"We WILL find it."
Shy tossed and turned much of the night, worrying what he was going to do with the box. He was sure his friends would help him if he asked. Tad returned to the room late and left early. He had been setting up events for the final day of the Camp Games. Shy heard him leave, but was so tired that he just lay in his hammock and drifted off instead of getting up. Finally he awoke to yelling from outside the cabin.
"Shy! Shy! Let's go!"
He opened the trap door and stuck out his head. There was Ralph and Henry, on the platform just off the net.
"C'mon! Some of the parents are starting to show! Everyone else has zipped down to the lodge. Pack your bags quick; the nisse will bring 'em down. We'll meet you there. We're gonna win this thing…" Ralph yelled over his shoulder as he and Henry bolted for the Hive and the zip line.
Shy looked back at his bag and pile of clothes in the corner. Evidently Tom T had returned during the night with his clean clothes. Shy went over and stuffed them all into his oversized duffle bag. He looked at his pillow. Should he take the box with him now? Or, should he wait and dig it out of his bag later, before he left?
They were waiting for him now, and Gust was probably at the landing spot for the zip line. He decided that rather than trying to hide it on his person, the box would be safer with the nisse bringing it down to the lodge. He took the pillow and stuffed it, box and all, into his bag. Giving the Raven cabin one last look, he jumped out and headed for the Hive and the zip line.
***
With the box still in the forefront of his thoughts, Shy initially failed to notice the increased energy and excitement at the Lodge. Extra tables had been brought into the dining hall, and parents that had already arrived were milling around. Some with their child campers, and some were looking for them. After sitting at his spot quietly and dwelling on how and when he was going to retrieve the box and return it to the lake beyond the waterfall, Shy slowly became aware of the goings-on around him. He watched as his friends' parents arrived. He was introduced to most. He began to look around for his mom or dad. He wished he had remembered who was coming.
Just then he heard a squeal from the Lake cabin tables. He looked over and saw Portia run into the arms of her mother and father. They hugged her and immediately pulled back to look at her. She began talking fast as they nodded and smiled. She was lucky, Shy thought. So was everyone who had both parents there.
Again he swiveled to look at the door, and then stood to peek from the window facing the path from the river gorge. The stream of parents had been following the signs that Tad and the other counselors had placed the night before. Now that stream had begun to slow. Where was his mom? Or, his dad? With the box now forgotten, he stared out the window. He was interrupted by Daniel, who limped up with his parents in tow.
"This is Shy. Shy, this is my mom and dad." Daniel introduced.
Shy raised a hand in greeting and smiled with embarrassment.
"Shy?" Daniel's mom asked, as his dad reached out and grabbed Shy's hand to shake it. "That's a different name." She continued as she smiled warmly.
"It's Shylock, but Shy for short," Shy answered, embarrassed again.
"Well… it's unique. I like it." She said.
"Umm… thanks."
"Shy is gonna run for me in the last event," Daniel volunteered.
"Yes, well, what did you do to your leg Danny?" His mom changed her tone to the you-need-to-answer-me-right-now tone.
Daniel looked at Shy with a hint of a smile. They had agreed back after the fossegrimen incident that they wouldn't mention any of the magic fairy stuff to their parents. They all felt that with the exception of Gust and Clancy, adults wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Well, I was running and my foot caught on a boulder…. You know this is cross country running, right?" He said as he moved his parents away.
As they moved off, Shy wondered how Daniel's parents were able to both come to this event. They were divorced, the same as Shy's. Evidently they were able to get along. Shy turned back towards the window. Only one set of parents hurrying down the path. What if neither of his showed? What if they both thought the other was coming? They probably didn't even talk to each other about it. Shy was nervous now. Would he have to stay here for another day? By himself?
Suddenly, he felt a pair of strong hands grip his shoulders. Surprised, he jumped slightly.
"Kinda jumpy, aren't ya buddy…"
He turned to see his dad. He gave him a big hug, and some of his tension released. He hadn't seen his dad in a long time. He had talked on the phone with him the night before he left for camp, but hadn't seen him for several weeks before that. His father hugged him back, and then knelt down to look him in the eyes.
"Wow! I missed you too buddy?" Seeing the look on Shy's face he asked, "You ok?"
Shy nodded and hugged him again around the shoulders. "I just thought you both forgot."
