Chapter Eleven
Deja vu, was my first thought as I woke up for the fourth—or was it the fifth?—time in one day. My head was agony. Throbbing pain from the back of my head accompanied spikes driving themselves into my brain. That was normal after a resurgence of the Never-Tree. It struck me again, and the spikes went in deeper. I gasped, clutching my head in both hands as I sat up from where I lay.
"He-hee, It's awake," a high pitched voice said nearby. "You were out for a long time, little human, he-hee." The thump of something hitting the ground accompanied the voice, and its annoying high pitched laugh. Neither helped the pain inside my head in any way. I tried to open my eyes, but it was beyond me for the moment. "Wandering around the Forest, assaulting innocent travelers, he-hee. Humans, no manner of respect, he-hee," thump. "Your friend could have killed us. He was tasty though, he-hee," thump. "Dog and human stew's my favorite, he-hee."
That got my eyes open. "What did you do to my frie—" I roared. Well, I tried to. Might have sounded more like a squeak. Cutting off when I saw who my captor was, I backed away as quickly as I could across the soft surface on which I had awoken. Didn't make it far when the back of my head smacked against something hard and rough behind me. Pain forced my eyes closed once more.
"Hoo-hoo, scared of us are ya? Little mouse," thump. "He-hee, like we were the ones who attacked. Your friends a dangerous boy, he-hee," thump. "Should teach him some better manners, he-hee. Next time, might really make a stew, he-hee he-hee," thump.
This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. Only in my nightmares could this creature exist. I opened my watering eyes once more, looking at the awful, dreadful, horrible monster in front of me.
"He-hee, why you scared of us girl? Never seen us Omahkimi before? He-hee," thump.
I wanted to scream, but my pounding head wouldn't allow it. I stared at the creature, not wanting to believe such a vile thing could exist.
"Liz," Cid shouted.
Looking around, I was in a strange 'room'. It was oval, the 'walls' tree trunks grown so close together, you would barely be able to slip a thick card through the gaps. There were few branches from the trees growing into the room. Instead, they grew out above head height, forming a ceiling above us. The trees and branches were all unnaturally straight, as if somehow grown for this purpose. Thankfully, the room was brightly lit by candles, the branches bearing no resemblance to things I would rather not remember. In fact, the unique room had a warm, welcoming feel to it. Aside from Cid, who had just entered, there were two other creatures in the room with me. One of them was the terrible thing from my deepest, darkest, most insidious dreams.
"Thank the maker your awake," Cid said, approaching the bed I sat on. "I'm so sorry, Liz. I'm such a moron. I could have hurt everyone. I'm so stupid," he berated himself as he knelt beside the bed I sat on.
"Your, not hurt…" I said. The frightful creature must be a liar. All its kind are. Just the worst.
"He-hee, she believed me. Silly human, he-hee," thump. "Eating people, he-hee. Who does that? Y'all probably taste bad anyways, he-hee," said the rabbit. Thump.
I stared at the rabbit. Not just any old rabbit. Not even a talking rabbit, like one of Chase's kind. This rabbit was humanoid. It was huge, many times normal size. At least five foot ten, it was nearly as tall as I am. Slightly hunched forward, its knees bending as it bounced in place. It pushed off with one leg, hopping into the air. The thump sounded as it landed. On two legs. A large rabbit face, whiskers twitching in very rabbit fashion, stared at me with big dark eyes full of amusement. Covered in shades of brown, its fur had white spots here and there. Huge ears flopped about as it tilted its head from side to side. It was wearing clothes. Clothes! Bright yellow shorts, held up by blue suspenders over a bright red shirt. It pulled both sides of the suspenders, stretching the straps with its thumbs. It's opposable thumbs. Sorta looked like a clown, not helped by it's incredibly long feet. No shoes adorned them, the extreme length natural.
Now that I got a good look at it, I was starting to get a little pissed off. It looked more comical than scary, unless you have a thing against clowns. Stupid rabbit, causing me to freak out by existing. Shouldn't even be allowed. No rabbit should be that big, that loud, and that annoying. Why wasn't there some kind of universal law against its existence?
