'We still need to think about Gris, Ebony, and Steve." Prowlus yawned a little.
"We might be able to send a message, maybe magically?" Harper asked. She knelt down and brushed her fingers over the flowers. "Then again, they're probably fine. Gris is a big boy and can take care of himself. Sir Tandeth…" Harper yawned. "Sir Tandeth can keep an eye on him."
'But vampire flowers are poisonous.' Prowlus's signing was slow and sluggish.
"No use in worrying." Harper started to lay down. "It's so nice here. That smell...so sweet..."
"Guys?" Ash became worried when Prowlus even sat next to Harper, looking like he might fall asleep too. Ash looked around. This little circle of flowers looked beautiful, but he sensed something wasn't right. He pulled out the scrapbook again and flipped through it quickly. He gasped and stuffed the book away. "Prowlus! Harper! You gotta stay awake!"
"Why?" Harper murmured, already curled up in the flowers. Prowlus lay next to her.
"Grandpa Peppy told me about these things!" Ash urged, shaking them. "This is a Peril Patch! If we fall asleep, it'll probably eat us or something!"
"Yeah, you're right." Harper said sleepily. "We should...we should probably..."
Ash scrambled for an idea, fighting the sleepy fogginess in his mind. What could he do? They had to get out of there. Or, at the very least, stop that flower from emitting the sleepy smell. But he'd have to defeat the Peril Patch somehow. Which meant they'd have to deal with the vampire flowers waiting for them. Ash didn't find anything useful in his bag except his shield and collapsible weapon, which still didn't give him the confidence to run into battle with the vampire flowers. One bite, and he'd be dead. So he dug around in Harper's bag. He found paint, sketch pads, pencils, more paint, paintbrushes, snacks, even more paint, and...a gift from Guy Diamond and Ruby! Ash opened the package and found glitter bombs. That would take care of the vampire flowers. As for the Peril Patch, Ash tried Prowlus's bag. Dad's spell book was in there, along with survival supplies, and a package from Biggie and Belle. Ash opened it and recoiled with a disgusted look.
"Onion cupcakes?" Ash gagged. "Why would they give me onion cupcakes? Nobody likes onion cupcakes! Not even critters!" Ash paused, and he glanced to the flower emitting the sleepy smell. "They're geniuses!" Ash took Prowlus's knife and cut the onion cupcake to release its own tear-inducing aroma. Ash stumbled to the flower and threw the onion cupcake into it. After a few seconds, the onion cupcake smell spilled out of the flower and spread through the area. Ash's eyes watered, but at least he was awake.
Harper gagged and coughed as she woke. "Ugh! What is that smell?" Prowlus coughed as well.
"Here, take these!" Ash pushed the rest of the onion cupcakes and some of the glitter bombs into Harper's and Prowlus's arms. "Get ready for those creeps!"
Though still dazed, Harper and Prowlus slung their bags over their shoulders and stood with Ash. The Peril Patch began to decay around them, and the pretty flowers turned brown and died. Once the walls were destroyed, the vampire flowers tried to attack. But they were bombarded with bright glitter bombs and onion cupcakes, and they were soon scared off.
"Great job, Ash!" Harper hugged the young prince.
'Very well done. You saved us!' Prowlus signed.
"It was Uncle Biggie and Uncle Guy Diamond who saved us." Ash corrected. "I'm going to be writing a lot of thank-you cards when I get back."
"We should probably go find the others." Harper suggested. "I hope they're okay." Prowlus suddenly pointed behind her, and the trio were relieved to see Gris, Ebony, Steve, and Sir Tandeth running up to them.
"You're okay!" Gris sighed in relief.
"You too!" Ash grinned. "How'd you get away from the vampire flowers?"
"Sir Tandeth!" Gris said excitedly. "He was amazing! Beat off every single vampire flower and sent them running!"
'Are you hurt, Sir Tandeth?' Prowlus signed, which Harper translated.
"Quite all right." Sir Tandeth stood up straight and tall with pride. "Their fangs could not penetrate my armor."
"Thank goodness for that." Ash said. "Nobody's hurt? We're all good?" Collective nods, including the animals. "Well, no use in just standing here!" He checked the compass, and he pointed in the direction of what they hoped would be the way out.
After such a victory, the travelers had high spirits even as they encountered more bizarre plants and creatures. Most everything in the Western Woods seemed to want to kill them. Plus, there were several obstacles to go over or around: a pack of predatory lizard creatures, fallen trees, and an area littered with hidden potholes. Still, they kept up their morale even when it grew darker and Prowlus suggested they find a place to rest.
"I was hoping we'd find our way out before night." Harper said. "It's hard to tell which tree would be safe to sleep in."
"Wish I hadn't sent Eclipse off." Ash said. "But we'll be okay. Let's just find somewhere to sleep before it gets too dark."