His dad pulled him back from the hug and looked him in the eyes again. "You mean your mother and me? Shy….. look we might not get along too well anymore, but we both still love you. That will never change. I wouldn't have missed this for the world!" He gave Shy one more big hug, then said, "So, tell me what's going on with these Camp Games."
Shy walked him up to the big scoreboard in the front of the room. He explained the cancelled event, saying it had been decided that it was too dangerous for the campers to be out at night. His dad nodded in agreement, though his brows were furrowed. Shy quickly moved on to the fact that he would be in the last event. His dad saw the standings, as they stood after the prior day. He commented on how close they were, and then asked what the prize was. Shy brought him into the game room and showed him the giant trophy that had winners names from each summer inscribed on it.
As they were strolling back into the dining room, Portia popped out of the door with her parents in tow. There was an awkward few seconds of silence as the adults waited expectantly. Portia smoothly introduced Shy. Shy, for his part, felt really embarrassed. He awkwardly introduced Portia to his dad. The parents introduced themselves and shook hands, and then the two groups moved past each other. Shy wasn't sure why he had gotten so nervous and embarrassed. It's not like they were boyfriend-girlfriend. However, as he looked back to watch her lead her parents off, his dad caught his eye, and gave him a smile and the thumbs up sign. Shy turned red, and dragged his dad back to their table.
***
The first event of the day opened the kids' eyes to how valuable the prize actually was. Parents cheered and pushed their kids to do well. There was a definite intensity surrounding the day's events that simply weren't there the day before. Not having to pay for the camp next year must really be a big deal, Shy thought as he watched the first event with his dad. It was the obstacle course. Finn was the participant from the Forest cabins. He flat out dominated. When he came over the wall of hay bales at the end of the course, the entire Forest cabin contingent cheered, parents and all. It was a good half minute before the next competitor arrived, and he was a boy from the Cave cabins. The Shore and Lake cabins rounded out the field.
So, as the mixed groups of parents and kids moved up a path to where the rock climbing event would take place, the score stood: Cave thirty-six, Forest thirty-six, Lake thirty, and Shore still at twenty.
Sawyer was rejuvenated and ready to redeem his failure in the tree climbing event. He was doubly sure of himself once he found out that Crutch was not competing in this event. Shy saw Claire preparing, and thought back to when he saw her climb the fake rock wall at the high school back home. She had looked like a spider back then, and Shy was sure she was prepared to give Sawyer a run for his money. Clancy began the event as per her usual… with the megaphone.
Shy had been right. Claire had experience rock climbing, and it showed. She found hand and footholds faster than the other two. She literally flew up the wall. Shy was proud of her and happy for her as she claimed first place. After all, she was his one true friend before this camp. She stood at the top and waved. Her group cheered.
Meanwhile, Sawyer was battling with the Cave boy for second place. Back and forth they climbed. One would take the lead to cheers from his parents and teammates, then the other would surge. In the end, The Cave boy grabbed his flag just a second before Sawyer.
Third place… that's not good, Shy thought. They would be going into his event trailing the Cave team by two points. That meant, to win, Shy would have to finish the run two places ahead of the Cave competitor. He would have to finish in first or second for sure. His hands began to sweat, and he chewed on his lip. If the Cave runner finished ahead of him, the Forest cabins would end the competition in second. Even if Shy finished just ahead of him, they would tie. He wondered if there was a tie-breaker event.
Lunch was next, and between the stress of his upcoming event, and his dad asking him questions, Shy continued to forget about the box. Parents and teammates alike came up to him at lunch. They all tried to make him feel confident, but all his insecurities seemed to be winning the confidence battle. Just as they were setting out after lunch, Daniel pulled him aside. The parents walked on as Daniel limped next to Shy.
"I just wanted to tell you my plan, if I was running," Daniel said.
"Daniel, I have to finish first… it’s the only way to be sure… and I can't do it!" Shy whispered as he wiped his sweaty hands on his shorts.
"You can. I have run with you… I know you can. Here is what to do: start out fast as you can, then back off and pace yourself. Let the others be ahead, make them think you spent all your energy at the beginning. Just keep them in sight, and right before the end, make your move! Sprint to the finish!"
"I don't think it will be that easy."
"It will… you'll see," Daniel said, brimming with confidence and a smile that made Shy relax a bit.
They reached the starting line, and Portia stepped up to him.
"I know we are racing against each other," she began, "but I just wanted to wish you luck."
"Ummm… thanks!" He replied.
