Savage wild, p.16
Savage Wild, page 16
“This is amazing! Thank you, Olivine!" I wrapped the gossamer rope around my arms and behind my neck, like the way Willow wrapped himself with his scarf. It made me glisten.
“That's wicked!” Piranha caressed the fabric, grazing it with sharp nails. “Diamond-fern silk is all over the Jungle! My scarf is made from the same!”
“I'm glad you like it,” Olivine smiled, playing with the beads at the end of her green hair, “but use it wisely.”
She didn't need to say it. The only thing I could think about was saving Willow.
In the final hour, the doctor brewed us a relaxation draught, one of two potions he had prepared. The second was a tea made of Wild Fruit to strengthen our connection to the energy of the Unseen. He handed out clay cups, steaming and fragrant.
The greenish brown liquid distorted my miserable reflection. “No offense, but aren’t we ready now? I don’t understand why we have to sit here for an hour.”
Ivory noted the time on her finger. “Because we want to enter when most of the nobles and staff of the palace dine together. We’ll still have to find our way around the usual guard, but we’ll run into fewer civilians.”
This detail eased my nerves more than the draught ever could. Ivory was thinking of everything to have the best chance of success. The potion filled my body with warmth, and my whirring thoughts became slow and subtle. It didn't make me tired, but restful and focused.
To whittle away the final minutes, my friends and I sat in a circle and played a few rounds of Willow's favorite card game. An unusual moment of peace, the temporary calm before we charged into the grim future.
The biggest flora in the world was in the center of the Deep Dark: The God Tree, a gargantuan castle for all the kings of the past, surrounded by a small palace town. The long reaching roots were large enough to be turned into apartments, stables, and other types of shelter used by the royals and palace community. In more peaceful times, people traveled from all over the continent to visit the shops and enjoy some dancing and fun, but the tension between clans and an aging king had robbed this culture from the world for over a decade now.
“The last few years have been pretty bleak in the palace town, so we won't see many people.” Ivory explained as we followed her along the forest floor, to the place we’d lost sight of the kidnapper. “Does this area look familiar?”
Marrow pointed a crooked finger at the three trees in front of us. “Yes. If I had to guess, I’d say the pathway is along the roots of one of those trees. Spread out and look for disturbed areas.”
The Ghost Trees shimmered with moving energy, communicating with each other in an ancient, secret language. In the end it was Piranha who found the door, having noticed a tree with unnatural symmetry. Olivine split the bark and revealed a descending staircase.
I was first, followed by Sharp, Piranha, and Teal. My friends’ heightened senses would allow us to detect enemies before we saw them, and I could use my power to hide. Our two missions, saving Willow and freeing Pyrite, required us to split into two parties. Teal would relay details to his twin, so Tungsten could lead the second party to the throne room undetected, while the first party continued to the prison hold for Willow.
I stole a glance at Piranha, who was gripping my right arm tightly. Their orange-fire eyes wavered, convincing me we would be successful. This resolve was written tenfold in Sharp’s intense expression. We descended, and the darkness thickened until it was absolute black, impenetrable.
“Whoa…I can’t see a thing,” Teal whispered from behind us, his thin, cold hand around my left wrist. “Do you have some sort of light? Maybe we should get one before we go further.”
“Don’t be silly, I can see just fine,” said Piranha. The only thing visible was the faint luminous orange of wide cat eyes.
“I can see too, if I cross over,” I said. My three companions released me and held on to the edges of the gossamer rope, so I didn’t waste my energy bringing them over. It didn't matter that my friends couldn't see me, so complete was the darkness, but it mattered that we stayed together.
The secret corridor had been sawed out long ago by sloppy hands, a straight shot to the center of the Dark. After five minutes, the darkness still hadn't let up.
Teal swung the rope in a lazy circle. “Tungsten said when we make it to the actual perimeter of the palace town, there will be lights along the way. This absolute darkness deters would-be intruders from proceeding further, because the initial instinct is to assume you're in a closed room with no outlet, a dead end.”
