Chapter Nine

Tom and I stepped through the portal to the Outlands. Just as we passed the veil between the worlds, I heard a raucous caw, and Zach came zipping through over our heads.

“Zach,” I shouted, forgetting where I was. “Get out of here. Go home.”

“Hell’o,” Zach replied as he circled overhead. His feathers shimmered in rainbow iridescence.

“Was that hello, or hell no,” Tom said.

“Stupid bird. Don’t blame me if something eats you,” I whispered as he flew off over the valley’s shoulder. I let the way close behind us.

The tracking spell was still working. Amanda’s comb pulled steadily toward the sun, which was low in the sky. Only time would tell if it was rising or setting. A scent reminiscent of frogs hung in the air wafting up from the plants at our feet.

“Doesn’t look too bad,” Tom said with a shrug.

“Looks can be deceiving.” I started walking, led by the insistent comb. The silvery plants under our feet resisted our steps in a way that should have sounded like crunching but instead made a disgusting, squishing sound. The musty, froggy smell became more pronounced. Looking back, each of our footprints stood out in inky black. The white line of flour stood out, marking the location of our way back to Cleveland and the carnival.

At the top of the valley’s rise, we stepped onto a little trail that skirted a small forest of white barked trees. Trunks were ghostly in the shadows under the shaggy forest canopy. The leaves were totally still. An ululating wail came from the treetops nearby. I raised my staff. Tom put his hand on the hilt of his short sword. A six-armed figure scrambled off through the upper branches. It launched itself into the air and flapped away on leathery wings.

Tom drew his sword. “Is that what I think it was?” he whispered.

I stopped him with a hand on his arm. I felt a tremor. I wasn’t sure if it was from Tom or me. “If you think it was a six-legged flying monkey, then yeah. It is what you think.”

Tom took a deep breath. “I guess this is time for the line.”

At my puzzled look, he continued, “I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

All things considered, Tom was taking the whole situation better than I expected.

I took a deep breath. “It’s not a good idea to show steel until you absolutely have to,” I cautioned him. “Steel is poison here. If we show too much aggression, they won’t even try to deal with us. They will kill us out of hand. Of course, if something is coming after us, go for it.”

Tom nodded, and without another word slid his sword back into the sheath under his coat.

We stopped at the top of the valley’s rise. Another wider valley lay below. On the far side was a structure in shades of blue and green. It looked like a cross between a beehive and a fortress. The building rose far above the valley rim. Amanda’s comb pointed directly toward it. I had hoped we would just find Amanda in the woods and get back to our lives. No such luck.

“It looks like she’s in that…castle?” I said for want of a better word.

“Let’s go get her.” Tom started forward.

I scanned the area around us before I followed. Nothing alive moved in the broad, boulder-strewn acres between the castle and us. For some reason, the boulder field stopped in a line about a hundred yards from the riverbank. A large forest of asparagus-shaped trees lay about a half mile to our left. The sun seemed to be in the same place, even though we had been walking for a while. So time itself ran a lot slower here.

As we walked, I said, “We can’t just go rushing in. You will have to be careful. Fae are tricky, but they live by a code. No matter what, do not take anything from them or make any promises. Don’t even thank them for something simple. They have a unique sense of honor. They won’t tell a lie, but they expect the same of everybody else. If they catch you lying, you are as good as dead,” I said, looking at Tom intently. “We can’t win a fight here. We have to talk our way out of this. It’s our only chance.”

Tom nodded and took his hand out from under his coat, off the hilt of his sword. Zach landed on his shoulder, his feathers shimmering in all the colors of the rainbow. He leaned his head against Tom’s cheek and said, “Awwww” in a mournful tone. I remembered some Native American tribe had a legend about a rainbow crow bringing light to man. Myths and legends come from somewhere.

Tom took a deep breath and nodded again. “I’ll follow your lead. Don’t worry.”

“Oh yeah,” I remembered. “Don’t give anyone our names. A name can give them power over you. What was your father’s name?”

“Bob.”

“You’ll be Son of Bob, and I’ll be Daughter of Sylvan, if anyone asks.” I never knew who my father was.

I needed to tell Tom so many things, but there was no time to waste. I wondered how fast time was flying by back in our world.

A light breeze stirred, bringing us the faint scent of citrus from the valley floor. We started down the gentle grade toward the castle. The slope had a band, about twenty yards wide, dotted with rounded boulders strewn among stiff clumps of grass. The boulders were various sizes from about ten inches to three feet in diameter. About halfway through the boulder field a raspy, grinding sound began. Then, the boulders moved.