Then she leaned in and gave him a quick peck of a kiss on the cheek. It was just a small kiss, the kind relatives give in other countries. To Shy, however, it felt like he was floating. It felt like he hadn't missed all the summer days, lying on his back with Shep, watching the white, pillowy clouds go by. He was ready to run!
Just before they stepped up to the starting line, his dad grabbed his arm.
"Go get 'em buddy! Give it all you got, and that is all that matters."
He gave a swift nod and, still riding the high from his first kiss, he stepped up to the starting line.
Clancy and her trusty megaphone again doled out instructions.
"The course is clearly marked with red streamers. It is approximately three miles total, which will carry the contestants to the beach, up the hillside, into the heavy forest, and back down again. There are four clearly marked points along the way, with one staff member at each. The contestants will need to acquire a stamp from each checkpoint. Parents, it is an arduous course, and not for the faint of heart… or breath! The games are close and it could be anyone's trophy!" A few parents clapped. "Perhaps your child has not mentioned it, but the winning team will have their summer camp fees waived for next summer! This is truly, a great prize indeed!" At this, several more parents clapped. "OK, Portia, Shylock," he cringed at his full name being called, "Claudius, and Helen, there will be no time limit. If any of you get lost, just stay put…"
Shy had been studying his competitors. He felt like Portia would be a good runner, what with her long legs, and her confident air. He knew Claudius, the weasel faced boy from the Cave cabins. Like Portia, he had long legs and skinny, although they called him Clod for a reason. Then there was Helen. He did not know her, but thought he may have seen her around the Lodge. She was from the Shore cabins, and Shy didn't know many, if any, of those girls. Something about her looked so familiar. Shy tried to watch her while Clancy continued with the rules. Suddenly, she turned and looked straight at him and smiled a slow smile. He looked away quickly but a seed of doubt began to grow in his stomach.
He racked his brain, and then finally it came to him. She had the same eyes as the huldra that had tried to draw Daniel off the night of their second geo caching practice! He wanted to look back, but what would he do if it was her? She didn't really look the same, the girl that other night certainly didn't look like Helen. He snuck another peek and she was still staring at him. He began to sweat. Those deep dark eyes held a hint of evil, just like the huldra. They scared him, those eyes. He had to look again. Just once more.
As Clancy made sure none of them were over the starting line and raised her megaphone to her lips, shy stole one more glance.
"On your marks…."
He saw that Helen was still watching him.
"Get set…."
He started to turn away in panic, and just as he did, his vision began to blur. The blur was very thick. He couldn't seem to wade through it. His vision didn't snap.
"Go!"
The others jumped and broke his focus.
"Shy GO!" Daniel screamed from the onlookers.
So, he ran. His mind raced right along with his body. The group was a tight pack. Shy caught them after his slow start, but did not seem able to get out in front, as Daniel had advised. It was not like a race on a track. Not only was it long, but it covered treacherous terrain. First, the path took them across the beach, where the loose pebbles and rocks created treacherous footing. Then they climbed up the low rocky shore until they were above the beach on the rocky cliff where they had watched the long distance swim the day prior. Here they needed to get a stamp from the Shore cabin counselor. Still in a tightly knit group, they had to wait while each got stamped. Shy left Helen ahead of him, and tried to stare at her. She must have sensed his stare, however, and she turned.
"We WILL find it." She whispered evilly.
Then it was her turn to stamp, and she was off after Portia and Claudius. Shy got his stamp and renewed his efforts to take the lead. By the time they passed the crowd of onlookers near the Lodge and swept uphill towards the Forest cabins, Shy was in third behind Portia and Helen. He looked for his Dad in the crowd, but couldn't see him. He did see Daniel, Henry, and Sawyer, and they appeared to be chanting something. He also saw Gust, watching intently from up the hillside, above the crowd. Shy wondered if he was following them as they raced. Shy knew that if Gust tried to hide and watch, no one would see him or know.
***
Gust had picked out his spots along the race path the night before. He knew Shy was running for Daniel and had thus picked out advantageous locations where, moving swiftly from one to the other, he could keep an eye on almost all legs of the race. There was one blind spot, but that was in the trees by the Forest cabins, and Tad's checkpoint was nearby. It would all be OK, the old soldier thought… this was the last event.
The four kids were running fairly tightly in a pack. Three were focused, but Shy scanned the crowd of onlookers as he went by. It wasn't the first time that Gust had wondered what that lean, sandy-haired kid was thinking. He looked a little wild-eyed, but Gust couldn't see anything amiss.
