Lol so it's technically still Friday in my time zone so I'm not late yet. I had a paper to write that was due at midnight tonight and I finished it five minutes ago. Kids, procrastination is a bad habit, don't listen to me.
Anyway, this is totally not proofread so haha there's probably a bunch of mistakes. Also it's apparently really long? You finally get to meet the Boggans! I was very excited when I first got to writing this chapter. The Boggans were always so interesting to me, and I felt bad that they seemed to just be pigeonholed into the role of Evil minions. I tried to give their whole society a complex backstory and really flesh out the canon characters as well. I added an OC Boggan as well, because, honestly, in a story that's just as much about Boggans as it is Jinn, it should probably have more than two.
Glad to hear you all seem to be enjoying yourselves so far!
Cheers.
Chapter 4. Wrathwood
"What about glue?"
"No, no. Nim Galuu. I'm taking you to the Rings of Knowledge," Nod corrected. He shot her a grin. "Don't tell Ronin. The place is technically Neutral, and I don't think he wants either of us anywhere that isn't the middle of Brightwood. In fact, I'm pretty sure he wants you to stay right smack in Moonhaven until whenever the Draíochta decides to send you back."
"Well thank goodness the Queen gets to make the decisions and not Ronin," MK said.
"There, see! We agree on some things."
"I thought you said it was really dangerous," MK said.
Nod quirked an eyebrow. "No? I said the borderlands and Wrathwood were. The Neutral Territory is different. It's supposed to be a safe haven, where both sides of the war agree to leave alone."
MK rolled her eyes. "Wow, how considerate of them."
That earned her a laugh. "I know right? It's the one thing they seem to be okay with. The real problem is with Mandrake. If Ronin and he just had a little heart-to-heart, everything would be great. And by that I mean Ronin puts his sword through that dirt-eater's heart."
The imagery made MK flinch, but she said nothing. She had to remind herself not to get too involved in a world that wasn't hers. Still, it bothered her that Nod could joke so flippantly about violent death, even if it was about his father's murderer.
"So what are the Rings of Knowledge?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, right! It's kind of our historical archive, which is why it's in the Neutral. Everyone should be allowed access to the information, blah blah, you get the deal. Basically everything that happens in the forest is recorded and stored in the Rings." His smile was conspiratorial now. "It's better if I show you."
The flight was the longest MK had been conscious for on her arrival, and her legs were numb by the end of it. They approached a massive tree and even from a distance, she could see the glow from the hollow in the trunk. Silhouettes of lively motion danced against the light. When they drew closer, she could hear the sound of jubilant song floating through the air.
Nod struggled to land as the entrance was crowded with people and the music boomed in MK's chest as they touched down. Maia hurried away from the noise as soon as her riders dismounted, and MK was tempted to flee after her. Even the entryway was packed with loud, laughing people.
"I didn't realize knowledge was celebrated so much," she shouted over the din.
Nod pulled her along by the arm, fighting through the crowd. "Nah, Nim just likes parties. It's a lot quieter in the actual Rings."
"Oh, good," MK muttered.
There were a wide variety of shapes and colors of people in the Brightwood, but her at the Rings of Knowledge, MK was amazed to see amphibious creatures and bugs in addition to the flower people she was growing accustomed to. Some of them resembled the Boggans she saw on her first day. She eyed them nervously, but everyone seemed relaxed and unconcerned, so she let it go.
A burst of cheering bombarded her, and in the center of the large room, an enormous caterpillar rose up from the floor.
"How's my public?" he shouted, and a band started up a lively musical number and soon everyone was singing.
"That's it; I'm in Wonderland," MK said, dumbfounded. "All he has to do is start smoking."
Nod looked over in confusion. "What are you muttering about?"
"Nothing."
They waited about five minutes for the concert to die down. The caterpillar made some announcements that made no sense to MK and shouted about honey wine and beer, and everyone cheered some more. Nod pulled her around into a back room where they met up with the caterpillar.
"Nim! Hey!" Nod called.
MK balked. "What?"
"Nod, my man! What can I do for you?" Nim said, pivoting on his multiple legs.
"Oh, that's Nim?" MK asked in a small voice.
"Yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention, he looks a little different from the Jinn you're used to seeing. MK, this is Nim Galuu. Nim, MK," Nod said.
"H-hey," said MK.
"Nice to meetcha!" Nim shook her hand vigorously, saving her from trying to figure out which of his arms to grab. "Don't worry, I'm just your friendly neighborhood glow worm. I don't bite!"
"Pleasure," MK said through her teeth.
Nod elbowed Nim light-heartedly. "See, I told you, your big nose scares all the girls!"
Nim guffawed and slapped him on the shoulder as MK turned an imperious glare on Nod. "You'd better watch yourself, son! If looks could kill!" he shouted, making MK wonder if he even possessed an inside voice.
Nim straightened himself and adjusted his coat which was about as loud as he was. "But what brings you here with your charming guest on this fine afternoon?" he asked.
Nod whistled. "It's a long story, and not one for the party floor."
A gravity crossed Nim's features. "Oh, that's a curious statement. Why don't we head down below? Seems to me like you're wanting to have a chat."
Nim led them down a winding hall, and MK breathed a sigh of relief to have some open space between her and the other people again. They spiraled down a flight of stairs leading to a musty room with a lift carriage in the center. The pulleys and cords creaked and rocked as Nim lowered them down.
The instant they dipped down into the lower levels, profound quiet washed over them. The bark of the tree swallowed up much of background sound. If she hadn't come from above, MK would never have known there was a party still going on above them.
Even in the depths of the tree hollow, the light of the Draíochta glowed orange around them, illuminating the chamber in a permanent sunset hue. Large moths fluttered around them, dust billowing from their wings with each beat. In their furry legs, they carried small coils of parchment and placed them into tiny slots that dotted the massive floor.
"This is amazing," she whispered.
Nod smiled at her. "Told you, you had to see it."
When the lift touched down, MK ran out of the carriage and stood turning every which way in the, trying to take in as much as possible. If only her phone wasn't already sitting dead in her backpack, she would have taken a picture.
"So, about that chat…" Nim said.
MK turned back around, and saw that Nod had sobered. Inwardly, she groaned. They were going to have to explain the whole story yet again.
MK wandered across the vast hall until the sound of Nod and Nim discussing faded to a murmur. Nod already had practice telling her story to Ronin and the Queen, and MK wasn't particularly interested in reliving the experience. She meandered through the lines of scrolls, watching as the moths arranged and rearranged them, obeying some unspoken code.
Scripts that she couldn't read covered the scrolls, and she hoped that Nod or someone would be willing to translate for her. The moths seemed too intent on their work to be bothered.
"This must be quite an experience for you," Nim said, coming up from behind. His voice, loud with the sudden proximity made her start.
"Oh! Yeah, I try not to think too hard about it," MK replied.
"I've been around a while, but I've never seen your situation come up in my time. But I don't see everything the moths do. They're the record keepers of the forest, and everything the forest sees, they remember," Nim said.
"They don't seem to interested in conversation," MK remarked.
Nim chuckled. "Oh, they've never spoken to anyone. But you don't need to. Watch!" He picked up the scroll sitting by MK's feet and unraveled it. A cloud of fine dust puffed from it with each movement. Nim inhaled and blew hard into the words, and the powder billowed into the air, surrounding them.
MK coughed and covered her face, but a hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Nod gazing into the dust in wonder. Faint sounds echoed in the cloud and slowly, images began to take shape and gain clarity, but she wasn't certain whether or not she was really seeing them or if they were only a vivid, unknown memory placed in her mind by outside hands.
She watched a mundane scene play out in which a flower jinn and a bee wandered about gathering pollen together. The images were from a strange perspective, like some spirit lingered in the air, filming them with invisible eyes.
"This actually happened?" she whispered.
Nim nodded, smiling at her obvious awe. "Yup. What you're seeing is a memory of the Draíochta. It tells its stories to the moths, and they record them in the dust which they bind into the writing of the scrolls." He blew on the parchment again, more gently this time, and the dust coagulated back on the sheet, clearing the air once more.
"Then, do you think I could find out if there was someone else like me? Or how to fix my problem?" MK asked, voice rising in pitch.