After an excruciating thirty minutes, the texture of the walls smoothed. I returned to the real dimension, where the darkness had lessened. We passed the dirt and roots and entered a hallway lined with wooden moldings carved with mushrooms and leaves. Dim bulbs filled the place with dusty brown light.
A crack of thunder shook our ears. Of all the nights for a storm…
Sharp took my place in the front. When path branched out in other directions, she checked her compass ring, stacked with the intricate map ring, and pointed straight forward. “We've been lucky not to run into anyone yet. Any updates from the other party?”
“Things are proceeding as planned,” Teal said, staring blankly. “When the lights become silver and the walls become white, we will be the main palace, in the southernmost wing. The prison chambers are in the west wing, but we should avoid the central palace hall on our way to find Willow. I've been in these cells, and with the likes of you two, we should be able to break him out all by ourselves. Ivory will wait for our signal, and if we succeed, she'll begin phase two.”
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean, the likes of us?"
He shrugged. “You know, like, really powerful people.”
Sharp blushed. Piranha smiled ferociously.
I snorted. “Thanks for that, but don't overestimate me.”
“Shh,” Sharp hissed. “People are up ahead. I hear moving and voices. It sounds like… a commotion.”
I pulled them closer. “A commotion? I hope it doesn't have anything to do with us… what should we do?”
“Take advantage of it,” she stated, “and make our way as quickly as we can to the prison chamber. Can you use your power the whole time? If a commotion is happening, we have a distraction.”
“I can do it if we move fast,” I said with false confidence.
At the end of the path, we found a trapdoor entrance. Sharp rested her hand on the latch. “I don't hear anything right outside, so disappear and move once we get in. Don’t get close to any lights we come across. We'll take the shortest route and keep an eye out for empty hallways and places to hide.”
“Understood,” Piranha and I said in unison. Teal saluted.
“Good.” She pushed the entrance open. “Then there's no time to waste.”
One by one we scrambled into the interior of the God Tree’s massive root system. The room on the other side was fully lit by Silver Lights shining white over the gray flesh of the wood. Curving, intricate designs were carved on the high ceiling, asymmetry giving them an organic, lively appearance.
Sharp checked her map-ring for another second before leading us further. Making three people invisible was easier now than the day we hid from Melodia, thanks to Gold’s tests. Teal, Piranha, and I held hands, like children being led by our mother.
The portraits and designs on the wall were saturated and beautiful in the other dimension, but I couldn't let my eyes linger. The first room was empty, but as soon as we turned the corner, I heard the commotion Sharp mentioned earlier. A group of five lights headed for us. We flattened ourselves against the wall lest they sense our presence. I heard a snippet of their conversation.
“Why weren’t they being watched?”
“They were, but the storm—"
The voices faded. Sharp tried to listen more.
“They sound concerned about people leaving the palace…” she relayed. “Something must have happened. Let’s keep moving.”
There was no time to admire the fascinating interior of the palace, all a blur of gold and blue and white. We came across the souls of a few others, shuffling in various directions, but eventually we were alone.
When we reached a point where the corridor split in two different ways, I left the Unseen to catch my breath. The color of the walls shifted from dusky blue to soft brown.
“Go right,” whispered Teal. “That's the way to the prison.”
“Wait a second.” Sharp held a finger to her lips. “Do you hear that? Voices are coming from the room down to the left.”
I pulled to the right. “Then we better hurry so we aren't spotted.”
She shook her head. “Hold on. I’m checking it out.”
“No way!” I protested, whipping my head around, but she was already stomping down the hall with a single blade unholstered. “Gah! Why does she never listen to me?”
We had no choice but to follow. By the time she reached the door, her weapon was already stored away, and her stance was unguarded.
“I'm right!” Her voice buzzed with glee and she pounded a fist on the door. “Open up bug-brain!”