It was time for him to move to the next vantage point. He wouldn't have another view of them until after they reached Tad's checkpoint. He silently began to jog, dodging through the trees. His eyesight was sharp for an old man, having been honed in combat in Southeast Asia, and later as a tracker and guide in these northern forests. As he rounded a blind corner, he spotted the slightest bit of movement out of the corner of his eye. He instantly froze up against the rocks. Peering over the top, he saw a girl shuffling forward through the woods. Instantly, the girl disappeared.
Gust could no longer see through the Glamour like Shy, but he had been working in this camp long enough to know the fairies' tricks when he saw them. He stayed still and watched the general vicinity where he had seen the girl. As he stared he noticed the sway of a fern, the flutter of some leaves, and a random branch bend, as if underfoot. There was a large group on the move, and that didn't bode well for Shy. Suddenly, the quiet signs stopped. He barely breathed. The girl appeared again, shuffling forward through the trees with her head down. She appeared to be alone, but Gust knew better. Either her captors were not strong enough to keep her Glamour net going constantly, or they were trying to draw him in. He smelled ambush.
He had to get a better look. He quickly moved like a ghost from tree to tree. He didn't need the Glamour, he was as good as invisible in these woods. Closer now, he stopped again and absently stroked the long white mustaches. As he peered around the tree, two thoughts immediately struck him. First, the situation felt like a trap. Second, the girl was none other than Helen from the Shore cabins! That meant the Helen running with Shy was a fake. Had Shy noticed? Was that why he had looked so wildly through the crowd?
His mustache was flattened as Gust furiously prioritized. He had to rescue the girl, who was now edging away from his position. He also was committed to help Shy. There was no time to lose. He studied her path with urgency. What type of Fey had captured her? He would bet money that the huldra he had seen those days back, with Shy and Daniel, had something to do with this. If that was the case, the girl was probably being escorted by at least a score of creatures. He would need surprise, and speed.
He swiftly circled the invisible procession, and taking in the lay of the land, he chose the best tree available for his surprise, and began to climb. Just as he predicted the girl became visible every minute or two. Soon she passed next to his perch.
The old man with the white mustache leapt from the tree and landed exactly next to the girl, making her jump. The Glamour façade fell immediately. He already had the terrified girl over his shoulder and was moving by the time he saw reaction from the score of black-clad, beetle goblins that had him surrounded. They had flat pig snouts, and faces that looked like bats. Two black tusks protruded out from their cheeks. He held his course and the closest of the goblin warriors braced for the impact of his charge. He planted his right foot, bent, leapt, and spun all in one swift motion. The girl on his shoulders screamed as he jumped. His legs had lost some strength as he had aged, but the height of his leap didn't matter against three and a half foot tall goblins. The spin was swift and smooth and his booted heel connected precisely on the black, flat snouted nose of the first goblin. The beast went down with a howl, flinging black blood from its face.
Gust landed from his spin in a crouched position, the girl still perched over his shoulder. She was sobbing. The next goblin charged, its gold tipped spear thrust forward. Instead of backing away, Gust let go of the girl and parried the thrust with arms crossed in a downward motion. He caught the spear between his wrists and spun it to face the surprised goblin. It screeched and fell on its own spear. The others were now closing and Gust grasped the girl, who still rested over his shoulder, and ran.
He had one goal in mind, but looking back he realized the warriors after him would catch them before he got there. He changed course, and adapted his plan on the fly.
The goblins did indeed have a speed advantage. They bounded like hounds. They jumped and leaped off trees and boulders, using the surroundings to their advantage. They gave nervous, irritating yelps as they hunted their prey. They sounded like hyenas on the hunt, Gust thought.
If only he could reach one particular cleft in the ridge, before they reached him. He could hold them there, and send the girl on to safety. He looked back. They were close enough now to sense his fear.
***
Shy tried to look ahead to scope out their path. The runners would need to wind around some rocky outcroppings, trees, and boulders, before they entered into the fully forested hillside. It seemed that no matter how he shifted his path, Helen ended up in front of him. He was beginning to breathe hard, as was Portia, he could see. It wasn't easy to race up a hillside, much less with all the obstacles.
Helen, however, didn't seem to be breathing hard at all. He tried again to stare at her, and again she blurred, but the resistance to his Glamour penetrating ability seemed just too strong, he wasn't able to fight through it. He suspected if given enough time, though, that he would see cow legs and a tail, or maybe a hollow log as Tad had told them.