Nod grinned. "That's why I brought you here. Might as well try to do something while you're here. Queen Tara is busy as it is, and she doesn't have all the answers anyway. Thought you might be able to find them yourself, since you seem like the proactive sort."
MK gaped at him. "Wow, Nod. That was thoughtful."
He mimed exaggerated hurt. "Don't sound so surprised."
Nim interrupted, "If it's happened, it's recorded somewhere here. The trick is finding it though. The vision of the Draíochta is long as well as broad."
The thought of sifting through all of that history deflated her hope. Watching an ancient memory once was incredible, but that would get old fast when she was looking for something in particular.
"Is there no form of sorting?"
"Chronologically, from the bottom up and the inside out," Nim said, with a troubled expression. "But if you have no idea what era you're looking for…"
"I would kill for Google right now," MK muttered.
"Google?" Nim asked.
"I think it's one of her weird Stomper words," Nod told him.
"It's a way to search for information in our own form of the Rings of Knowledge. But it's a lot easier than this. All you have to do is say what you're looking for and Google brings up everything it can find that's related," she explained, rifling through the nearby scrolls absently.
"Wow, that's efficient!" Nim said. "I wish we could do that."
"So do I," said MK.
"Well, I do have one last thing that might help." Nim strolled over to the perimeter of the rings toward a small box. He opened it and pulled out the documents and held it out to her.
"This is sort of a summary index of major events," he said.
MK took the paper. It was still unreadable, so she tried blowing on it and whispers erupted in the air, reading off dates and events in her mind. She silenced the dust quickly.
"What constitutes 'important?'" she asked.
Nim scrunched his face. "That's totally arbitrary, to my knowledge. Whatever the Draíochta tells the moths to summarize, but it operates with a completely different mind from you or me. I don't even think the Draíochta views time the same way we do, so who knows what small things might turn out to be really important much later in the future?"
"I suppose it's a start," MK said. "Can I just stay here and search through the scrolls then?"
"I think so. You seem like an upstanding person. Well, I trust Nod's judgment anyway." Nim winked. "Just don't make a mess. It upsets the moths, and they're the ones who will get on your case! Now I have a party to return to."
The glowworm waddled off back to the lift, leaving the two of them alone in the muffled quiet.
MK glanced at Nod. "I guess I'll just look through these for a while."
"Yeah, that's fine." He shifted almost imperceptibly toward the lift.
"What is it?"
"I was thinking of going and checking out the party. I saw some people I wanted to catch up with too," Nod said. At least he had the sense to look a little guilty about the idea of abandoning her.
MK rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. You probably wouldn't end up being much help to me anyway."
"True!" Nod said as he turned and jogged toward the lift. He pulled a lever and the carriage came tottering down to their level. "Come up whenever you're ready to go back to Moonhaven!" he called, and she could barely register what he said, so thoroughly did the room swallow up the sound.
MK was certain she must have gotten somewhat high on all the magic moth dust that she coughed on over the hours. There were no windows in the lower levels of the Rings, so she had no idea how long she'd been there, but judging from the strain in her eyes and the fatigue in her bones, it must have been a while.
It had been fun and intriguing, seeing the forest from the eyes of the mysterious power that coursed through it, but none of it had been very helpful. The events index for that level whispered a lot about the war with the Boggans, but most of the context was inscrutable to her. The most she gleaned was a sense of deep anger on the side of the Boggans, and she spent a while pondering vaguely about its origin. Such terrible hatred did not erupt out of nowhere. Maybe if the Jinn spent more time learning about their enemy, it wouldn't have to come down to blood.
She rolled up the index and placed it back in its box and made her way back to the lift. Following Nod's example, she pulled on the lever and the lift dropped down to meet her. There were two more levers inside the carriage, and she wavered between them before choosing the one on the right.
"Damn it!" she muttered as the lift descended instead. The Ring below the one she had previously searched was mustier and darker, though the Draíochta still kept it lit. Moths still fluttered through the room, entering and exiting from small chutes in the wood. These were older scrolls, so she wondered why the moths still came in to do maintenance.
