The Forest's Secrets: Part 2

Part 2 for The Forest's Secrets completes the journey of Denib who discovers that the person he is looking for, finds him instead.

Denib found himself dangling high above the dining table he was at before he passed out. Being upside-down was almost unbearable at this length of time. He watched the floor as it swayed slowly back and forth. There was some something on the table that looked rather disgusting, probably his leftover dinner that didn't sit quite right. The ropes that tied him were so tight around his arms and legs that it felt as if he circulation was being cut off. Above him the light streamed in from the tree branches that covered most of the hole in the trunk. He closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to hear anything that might be moving around. Only the whistling of the wind through the trunk and the birds chirping outside gave any hint of life other than his own.

The birds. if they were chirping now it must be the next day. He was out for quite awhile then, perhaps even longer than a day if his wrists and ankles had anything to say about it. He then heard a strange buzzing sound in the distance. That was the sound of a wisp! Now he knew why it was so strange to hear nothing outside other than birds and the wind. The wisps were no where to be seen or heard. Every time he came here to visit Grenalda the wisps were always there circling the tree, just like they had when he first arrived here yesterday.

The buzzing grew louder, circling downward more and more. He couldn't see the wisp itself until it flew out from behind his dangling body and came to hover almost directly in front of his face. This was a particularly odd situation. If the wisps had intelligence they might think this was funny. Suddenly it darted forward towards his face. Flinching, Denib watched the wisp circle up and hover just above his feet. It waited there for a few minutes and then began to circle the rope that was wrapped around his ankles. He watched curiously as to the dance it was performing. It was strange to see one of these so active. On previous trips to the forest he would attempt to touch a wisp only to get a mild shock. Either that or they would easily slip away to a higher portion of the tree. On only one other occasion did he see one wandering the forest alone.

The wisp's buzzing suddenly grew louder as it spun faster and faster around the rope. Then the rope began to smoke! It was getting awfully close to his feet as well. He feared that whatever the wisp was doing might burn up his feet in the process. Then he realized his hands were still tied. Crying out, he tried to get the wisp to stop what it was doing. It was too late. The rope gave way and sent him crashing down at a horrendous rate. Instinctively attempting to cover his head he feared for the worst. First he felt his head hit the table and almost instantly after that he felt himself hit the ground. Only this time he didn't die like he expected to. The next thing he felt was a splash of water and the impact of soft sand. His head hurt so bad he almost forgot to breathe. Taking in a lung full of water he gagged and coughed, only to draw in more water along with sand. Now his body was lying under water in a sand bed. Getting his feet dug into the sand he knelt and attempted to stand up. The surface was only about neck high as he stood up to full height. Gathering in a lung full of air he kept his eyes closed. His entire face was covered with mud and silt. After he regained his senses he dipped his head in the water to wash it off. Coming back up again for air he noticed a cool breeze sweep across his face.

Opening his eyes he discovered something truly amazing. He was standing in a river as he suspected, but that river was in some sort of old underground cavern. It looked as if it could go on for miles in either direction. Wisps were flying everywhere, illuminating the entire area. Looking up he noticed a large hole in the dirt ceiling. The bottom of the tree trunk where he had fallen through had ripped a great opening up and into Grenalda's house. Huge branches of the tree snaked there way around the cavern. This would be an excellent source of water for it, perhaps the reason why it had grown so large. He looked around for any of his tools or weapons that he brought with originally. Nothing was left on his body except for his clothes, in such a state as they were.

As he was checking out his feet and legs, he noticed a small group of fish swimming around his legs, then dart off downstream. The flow of the water was actually warm to the touch. He removed what clothes he didn't need, stuffed them in the pack he still had with and let himself be taken downstream. The flow wasn't fast but enough to carry him a good distance before the river began to turn rocky. Some of the wisps had followed him, allowing him to see the path that lay ahead. His senses told him to get out of the river. The water was flowing faster and the rocks were becoming dangerous to move around in. When he got out he noticed a small opening that looked as if it might lead up to the surface. He was about to take it when the wisps suddenly flew off further down the river side and stopped a short distance around a curve in the tunnel.

The wisps were hovering around a small depression in the rock face. He didn't know what else to do but push it. A loud rumbling sound occurred and then the rock before him started to give way. He fell back into the river, watching the rock literally crumble to bits and then disappear, revealing an entrance before him that led into another room. That was a neat little trick he thought to himself. Cautiously following the wisps as they went down the new corridor, he stood there in anger as they came to a small room where Grenalda was. She was in a straw flat bed lying down with her eyes closed. The wisps circled the room to illuminate everything. Several book piles and other artifacts lay haphazardly all over. Spider webs and other insects had made a few homes here. This place had clearly not been used in some time. A strange gnome was kneeling over her, probing her with some sort of small black crystal.