"Hoo-hoo, he-hee, look at her now. From scared to angry, he-hee," the rabbit said. Thump. And I was. Quite angry now. I guess it was showing. "He-hee, just like a human. Don't know what it is, get angry, he-hee," thump.
"Told you," Chase said as he entered the room. "She don't like rabbits. You? Ha! You the most rabbit of all."
"He-hee, he-hee, he-hee," the rabbit laughed, It's foot thump, thump, thumping on the ground. "He-hee, most rabbit of all, he says, he-hee. And so I am, so I am, he-hee."
"What did I say, Jack. About laying off the coffee?" growled a low, rumbling voice. The creature had to talk around its large fangs, flavoring its speech. "Your making us look bad. Like annoying idiots. In front of humans, no less. Show some self control."
The creature that had spoken was another humanoid animal. Some type of large feline. His fur was grayish-brown, grizzled as if each hair was multiple shades. His snout was short, his face narrow with a large brown nose. Small sharply curved ears were set far back and high up on his small head. The little orange eyes in its whiskered face were close-set, making it look cross-eyed. Sorta looked like a weasel, but it was definitely a feline. He leaned against a wall with his arms and legs crossed. Leaning against the wall as he was, it was hard to tell, but he looked considerably shorter than me. Maybe five foot six or so. His arms and legs we're thick, yet stumpy compared to his body. That was long in proportion, a narrow waist tapering to a huge upper torso. His chest was bulging with muscle, as were his arms and shoulders. He wore simple clothes. A black vest and dark red shorts. The vest was open, showing off his impressive musculature. He seemed perfectly at ease as he lounged against the wall. But the look on his face as he glared at the rabbit was one of pure disgust. I think I liked this kitty.
"Hoo-hoo, lay off the coffee, he says. He-hee," the rabbit said, now on its back, rolling with laughter. "Only had six cups tonight. Not so bad, he-hee."
"Not so bad my tail," said the feline. A long, muscular tail unwrapped from around his waist with the words. "Your hyper enough as it is, Jack. Stop making a bad situation worse. And lay off the girl. Can't you see she isn't well."
"Hoo-hoo, right you are, Rundee, right you are, he-hee. My apologies, little mouse, he-hee," the rabbit said as he got back to his feet. He dusted off his large white fluffy scut, which stuck out of a hole in the back of his shorts.
"Who are you guys?" I asked, dumbstruck. Now that I had seen the rabbit better, and his feline companion, I realized something. "Are you guys…"
"They're full Anthropomorphs," Cid said excitedly. "You were right, they do exist."
"He-hee, Anthropomorphs, he call us. Humans and their fancy words, he-hee," The rabbit said.
"My tribe call em Omahkimi'ninaiksi. Means Large animal men," Chase informed me.
"He-hee, too long. Whys it gotta be so long? Just call us Omahkimi, he-hee,"
"Wow. I always figured you guys were in the Forest somewhere. I just never thought I would actually get to meet you," I said, then gave the rabbit a sour look. "Why did the first one I see have to be a rabbit?"
"Hoo-hoo, that's me, that's me, he-hee," The rabbit said as it began another chorus of laughter, rocking back and forth on its extremely long feet as it clutched its sides.
I smiled at it. I don't really hate all rabbits, just one particular bunny. That dislike may have bled a little into my initial opinion of this creature. Hey, its not every day I wake up to see a giant, walking talking version of my arch nemesis. Cut me some slack.
"Sorry for my overreaction," I apologized to the rabbit. "I've had, bad experiences with a certain rabbit in the past."
"Hoo-hoo, that old guy, yes yes. He's a nasty one, he-hee. Almost can't blame ya. But shouldn't judge a book by its cover, he-hee. Specially not in this Forest," thump.
"Speaking of books. I wonder…" I pondered, not an easy task with my pounding head.
"Don't bother," Cid said. "I already asked. No groups of kids have mysteriously arrived in the Enchanted Forest. No kings or queens have ruled here. First thing I thought of when I saw who they really were. You know, after I attacked them…"
"Oh. Guess it was a little too obvious," I said, disappointed.
"Hoo-hoo, read that one too. Kids coming out of a closet, he-hee. What will you humans come up with next?" thump. "Don't you know anything? Can't enter the Sanctum from the outside can ya, he-hee," thump.