“Tom,” I yelled, pulling the sword from under my coat. So much for a low profile. Tom was ahead of me, a sword in each hand. I shifted my hand down my staff, holding it like a bo ju.

The boulders bounced as they rose above the ground. Squinty eyes opened, and they split in the middle, exposing mouths full of triangular, gnashing teeth—like Pac Men from hell. In unison, they all started making a creepy gnang gnang gnang noise.

I had seen drawings of these things in one of my books. They weren’t supposed to be very smart. I hoped the book was right. By the second bounce, the nearest ones were on us. My steel blade bisected the first big one as though it cut through butter. A ten-incher grabbed my coat. It shrieked as it got a mouthful of the iron oxide-coated leather. It still bit a neat hole through the hem. Tom had put down at least four by the time I had fended off the second beach ball-sized monster with a swing of my staff.

“We need to move,” I shouted and wacked overhand at another small one that bounced as high as my head.

“What are these things,” Tom panted as he hewed and hacked his way toward the edge of the field of bouncing creatures.

“They’re called Trows. Don’t let them get a hold of you. They can’t let go until they bite all the way through.”

We were nearing the edge of the field of Trows. Tom cleared the path. I fended off the ones attacking from the back and sides. The only saving grace was the mass of Trows coming along the hillside were stopping to eat the ones we had already killed. If they hadn’t been so greedy, they would have overwhelmed us long before we made it to clear ground. Thick, purple blood flew off the ends of our swords. Tom was dripping in the stuff. My coat was covered. I had so much Trow blood in my hair, strands stuck to my neck and face. The blood reeked with a sickly, sweet odor. The gnang gnang gnang along with the greedy gulping noises were getting on my nerves.

Tom hacked and whacked with all the fury he’d bottled up since Amanda had gone missing. As a little Trow dropped from a high bounce, Tom gave him a drop kick that would have made a college punter proud. The shrieking projectile flew toward the river. There was a flash of light and the sizzle of burned meat. The Trow disappeared in a flash of smoke and purple flame.

Tom skidded to a stop. He sliced three of the bouncing creatures in one swing and skewered a fourth with his other sword. I stepped behind him and shouted, “Cover me.”

While I fumbled for the bag in my pocket, Tom slapped a basketball-sized gobbler into the shield where it sizzled into nonexistence. He spun and cut, a sword in each hand. Thanks to Tom’s ministrations, the meat was piling up in a semicircle around us. I grabbed a handful of iron filings from my bag and sprinkled them on the bodies, making a barrier the gobbling Trows could not easily cross. Tom held his sword ready for any high bouncers.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” he panted.

I opened a way and quickly peeked through. “Tom, step through. Be careful, it’s steep.”

He started to protest, thought better of it, and stepped through. I heard crashing as he fell down the hill. I sprinkled a little flour at the edge of the way. I turned quickly to whack a high bouncing Trow in half, wincing as his teeth scraped on the blade with the sound of shearing metal.

I gingerly stepped through the way and closed it behind me. A bedraggled Tom climbed up the hill he’d tumbled down when he first stepped back into our world. I crouched down, holding onto a slim tree. Every one of my muscles trembled. I pulled a bottle of water out of the inner pocket of my coat. I was shaking so hard, I spilled it all over me as I drank. I handed another bottle to Tom, as he sat next to me. He took it silently and drank while looking out into the forest. The Trow blood turned transparent and rapidly began to evaporate from our clothes and hair. Ectoplasmic hair conditioner, I thought giddily. I ran my fingers through my goopy locks and gathered them into a sloppy ponytail high on my head.

I watched Tom. He seemed to be in shock. After about two minutes, he asked, “Nobody knows this stuff is real, do they?”

“Some people do,” I replied. “Would you believe it if you hadn’t seen it?”

“No, you tried to tell me.” He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Do you think Amanda is still alive? How could she live in that place?”

“She’s alive, or the search spell wouldn’t work. I’m betting whoever took her is protecting her. Someone put the barrier up to keep the Trows away from the castle.” I looked at Tom and met his eyes for a brief second. I didn’t want to, but I had to ask, “Do you want to keep going? I can try to find her alone.”

Tom reached over and took my hand. “I could say the same to you.”

Tears came to my eyes. “I guess we’re in this together then.” I stood up, wiped my eyes savagely. I refuse to turn into a weepy broad. “Once more into the breach, dear friend.” I held out my hand.