After making a mental note to check out the lower floors the next time, she choose the correct lever and finally made her way back to the surface. The party somehow still had not ceased, and she shook her head. Where did they get all the energy?
The main hall was still crowded and loud, much to her dismay. How am I supposed to find Nod in all this? She could barely see over the people in front of her.
MK slithered through the crevices in the mass of singing, drinking people. Often, she found herself forced to the outer wall where she couldn't see anyone, much less her ride home. Her research had exhausted her far beyond her capacity to deal with that sensory overload, so she worked her way around the perimeter until she found the exit and dashed out into the cold night air.
"How did it get so late?" Her breaths came out in puffs of mist, and she hugged her pink hoodie around herself. Her hosts in Moonhaven had lent her some clothes, but they were light and airy. Apparently Jinn didn't feel cold the same way humans did.
MK dangled her legs off a branch, marveling at the height. In the shadowy night, it was impossible to see the ground below, so her view dropped off into an inky void. If heights bothered her, she would have fled back to the rowdy party. But the cold quiet refreshed her exhausted body, even as she shivered. The moon was visible through the wide parting in the trees, lighting up the distant trees with silvery blue. If she got anything out of her grand adventure as tiny person, it was the magnificent views with which the forest graced her.
She took to pacing up and down the branch to keep herself warm, peeking back into Nim's hall which only seemed to get louder as the night grew longer. Nod was still nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if he'd forgotten her, or maybe intentionally lost her.
"Seriously, how long can you possibly stay at a party?" MK scanned what little she could see of the room from the entrance for the umpteenth time. "I give up already," she said, walking out.
"Maia? Hey, Maia?" she called. The hummingbird was not fond of her, so it was a long shot that Maia would heed her calls, much less take her back to Moonhaven sans Nod. As expected, Maia was as absent as her rider, earning a groan from MK.
MK strolled down the entire length of her branch, debating the wisdom of trying to get back to Moonhaven alone. She was sorely tempted, but it would be a long walk, based on how much flying they had to do to get there. Her backpack pulled on her aching shoulders, forcing her to adjust it. It would be an even longer walk with that thing straining her back the entire way.
By the time she reached the end of the branch, she decided it would be worth the time and effort to brave the crowd and find Nod, or else get drunk enough to fall asleep in some chair in the warmth of the main hall. MK stepped forward to head back to Nim's hollow. She made it halfway back down the branch when a sudden wind surged through the treetops and swept her clear off the branch. MK tumbled, screaming into the night.
Falling was a strange sensation now that she was tiny. Every shift in the air affected her flight, and she drifted like a dandelion seed back down to the earth. Where the trees blocked the wind, her descent increased in speed. MK braced for the impact, and when her feet hit the ground her legs recoiled and instead of absorbing the shock, launched her into the air.
"Whoa!" She stumbled, adjusting her landing so that she didn't take off like a rocket again. MK glanced back at the spot where she had touched down and realized she had accidentally jumped an entire Stomper-sized meter. "I didn't know I could do that." It reminded her how fleas could leap many body lengths into the air.
Where am I? The wind had swept her bearings away. At least at Nim's tree, she knew roughly where they had come from and what the land looked like. The darkness changed everything, and MK wondered if it were only her imagination or if the plants around her really did loom in a more sinister posture than they did in the heart of Brightwood.
Flecks of moonlight dotted the ground, but she couldn't see the moon through the thick branches above her, making her feel even more lost.
I guess I could try to just pick a direction. Doubt rose in her mind at that idea. Then again, I couldn't even guess the right lever on Nim's elevator. The sound of leaves rustling nearby made MK jump and break into a jog back in the direction she came from.
She wondered how close she was to the Wrathwood. Nod had pointed it out again as they flew to the Rings of Knowledge so she knew it was close. Another closer noise startled her, and she froze in place. MK held her breath in the silent air, ears straining to pick up every detail of her surroundings.
The sound of heavy, uneven footsteps approached. MK eased into a crouch, slinking into the shadows. A figure stumbled into view, breathing harshly. MK pressed her arm to her mouth to stifle a gasp of surprise. As the figure passed through a stream of moonlight, she caught a full view of their form and recognized them as one of the Boggans. Even her blood stilled in fear of being heard.
