The Enchanted Forest
"Here," she says, and when Noah stops the car, she turns to him. "We walk from here."
He gets out of the car, "Is it close?" before he meets her on the other side.
"Only a mile or so."
He hesitates, "Can't we just take the car?"
"If you want your car to live," Nadia warns, "it stays here."
"Yeah. Okay," he makes a face. "It stays here."
"Yes," she nearly smiles, before they turn and start down the path.
"So," Noah starts.
"Shh," Nadia hushes. "You will wake the sprites."
"Sprites?" he whispers.
"Tiny people who fly in hoards," Nadia explains. "They will eat you alive."
Noah uneasily laughs, "You're joking, right?"
She swiftly turns to him, "You think I joke about this?" His expression falls as he silences, and when she hears the wings, she places a finger to her mouth.
He watches Nadia find a plant, pluck the pink, spotted flowers from it, and bring it towards him. He pulls back, "That looks poisonous." before he gags at the smell and covers his mouth. "What is that?"
Nadia rubs them over his arms and face, "This will keep you safe."
She continues to walk, and he questions, "What about you?"
Noah watches her look over her shoulder, as she bites into one of the petals, "They will not eat me." His mouth gapes, and she furrows her eyebrows, "You are coming?"
"Yes," he answers, before he meets up with her and they move forward.
"We are here," Nadia informs, and he leans on his knees, catching his breath.
"Good." He pants, "That— That's good."
Her eyes widen, "Do not sit there."
"What?" He looks from the boulder to her in confusion, "It's a rock."
"It is not a rock," she disbelieves. "It is an egg."
"An egg?" he repeats, as he looks over the brown stone again.
"She will be born soon," Nadia explains. "Break the shell and she will grow weak."
"She?" he questions.
Her head leans forward, "My sister." before she starts to cough again.
"Nadia?" Noah concerns. He steps towards her, and when the coughing finally subsides, he sees the red splatters on her blue sleeve. "Is that blood?"
She sadly smiles at him, "Noah. It is nothing to worry."
Something deep and unsettling sits within him. She must be scared, but it's the same sort of expression and voice she had used when she'd found that he'd told someone about her identity. He watches her walk over to a tall tree. He steps towards her, "Nadia?"
She touches the tree's light brown bark, "Noah. This is my mother."
He takes a moment, "The tree is your mother?"
Tears fill Nadia's eyes, "I cannot hear her. Her voice is faint." and she folds her arms. "She is sick."
Noah looks over her, before he sees the can on the ground and moves to pick it up. "Nadia." He stands back up, and she gasps at the sight of the weed killer.
"How could you do this to us?" a voice shouts from behind them, and Noah notices a girl with vibrant green, straight hair.
"Lori," she breathes.
The girl's crystal blue eyes pierce at her, "You have killed us all."
"She didn't do anything," Noah defends.
"Then what is this?" she snatches the can from his hand.
"He didn't do this," Nadia insists.
The girl turns back to Nadia and stares her down. Noah eyes between them, before he hesitates, "Let's just talk—"
Lori darts her eyes to him, "You stay out of this." before she stares at Nadia again.
After another minute, the green haired girl moves away, and Noah watches as she walks back towards the cottage. "Who was that?"
"Lori." Nadia takes a moment, "She has always thought I am… idealistic."
"She's your sister?" he turns to her, and Nadia nods. "Why does she think you're going to die?" She doesn't speak. "I mean, you didn't even do anything."
"I brought a human here," Nadia sternly eyes him. "It does not matter you have not done this. Someone has."
Noah frowns deeper, "Are you sick, because your mother is sick?" as dread fills him.
"We are one ecosystem," she confirms.
He shakes his head, "We have to do something."
"The Enchanted Forest is protected land," Nadia informs. "If we call, they have to do something about this."
"I thought you didn't trust the authorities."
She glances down, "I don't." before she meets his brown eyes. "But what choice do we have?" He fails to respond, and she takes a paper from her pocket, "This is the number."
Noah takes it, "I'll call them." and when he takes his phone out, Nadia faces her mother again. She places a hand on the bark, but there is still no sound.
"Yes," Noah answers. "It's the Enchanted Forest. Someone poisoned the plants, and—" He falters, "No. This isn't a joke." Nadia turns to him, and he half laughs, "It's still protected land. You have to do something." His eyebrows furrow, "Hello?"
He lowers the phone, and Nadia asks, "What's wrong?"
Noah takes a minute, "Apparently, no one is stupid enough to come here, and the plants would have killed them before they could have done anything to hurt them— the plants." He sees her frown, "I'll try again." before he taps the number in again and brings the phone to his ear. "Yes. I—"
Nadia watches him lower the phone and frown at her, "They do not believe you." and he shakes his head. "Then, it is useless."
"No," he asserts, before he recalls, "Ben. I can call King Ben." Nadia watches him bring the phone back up. "Hey. You know that health store you come to all the time. Well, uh, I'm that guy, and we could really use your help. My… Someone told me the Enchanted Forest is in danger, but no one believes us. Please. Whatever you could do—"
Nadia watches him lower the phone, "Did he not believe you too?"
Noah tries to smile, "Voicemail. I suck at getting to the point." and when Nadia nods he walks over to place his hands on her shoulder. "Hey. It's going to be okay. He knows where to find me, and I know he will know this is important."
"How?" She meets his eyes, "How could he know this is important?"
"His girlfriend is a fairy or dragon or something like that," he makes a face. "Anyway, he will care about what's going on here." Nadia looks away. "Hey. It's going to be okay."
She strains a smile, "Yes. It will be."
He nods back, "Should we go, or do you want to stay with your sister?"
"No. We can go." Nadia faces him, "But I would like to show you somewhere first."
"Just show me where," he tries to smile.
"We are here." Nadia pulls back a branch, and Noah follows her into the plain. She leads him to the stream, and they sit in the grass. "This is my favorite place to rest."
"It is?"
She laughs at him, "You seem surprised."
"Well," he nervously responds. "I mean…"
"This is why," Nadia lays a hand on his shoulder and points to the sky. "The star passes over us during midday, and when it does, it buries the entire valley in sun." She smiles, "It washes you, makes you new again." He faces her, and she frowns, "Noah." She places a hand to his chest, "If our mother dies, will you make sure my sisters are too taken care of?"
"What do you mean?"
She takes a moment, "I want them to make new lives." before she meets his eyes again. "You will help them, won't you?"
He observes her expression, "Of course, I will."
She wraps her arms around him, "Noah. I knew you would."
He hugs her back, "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."
Nadia lets go of him, "Right. The king will do something?"
"He will," Noah confirms, and she smiles at him.