Denib ran towards him and knocked the crystal out of his hands.

The gnome turned around with a furious look in its eyes. "You idiot! Who are you and what are you doing here!" The gnome cried at him. His face was dirty as well as his clothes. It was obvious it lived down here.

Denib didn't bother answering him. He instead knelt beside Grenalda and gently shook her. She didn't stir.

He turned angrily to the gnome. "What have you done with her? Who are you!" He grabbed the gnome, lifting it right off its feet. It struggled for breath as it tried to answer him. When Denib realized it could not, he let go causing the gnome to tumble to the ground, tipping over a pile of books in the process.

"I'm trying to save her you nimble dim wit of a thing! You obviously don't understand what black crystals are for, you definitely don't." It got up to retrieve its crystal. "Barlow is the name and healing is the game." Barlow took the crystal and headed back over to where Grenalda was lying.

Denib grabbed Barlow's arm and ripped the crystal from it. Barlow made a strange huffing noise as if it might be prepared to attack.

"No, you obviously don't know what a dark crystal is, oh no. Why don't you give it back to me? Yes, give it back. Either give it back or I let this creature die." Barlow crossed his arms in defiance.

Denib took a moment to look over the crystal. It looked rather useless in all. He held it up high so the gnome couldn't reach it.

"You want this thing; tell me what you're doing here and why Grenalda is dieing."

The gnome huffed again and collected a heap of books and sat down. "You're a strange creature. I go out of my way to save this creatures life and all you have to do is complain." It dug into its pockets and grabbed a small bit of bread. It ate that while watching Grenalda. When it finished it got up and walked over to her.

"I found her lying in the mud above ground, all dirty, all helpless looking If I hadn't been out looking for food today I wouldn't have been able to save her." The gnome turned to Denib. "Yes, be glad I'm always hungry!" He pulled out another piece of bread and ate it.

"Who did this to her?"

The gnome looked around. "Not me, no. You suspect me yes? You would be wrong mister. I only found her lying there helpless in the mud. A good clean she needed. I saw an ugly dark creature walking far down the path from where she lay. That was all."

It was that vial thing he was after! It did this to her. What he couldn't quite figure out was why it didn't kill them both. He looked over at Grenalda.

"Will she be alright?"

The gnome picked up the stone and held it over her. "Hmm." It waved it about in a figure eight motion. "Yep yep, will be fine she will. You should thank me mister. I'm not in the business of saving people who are left for dead on the road. I be dead if I followed that person, yes."

If the creature was still on the road, perhaps he could catch up with it. He had to, more now than ever.

"Listen very careful Barlow. I want you to take me to where you found Grenalda. Will she be ok here for awhile?"

Barlow took two steps back, almost tripping over the bed and Grenalda. "Oopsy, me a bit clumsy. Listen here mister, if there is one thing I'm not doing, it's going after that thing. She be nasty and vial and powerful and."

Denib gave it the meanest stare he could muster. It coward back even further. "Well, we go to the road place, no further, no hunt creature and die a terrible death?"

Denib got up and grabbed Barlow by the arm. "Just show me where you found her and then you can come back here and sit down here for as long as it takes her to get better."

Barlow clapped his hands as best as he could with Denib's firm grip still holding him close. "Oh goodie, this will be fun. Dangerous creatures is no fun." He turned towards Grenalda. "I will be back! Don't run off now, I like telling you stories."

They reached the surface a little over a half hour from the tunnel he discovered earlier. The sun indicated it was nearly noon . At least it wasn't raining anymore. Denib stood there for a moment, savoring the warmth and then nudged Barlow up the path. A little over an hour later they came across a larger clearing where the path forked beyond.

Barlow ran ahead and then stopped almost in the middle of the clearing, hopping up and down. "She lye right here she did. All muddy and dirty and wet." Barlow frowned at the ground.

Denib walked to the middle of the clearing surveying the ground. He could see the impression where she was and also a set of foot tracks heading off up one of the forks in the path. It was an odd span of tracks though, almost as if a horse or some other creature had been here.

"What kind of a creature did you say was with her?"

Barlow huffed again and frowned. "Well, it was a strange creature. Big, hair, dark and mean looking. Wait, that was the creature that the mean person who stole that lady, was riding on. Did I mention that before?"

"No, you didn't."

"Can I go now? I really must go. That lady really needs my help. I like stories and I know she does too."

"Fine, get back to her. Make sure you take good care of her!" Denib yelled at Barlow who was already running back down the path.

Denib stood there for a moment, surveying the surrounding area, then he sat down on the ground. What was he to do? At least Grenalda was alright, for the moment. What exactly did the creature want and how did it know Denib was looking for it? With determination to find this thing, he got up and began the trek up the path. He was a hunter after all and wouldn't let himself be beat by anyone. It would never be over until he saw that things head on a spike.