What was he going to do? If he got ahead of her, he wouldn't feel safe… and that was assuming he would even be able to. She was running very strongly.
They crested the hillside and, following the ribbons to mark their path, they turned from the direction of the Lake cabins, toward the Forest cabins. Shy felt at home under the pine canopy, running on the reddish orange needles that covered much of the ground and prevented a lot of undergrowth. By the time they ran past the spot where he had discovered the magic rope entrance, Shy had regained his breath. He pushed, and although they were separated by huge pines, he pulled even with Helen. As he flew past the huge pines, and kept his eyes on Helen, Shy was reminded of the scene from Return of the Jedi, where Luke and Leia raced through the forested moon of Endor, on speeder bikes.
He glanced again to his left and could see that she had edged closer to his path. That made him nervous. He adjusted to stay the same distance from her. He could see Portia ahead of Helen. He was a little off course, but by now he knew these woods, and was confident he could right himself.
A quick glance to the left startled him. Helen had somehow closed the gap between them almost instantaneously! She was matching his speed step for step, just a few feet away!
"Where is it?" She hissed with eyebrows furrowed. He could feel the evil pouring from her in waves.
He looked ahead. Portia was now almost out of site to the left and ahead. He was panicked. Helen didn't look like she could physically hurt him, she wasn't big. Of course, she wasn't really human either! She was fey… Unseelie was what Tom T had called them. He thought about the strength that he had seen Tom T display. There was no way to know how strong she was, or if he could survive a fight. What he could tell, as he ran, was she had a confidence tinged with anger. That confidence made him afraid.
"Boy… WHERE is the box?" She said now with spittle flying from her mouth.
Shy still didn't answer. He had to do something. He glanced again at Portia's disappearing shape.
"Your girlfriend cannot save you…. Nothing can, unless you give me the box!"
Shy threw on the brakes suddenly and made a sharp cut to the left. He yelled, "Portia!"
Before he took more than five steps the huldra was on him. She pushed him, hard, into a trunk. It happened so fast, Shy had no control. He slammed his left shoulder into the trunk and rebounded from the tree. He landed on his back in the fragrant pine needles, and she was instantly on him. She straddled his chest, pinning his arms with her knees.
He squirmed massively, but to no avail. This girl that could not have been more than seventy pounds, pressed down on him like she was two hundred pounds. Then, she slowly let a grin creep across her face. The smile was evil and oily; just the sight of it made Shy's stomach curdle.
She squinted down at him and said, "I know you know what I am. I simply don't care. You can't do anything to stop me… to stop us. You wouldn't even if you could little boy. So, tell me now, and you can live…. Where is the box."
Her confidence was her downfall. She had him right where she wanted him. She was in control, and must have relaxed her Glamour. Shy saw her change into her true appearance. It wasn't his ability, there was no blurring and snap, she just released her deceptive magic. Her hideous cow face dripped saliva onto him.
Simultaneously Shy saw Portia's face over Helen's shoulder. The brave blond girl had a look of horror on her face. His friend's arm raised and fell swiftly, and the huldra crumpled onto Shy. He squirmed even more aggressively, but had a hard time moving the cow body from on top of him. Finally, Portia had to help push her off.
Shy got to his feet, and was still so scared that he gave Portia a big hug! He turned back to the huldra. .
"What do you see?" Shy agitatedly asked Portia.
"I heard you scream. I came back and saw Helen sitting on you. Then she changed." Portia shuddered. "I saw the tail, and her back looked like the mossy inside of a hollow log. Daniel had told me all about the huldra. I knew what she was then… and I knew I had to help you?"
"Thank you," was all Shy could manage.
The huldra began to stir at their feet.
"We need to go… run!" He pushed Portia forward, propelling her through the trees.
Shy glanced behind him. At the speed that thing could run, he was worried. Turning forward again, he saw a red ribbon signifying they were back on course. Shortly, they came upon the stamping station, manned by Tad. The counselor raised an eyebrow as they slowed to a walking approach.
"Where is Claudius?" Shy immediately asked Tad. Even though he disliked the Cave boy, he wanted to make sure he was safe.
"He passed here a minute or so ago. What's going on, Shy? You look frazzled," he said suspiciously.
Shy ignored the question, and instead asked Tad another. "Have you seen that Helen girl? From the Shore cabins?"
