Tyger Tyger (21 page)

Tiny bubbles were bursting inside her, as if her bones were effervescing with joy. I'm
smiling.
How
can I be smiling when Dad needs me? When
I'm in
this place?
Teagan forced herself to concentrate, to remember the dog-headed men and the pack. The bubbles almost went away. Almost.

Teagan focused on following Aiden and keeping her head. The path wound down out of the piney woods, and farther down still, through meadows, and then under spreading sycamore-like trees, with broad leaves and camouflage-patterned bark. The growths on their huge trunks looked almost like gnomes trying to work their way out of the bark and step out into the fern fronds around them. A hummingbird-size creature with huge eyes flashed past Aiden's head and disappeared into a fern.

A few moments later Teagan saw it again, a blur of motion against the green. It was clearly following Aiden, zipping from hiding place to hiding place, peeking at him as he sang. It didn't look large enough to be dangerous, but she kept an eye on it anyway.

The ground grew spongy, and here and there they passed ponds where bubble-eyed creatures peered out at them. When Aiden stopped singing, they disappeared under the surface of the pond, leaving nothing but ripples behind.

If they came out, it would be like the scene from
Sleeping Beauty
where Briar Rose sang to all the little animals as they danced.... Teagan clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from erupting in giggles. Aiden was singing some kind of marching song. That wouldn't do. She wanted to see the little pond creatures come out. Well, Mag Mell wasn't the only one who knew how to change Aiden's station. She started to hum softly.

"
I know you. I walked with you once upon a dream
..."

Aiden picked it up, his voice as sweet as any Disney princess's.

The bubble-eyed creatures' heads popped out of the water. They were frogs. Dozens of them hopped, wiggled, and scrambled up out of the ponds. Teagan's mouth fell open.

They weren't just frogs. They were frog people. They wore little vests and carried long walking sticks.

A shrewlike creature darted out of the undergrowth, and a frogman threw his walking stick at it like a javelin, pinning it to a tree trunk. It squeaked and kicked for a second, then went still. The frogman retrieved his spear, then took the carcass by the tail and dragged it toward the pond.

"A lot of them, aren't there?" Finn whispered. "I don't like this."

"They don't look dangerous," Teagan said.

Aiden didn't seem to think so, either. The frog folk started to croak a chorus for Aiden's song, their throats expanding and deflating as they sang, their wide feet slapping out the rhythm. Their chorus almost drowned out Aiden's voice.

"We're drawing too much attention," Finn shouted over the racket. "What are you singing, boyo? Change the song!"

Aiden stopped and shook his head.

"Hey"—he glared at Teagan—"I'm not a princess! You made me sing—"

Something launched itself off of a limb and landed in Aiden's hair, screaming like Mamieo's teakettle. Aiden screamed as well, and Finn snatched it out of his hair and held it up by its wings.

"Is it a bug?" Aiden slapped at his head. "Does it have a stinger?"

"It looks like a girl," Finn said.

"A sprite," Teagan said. "I think it's a sprite, like the ones in Mom's books."

The sprite was barely four inches tall, with tattered brown wings and a hard exoskeleton patterned like sycamore bark. Her pale hair stood out like dandelion down, and her eyes were amazing. They seemed to glow with internal light like a cicada's tiny ocelli, but the sprite's eyes weren't tiny. They were large, clearly compound, and constantly changing.

A kaleidoscope of colors whirled across them when she looked at Aiden. She chirped, then grabbed at the only thing she was wearing—a scabbard strapped to her thigh—and pulled out a white sliver that looked like it was made of shell.

Teagan blinked. "Look out, Finn, she's got a—"

"Shit!" Finn flung the sprite into the bushes.

"—knife," she said, half a second too late. The shell blade was less than half an inch long, but judging from the blood dripping from Finn's finger, it was razor sharp.

"Where did it go?" Aiden started toward the bush. Finn grabbed him and pulled him away with one hand while he flung blood from the other.

"Stay back," Finn said as the sprite came out of the leaves, buzzing like an angry hummingbird. It was the creature that had been following Aiden, peeking at him from behind tree trunks—Teagan was sure of it.

The sprite climbed into the sun like a tiny fighter jet, then turned and dove, slashing at Finn as she came. He slapped her again, and she tumbled head over heels in the air, righted herself, and attacked once more.

