Into the Forest Shadows (9 page)

"He's noticed my long spry life, as well,
insisting I back up all my files in the company archive where he'd
have access to them. I won't do that, not until I know more."

Kate groaned. "He needs to just go!"

"I can't fire him yet. He's a link to what is
going on." Grandma refilled her tea cup. "The Shadow Creatures have
a new leader, one who is subverting their purpose of servants of
the forest. They are now predators and nothing is safe. As I learn
more we will have more of these sessions. This is what I needed
your help for, Kate. If anything happens to me, you will need to do
all you can to stop this madness."

Grandma's voice faded out. Kate closed her
eyes. Awareness of Ayden's supporting arms reappeared. She felt a
wet flick on her chin.

Kate opened her eyes to find Bunbun sitting
on her upper chest, licking her chin and humming in
encouragement.

"Bunbun got loose again," Kate croaked.

"You with us again? What happened?" Ayden
asked.

Kate reached up to grab Bunbun. The soft warm
little body felt so comforting that she held and petted him. The
once-suppressed memory of Grandma filled her mind.

And with it a rage bubble up. "Grandma did
something to me. And I agreed to it!"

With a beep the housebot settled to the
ground, "Memory systems erasing. Shutting down."

Kate glared down at the housebot. She took a
deep breath. With Bunbun in one hand, and another on Ayden's arm
she insisted on getting up despite an unsettling dizziness.

"What did the housebot spray? It smelled like
stinkweed," Ayden said, putting another arm around her as she
faltered.

"You heard Grandma. It was a trigger to make
me a Watcher 'helper', whatever that is. We need to get out of
here." Kate shook herself. "The Shadow creatures are here. They
came for Grandma."

Ayden's body behind her went still. "Here?
Right now?"

"I think one of them is in the cottage right
now, impersonating her."

"I don't want anything to do with them. A few
weeks ago they destroyed some of our equipment," Ayden said. He let
her go and took Bunbun, putting him back into his coat.

"The Shadow Creatures have only one way of
dealing with threats, and that is to destroy them," Kate
echoed.

"Uh, that's right. Where did you hear
that?"

"Where do you think?" Kate said impatiently.
"Have any ideas of where to go from here? Wait, do you know where
the Watcher lives?"

"No, he comes and goes as he wants, but
sometimes the odd animal will know where he can be found. If they
feel like answering you. That's pretty smart. If the Shadow
Creatures are up to something, the Watcher should know about
it."

"One for the city girl."

Ayden glanced around the grove. "We'll find
the Watcher after finding shelter from the fog."

Kate bit her tongue, almost about to insist
they search now. He was right, though. They couldn't shelter in
Grandma's cottage and they needed shelter from the descending fog.
"If you know of a place, lead the way."

"I know of a place, but we have to hurry. I'm
surprised we haven't seen any yet."

A bang in the direction of the cottage echoed
through the orchard. An angry growling voice called out, "Kate?
Where are you? Kate!"

Ayden grabbed her arm, "Time to run."

Kate didn't argue. Without the basket to
impede her way she easily kept up with him. A sore spot on the edge
of her foot reminded her that the long hike earlier in the day she
wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

A howl echoing through the forest only
increased her speed. Another howl answered the first.

"It's calling for help," Ayden said between
pants.

Bunbun thrummed and Ayden caught at the neck
of his coat to keep the little wiggling mound from climbing out.
Through the noise of them crashing through the forest Kate heard
something coming up behind them.

On the other side of the glowing trees lining
the path a shape flashed. A frilly white apron flapped behind as it
gained and then passed them. Grandma came to a stop in the middle
of the path, blocking their way. Kate almost knocked Ayden over as
they came to a sliding stop.

Grandma crouched in front of them and smiled
a wide toothy grin, "Wherever are you going in such a hurry?"

Ayden pushed Kate back. A series of howls
echoed from different directions. Grandma put her head back and
answered with a howl that chilled Kate to the bone. Two dark
shadows appeared from the forest depths, circling around them.

Fear rose up, making it hard for her to
breath. Her legs felt weak. Which made her furious. The fear would
not overwhelm her!

