You?"
Stunned, she burst out, "What the hell does that mean?!"
"Excuse us for minute," Sunny said, as she took her by the arm, "we need a partner conference." And she turned her around and led her to the far side of the stump.
"Now, don't you try to sweet-talk me," Eile told her in a harsh whisper, "there's no way I'm gonna agree ta this!"
"We have to! Don'cha see? We have no choice."
"What are you talking about?"
"If we don't have the mushroom, Mephitis won't pay us."
"We don't need the money, Sunny."
"But we'll fail our commission!"
"So what? We can't always win. Cripes, not all of our adventures work out in the Waking World either."
"But it's different here! We survive on the fees we're paid for our commissions. If people see us as failures, they won't hire us; if they don't hire us, we don't get paid. It's as simple as that."
She hesitated, as her anger began to drain away. Sunny had a point. Still--
"We have the money the cats paid us."
"And how long do you think that'll last?"
She had another point. Costs were higher in the Dreamlands, and truth be told, they weren't as frugal as they were in the Waking World. They had blown through half the reward in about a Dream-year; at that rate, the rest wouldn't last past another. And even if they counted every tahler, they probably couldn't stretch it out more than two. After that, all they would have was the stipend, and that alone would not be enough to cover their expenses.
She felt her resistance melt away. "Ah, cripes. Okay, you win, we'll do it."
"Yes!" Sunny spun around and shouted at the Horned Lord. "We'll do it!"
As they walked back to the center, she asked, "So, where do we find this challenger?"
A map of the Wood appeared in the air between the stump and the throne, startling them. However, Sunny recovered fast and pulled out their scroll.
"You are here," the Horned Lord said, as a spot of light appeared in almost the exact center of the Wood.
Sunny oriented the drawn map to match the aerial one. "Got it!"
A second glowing spot appeared above it, at the very edge of the Wood directly opposite the river. "The Usurper is here."
Sunny checked her map. "Got it!"
The aerial map faded away as Sunny rolled up the scroll and stuck it back in her belt. "We'll leave immediately!" She moved to hop off the stump.
"Unfortunately, We must insist on a condition." That stopped her in her tracks as Eile felt a cold lump grow in her belly.
"We demand that one of You remain behind as Hostage."
She exchanged glances with Sunny; she looked just as shocked and scared as she felt.
"But we can't separate!" Sunny objected. "We're a team. Alone, neither of us can succeed; together, we can't fail!"
"They are telling the truth," Shadow said; "they are the Twins. Whatever power they have only works when they are together,"
"That is but the third reason We decided to offer You Our commission. But We do not trust Humans. Therefore, We demand a Hostage."
She didn't know what to do. She could volunteer, but didn't want Sunny facing the danger alone, and anyways she didn't think she could handle it. Yet she also feared she might need Sunny's help if the threat was magical; Sunny was the magician, not her. And in any event, she didn't want her to be the hostage.
She could see from the expression on her face that Sunny felt torn by the same dilemma, but she was the more forthright one, who tended to speak and act without thinking. Eile knew she had to speak first to keep Sunny from making the decision.
Eile opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, Shadow said, "I will be the hostage."
"Shadow, no!" Sunny said.
The cat looked back at them. "It's the right decision. This way, you have the best chance of beating the threat, whatever it is. Besides, it's my duty. I have sworn to protect and defend you both, with my life if necessary. I can do that better here than with either of you out there."
"But--" Sunny began, when Eile interrupted by putting her hand on her shoulder.
"She's right, and it's her choice. We have to respect it."
"But--but--well...I suppose you're right."
"And the best thing we can do for her is succeed."
"Yeah. Then we'd better get going, partner."
She and Sunny hopped off the stump and, with Sunny leading the way, headed for the woods.
"Just so there is no misunderstanding," the Horned Lord said as they passed him, "You must defeat the Interloper to free Your Friend. If You flee, if You fail, Her life is forfeit."
Eile paused long enough to give him a menacing look. "We understand." She replied in a grim tone, then sprinted to catch up with Sunny.