"Might of happened," the feline Omahkimi commented casually. We all looked at him curiously. He shrugged. "Not all our people live here. Many live in the Spirit World. Could've happened somewhere in there."
"Oh, thanks…" I said, realizing I didn't know what to call him. I hadn't even introduced myself. "My names Liz. Can I ask your names?"
"Hoo-hoo, our Names she wants, does she, he-hee," said the rabbit. Thump. "Like we'd give our Names to a human, he-hee. And wizards no less, he-hee." He thump, thump, thumped his foot again as he laughed.
"Go on, Jack. It's late, go sleep it off. And send in Silver on your way out. Said she wanted to talk to the girl," said Rundee. He turned his unimpressed expression back to us. "Sorry for my over-caffeinated companion. Call him Jack. Call me Rundee," he said, before dismissing us with an abundance of nonchalance. He started picking his teeth with a long white claw. Jack left the room, his gait almost more bounce than step. A rolling tread as he laughed his way out of the room.
"So. You having a rough day," Chase said. "Feeling better?"
"No," I groaned. The pain in my head hadn't lessened. Though the strangeness of the situation had distracted me for a bit.
"Oh, I'm so stupid," Cid said. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he continued as he rummaged around in his backpack. "Here." He handed me a vial.
"What is it?" I asked.
"New pain relief potion my Mom came up with. She made it for the animals at her clinic, but it works for humans too. She swears by it. Just pop the cork and it will turn into a vapor. Breath that in, and you'll be feeling better in no time. How's your head?"
I reached back to the bump that had formed there. "Hurts like hell, you jerk," I told him with a glare. "Go grab me a big stick and I can show you first hand." He winced.
"I deserve that. I'm so sorry, Liz. I don't know what I was thinking. Its just, after that story, I was terrified of what might come out of those trees. I guess I overreacted."
"You don't say," I said in as annoying a tone as I could manage. I popped the cork on the vial, breathing in as the vapor rose from it. It smelled amazing. The strong scent of peppermint overpowered several others as I breathed in deeply. I was amazed to find my head clearing after only a few deep breaths. Cid's Mom is the best. "You owe your mom your life. If it wasn't for this potion, I probably would've had to kill you." He smiled, looking relieved.
"Good, I'll let her know. And I can't say how sorry I am. I promise that when we get back to the school, I'll work even harder on my, control issue." I'd been on his case for a while about those issues. For obvious reasons.
"I sure hope so. Though, it was pretty impressive. Did you send all of us flying with that one spell?" I asked, then looked to Chase.
"Yeah, he did. Like getting hit by a giant pillow. Wasn't too bad. Kinda like flying. Until the landing part," Chase said, giving Cid a hard time. I could see Chase was amused though.
"Well, I'm glad I left it unformed. I didn't really want to hurt anyone…" Cid said.
"You made it soft on purpose?" I asked.
"Yeah. Its a good thing too," he said defensively. "I could have killed everyone with that spell if I'd made it a solid wall of force. At least I wasn't that stupid. Really didn't mean to put that much power into it, either."
"Please, next time remember. With you and kinetomancy, less is more," I said. "But if we have real enemies coming at us, hurt them. Otherwise, they'll hurt you instead. Got lucky this time, but next time could be the real deal."
"Maybe wait until you've confirmed its an enemy first. You know, before attacking," said Rundee.
"Shoulda let us know who you were," Chase said, coming to Cid's defense. "Just a few words. Wouldn't have attacked then. But no. Had to creep out the forest. Looking like a bunch of shadowy monsters."
"You were the ones trespassing. This is our forest. Not to mention all the strange things going on recently. Had to check you out first. Dangerous time to come wandering here," Rundee argued back.
A large bird swooped into the room, ending the brief argument. It wasn't one of the Omahkimi, rather one of Chase's kind. I wondered why we didn't have a name for them. Oh well. The bird landed on a branch that protruded at waist height into the room. It made a perfect perch for the large bird, and I had to wonder if that was why it was there to begin with.
"Boys, out. I need to speak to Elizabeth. Alone," the bird said in a matronly, alto voice. Reminded me of my great grandmother. It was warm and caring, with a mothers authority to it. Like she knew you would obey without question. The boys did.