“What are you—?"
My question was answered as Willow Of-the-Mountains leapt through the door and into Sharp's arms.
“There you are!” he exclaimed. “Right when it counted!”
Piranha hooted, stealth temporarily lost, and joined the joyful hug. Light flooded into my body.
“I can't believe it! You broke out all on your own!”
He caught my eye and tackled me in a shameless embrace. “No one can keep me contained, you know that!”
I hugged him tight, trying to say as much as I could without words. He smelled like wood and flowers. “Sorry we didn't get here sooner. I'm the reason this happened to you in the first place. I didn't…”
“Shush,” he shook my shoulders. “Don't worry about it. I'm going to explain everything, but right now I happen to be in a bit of a hurry. Look.”
I was so caught up in the reunion, I didn’t realize we weren’t alone. Six people stood behind him, teenagers like us, all with pitch black hair and dressed in common Wild fashion. The tallest stepped forward. “Are these the friends you were talking about?”
"The very same!” Willow’s feet rose a few inches from the ground. “And if they’re here, so is Ivory Of-the-Topaz. Are the others close?”
Teal cleared his throat. “Yes. Everybody is here but Mercury.”
“Is he…” Willow trailed off. He had seen what happened to Mercury but did not know the result.
“He’ll be fine,” Teal assured him, eyes going fuzzy as he tuned into his brother’s thoughts. “The others are still hiding near the trap door. They know we found you now, so they should be right behind us.” He grinned at his bright-eyed peers. “Good to see you all again!”
The shortest one had pearly eyes, and her voice was small and tinny. “We were all sent here after our Fruit rituals, and they haven't let us leave since. I used to look up to the Sapphire Sisters, but it’s like they’ve gone mad!”
The oldest of the six was a stocky boy covered in black speckles. He motioned his hands in a circle and said, “Willow helped us bust the locks. It was incredible!”
“Just a regular day for me. No problem!” Willow bragged.
“As much as I hate to cut this reunion short,” Pir interjected, “we have to proceed with the next part of the mission.”
“The mission?” Willow locked his eyes on my gossamer rope and touched the part wrapped around my arm. “Are you telling me the coup is happening right now?”
“Obviously it's happening right now!” Sharp signed the word ‘idiot’ in Silvertongue. “Sometimes you have to think on your feet once the enemy knows who you are.”
Teal clapped his hands once to get out attention. “Speaking of which, Ivory and the others are laying low in the south wing. Tungsten says we should look in the throne room to identify the location of Pyrite and Obsidian.”
“I can't make everyone invisible,” I protested.
Willow released me from our casual embrace. “Exactly. That's why we're going to split up. We’re the ones they’re looking for, so we’ll be the perfect distraction.” He put a finger on my lips before I could continue my apology. “There will be time to talk everything over, but not now. It's showtime.”
I grunted. “Ten minutes, that’s all you get, then make your way back to us. Cause some chaos, but if you get hurt, I'll kill you.”
He saluted. “You have my word little Badger.”
As fast we were united, we were separated again, running in opposite directions towards the same goal. The children Of-the-Dark showed us where to go before joining Willow in the distraction.
We didn't run into a single soul on the way to the throne room, where a humble wooden chair was raised on a three-step dais, and colorful cushions covered the surrounding floor. Behind the chair was a wall of polished wood, carved with ten illuminated symbols representing the Divine Pantheon. Obsidian’s name was carved under an image of a tightening spiral.
“I'm going to rest my power for a while,” I said. There had been no soul in the Unseen, but when we reappeared, the room wasn’t empty. A man was slumped on the throne, a ghostwood crown on his head.
“King Obsidian!” Sharp tightened the grip on her blades. “I think… he’s dead after all.”
“No, unfortunately not,” croaked the old body. He was alive, and like his son Marrow, his soul was not present here. “Who are you kids?” he said in a rusty, ancient voice. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Before we could respond, Marrow himself hurried through the door, holding an unconscious Ivory in his arms, Olivine and Tungsten right behind him.
