Chapter 6: A Sticky Mess

A few hours later however, John was beginning to regret him ever asking the raccoon for help. If anything, the woods seemed more sinister and foreign as they went along. Occasionally, a chilly sensation would stab into his skin and he would rub his hands and huddle to himself to wear its effect off, but there was no breeze at all. Everything was still in the woods, as if they were the only living creatures in that lonely world. But he remained silent for fear that he would distract the raccoon from his job.

Finally, however, as hunger began to set in and the drop of temperature was far too big to be ignored, John plucked up the courage to speak. "Say, Meridian, are you sure you know the way back?"

The raccoon had been silent the whole time. He did not show any sign of surprise. It simply halted for a short while and said, "I am, Son of Adam."

There was something in his voice that just did not add up, and John could sense it. His nerves were shivering now, but he did not want to lose hope. "We've got to, you know, pass by a – a lamp-post – "

"That I am aware of," said Meridian delicately again. "If we do not continue our journey we would be late and your guardian will punish you."

John forced a nod. "Yes, whatever. It's freezing."

The raccoon did not reply.

A few minutes later, they were suddenly out of the woods, which ended in a gentle slope covered with brown, decayed grass. The landscape looked quite familiar. At the end of the slope, the land spread out drearily before it came to a shining sleet. Across the sleet was another forest. John squinted. "Is that a – a river?"

"Indeed, it is," said Meridian. He moved rather haughtily towards the glittering surface and placed a tentative paw on it. He withdrew it rather quickly. "It is thin ice," he proclaimed, "already it is winter? It has transcended too soon."

"Winter?" exclaimed John. "It was fine when I came in."

"The seasons here begin and end in a brief period of time," explained Meridian patiently. "You must have entered during Autumn, the Season of Decay. Well, now it is Winter, the Season of Death."

"But – " John frowned as he rubbed his palms together and blew on them, "I thought Death came before Decay? And if it's winter, there's bound to be some snow now, isn't it?"

"Indeed," said Meridian. "This is an odd winter." He arched up and sniffed the air. "A change is coming over this land; this is Gurd's doing."

The name 'Gurd' sent tremors down his spine. John remembered what the Dryads had said about that awful fellow. He would not like to think what Gurd would do to him if he ever found him out. For someone who could cause winter all of a sudden, he certainly deserved some fear of his name.

Meridian stepped gingerly onto the shining body of ice. "Come, Son of Adam. The ice is all right for both of us, I reckon."

"I hope you're right," he replied. "And do, stop calling me Son of Adam. I'm John."

Meridian said nothing, but proceeded to cross the delicate surface. John followed suit. At times, the ice felt as if it was going to give way underneath his weight and sometimes there were loud cracks that would occur just mere seconds behind him. They both reached the opposite bank safely.

"Say, can we stop for a break?" asked John when they were in the shelter of the trees. It did not feel so cold in the woods.

Meridian's head darted around. "No, no, Son of Adam. We must reach there at once, or he will have my head – "

"Who?" John's senses sharpened. "Who'll have your head? What're you up to? What's going on?"

The raccoon gave a yelp and backed away slowly from John's sudden start forward. "Please, Son of Adam – I do believe in the Lord Lion – I swear by him: I had no choice – either this, or my family killed! I have no choice but to obey - "

"What – what are you talking about?" spluttered John, utterly bewildered. He could not believe it. His fears about getting lost, tricked by strangers, his cautioning his siblings, especially Laura, even laughing at their lightness; now he was the one who had fallen stupidly for the bait!

Meridian gave a moan. "Oh – oh, forgive me, Son of Adam. I truly am sorry – please – I have no choice – my family depend on me for their lives. Oh dear, what am I doing? Run – run now, Son of Adam – run for your life!"

"But – "

"RUN!"

Suddenly John caught a movement in the trees and realised the full danger of the situation. He turned and ran as fast as he could, out of the trees and back across the frozen river. But just as his foot touched the ice, something sharp and turgid hit his back and fire seared through his body. He cried out; the pain was too excruciating for words, but he forced himself to move on. He must not stop. If he stopped, they would get him – he didn't know what – but he had to get away from them. Meridian's cries of anguish rang out and bounced off the walls of his terrified mind. If circumstances were less forbidding, he would have ran back to help him.

Just a little bit more! The trees on the opposite bank were close at hand. He could lose himself there – get Laura, William, or Anne – or any Dryad or Hamadryad – and he would be safe – but a sudden force hit the ice beneath him and it gave way – at the same time, another shaft hit him – this time his leg – and the agony overwhelmed him. With a scream, he sank onto the ice and felt nothing more than bitter cold water before it all faded into nothingness.

"JOHN!" yelled Anne, for what was like the hundredth time that day. "John – " she yelled again but her chest suddenly constricted and she was forced to cough. Even in her coat, she was shivering from the cold.

"Anne!" Laura put her arms around her. "Are you all right?"

She coughed again and nodded. "I'm – I'm fine – really – "

"No, you're not," said Laura firmly. She turned to Mapha. "My sister's not feeling well – perhaps, just a short break – "

"I'm afraid not, Daughter of Eve," said Mapha as he shook his head. "Do you not sense it? They are here."

"Who are?" asked William.

"The servants of Gurd," answered Padtail fearfully. "Our shouts have drawn his attention. We should never have left the grotto."

"It was the right decision to do," said Laura, her voice firm despite the shakiness of her lips. Her face was pale from the wintry air and her eyes glinting like a lioness's. "We've got to move on – we've got to find our brother."