"I think it's pretty dark right now." Gris pointed out.
"How very observant." Ash said sarcastically, slow-clapping for good measure.
When Ash clapped, bright lights appeared for a second and then went out. Everyone jumped, looking around. Ash clapped again, and firefly-like bugs lit up for a single second before going out again.
"Clapper bugs!" Harper gasped.
"Perfect!" Ash cheered. "Everyone start clapping! But not too hard, or it'll get too bright. Let's see if we can find someplace to sleep."
The travelers got to work, clapping sporadically and alternating between staring in awe at the clapper bugs and searching the nearby trees for a safe place for the night. The clapper bugs shined like stars in the darkness of the forest, lighting the way for the travelers.
Ash clapped happily, staring at the clapper bugs more than the trees. He remembered being much younger, and visiting his sister's kingdom with his parents and brother. His first encounter with the clapper bugs. He remembered feeling like he danced amongst the stars, and he loved every minute of it. But thinking of his parents and sister made him homesick, and Ash stopped clapping. He wondered if he should give his parents a call. Except it was getting late, and he didn't want them to know he led his friends into the Western Woods. Last time he called, they were relieved to know the wing trolls took care of the travelers.
I'll call them when we find someplace to sleep. Ash decided. He resumed clapping, and he noticed something. He clapped again. "Hey guys! Check this out!"
Everyone followed Ash's voice to join him. He clapped a few more times to illuminate a ginormous tree in front of them. The tree had no vegetation, and was peppered with holes. There was even a large door sitting amongst the roots.
"Do you think a bunch of birds live here?" Gristle asked.
"Not if there's a door." Harper said. "Maybe whoever lives here would let us stay the night." They approached the door, and Prowlus knocked. The door promptly fell inward and slammed on the floor, kicking up dust.
'I'm going to guess that no one has lived here in some time.' Prowlus signed.
"Well, then I guess they won't mind if we spend the night." Ash said. "Gris, you take Steve and Ebony to find a place in the branches. Make it comfortable, if you can."
"No problem." Gris said. "Dad packed me a hammock. It's just big enough for me and Steve."
While Gris and the animals started climbing, the others walked inside. The interior of the tree looked like the inside of a castle. That is, if the castle were haunted. There were spider webs, dust, and bugs all over the place. Peering into other rooms, they found a dining hall, a luxurious bedroom, a burnt spell caster chamber, a small library, a dungeon, and a bird nest in one of the holes that led outside.
"Is it just me, or is this place kind of creepy?" Harper asked.
'Very creepy.' Prowlus agreed.
"Well, it's a safe place to sleep, at least. Safer than outside." Ash led everyone back to the bedroom, where they could see Gris and Steve in the hammock just outside the window. Ebony perched herself on a branch and tucked her head under her wing.
"Hey, what if we told some scary stories before bed?" Harper suggested.
"Oh sure." Gris said sarcastically. "Let's scare ourselves even more in this creepy forest."
"Could be fun." Ash said. "We're essentially in a haunted house, anyway. I'll go first!" Everyone straightened up and listened closely. Ash cleared his throat. "There was once a troll who lived in a great castle. He was very full of himself, and he always surrounded himself with mirrors. He wanted a queen who was as beautiful as himself. So he asked the castle wizard to make him one that was identical to his reflections. But the wizard made a mistake, and all the king's reflections came to life! Suddenly, there was a great fight amongst them over who was the fairest in all the land! Nobody could tell who was the real king and who was a reflection. The wizard came up with an idea: a series of challenges to determine the real king, and destroyed the other copies. But, that night, the king heard a strange noise in his room. He lay in his bed, hiding under the blanket, and listened as footsteps came closer and closer towards him. The king didn't know who it could be. Slowly, shakily, he peered out from the blanket, and he saw one of his reflections!" Ash paused for effect, his friends fearful but listening carefully. "The reflection came closer and closer, and the king knew he couldn't scream for help. The reflection leaned down, and said…'Could you scoot over so I can sleep with you? I'm awfully lonely.'"
Everyone laughed, relieved by the happier ending. "What an interesting 'scary' story, my prince." Sir Tandeth mused.
"Trolls aren't very good at coming up with actual scary stories." Harper shrugged. "Would you like to give it a try?"
"Sure!" Sir Tandeth cleared his throat. "On a night just like this, in a dark forest like the one outside, a group of bandits traveled by moonlight. They had previously robbed a kingdom, and the guards had been hot on their tail until they reached the dark forest. The guards wisely stayed out. They knew the forest was home to the monstrous jabberwocky. The bandits thought they were home free. But, as the shadows grew in number, they began hearing a strange sound all around them." Sir Tandeth made spooky whooshing sounds. Harper and Prowlus hugged each other. Ash and Gris wrapped themselves in their blankets, and even Steve burrowed deeper into Gris's hammock. "The bandits felt like their hearts were in their throats. They heard a growl. Then, suddenly, one of them was dragged into the shadows. Another was tackled into the brush! Each one fell, though no one could see the jabberwocky. Only one bandit remained, desperate to fight off the creature. But the jabberwocky hissed and growled as it prowled closer. Then...it pounced!" Everyone gasped.
