Chapter 10
As they fled the trees whipped and grasped at them with their branches, driven into a frenzy by the slaughter that was going on so close to them. Branches grabbed at their clothes and at their arms and legs as the trees attempted to drag them in closer. If it wasn’t for Billy’s ability to magically produce fire they would have met the same fate as the King’s huntsmen.
When branches refused to let go Billy would send a fireball flying towards it and the tree would hastily let go then would thrash violently while a horrible high-pitched shrieking would fill the air. Soon all the malignant trees were doing that, too afraid to get close because of Billy’s fire magic and enraged at the same time.
When they burst out of the suffocating depths of the trees into an area where branches didn’t whip and grab they collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily from exertion and fear. James had a cut across his face from where a branch had caught him while Michael had a lump forming on his forehead where he had been struck hard. All their clothes had gashes and tears in them.
“Now what?” James asked, tentatively dabbing at his cheek with his sleeve.
Michael noted the blood on James’ face then turned to Billy to see what he would say. Billy, however, was looking back the way they had come with a sad look on his face and Michael could only guess how he was feeling.
“I don’t think your father was one of the ones killed,” he tried to reassure him.
Billy sighed and smiled sadly at them both. “I know he wasn’t. It’s just …” He paused for a moment as he struggled with his emotions. “You have to understand, they weren’t always like this. My parents were loving and good even when I got in trouble. My father’s huntsmen taught me how to hunt and fight. They were my friends. My family.”
Michael looked at James and saw his friend was just as much at a loss for words as he was. They had only thought of these fae as evil creatures out to kill them. It had never occurred to them that Billy would remember them differently and would mourn their deaths.
“Come on,” Billy said abruptly, standing up. “We need to keep moving.”
They moved off quietly with Billy in the lead as usual. Michael couldn’t help noticing how much quieter the forest was here and the atmosphere was more oppressive. When he glanced at James he knew his friend felt it too as he kept casting furtive looks over his shoulder.
“Billy?” Michael called quietly.
At first he thought Billy hadn’t heard him and was about to call out again when the forest guardian stopped and turned.
“Billy, are we going towards the Tree?”
Billy cocked his head slightly as if he was trying to figure out if Michael was serious or not. “Well, of course we are!” he replied suddenly. “That’s what you’re here for isn’t it?” He suddenly grinned with such a wide smile that Michael and James felt alarmed.
They stepped back as Billy stared at them with that huge grin and a rather manic look in his eyes. The boys felt uneasy and knew that something had happened to their friend.
“Billy? Are you alright?” Michael asked trying to keep his voice calm.
“Of course I am?” Billy answered in a loud, brightly cheerful voice that sounded a bit off.
“What’s wrong with you?” Michael asked as he edged back from the fae forcing James to do the same.
Billy’s face suddenly lost its manic grin and instead became a mask of rage. “What’s wrong with you?” he mimicked cruelly, “Where are we going? Please help me!” Billy said in a horrible sing-song voice as he ridiculed Michael, stepping towards them. “Humans are so helpless and stupid!” he retorted angrily. “How could you possibly think you could heal the Tree? Your only children and human children at that!”
He said the last with such venom in his voice that Michael and James almost felt as if they had been slapped. In the next moment Billy jerked as if something had hit him and he gasped in pain. Shaking his head in confusion he focused once again on Michael and James, slowly drawing his knife from his sheath.
James gripped Michael’s arm tightly and whispered urgently in his ear. “I think the taint is changing him! This isn’t Billy! We have to get away from him!”
Michael watched Billy closely and noticed the strange way Billy moved towards them as if he didn’t have complete control of his body. When he looked in Billy’s eyes there were tears. “I don’t think it’s the taint,” he said over his shoulder to James, “I think he’s possessed.”
“Possessed?” James repeated, “Well, that’s just great!”
Billy continued to advance on them, waving his knife and grinning madly while the two human boys moved back to keep out of range. Michael didn’t know what was stopping him from simply rushing towards them and could only guess that Billy was fighting for control of his own body.
“We have to help,” Michael said urgently, “Quickly before Billy’s lost!”
James thought frantically and then answered, “What about the Dragon Tears? Wouldn’t that work?”
Michael touched the pocket where the bottle of Dragon Tears was safely tucked away and thought for a moment. “It might work. We’d only need a drop of it. Don’t you think?”
“How should I know?” James snapped, “Just try it because I think he’s losing the fight!”
Looking at Billy Michael knew that James was right. The forest guardian had stopped moving towards them and stood rigid, every muscle tensed as his face contorted with his unseen battle. The knife clutched in his hand shook as it was raised in front of himself. With growing horror Michael and James suspected what was going to happen but couldn’t stop it.
Billy howled in pain as the blade was plunged into his own thigh and yanked free again. Before it could come down again the two humans threw themselves onto Billy and tried to pin his limbs down, especially the one with the knife.
“Do it now Michael!” James cried as he struggled to hold down Billy’s legs. The fae boy was much stronger than them and even with both of them on top of him he still managed to thrash and heave his body about.
Michael didn’t dare let go of the hand that had the knife so he had to fumble with his right hand to get the bottle of Dragon Tears. James moved up beside him to help, practically lying on Billy to try and keep him still. Michael used his thumb to prise open the lid slightly hoping it was enough to let a tiny bit of the liquid out. He had to hold the bottle so tightly to stop Billy’s thrashing from knocking it out of his hand he feared he might break it.
