Evadeen Brickwood - The Speaking Stone of Caradoc

“Chris, we’ll find Katie and get this stone back and be on our way.”

“Yes we will.”

She looked up and saw a large yellow snake curled into a tight coil, lying comfortably on an intertwined branch just above them.

The snake was curious and stuck its head out to get a better look. Chryséis gave a muffled cry and jumped back in surprise, but she couldn’t just stay behind. She had no choice but to pull herself together and gingerly passed under the branch to catch up with Trevor.

When she looked over her shoulder, the snake was still hanging there, head stretched out, staring after them. Chryséis walked faster.

“Come on, the others are far ahead of us. Katherine says we are getting closer.” Trevor was proud that he could communicate by thought.

“That’s great, Trevor. Didn’t you say you’re not good at telepathy?”

“Oh I don’t know. It just popped into my head.”

The tree trunks around them were deeply furrowed and many of them as big as sequoias. Trevor brushed against a tree in the passing. It seemed to shrink away from his touch.

A small forest stream gurgled softly to their right, fringed by glistening ferns. They rushed on, climbing over buttress roots and jumping over puddles. A large root even formed an arch over the path. Thin mist wafted up between the spindly ferns fringing the stream and large spider webs became visible with tiny droplets.

“Uh, look at that.” Chryséis felt a cold shudder move up her spine.

“Must be big spiders,” Trevor said as they walked through the tree-root arch.

“Gives me the creeps.”

“Such a strange forest. Do you think dinosaurs lurk around somewhere?”

“Don’t be silly, Trevor Huxley. There are no dinosaurs around here.”

“But what about the farm animals and all…” Trevor began.

“Haven’t you heard a word the Lady of Cydonia has said? They’ve banished the wild dinosaurs to remote areas. The farm animals are domesticated.”

Trevor mumbled something like “How much more remote do you get?”

“There are no dinosaurs here, so drop it already.”

And Trevor did. No need to make Chryséis nervous. She might just demand to go back to the future as she had before. Little sunlight filtered through the vast canopy of trees. Chryséis checked her watch again. Only about an hour since they had landed on the beach.

‘Hurry up, guys, I can’t move!’ Katherine moaned. Trevor and Katherine stared at each other.

“Did you hear that?” Chryséis asked.

“Yes. She’s in danger. Why can’t she move? Let’s hurry up!” Trevor urged.

‘We are coming, hang in there!’ He transmitted to Katherine.

Ear-splitting screeches echoed off the trees. A horde of small monkeys flew from branch to branch. Scurrying down a nearby tree trunk, they plunged through the undergrowth and were soon gone. The monkeys looked fluffy and white like ghosts. Alarmed tree frogs sailed down from lofty heights with outstretched webbed fingers and toes. A green frog with white rings on its back landed next to Chryséis . She screamed in terror and flailed her arms nearly knocking Trevor off his feet.

“Be careful Chris, it’s only a frog!”

“Only a frog? It nearly jumped on me.” Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Don’t touch it or you might get warts,” Trevor laughed.

“Thanks just make fun of me.”

The two men in front of them turned around to see what the commotion was all about. “Move along athenai,” the captain called out. “No time to lose.”

Just when it seemed that the forest couldn’t get any darker, the path widened onto a forest glade. Dappled sunlight wove shady patterns onto the grass and the damp smell of the forest made way for the scent of wildflowers. Dragonflies stood still in the air above the little forest stream that now rippled gaily over rocks.

“There are Katherine and Lelani!” Chryséis cried and walked faster.

One lilac and one periwinkle-blue shape stood stock still in postures of flight in the middle of the path. The little songwood harp lay at Lelani’s feet.

“Who goes there?!” a whiny voice demanded.

The next moment an elf in tattered brownish garb appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He was about Trevor’s height. Shifty dark-green eyes observed them closely. Chryséis wondered if he had pixie ears under his green cap.

“Shelanti, good sir elf, you startled us,” captain Thëlamôn said in a friendly tone.

“You belong to these two, heh? Trying to steal my beautiful ruby-red flowers?” he asked in a challenging tone and pointed to Katherine and Lelani.

Before the surprised visitors could answer, they were unable to move a muscle. Only the elf’s spell kept them from falling over. Luckily they could still speak.

“Katie, are you okay?” Chryséis called out to her friend.

Katherine answered with a faint “Yes”. The elf danced around the immobilised humans and gave Chryséis a grim look.

“Welcome, visitors to Ruta Ynis,” he said smoothly. “It seems we have many visitors today. Too many visitors! Did you come for free flowers?” he ended on a mischievous note.

“Oh, I’m forgetting my manners. May I introduce myself, Gump of Ruta Ynis. Gump the elf. Some people call me a faun, but actually on my mother's side —” The forest guard rambled on until a much smaller elf next to him tucked on his sleeve. “…ehem, Her Majesty Queen Elfinûr’s humble servant and guard in the royal forest. State your names and business.”

“Sir Gump, greetings. My name is Thëlamôn of Kamûk. We are sorry about the…flowers. We are here on behalf of the Lady of Kamûk to retrieve an item that Edfunian thieves stole from her.”

Trevor was distracted. His eyes followed a troublesome fly that attempted to land on his nose.

“This good fellow’s name is Kheton of Cydonia, the husband of the young woman over here by the name of Lelani. Then we have Trevór of Chicago and Chryséis of Ethigevee…and Kathín of Oxfol,” the captain introduced them politely. “Kindly release us from your spell, sir elf. We wish to convey the Lady’s wishes to Queen Elfinûr of Arbộlimar and ask for her help.”

“Not so fast, not so fast human. The Lady of Kamûk sent you, heh?”

The elfin guard’s eyes narrowed and he scratched his upturned nose. Kheton wished he could do the same. The fly was still interested in him.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“You do not belong to the brazen Gabari, who trampled through my precious forest today?” Gump asked quite unnecessarily. He danced some way down the forest path and cackled. “They are now lending their shade to our wonderful green home!”

“No, they don’t belong to us, sir elf.”

Thëlamôn followed him with his eyes and understood. Gump pointed his chin at a group of young, sturdy trees, branches bent in all directions. The leaves seemed to flutter nervously.

“Is it possible that these trees are the giant Edfunians?”

“And the ship’s crew. One can never have enough trees in a forest, heh?” the elf guffawed. “Heh, heh, not so forward now, are we?”

He hobbled towards the young trees with challenging gestures. A shudder went through the branches and a prickle of fear went down the visitors’ spines.

“Sir Gump, you surely have no reason to turn us into trees…” Captain Thëlamôn argued, suddenly afraid for their safety. “We are here to see the honourable queen…”

“Don’t I have a reason? Some regret to ever having set foot on Ruta Ynis. Some get away and take with them birds in cages too small for them and worth a fortune in the ‘Land of the Shaking Earth’. How do I know that you are not here to steal birds and plants — or our children?”

The time travellers already knew that the ‘Land of the Shaking Earth’ was Prydhain. The captain ignored the unreasonable outburst.