"Back away from Aiden," Teagan said. "I don't think she's going to hurt him. I think she likes him."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked.

"She's not mad at me," Aiden said. "She's mad at you."

Finn backed away. The sprite put her knife away and hovered in front of Aiden, chirping like a canary.

"She's happier now," Aiden said.

"She may be"—Finn squeezed his bleeding finger—"but Mag Mell is not." Dark vines were creeping across the path that had been clear in front of them. "Sing, Aiden. Ignore the damn ... darn bug, or sing something to make it behave."

Aiden started singing "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." The sprite did a somersault in the air, squealed like a groupie, and dove into Aiden's hair.

Aiden froze. The sprite settled in, whirring her wings and spinning her kaleidoscope eyes as she searched through Aiden's curls.

"What's she looking for?" Finn asked. "Fleas?"

"Maybe," Teagan said. "Social grooming is usually a sign of affection."

"What does that mean?" Aiden asked, still not moving.

"It means she likes you."

"I'm not grooming her back. No way."

"Just ignore her and sing," Teagan said, digging in Finn's kit for the antibiotic and a Band-Aid. "Maybe she'll go away." She put the Band-Aid on Finn's finger when the blood stopped dripping.

Mag Mell settled down as Aiden sang, even though he was stomping along the path with his arms crossed. The vines retreated but still moved restlessly.

Finn and Teagan walked behind him, watching the sprite in his hair. She wasn't grooming him, Teagan decided. She was setting up house. The sprite was weaving his hair into a nest, her hands working the curly locks together with great skill.

A bottle fly buzzed around Aiden's head, and the sprite's hand shot out and snatched it from the air. She stripped the wings off, dropped them in her nest, and started munching on the fly's head while its legs waved wildly.

"Looks like Aiden won't have a mosquito problem," Finn said. "Not with that bug around."

"Her name is Lucy, like in the song," Aiden said. "I've decided to keep her."

"That will be easier than trying to get rid of her, I expect," Finn said.

"She's fascinating." Teagan leaned over to get a closer look. Lucy finished the fly and started grooming herself, licking her hands and rubbing them over her face and along the strands of her dandelion mane.

Aiden changed his song, and the path wound in between deep ponds of green water. Dragonflies hovered over lily pads, and the frog people crept out again, marching along beside them as they walked.

The underbrush cleared around Aiden as he went. Tree branches arched over clear pools of water, and Teagan saw golden fish flash just beneath the surface. Finn walked close to a pool and leaned over.

"It has no bottom," he said. "You can see down ... forever." The frog people huddled together in groups, rather than in long marching lines as they had before.

"They don't like this place," Finn said. "Let me walk ahead of you, Aiden. Watch the trees, and stay away from the pools." He stepped past Aiden and took the lead.

Aiden let him get a few yards ahead, then glanced sideways at Teagan. "That was mean, Tea."

"What was?"

"Making me sing a princess song."

"The prince sang it, too."

"When I sing, things do what I say in the songs, don't they?"

"Yes." Teagan didn't like the look in his eye. "Aiden Quinn, what are you—"

"
Sha-la-la-la-la-la,
" Aiden sang. "
Music play
..."

Teagan's brain spun trying to remember the lyrics. It was from The
Little Mermaid
...but she hadn't heard it in years, not since she'd watched the DVD with Abby.

The frog folk around Aiden's feet started croaking loudly and off-key, waving their spear sticks as if they were trying to warn Aiden.
Something was wrong.
Teagan tried to process two images—the frog people waving frantically, and Finn walking toward her, a dazed look on his face.

"Do
what the music say
" Aiden crooned. "
You wanna ki—
"

"Aiden!" Teagan grabbed him and clapped her hand over his mouth.
You wanna kiss the girl.
That was the line.

Finn stopped, looking even more confused. He put a hand to his head.

Teagan took her hand off Aiden's mouth, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him hard. "Don't you dare use your songs on Finn!"

"Stop it, Tea," Aiden said. "I was just playing!"

The sprite hissed, jumped from Aiden's head, and grabbed Teagan's nose.

Teagan let go of Aiden and tried to pull the sprite away, but it was holding on tight and reaching up inside her nostril.

"Ow!" The sprite was plucking nose hair. The pain was incredible. "Make her stop!"