"She's right," said William, "we can't – and we're not going to – leave him here like this. He doesn't know his way around here."

"And besides," said Anne, "he's our brother."

Mapha and Rathan exchanged solemn glances. "We will go on looking for him," said Rathan at last, "but you shall not call his name aloud. Only the Lord Lion knows how much you had given away earlier when you shouted his name. The best we can hope is that the servants of Gurd do not spy you in our midst."

Just as he said that, the branches and leaves and boughs all around them rattled and shook and trembled like a beast waiting to charge. The Dryads at once pressed themselves together (the Hamadryads were left at the grotto) to shield the children and Anne clung to Laura's legs and they all held their breaths.

A voice cooed from amidst the branches: "Coo-oo, coo-oo, is that Dryads and Hamadryads I see, and a few beardless dwarfs?"

The Dryads relaxed; some laughed in relief. "It is only you, Whitter!" said Padtail. The next thing the children knew, a snowy Owl had shifted his position so that he was visible to all of them. Anne couldn't help but gasp in amazement. She had never seen owls; let alone one that was as pure white as the one that had greeted them.

"Whitter," said Mapha, "do you have news for us?"

"Coo-oo, indeed I do-oo," replied the Owl, ruffling his feathers. "It concerns a Son of Adam and the Raccoon named Meridian."

"Son of Adam?" blurted Anne. "That's – that's our brother! That's John!"

"What's happened to him?" demanded William ferociously.

Whitter gave him a piercing look. "No one shouts to an Owl!" he screeched back.

"Peace, Whitter," said Rathan, glancing wistfully at William, who had blushed furiously, "he is only concerned for his brother."

"The fool went along with Meridian's lies," said Whitter grimly, "Anyone, really, anybody would know that Meridian is not only a delightful liar, but he has also got himself into scrapes with Gurd himself. He will do anything to get into that tyrant's good graces."

"John – followed a raccoon?" said Laura weakly. Even Anne couldn't believe what she had heard. It not only sounded silly, but ridiculously stupid as well.

"And not just any raccoon!" exploded Whitter all of a sudden and made the children jump considerably, "but a lying, scheming, foul-mouthed one! Coo-oo!"

"That doesn't matter," interjected William. "Do you know if he's all right?"

"How can anyone be all right when he has placed his trust in a raccoon like Meridian?" said Padtail, shaking his head sadly. "No, no, Gurd will have him for sure. He is lost to us. There is nothing we can do anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Laura sharply. "Are you saying that we should just – just give up like this? Give up on our brother and go home without him? He's an idiot, all right, but he's an idiot who's our brother."

"Then what do you want to do," said Rathan precariously, "Attack Gurd? Storm his lair? Defeat him?"

"Why not?" asked Anne, "I mean – you've all got weapons, and your numbers are fair; and besides, Gurd is just a man – you are all Dryads!"

The Dryads, Padtail and Whitter the Owl burst out laughing. Anne felt her cheeks burning and opened her mouth to retort but Laura shook her head at her, so all she could do was bite her lip and hold her tongue.

"Gurd – a Man?" said Whitter at last. "Oh dear, how stupid are all of you! Don't you know – Gurd is a Raven. A Raven with, somehow, powerful Magic, and that is why some animals are more willing to serve him than defend their beliefs. His power is far beyond any reckoning; and his temper too great to bear. We, and some of the Talking Animals, are the only ones mad enough to defy him. And even then, we are forced to keep extremely close to the ground for fear of being ordered to his slaughterhouse. No, Son of Adam and Daughters of Eve, Gurd is indestructible, he is too invulnerable. Go only one foot in his reach and he'll knock you out in an instant."

Anne gulped and William's eyes widened, but Laura did not seem to recognise the impossibility of it all. "But the stories," she stared hard at the Dryads, "what did the children do in them? You told us: they defeated a wicked witch, escaped from giants, and sailed to the ends of the world. If they can do it, why can't we?"

"But – but they are only stories," said Padtail, aghast.

Dismay wrote itself all over Laura's face. "Then you admit that the stories are not real. That this Lord Lion who you all revere and believe in, is not true either. John was right, you are all frauds. And because of that, he left us and he's in trouble now. I should never have let myself be taken in so simply like this."

There was some uncomfortable silence during which not even Whitter dared to ruffle his feathers. Then, Mapha said, quietly, "Even in the most far-fetched bedtime tales, there is some truth in them. After all, you are of the race of Adam and Eve, a more superior race than any Animal, or Spirit here. Perhaps you will succeed. Perhaps you are the ones to defeat Gurd; end his reign and restore this land to the Golden Warmth of the Old Country. Perhaps."

"Perhaps," echoed Laura, her voice hollow. "But all we want to do is get our brother back."

"Then there is one way," said Mapha. He turned to Whitter and said, "Say, Whitter, can you do us all a favour?"

He shook his feather and arched his back. "Of course, anything for you-oo, and for the Children of Adam and Eve." He bowed his feathered head respectfully in the direction of the children.

"I need you to spread this message to every Talking Animal (and non-Talking, if possible) that is on our side: gather at the Stone Table. And move with haste!"

"Stone Table. Haste. Got it! See you there! Coo-oo!" The Owl wasted no time at all. Soon, he was up, soaring into the air and disappear into a tiny speck in the bleak, grey sky.

"Now," said Mapha. "We make for the Stone Table."