MK squinted at them in the dark. He was limping, she realized. The Boggan drew closer, walking right past her without seeing her, and she could see the arrow protruding from his leg. He managed to struggle only a little ways more before collapsing to his knees to catch his breath.
Instinct pulled at her to stand and help. Her mind flew to the first aid kit that still sat in her backpack. She had carried it all this way out of an almost pathological reluctance to leave it behind, and now that someone actually needed her attention, was she really about to ignore them?
This isn't my war, she reminded herself. Compassion does not take sides. When she rose to her feet, it was Nurse Malone who stepped forward toward the crouching Boggan.
At the sound of her footsteps, the Boggan lurched to his feet, staggering as he did so. He whipped out a knife and held it out in a shaking hand, his other arm clutched to his side.
MK raised her hands quickly in surrender. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."
"You think I'm stupid?" the Boggan snarled.
"I think you're not going to be fighting with those injuries," MK said. "Look, if I actually wanted to hurt you, I kind of missed my chance."
The Boggan paused, eyes flickering in and out of focus as he attempted to contemplate the logic of her statement in spite of his fatigue. "I guess…" Doubt and fear trembled in the undertones of his voice.
MK softened her tone. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help, but only if you let me."
Eventually, the knife lowered. He gave her another suspicious look. "Why? We're enemies."
MK shook her head. "I'm not one of them."
The Boggan's eyes widened, and he sheathed the knife altogether. "You're neutral?"
"Yes." It was probably poor thanks to the hospitality of Moonhaven, but she still owed them no allegiance. Seeing the scared, injured being before her, she was pretty sure she wasn't helping out the murderer of Nod's father. As she approached, she got a better view of the youthful roundness of their features. How old are you?
She crouched down at his side and removed her backpack and pulled out her key ring with its tiny but brilliant flashlight attachment.
"Close your eyes. This is going to be bright," she said before clicking the light on. The blaze of blue-white fluorescence burst into her vision. MK squinted, blinking hard until her eyes readjusted.
"Wow, that is really bright," the Boggan said, turning away. "What is that?"
"Flashlight," MK replied. "Where are you hurt?"
He gestured to his right thigh from which the arrow protruded and then lifted the hand from his right side to reveal a large bloodstain surrounding a laceration in his clothes.
MK pulled out her first aid kit. "We need to stop the bleeding before we go anywhere. How far are we from the nearest healing…uh, place?" She took a large patch of gauze and pressed it to the side wound.
"The Wrathwood Hollow," the Boggan said, wincing as MK pushed the gauze against the cut.
"Hold that there, firmly," MK said, rummaging for her tape. "Is that far?" She glanced at the arrow. "That's going to need stitches somehow," she muttered.
"Not super far, but it feels like it is right now," he said.
MK clicked her tongue. "No, more specific." She cursed the lack of translatable measurements. "There, from here to that crooked tree up ahead, how much farther than that?" At the far end of the visible path, a twisted bush hung amidst the gloom.
"Oh. Maybe four times that distance," he said.
MK secured the gauze tight to him to stanch as much of the bleeding as possible. "I'm going to try and secure the arrow so that it doesn't move when you try to walk. I need to cut it out cleanly and that'll cause more bleeding so you'll need people nearby to help you."
"Can't you just pull it out? I wanted to but..." His eyes flickered downward, embarrassed.
"No!" she said, appalled. "Definitely not. It's likely barbed so it'll tear your muscles if I just tried to yank it out by force. It was good that you didn't pull it."
The Boggan stared at her in horrified relief. "Really? Everyone else just yanks it," he mumbled.
She fastened the arrow as best she could with her tape and nodded. "It would cause more damage and you probably would have died of blood loss." A list of possible fatal dangers ran through her mind. "Okay, let's get you to the Wrathwood Hollow."
"Are you sure? People could mistake you for a Jinn."
MK gave him a hard stare, and he shrank away from her intensity, even as she helped him to his feet.
"Well, I can chat with them about it later. Now, I have a patient to care for," she said. In surgical care, she'd handled aggressive family members and rowdy patients who resisted treatment. It was surprising how effective a simple steely gaze could be when performed right.