Aiden laughed, dancing backwards.

"Aiden," Finn shouted, "watch where you're going!"

Aiden's heel caught on a root, and he landed on his backside at the edge of a deep pool. A scaly green arm flashed out of the water, and long fingers twined in Aiden's curls. He screamed, and the sprite let go of Teagan's nose.

Aiden flipped onto his stomach and tried to scramble away from whatever had him by the hair. The sprite streaked for the hand, knife out, just as an almost-bald head appeared.

Teagan knew her instantly.
Ginny Greenteeth. She drowns travelers in bogs.
Teagan lunged forward and grabbed Aiden's foot.

"I want to be part of your world," Ginny Greenteeth said. Her mouth opened wide, showing knobs of teeth and a thick black tongue.

Aiden screamed again.

"Don't let her get me, Tea!" he shrieked. Lucy slashed at the goblin's fingers with her blade, but it bounced off the scales. The sprite squealed in anger and flew at the water goblin's eyes. Ginny snatched the tiny girl from the air with the hand that wasn't tangled in Aiden's hair and tossed her into the pond. Golden fish rose around the sprite, and suddenly Lucy was fighting for her own life.

"Tea!" Aiden begged. "Don't let her get m—"

The goblin gave a giant heave and Aiden's head and shoulders went underwater.

TEAGAN dug her heels into the slippery moss, scrabbling for traction, and pulled on Aiden's foot with all her might. His shoe came off and she lost her grip just as Finn grabbed his other leg. Inch by inch, Ginny Greenteeth was dragging Aiden under. He was kicking wildly, but Teagan caught his leg again.

"Can he hold his breath for long?" Finn asked.

"Not very." Teagan could feel Aiden's kicks weakening. "We've got to think."

"No time for that. Hold on tight." Finn let go of Aiden's leg, tossed his kit aside, and dove into the pool. The splash threw Lucy up onto the bank, where she gasped and shook. Finn's head bobbed above the water—he took a breath and disappeared.

Aiden stopped kicking.

"No!" Teagan shouted, and pulled with all her strength. Suddenly Aiden popped out of the water and Teagan fell backwards. She scrambled to her knees, grabbed Aiden's leg again, and dragged him farther from the pool. His face looked pale in the green forest light, and his eyes weren't open.

That's what a drowned person looks like. A dead person.
Lucy had shaken herself dry enough to fly. She landed on Aiden's chest, ran up to his face, and started slapping it and crying, trying to make him wake up.

"Stop it." Teagan pushed the sprite away. She could see the life draining out of Aiden, as it had drained out of her mom, but his body hadn't gone all
wrong
to the touch yet. There was still time to fight for him.

You have to
think your way through things, even in the midst of it.
Use
your brain, girl.

It was no different from animal rescue. She'd given mouth-to-mouth to newborn puppies before. Aiden was just larger. Teagan turned him on his side, and water oozed out of his gaping mouth.

She stuck her finger in, making sure he hadn't sucked in anything that would block his breathing, then turned him onto his back again, pinched his nose shut, and gave him a puff of air. His chest rose, then fell. She did it again. And again.

Suddenly water gushed up from inside Aiden, spraying all over her and soaking Lucy. Tea turned him quickly onto his side and held on to him as he emptied his guts. When he finished, he looked around wildly.

"What—" He had a coughing fit and leaned against Teagan. "Where'd she go?" The surface of the pond was smooth. No Ginny. No Finn! She'd forgotten about Finn!

A clammy hand grabbed Teagan's shoulder, and she spun around.

"Is he okay?" Finn was dripping wet, and there were green weeds stuck in his hair. He looked almost as pale as Aiden had.

"How did you..." Tea began.

Finn pointed at the pool behind them.

"They're all connected underneath," he said. "It's not like our world. The dirt layer is thin, and the roots of the trees go down twisting and tangling into the water. It's another world. Lots of shiny fish."

"Thank God you're a good swimmer!"

"Can't swim a stroke," Finn said, clutching his stomach. "I just pulled myself along by the roots until I saw light, then came up. Uhhh." He fell to his knees, his face twisted in pain.

"What's wrong?"

Finn stuck his finger down his own throat, gagged, then bent over as he retched up a puddle of water and something that looked like a long green grub. It had a hooklike claw on the end.