Tad indicated that he had not yet seen her.
"She is the huldra! She looks like Helen! I couldn't see through her Glamour right away, but I could tell in the eyes. Then, she attacked me! Portia saved me!"
Tad looked at the tall, long limbed girl. "She has been saving you a lot lately. So, where is this huldra now? I need to find Gust…did you see him? He was going to be following you…" Tad now sounded really concerned.
"We haven't seen him anywhere," Shy answered, and looked to Portia for confirmation. She nodded.
"OK," Tad started to move, then stopped and continued, "do you want me to bring you two back?"
Shy shook his head. "We are going to try to catch Claudius."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Tad smiled, "I saw him turn onto the wrong path about a hundred yards down that way. I am going looking for Gust, he might need help. Tell Clancy what happened when you get back. And Shy…" Tad paused, "Be careful! Keep an eye on him…" Tad added to Portia.
"I will." She said seriously.
"Tad, you be careful too," Shy warned.
Tad gave a single nod and jogged back in the direction that Shy said they had left the huldra, looking for Gust.
Portia grabbed his arm and they set off at a run, eastward towards the waterfall. When they came upon the river gorge trail, they took the southerly path, and immediately came upon the Cave cabin counselor at the third stamping station. He didn't say much, and they didn't wait. They got their stamps and pushed onward, soon reaching the intersection from the path that crossed the river gorge bridge. The same patch they had arrived on, and where Shy had been snatched into the air by the ticklish flying creature.
The path turned back northward, and they were again heading uphill. Portia was a strong runner, and Shy was starting to labor. However, he stayed with her, and finally they came upon Meg, Portia's counselor. She smiled at Portia, and at Shy.
"You're the first two," She said. "Hurry!" She stamped their hands and rushed them on their way. They nervously looked at each other, but didn't take the time to tell her what had happened. She must have taken their flushed excitement as a sign of their hard running.
They were off again. The last section was downhill, so they had to watch the path closely so as not to turn an ankle. Shy was familiar with this route, he and Daniel had run it often. They were just north of the landing clearing for the Forest cabins' zip line. If they continued on their current path, they would cross that clearing shortly. Indeed, the red streamers led them to the opening in the forest where Shy had landed many times.
They didn't pause when entering the clearing; instead, they were able to increase their speed, because the clearing was free of boulders and trees. Suddenly, the huldra stepped out of the forest at the far side. Portia grabbed Shy's arm and they came to a screeching halt. Shy's vision didn't need to snap, he realized, because she wasn't using Glamour!
Portia's sharp intake of breath told Shy that she could also see the true form of the evil fairy.
The huldra stepped forward slowly, tenseness in her walk. A cow tail swished agitatedly from the behind. Her face was in the form of a snout, but the eyes were the same. Deep, dark, evil eyes.
Shy grabbed Portia, who looked to be in a daze now, much like Daniel was on that night weeks ago. He turned her toward himself, and grabbed her face, cradled her cheeks.
"You HAVE to run!" He whispered urgently. "Run!" He spun her around and pushed her off.
He, himself, then spun back to face the huldra. She was now only inches from him, and he jumped back. How had she gotten to him so quickly and silently, he wondered to himself. He expected to get hit by a cloven hoof, but she just stood and looked into his eyes.
Finally she said, "Your girlfriend is under my power now. Take me to the box, or she may have a little accident."
Shy glanced over his shoulder, and could see Portia, still standing with her back to him, frozen in place, no farther away than he had shoved her.
He turned back to the huldra. She was now inches from him, face to face. He could smell her sour breath. She pulled his head towards hers by wrapping her hoofed forearm around the back of his head. He felt the sharp edge of the hoof bite into the back of his scalp. They were now mouth to ear.
"Tell me where it is, or I will kill you both…" She whispered in an eerily gentle voice.
She pushed him back away from her far enough that he could see she had transformed herself back to the pretty girl that he had seen with Daniel weeks prior. He again was not strong enough to see through her powers. She smiled slyly and sweetly, but couldn't hide the evil in her eyes.
All of this happened in the matter of a few seconds. He still had not spoken, and his mouth was so dry, he wasn't sure he could.