Together, they hobbled down the path, the Boggan breathing hard at her side. MK was glad that she had been working out, otherwise her endurance would have run low far too quickly.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally broke from the thick of the forest into the open moonlight. Spread out before them, they could see the flattened expanse that MK recognized as the Wrathwood. There, the land was littered in decaying wood and fungus, skeletons of trees crouching under the open sky.
"There, that's the Hollow," the Boggan said in a strained voice, lifting the hand that was draped over her shoulder to point.
It was still a good ways off. MK shot a look at the arrow and hoped it hadn't shifted around too much during their journey. They struggled down a slope leading to a broad expanse that held an unsettling resemblance to Mordor. She turned her mind away from the faint stench of earth and carrion that floated in the air.
The sound of hustling footsteps alerted them to the presence of others approaching. More Boggans burst from the tangles of dry vines and branches and surrounded them.
"What's going on?" a large one demanded in a gravely voice. "Who is this?"
A smaller Boggan leaned closer. "Can it be? Dagda?"
The Boggan slumped on MK's shoulder lifted his head and gave a feeble wave with his right hand. "I'm back." He canted his head toward her. "Thanks to her, so be nice."
"Why would a Jinn help one of us?" the large one said. He brandished a large club.
"I'm not a Jinn," MK said, ignoring the twinge of fear that flared up in her gut. Think of that big, angry soccer dad that one time, just bigger and with a weapon. "But I'm not about to leave Dagda's side until they get proper treatment for their injuries, and standing here talking is wasting valuable time!"
"Just listen to her guys. She really helped. Even helped me walk all the way back here," said Dagda.
The other Boggans glanced at each other, shifting nervously. "Someone needs to tell Mandrake," the smaller of the leaders said.
MK's eyes widened at the mention of Mandrake. The fear bubbled up, stronger this time, and she wanted to turn and run. Too late, you committed, a voice in her head reminded her.
The smaller one interrupted her thoughts. "Fine, we'll let you come. But no funny business."
MK nodded, and let them shoulder Dagda's weight. She followed closely, carefully watching the other guards around them. They stopped at a large lean-to where a group of Boggans were gathered around a fire. Everyone in the area stared in shock and confusion at the sight of the procession.
The Boggans laid Dagda down on a bed of animal hide at the back of the shelter. MK knelt down next to them.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Better lying down," he said.
The smaller Boggan from earlier stood nearby, watching, and MK turned to get her attention. "Do you have any medical supplies?"
The Boggan blinked at her and glared. "Supplies?"
MK growled. "Healing supplies!"
The other Boggan grimaced. "What does he need?"
"I need more bandages for one, and medicine to clean the wounds, a small, sharp knife, needle and thread to stitch the wound."
The Boggan balked at the list. "Needle and thread?"
"Do you not have that?" Worry constricted her. Without something to hold the wound shut in Dagda's thigh, he was going to have a serious problem.
"Not for healing," said the Boggan.
"Do you have medicine? Salves? Balms?" Her tone grew increasingly ferocious as her frustration rose. How could she be of any use without any of the proper equipment?
"Stop asking questions. I'm not letting you touch him until Mandrake allows it," the Boggan snapped.
MK launched herself to her feet. "Well, how long is he going to take? Dagda isn't getting any better the longer we do nothing! I'm trying to help but you need to give me something to work with."
Her shouts roused the nearby Boggans, who all stood, loosely holding their weapons. Doubt passed over the first Boggan's face. "I don't…" She stopped at the sight of MK's wide-eyed expression.
A tall, imposing form stalked into the lean-to, draped in a bat hide cloak. The long, pointed ears helmed his head like demon horns. The sentinel turned and slunk back out of the way, and MK knew she was standing face to face with Mandrake, leader of the Boggans.
Chapter 5: Stitches comes out on May 2.
Here's an excerpt:
"Ah." He paused. "Then you are not in allegiance either?"
The weight of the question sank down on her shoulders. MK scanned the chamber with flickering glances. Was she on a side? No getting involved, she'd said, but sitting in the heart of Boggan territory beside the Boggan chieftain himself and the son she'd just helped to save, MK wasn't so sure that was an option anymore.