The king turned his head, eyes catching the light. Their fogginess indicated both a lack and abundance of sight. His ears sagged with the weight of his rings. “You?” he croaked, voice tinged with sadness. “I thought you ran out and swore to never return?”
“Not quite. We’re sorry to have left you in this state, father.” He softened when he noticed us. “Where's your friend?”
“He'll be here soon,” Sharp answered. “Glad you’re alright.”
Ivory moved, blinked rapidly, and sprang from her husband’s arms. “We're here already?” She smiled at the sight of Obsidian, still sitting dumbfounded on his throne. “Good to see you again, your highness. Do you mind telling us where we can find Melodia and Molten?”
“Is that why you’re here?” He only moved his mouth when he spoke, like the rest of his body was made of stone. “I don’t know where those wretched sisters are, but if you’re looking for a fight, I’m sure you’ll find it.”
“You aren’t working together?” inquired Olivine.
“Don’t make me laugh. The only reason I’m still in power is because Puppeteer is keeping me alive.” His face cringed. It was clear he was unable to move on his own, stuck in a body that longed for death. “Ivory, I apologize most humbly for your exile. She has put Pyrite, me, and many others into a consistent state of hypnotic suggestion.”
His pleading, galaxy eyes noticed me for the first time. “These kids should move outside. Pyrite is in the anteroom of the dining hall with some guests he sneaked in under Melodia’s nose. They’ll all be in danger if she performs the coronation ritual against tradition.”
“What will happen then?” I ventured, shifting uncomfortably in this new ATMOSPHERE.
Marrow’s face twisted in anger. The silver skull dangling from his earlobe swung back and forth like a metronome. “The God Tree will reject anyone who isn’t in the Pantheon. It happened centuries ago, and the behemoth released an indiscriminate, hateful energy. Melodia will be marked, and bystanders could be injured or killed.”
Killed! I’d pushed down the fear for Willow’s sake, but now my blood was pumping double time.
Ivory put one hand over her heart, and the other on the king’s sleeve. “We can’t let that happen. Do you consent to relinquish the throne to me?”
The dying man’s eyes did not glow, but I sensed an echo of immense power. “What about this boy?” A knobbly finger extended to me, making me flinch. “That’s right, I know who you are, little Badger. I know the ways fate has brought you here today. Your claim is equal to Ivory.”
I gripped the gossamer rope. “With all due respect, your majesty, I don’t want the throne. Like, really don't want it.”
Marrow put a hand on my shoulder. “Blood does not entitle one to power, Obsidian. That way of thinking is why you’re in this situation in the first place. Do you really think our family will no longer be welcome in this palace? On this council? If Badger comes for the throne when he’s older, so be it, but right now the Dark needs a king who can't be defeated by corrupted powers. It must be Ivory.”
The commotion grew louder.
“Someone is headed right for this room,” said Sharp, a hand on her ear. “Wait a minute…”
Willow appeared in the threshold, alone, looking more disheveled than he did five minutes ago. “Hey everybody! Oh, Ivory, thank the Reaper! I uh, ran into some trouble. Melodia started singing… and all the other kids started following her. I bet they’ll head this way any moment.”
Ivory stood up straight. “Topaz Clan, head them off. Willow as well, since you’re clearly immune.”
She held the map-engraved ring in front of my face. “You need to go to the room marked in the northeast section. Find Pyrite but stay hidden. Take Teal if you have the energy.”
My breath was labored. “I’ll have to go by myself. But what am I supposed to do?”
A faint, haunting melody floated from further down the hall. Ivory erupted with orange light, dulling the sound. “She's coming this way… and she’s angry. Tell Pyrite what's happening, move his guests somewhere safe. I don’t know the state of his mind, but if you can, convince him to release Obsidian and return to us.”