He saw behind the huldra, at the edge of the clearing, blurry areas appear. As he stared his vision snapped repeatedly. There were dark creatures moving in the shadows of the trees. Even with his ability, they were hard to see. Not because of their weak Glamour, he saw through that easily enough, but because they slid from shadow to shadow as they moved. Creeping and jumping, they stayed out of sight. Here and there, Shy could see a golden flash among their movements. His head slowly swiveled, taking in the edges of the whole clearing. They were everywhere! Her own little army. He was trapped!
Shy looked back at the innocent looking girl with the deep, evil eyes. Her smile widened. She knew he saw and understood his predicament. He looked again, to stall for time. What could he tell her? He truly wasn't sure where the box was. He had left it in his cabin, but somehow Tom T would bring that down to the Lodge. If his Dad had it now, she might attack him. What could he do?
"I grow impatient boy. You may have escaped my trolls, but they are stupid, uncouth beasts. You will not escape my goblins. They grow in numbers every day! The Unseelie are rising again! I will have the box and its power. I will not wait for you any longer. Where is it?" She spoke with finality.
Shy took a step back, and she instantly closed on him. He bumped into Portia. There was nowhere to go. He stepped back into the Tae Kwon Do stance that his instructor, Mr. Ballanger, had shown him. It was no use, he looked and felt ridiculous. No martial art would help him now; he was facing a mythical creature and her army.
Suddenly, he heard a tinkling in the distance, like little bells. He saw Helen look up to the sky with something akin to fear on her face. The tinkling grew louder. Distracted, the huldra's power wavered. His vision snapped hard, and he felt Portia stumble free from the spell behind him.
The dark snouted creature standing in front of him now raised her hoofed arm. The goblin army slunk from the shadows and began to tighten the circle around Shy and Portia.
Shy's first impression of the goblins, in the light, was that they looked like beetles. They had black shiny skin and wore black shiny armor. Their heads and faces were black and looked like some cross between a giant bat snout and a that of a boar. Their upturned snouts were covered with dark fur, and they had a dark tusk-like spike from each side of their mouths. They were fierce looking, and creepy, Shy thought. The tinkling bells finally made him tear himself away from looking at the goblins.
He glanced up into the sky. His vision snapped repeatedly. There, floating down like a flock of butterflies, were the sylphon. More than Shy could have imagined. They were beautiful, just as when he was watching them previously in this very same clearing. As they drew down upon the circle of goblins, the goblins braced their dark bodies for battle. It was a surreal scene.
The huldra issued some other command, and a small group of goblins broke away from the circle and moved swiftly for Shy. Portia grabbed onto him from behind and screamed. The next thing he knew, he was gently lifted off the ground. The goblins jumped and grabbed at his feet. He kicked free and rose further into the air.
He looked up and saw the smiling faces of the sylphon. He had one on each arm, and could feel Portia on his right, with her own transporters. She had stopped screaming and was staring in awe at the creatures. They must have turned off their Glamour for her. They rose above the clearing, though not above the treetops. It didn't feel like he was flying, really. It was more like floating, he thought.
He heard a horrible noise issue up from the clearing below, and looked down. The huldra was howling in frustration. It sounded like the State Fair stables when a cow was birthing. The goblins were backing into the shadows from her, in fear of reprisal. The other sylphon formed up beneath and behind them, creating a wall of wings. Slowly they blocked Shy's view of the clearing. The sound, though, carried with them for a while
He looked again at Portia. She was smiling.
***
The sylphon had set them down just before the forest opened up to the Lodge. Shy had turned to thank them, and then stopped himself. Instead, he and Portia simply returned the smiles of the small fairies and waved as they floated away into the trees.
They ran from the forest together. Though they had not spoken of it, they tried their best to cross the finish line together, in a tie.
Afterward, they stood with their parents and received congratulations from other parents and campers alike.
Eventually, Claudius had gotten back on track and finished third.
Tad eventually also turned up, with Helen in tow. At first, Shy was alarmed! He stared and stared at the girl, however, and his vision didn't blur. He grabbed Portia's hand and they worked their way closer to the front of the crowd, where Tad, Helen, and Clancy were huddled. As he came nearly face to face with the girl, Shy could see the difference in the eyes. She did not have the evil eyes of the huldra.
Tad, meanwhile, had a long private conversation with Clancy and other counselors. Clancy glanced at Shy often during their whispered conference. Eventually, she must have sensed the restlessness of the crowd. She whispered some quick instructions to the counselors and they went off as a group into the woods. Shy figured it was to look for Gust. Shy began to worry about him, and looked at the watch that hung loosely on his wrist. He still hadn't given it back to Gust, and now it was a reminder of how much Gust had done for him.