Kate pressed her lips together and took a
deliberate step forward, "Who are you? Where is my
grandmother?"

Grandma grinned widely. Her simple clothes
and frilly apron started melting. "Who am I? Call me Diasis. No
need to tell me who you are, Kate. The old woman's younger
kin."

The image of Grandma completely
disappeared.

A creature balancing on gangly rear legs with
powerful thighs crouched before them. A front leg stretched down to
the ground to keep balance while its remaining front leg remained
tucked up against its stomach. Slitted eyes of red and white peered
at them over a long snout. Dark fur clumped together in a ridge
extending from the head down the back, coming to sharp points that
looked sharp enough to cut.

"A razor wolf," Ayden whispered, gripping his
walking staff tightly.

"And a pathetic human Gatherer who has no
right to be in our forest," Diasis said, his speech slurred by
speaking through a teeth-lined mouth. He turned his eyes back to
Kate, "You have something that does not belong to you."

Ayden turned his head to Kate, his expression
questioning.

Kate ignored the flashing teeth, tossing
back, "Don't try that with me. You tried to get into Grandma's
computer."

Diasis growled, light from the glowing trees
glistening off the sharp points of fur on his neck. He settled down
on his haunches. "What you wear on your back. The red cloth. It
does not belong to you. Take it off and you may return to the
cottage."

She couldn't have heard that right. Kate
closed her eyes and then opened them again, "Excuse me? My cloak?
You can't tell me you were looking for my cloak when you tore apart
Grandma's house."

"We found what we needed, despite your lack
of help. Return the cloak and all is done."

The stupid red cloak. The one Grandma
insisted she wear and now a talking wolf wanted it? What a silly
thing to ask for. "You promise we can go back safely?"

"I give my word," Diasis said. The circling
dark Shadows came to a stop, appearing to lay down in the
shadows.

"Don't do it," Ayden whispered to her.

But Kate's hand was already to her throat,
untying the fasteners. The cloak started slipping off her
shoulders. From somewhere behind teeth grabbed hold of it, ripping
it away. Kate watched the red fabric flutter through the air and
come to rest under a nearby tree.

Kate stepped closer to Ayden, "We'll just be
heading back now."

"Will you?" Diasis licked his teeth. "I think
we'll eat well tonight."

Ayden's hand gripped the rod tightly. "What
of your promise of safe return to the cottage?"

Diasis chuckled, "I admit it. I lied. Thank
you for being so accommodating. So few meals are."

CHAPTER NINE

Kate grit her teeth. The animals in the
shadows were on their feet, advancing. She caught sight of a wisp
of fog tangled with the leaves high above the head of Diasis.
Great, death by Shadow Creatures and by fog electrocution.

Ayden squeezed her arm before stepping
forward. "Not as accommodating as you think."

At one end of the walking staff a long
brilliant red edge flared, rising from the surface. He raised his
staff as one of the shadows surged forward.

"Eat the edge of my axe!" As he swung the axe
at the moving shadow he shouted at her, "Get out of here!"

The red edge of the axe lopped off a heavy
branch as two animals simultaneously attacked. An unmoving dark
shape fell to the ground at his feet.

Kate saw a flash of yellow eyes and white
teeth flying at her from the left. She tried to move out of the
way, but the body of the Shadow Creature still managed to hit her
hard on the side. The razor wolf landed on its feet while Kate
ended up rolling across the leaf-strewn forest floor.

She landed on something long and hard. She
grabbed it, rose to her knees and swung hard as the wolf pressed
its attack. The wolf dodged, jumping to the side.

Only, it wasn't the only one attacking. A
barrel body with curved ivory tusks ran at her with a low menacing
growl deep in its throat. She jumped to one side, something
catching at her pant leg. Kate put out a hand, landing hard on one
wrist. As she rolled, sending up a flurry of dead leaves, the stick
went flying, hitting the trunk of a tree with a hard thud.

The razor wolf lunged forward as she came to
a stop. She scrambled backwards. She could see Ayden on the other
side of two trees, the moving red of his axe blade lighting up the
night.