"We'll be back later Liz," Cid said as he made his way to the exit. "I think I'll try to get some sleep first, though. We will have a long trek through the forest tomorrow to make it back home in time. Try to get some rest too, okay?" I nodded to him as they left.
"Elizabeth Teargwed…" the eagle said as she inspected me. She was beautiful. Her feathers were silver on top, black underneath. Her bright yellow beak was tipped with black. A darker crest of feathers spread out around her head. Her eyes golden around black pupils. She was staring at me with those penetrating eyes. "I've heard a lot about you, young lady."
"You have? Who are you?"
"You may call me Silver. And yes. My cousin told me of you. About what happened a couple years ago. What that foolish Elf dragged you into." She shook her head regretfully.
I had never been able to recall that day in full, but now I remembered everything. Searching for flowers with Cid. Seeing that stupid rabbit on the bridge. Running after it like an idiot. Meeting Glenrhyell, and everything that came after. The Never-Tree. It hit me again. It hurt. But not so much as it had. I was able to push it away with only a little effort.
"Yes, that," Silver said. "I see it still haunts you. Though, not as bad as it did when first you entered the Forest, I believe?"
"No. Not even close. It's almost easy to push the Memor—." I had to push it back again, but it went easily enough. "There. It went right away."
"As it should, here. This place is shielded from the power that calls to your Memory. I can shield you further, while I'm near you." I nodded eagerly. She opened her wings wide, flapping them. I saw an iridescent glow, like fairy dust, spread from her wings as she did so. It drifted towards me, settling around me. She could use magic? Never seen that before. I waited, but didn't feel any different.
"What did you do?"
"Just a minor protection. On top of what already shields this place, the Memory shouldn't bother you any longer." I grinned at her, the prospect of being free from it a pleasure all its own. "It will only last as long as you are here, unfortunately. Once you leave the protection this area provides, it will be just as bad as when you first arrived. And you must leave eventually."
"What? So when I start for home, I'll barely be able to function?" She nodded. "Is there nothing I can do? I don't want to go through that again…"
"Poor dear. I'm afraid you have little choice. There are only two options I would advise. Neither will be pleasant for you."
"What options?" I asked, not at all liking the sound of this.
"First, you could do nothing."
"Nothing? How will that help?"
"Help? It wont help, I'm sad to say. It just wont hurt nearly as much as the second option. Yet you will have to continue living with the shadow of that Memory, if you choose to do nothing. The second option, well. It will be bad. Very bad. If you succeed, however, you will be free from the Memories influence over you."
"Whats option number two?" I asked, fearing the answer.
"You must confront it. In the only way available to you. You must accept that the Memory is part of you now. It will never go away. It has been imprinted upon your soul. Even I can see its shadow upon you."
Confront the Never-Tree. I waited, but I didn't see it again. "How can I confront it here? You just said it wouldn't bother me."
"Yes. Unless you choose to let it. It will not come unbidden to your mind, but you can drag it into the light."
"You mean… I have to see it, on purpose?"
"Exactly. Not just once, I fear. Again. And again. Until you are its master, instead of it mastering you. Only then will you be free of it."
"That, sounds... like a really, really bad time."
"As I said. It will be very bad. Yet you cannot free yourself from its sway until you can look upon it without losing yourself. If you don't, it will never cease paralyzing you."
"You want me to do that right now?" My headache had just gone away. I didn't relish the idea of immersing myself in the Never-Tree and bringing it back.
"This is not about what I want, little Guardian." With those two words, I saw Glenrhyell's face. I remembered the seed, like a star in the palm of my hand. I remembered that perfect moment of understanding. I could overcome the Never-Tree, as I had before. But first, I had to try.
"I don't want to. But I'll try anyways. I have to," I said with as much confidence as I could muster.
"Good. I will stay with you during your ordeal. Remember, you have already banished the real thing. This is but a memory. You are stronger than it. Remember that. Now, ready yourself. It is already late, there is no telling how long this will take."
I nodded, moving to the center of the oval room. Crossing my legs, I sat as if to begin meditation. I would need all my will power and more if I wanted to succeed in this. I composed myself, then began. I reached for the Never-Tree, bringing it fully into my mind.