Clancy addressed the crowd.
"Congratulations to all our contestants! We have decided to split first place for the cross country running. Their photo finish was as close to a tie as you could get. They will both be awarded nine points! The final scores then are: Shore 20, Lake 49, Cave 50, and Forest 51! Congratulations to the Forest cabin campers! Come on up here boys."
Shy's friends tumbled up to the front of the group. Sawyer and Henry held their hands aloft with the number one sign pointing to the sky. Shy found Daniel as he walked up. The tall boy was all smiles. He put his arm around Shy and they walked up together. As they stood in front of campers, parents, and counselors, Shy felt a wave of pride come over him. The thoughts of the goblins and huldra disappeared for a few minutes while he basked in the glory of applause.
The counselors had reappeared and Shy saw Tad give Clancy a slight shake of his head. Then Tad looked for Shy from the crowd and winked at him with the thumbs up sign. Shy could tell though that something was bothering Tad. They must not have found Gust. Shy wondered what could possibly have happened to the old man.
His eyes then came to rest on his dad clapping and standing tall with pride.
He saw Crutch standing with his arms crossed, being scolded by his mother for not clapping. Shy was happy.
***
Shy had a hard time when it was time to leave, because he had never had this many friends in his life. The group of boys gathered for photos, and then said their awkward goodbyes. Henry and some of the others handed out their email addresses. Shy had never had a use for one, so had nothing to pass out. Daniel came over and gave Shy his phone number.
"You coming back next year?" He asked.
Shy nodded.
"Nice. So am I. For sure, I asked my parents already. Call me this year… OK?"
"OK. Thanks."
Again an awkward silence stretched and Shy felt like he didn't know what to do with his hands. Daniel suddenly stuck out his hand and smiled. Shy grasped it and smiled back.
"See ya Shy boy! Next summer we are gonna find some real treasure!" With that Daniel was off to one of his parent's car, waving again over his shoulder.
Shy said his goodbyes to the rest of the boys, and was about to head over to where his father waited. Portia appeared out of nowhere. She put a piece of paper in his hand, hugged him, gave him another quick peck on the cheek, smiled, and ran off.
***
Shy looked out the rear window of his dad's truck as they pulled away on the gravel road that he had stumbled out onto eight weeks earlier. They had done it. They won! Now he was sure he could return next year. Several of the boys confirmed that they too would be back. Daniel's parents even agreed. Shy would miss his new friends, the goodbyes all seemed to happen so fast, but he felt better knowing he would see many of them again the next summer. He would keep in touch. Claire, of course he would see again the next day probably. She would come over and they would rehash the events of the entire summer.
He wondered again about Gust's fate, and was sad he hadn't appeared to say goodbye. He was a gruff old man though, probably just didn't like all the mushy stuff. Shy would keep his watch safe for him. He had grown to like the watch. Shy made a mental note to himself to make sure he set up an email address so he could email Tad and try to get in contact with Gust.
As he watched the camp disappear through the rear window, his vision blurred a little, and snapped in his head like popcorn. There climbing over the lip of the river gorge poured black clad goblins! They began to run after the truck! His thoughts immediately slammed back to the days adventures.
The box!
He still had the box! His happiness over winning had made him forget to get rid of the box. He scrambled to unzip his bag and felt for the hard edges of the box he knew was still in his pillow case. It was. He looked back out the window and saw the Glamour protected black goblins drop back. They could not catch the truck.
"What'cha doing bud?" His dad asked.
"I… I think I forgot something…" Shy mumbled while his brain scrambled to take in all the implications of still having the box.
"What?" He pressed on the brakes. "Do we need to go back? What did you forget?"
"Noooo… no Dad. Keep going." Shy panicked and looked back out the window. There was nothing in sight now. "Just keep going… It was just something I found. I was gonna leave it there. No big deal…" He tried to pacify his dad.
His dad looked at Shy quizzically. "You seem to really have changed this summer. You seem more confident."
Shy nodded quietly in response.
"Good. Use that to stand up to those bullies in school then this year."
Shy nodded again. "I'm gonna take a nap Dad, OK?"
"Sure bud."
Shy closed his eyes, but didn't sleep. It was a long ride home. He worked through his thoughts about the box and his worries. By the time they passed the Twin Cities, he had decided he would just hide the box until next summer, and then return it right away when he got back to camp.