Michael cried out in pain as Billy yanked his head back by the hair but continued to hold the bottle above the fae’s mouth as a tiny bit of liquid dribbled past the cork of the bottle and dangled from the lip of the bottle.
Seeing this but not understanding the spirit that was fighting for control of Billy’s body suddenly lay still and clamped Billy’s jaws together as tight as they would go.
“We have to get his mouth open!” Michael cried, tipping the bottle upright again.
James pawed at Billy’s mouth but couldn’t get a hold properly and when he tried to pull his lips back so the Dragon Tears could be dripped in that way Billy simply put his lips between his teeth and bit down.
James sat back in frustration and thought for a moment then said, “Michael, get ready.” Then he looked down at Billy who watched him with a vindictive look in his eyes. “I’m sorry Billy.” With that he grasped the knife wound in Billy’s thigh and twisted it hard. Billy howled in pain giving Michael the opportunity to use the Dragon Tears on him before they were both flung away with brutal force.
James landed against a tree, the back of his head hitting the trunk with enough force to stun him slightly. Michael was lucky enough to land on the pathway but still got the wind knocked out of him and could only lie there while Billy surged to his feet screaming with rage.
The fae advanced on Michael but only got a couple of steps forward when he suddenly jerked and fell to the ground, his limbs thrashing and his body arching. The two boys flung themselves on top of the fae t
o stop him from hurting himself more than he already had and to also subdue him in case it hadn’t worked.
With one last spasm Billy’s back arched so far it lifted Michael and James off the ground and then he slumped to the ground with a long sigh. A black mist spewed from his mouth and flew, screaming, into the trees away from them.
Michael and James looked at each other in disbelief and then down at Billy who was groaning softly and holding his head with his one free hand. He looked up at Michael and James who were still lying across him with hopeful grins on their faces.
“Can’t breathe!” Billy croaked out suddenly.
Michael and James laughed with relief as they got off the fae and helped him to sit up. James picked up Billy’s knife and used it to cut a strip off the bottom of his shirt, which he then used to bind the wound on Billy’s thigh.
“Sorry about the leg,” he told Billy, “It was the only way to get you to open your mouth!” He wrapped the strip of cotton shirt tightly, trying not to look at the blood that had already soaked Billy’s own clothes. “I think the bleeding has stopped at least. That was a nasty spirit! Making you stab your own leg!”
“It didn’t,” Billy said, stretching out his leg tentatively, “I did it in the hopes it would make it leave.”
Michael looked in shock at Billy. “Has that happened before? A spirit taking over your body?”
Billy shook his head and looked warily around them. “No, never before. But then I don’t normally come this far in. They’re stronger here, closer to the Tree.”
Michael studied the forest guardian and could see he was tired and in a great deal of pain but more than that he could tell that he had been badly scared by the spirit. Looking up into the trees he tried to see if he could tell which way led to the Tree but knew they still couldn’t do it without Billy’s guidance.
“Billy,” he began slowly, “I think it would be best if me and James went on alone. You’ve been really hurt and you’ve helped so much already! We really can’t ask you to go any further when you need to rest.”
Billy stared at both of them for a moment then laughed quietly. “You don’t understand do you?” he asked them, looking from one to the other. “I’m not just doing this to help you. I’m also doing it to help my people.” He waved a hand back the way they had come. “We’re dying in here but this is our home. We have nowhere else to go! If this works and you heal the Tree we have our home back, if it doesn’t…” He shrugged letting his words trail off. He didn’t have to say that they failed to heal the Tree he would become tainted like the rest.
He stood up slowly testing his wounded leg gently then smiling at James gratefully. Turning to get his bearings he pointed in a direction that angled away from the way they had been going. “We need to go this way to get to the Tree. It’s not far now, let’s hurry.”
Billy led the way forward, limping only slightly on his injured leg and Michael could only feel admiration at the fae’s bravery. His leg must be very painful and yet he didn’t complain about it at all. If it had been him or James they would probably have been unable to move. He glanced at James who was walking beside him.
He noticed a change in his friend. James didn’t seem as tentative as he was when they first entered the forest. He seemed to have gained more confidence in himself, which surprised Michael, but then he’d always known James was braver than he knew. Thanks to Michael he was always getting dragged into some daring escapade that would have them thinking twice if they had really thought it through and yet James always did it even when he was scared.
“I’m glad you’re here James!” he told his friend with a smile.
James looked at him a little startled and then smiled. “I’m glad too. It’s certainly turning out to be a bit of an adventure!” He smiled and Michael grinned back at him.
They faced forward and travelled in silence for a few moments until Michael was sure someone was calling his name. “What?” he said aloud, looking around at the trees.
“What is it?” Billy demanded, stopping to look at him.
Michael listened for a moment and then shook his head. “Sorry, I thought I heard someone calling my name. It sounded a bit like …”
“Michael,” a soft voice called from amongst the trees.
Billy snatched his knife from its sheath and turned in the direction the voice was calling from. “Don’t listen Michael, it’s a trick!”
Michael wasn’t listening though. A figure was stepping out from between the trees beside them. Such a familiar figure that Michael cried out and took a step forward before Billy grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Stop Michael,” he said quietly, “Don’t go near it!”
Michael yanked his arm out of Billy’s grasp angrily. “Can’t you see!” he cried, “It’s my mother!”