"B-but those bandits were okay, right?" Gris gulped.
"The guards found the bandits the next day...and every single one of them..." Sir Tandeth popped off his helmet. "...was headless!"
Everyone screamed. Prowlus's, Harper's, and Ash's hair turned ghostly white from fear.
Sir Tandeth set his helmet back on his shoulders and gave a little bow. "The end."
The rest of the travelers tentatively clapped, calming down from such a truly scary story. "Not bad, Sir Tandeth." Ash chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, great!" Gris said from under his blanket. "Goodnight!"
The travelers settled down to sleep. Ash glanced around the room once more. The castle-like interior did indeed look grand, though he couldn't shake that feeling that something was amiss.
Ash awoke for some reason, though he couldn't be sure if it was hunger or discomfort. He moaned sleepily when a bright light hit his closed eyes, and he sat up. He yawned and rubbed his eyes so he could see who turned on the light. He was surprised to see a troll rise from the bed against the wall.
"Oh, hello." Ash greeted. "Sorry if we were intruding. We needed a place to stay for the night."
The troll didn't answer. He went to the closet and dressed in a tunic, pants, and a cape, all black. Ash noticed this troll had grey skin and black hair, like him. The troll dusted off his clothes and strolled to the door.
"Hey, wait!" Ash scrambled out of his sleeping bag and jogged after the older grey troll. "Sir? Who—" Ash exited the bedroom, but did not see the troll again in the now-lit hallway. "Hello?" Ash slowly made his way down the hall. He noticed there seemed to be less cobwebs and dust, as though someone came by and deep-cleaned it. Even the doors looked brand new. "What's going on?" Ash murmured.
Voices sounded from down the hall. Curious, Ash ventured further and pushed open the door separating him from those voices. He found a small dining area here, with a roaring fire in the hearth and a table in front of it. Four trolls sat there, and Ash was shocked to recognize them. One was the grey troll he saw before. Another was his grandfather, Peppy. The last two were his sister Rosie and his Aunt Bliss when they were teenagers.
Peppy stood before the grey troll, with a look on his face and a posture Ash could only describe as regal. "The trolls adore and revere me, Malcolm. I am their greatest king. Imagine how much pain and misery you will cause the kingdom by killing me."
"It wouldn't be that much!" The young Bliss said quickly. "I mean, he was an okay king, I guess, but losing him wouldn't hurt that much."
"Ignore her. You know she's lying." Peppy still spoke to Malcolm. "Think about it. You can figure out how to get Rosiepuff on your own. But if you can't have the kingdom, shouldn't they be punished for denying their prince?"
"I like the way you talk, Brother." Malcolm started to raise a hand, but Peppy pinned it to the table with his cane.
"It has to be a Blood Oath, Malcolm. A Magic Blood Oath." Peppy demanded.
"Oh, you know about those." Malcolm droned.
"I did my research. Make it a Magic Blood Oath, and I die without a fight."
Ash suddenly realized what this was. He heard this story before. This was when his grandfather made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of his kingdom, which turned out to be a trick from Malcolm. Ash knew very little about Malcolm, except that he was the reason Ash nearly died before being born. Ash touched the fire-shaped birthmark on his chest. He noticed Peppy, Malcolm, Rosie, and Bliss walking towards him, and he tried to take Peppy's hand to stop him. But the older troll passed right through him like a ghost, and nobody noticed the grey child. Ash tried to follow them into the hall, but they disappeared.
"What in the world?" Ash heard a scream, and he jumped. He ran down the hall to the next door, and he flung it open. The inside of this room had a variety of instruments for torture, many of which Ash had only seen in old books. Malcolm stood over a younger, grey version of Creek, wielding a whip made of red fire. Creek trembled, covered in bruises and burns.
"I have warned you time and time again, yet you refuse to listen." Malcolm struck Creek across the face. "My future queen demands it, so I will allow you to continue speaking with her. No idea why she enjoys your company. I suppose it's like how one might enjoy the presence of an animal. You're not worth much more than that. Isn't that right?"
"Yes, sir." Creek whispered.
Malcolm struck him again, and Ash winced. "What was that?"
"I said I understand, Master!" Creek spoke up, his voice full of fear.
Ash turned and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He breathed heavily. "This is a dream. It has to be a dream." He started running, trying to find his way back to the bedroom. But he took several wrong turns, and he ended up in the dungeon instead. Malcolm was there, too. This time, he talked to Rosiepuff, who sat in a cage. She had her back to him, but Ash could see the tears on her face.