The razor wolf bared its teeth, huffing
sharply at her. A shadow nearby growled. Kate swallowed hard,
pulling her feet under her. She would make a run for it. Just
once.

Her hand touched soft fabric.

The touch felt out of place. She looked down
to find her hand on the very edge of her red cape.

A long low creak trembled through the trees.
A tree behind the razor wolf shuddered, leaves fluttering down from
the canopy.

The razor wolf paused to regard the trees. It
snarled, snapping at the air. It turned back to her, pulling its
haunches under it in preparation to lunge.

A thick tree limb lined with clumps of leaves
slammed to the ground in front of Kate. The wolf jumped out of the
way. The Shadow Creature lurking in the shadows flew through the
air in front of her, propelled by a different limb.

The trees were moving?

"Ayden! Watch out for the trees!" Kate
yelled, scrambling to her feet.

"Head down the path!" Ayden shouted.

On her feet, Kate froze as the limbs paused
in mid-motion. One stopped right in front of her nose, quivering,
setting the leaves rustling.

A razor wolf melted out of the background
shadows, baring its teeth at her. The limb slowly rose to take its
normal position on the tree behind her. Kate slowly knelt down to
grab the cape, afraid a sudden moment might trigger either a razor
wolf or a tree attack.

The wolf sniffed at her. Hugging the ground
it started making its way towards her, claws fully extended.

Her hand came in contact with her cape. She
snatched it up running past the quivering tree. She found the main
path leading deeper into the woods. A sweeping limb stirred the top
of Kate's hair. It arced close to the ground, catching the wolf in
the front chest just below the throat.

Kate ran as fast as she could. Away from the
wolves and other Shadow Creatures, Away from the crazy trees.

Ayden was suddenly next to her, the blade of
his axe gone, but the staff still extended.

The moonlight streamed down on their path as
one limb after another swung down, creating openings in the forest
canopy. Ayden pulled her in a different direction. Howls, squeals
and deep thuds filled the forest behind and around them. The edges
of the path were filled with the sight of entire tree trunks
twisting around and moving.

This had to all be a nightmare. Trees didn't
do this!

"The fog is coming!" Ayden shouted back to
her.

Among the moving trees, she caught glimpses
of sky and the tops of the high nearby hills. Over the tops of the
hills a glistening shroud moved.

The trees moved again and the image was lost.
But she'd seen enough.

She returned her eyes to the uneven ground,
"How far are we?"

"Not close enough!"

Ayden ducked under a tree bough and darted to
the left, finding another path. Kate followed, almost tripping on
the cape still held tightly in one hand. But her side was starting
to hurt. There had been too much hiking today, and she'd already
been at her limit when they arrived at Grandma's house.

A snort and an excited whine preceded a dark
mottled object darting out from underneath a bush. Kate dodged out
of the way, determined not to be taken down by a Shadow Creature so
easily.

With a triumphant cry, Ayden jumped on the
back, grabbing two stubby ears in his fists. The animal bucked
against him, but Ayden held on, keeping its head low to the ground
while having his heels dug deep into the dirt. "I can't hold it
much longer! Get on!"

He had to be crazy. Okay, the creature wasn't
a razor wolf, but it still didn't look very appealing. Low to the
ground with a flat head, the thing had gobs of snot rolling out of
its wide nose. "You have to be kidding!"

"Kate, get on now!" Ayden yelled back. "Do
you want to escape the fog or not?"

She wanted to object. Really wanted to. A
series of howls gave her the needed impetuous. She preferred
dealing with snot than the razor wolves.

Kate flung the cape around her shoulders and
quickly tied it at the neck while approaching the slithering body.
She managed to get a leg over the wide body just as it jumped. Kate
fell, grabbing at the back and at Ayden to keep from falling
off.

"Hold on tight!" he warned.

Kate grabbed Ayden's backpack just as the
head came up and the creature shot forward.

With soft grunts and snorts, the creature
took off down the path.

Ayden tried to guide it by pulling at the
ears. She did her best not to get thrown off by the side to side
gait. Kate tightened her legs around its middle as much as
possible, trying to find a rhythm to the movement.