By Eile's reckoning, it took them an hour to reach their destination. They hardly spoke the entire time, but they didn't have much to say. They had been adventuring together long enough for her to know when they were focused on their mission, because at such times the enjoyment gave way to a sense of urgency, a desire to knuckle down and finish the job so that they could go home and celebrate another victory.
Only this time, we're gonna have more ta celebrate. Assuming we survive.
Sunny first noticed the change as they got close to their destination. She paused at a tree and ran her hand over the trunk. Pieces of bark flaked off like dry skin.
"This tree is dying."
She didn't question her assessment. The ability to read life signs was another of her magical talents. Even so...
"Trees do die, don't they?"
She went to another. "Yeah, but this one's dying too." She jogged to another. "And this one." She sprinted to another. "And this one!" She ran to one more, and Eile hurried to catch up. "This one's dead!"
Her spine tingled. "Okay, I'm officially creeped out now."
"I think this is what's got the Horned One worried. Whatever the threat is, its killing his woods. If his power is tied to it, he gets weaker as more of it dies."
"Probably too much ta hope for that it's just beetles or a fungus?"
Sunny looked out ahead of them. "It looks too extensive for that."
She followed her gaze, and saw that every tree before them appeared to be in some state of deterioration. She knew nothing about forest ecology, but she had to agree the problem looked too widespread for a simple pest or blight. Besides, she didn't know how they could fight something like that.
They continued on. As they went deeper into the affected area, the trees progressed from dying to dead to rotting, until just short of the center they had been reduced to ragged stumps. And it wasn't just the trees. All vegetation, even hardy lichens and stubborn fungi, were affected and gradually disappeared until only barren ground was left. Or not quite barren, as she realized it was covered with a blanket of decayed detritus that turned the soil into a gooey morass. If it had been any wetter, she had no doubt they would have become trapped like flies in amber.
At the exact center sat a ring of nine rough-hewn stone blocks. It seemed to her that they formed a perfect circle; at least, as perfect as she could perceive. In the center stood a figure, as tall as a very tall man, but thinner. It wore a hooded robe colored a dirty mustard while its face hid behind a mottled, urine colored veil. Its arms were crossed over its chest. Eile couldn't see any hands, though they might have been hidden inside the sleeves, and the hem of the robe trailed in the debris, hiding any feet.
The figure made no move as they approached, but it stood facing them the whole time. When they reached the edge of the megalith, however, it nodded its head. "Welcome, An Cupla. I have been waiting for you." The words came out of the air instead of the figure, but it was the only possible source for the disembodied voice.
She felt her hairs stand on end as her hands went clammy and her mouth dried up. That was what Medb called them. It meant "The Twins" in Irish.
"How do you know who we are?" Sunny asked in an astonished tone.
"Who in the Land of Dreams would not?"
She almost fainted from shock. That was what Nyarlathotep had said to her in the Temple of Ubasti!
Sunny continued in a stern voice. "Well, whoever you are, you're trespassing! We order you to leave and never come back!"
"How can I trespass in my own woods?"
"They're not yours! They belong to the Horned One."
"These woods were mine from the moment I created them, long before the Horned One claimed them for his own. I am merely asserting my prior claim of ownership."
"We don't believe you."
"That does not matter, and neither does this petty quarrel. You are here at last; now, your destiny may be fulfilled."
"What are you talking about?"
"Did not Medb hErenn tell you? It is in the Book of Skelos. The Twins are the spawn of the Crawling Chaos. It is their destiny to join with Him, and through Him realize their true power."
"Liar!" Sunny spat.
"How can you be sure? Eile, why do you think your father killed your mother? Sunny, how could two women bear a child?"
She felt her blood run cold. She didn't want to believe it, but it made sense! It would explain why he did it, when no other explanation sounded reasonable. And she had never really believed Medb's explanation of Sunny's conception.
"Eile! Don't listen! It's all a scam!"
But she barely heard her. She stared up into the yellow "face" of the figure, and felt her will slip away.
It spread its arms as if to embrace her. "Come to me, my child. Long have I yearned to hold you, long have I desired to join with you. I am your true father; accept me and your fate."
In her perception, the hooded, veiled head loomed closer as her mind seemed to pass