"You should know better than to try and escape, my dear." Malcolm said. "I told you when you arrived that this was your home. It can be your palace or your dungeon, but it is your home. You should be thankful that I saved you from the bergens."
"You stole me from my family." Rosiepuff murmured. "Why would I be grateful?"
"What family?" Malcolm demanded. "You have no one, Rosiepuff. Oaken is dead. None of your friends will survive for long, even if my brother finds a way to free the trolls. And that little boy you left all alone?"
"You took me away from him."
"Why were you not keeping a closer eye on him?"
"I was! I just..."
"You should've kept him inside, where it was safe. You should've watched him instead of just listening. You should've heard the gate of the cage open. Instead, you abandoned him."
"That's not true."
"There was no need for you to risk your life for his. You both could've lived, but you put his life in danger."
"Stop it!"
"He's an orphan, now. Not just because you were taken, but because you were taken due to your own inability to properly watch him."
"Leave her alone!" Ash shouted. He ran forward to punch Malcolm, but he went right through the image. Unable to listen anymore, Ash ran farther into the dungeon. He reached a cell near the back, with a large hole in the wall that opened to the outdoors. Malcolm fought with another troll. This one was burlier, and looked like an older Branch with a grey-blue beard and tattered clothing. Ash recognized this troll.
"Grandpa Oaken?" Ash breathed in disbelief.
Malcolm fired a blast of magic from his palm, and Oaken smashed into the wall. He slumped to the ground, fighting to stand. He wiped his mouth on his fist and lunged for Malcolm to punch him. Malcolm stepped aside and jabbed his fist into Oaken's throat, choking him temporarily. Malcolm manipulated the chains in the cell to wrap around Oaken and slam him into the walls again. Dazed, Oaken leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Malcolm marched up to him and grabbed him by the throat, pinning him to the wall.
"You never stood a chance against me." Malcolm sneered. "Even your great strength can't beat my magical powers. Your strength has been quite advantageous, though. Thank you for being my guinea pig for my experiments. That dizzying spell seems to be working wonders."
"Figures you would use trickery." Oaken choked out. "You were never strong enough to fight me troll-on-troll."
"Why would I need to?" Malcolm released Oaken, and he fell fully to the ground, coughing. Malcolm stood and dusted off his robes. He telekinetically grabbed Oaken and pushed him out the hole in the wall, suspending him in midair. Oaken blearily looked down, where an unforgiving forest floor waited. Malcolm pulled Oaken back in, once more gripping him by the throat. The potion he was forced to drink prevented him from really fighting back. He could only claw at Malcolm's fingers to keep him from fully strangling him.
"I've won, Oaken. I have everything I ever wanted." Malcolm growled.
Oaken chuckled. "No, you don't. You have nothing. Even better, you don't have the one thing you always wanted. Something I was willing to give my life to protect." He smirked at Malcolm. "She's not property, you know. She's the love of my life, and she will never love you like she loves me."
His eyes blazing with anger, Malcolm threw Oaken to the ground. He readied a powerful fireball in his hands.
"No!" Ash ran forward and put himself between Malcolm and Oaken. He shut his eyes and willed a shield to form before him.
Ash opened his eyes, and he dropped his shield. He panted softly as he looked around. He stood in the cell where Oaken and Malcolm fought. Oaken and Malcolm? Nowhere to be found. He had been sleepwalking during his nightmare. Ash trembled as he stepped backwards. Those visions had seemed so real. He knew what Peppy experienced was real. Did all those other things happen, too? Is this really what Creek, Rosiepuff, and even Oaken went through? If the stories about Malcolm were to be believed, then Ash wondered what other tortures happened within the walls of this tree. Suddenly, shadows seemed to dance in the cell, as though monsters from the past wanted to herd him into their catch.
Then, Ash's foot hit open air, and he tumbled backwards. He wrapped his hair around him like a bubble, cushioning his fall to the ground. He tumbled out of his hair and took off running. It didn't matter where he went, as long as he put as much distance between himself and that forsaken tree as possible. It was dark everywhere. He hadn't a clue where he was going. He jumped at everything that resembled a monster. Quite suddenly, and for the second time that night, his foot hit nothing instead of the ground. A second later, he hit the water. Now, it was dark and he couldn't breathe. His head popped up and he gasped deeply, but the current pulled him down yet again.
Ash felt a tug on his vest, and he went above water once more. He still couldn't see much except shadows.
"Hold on, Prince Ash!" Sir Tandeth's voice called in the darkness. "I've got you!"
Ash clung to the chilled armor. He took comfort in knowing Sir Tandeth protected him. As long as he was safe, as long as he was away from Malcolm's tree, he would be fine.