Chapter 18
“I t does what, now?” Paige asked, her muscles tensing as the plant tugged against her.
“Eats you. It’ll eat you. You’ll just…disappear into the foliage, like someone sinking in quicksand.”
“Why does this even exist?”
“Security. Many supernaturals use it to protect their garden from thieves like rabbits, groundhogs, deer, Pesky Pixies, some forms of trolls–”
“Okay, I get it. I wasn’t asking literally. I was mainly just lamenting its existence. How do I get out of this?”
“Well, you can’t. The harder you try, the harder it’ll fight you.”
“There has to be a way. Has no one survived one of these?”
“Oh, sure. A machete would do the trick, but we haven’t got one of those, so there goes that idea.”
The vine tightened around her leg and tugged her backward. She struggled to keep her footing in the dirt. “It’s pulling me.”
She stumbled back a few steps before she fell forward, smacking her chin into the ground. Her glasses slid from her sweaty face. Dewey scooped them up as the plant yanked her back. She slid on her stomach, twisting and kicking as she tried to escape.
“You’re just going to make it worse,” Dewey said, handing her glasses back to her.
She slid them onto her face and twisted to glance behind her. “It’s really pulling now.”
“Well, yeah, that’s what it does. It’ll keep pulling you until it eats you,” Dewey said as he fluttered along next to her.
“Do something!” she shouted.
“Like what?” Dewey asked, splaying his paws to the sides. “I don’t have a machete to chop it.”
“Bite it! Chew through it with those big dragon teeth.”
“I don’t have big dragon teeth, Paige. I’m just a little tyke.”
Paige shifted onto her back as she continued to bounce along the ground. She kicked her feet with clenched teeth as she tried to escape, but she only rocketed toward the creeping plant’s stalk faster.
“Use your tiny teeth,” she exclaimed, “before that thing eats me.”
Dewey tugged his teal lips up in a grimace as he studied the fibrous band tugging Paige toward the large main stalk. “Okay, I’ll try.”
“Hurry,” Paige said as she crept closer to the leaves of the bush.
Dewey grabbed hold of the taught vine and sank his teeth into it.
“Ow!” Paige shouted.
“I didn’t bite you,” he said, green goo dripping from his lips.
“When you bit the vine, it squeezed me.”
“Oh, my apologies. I’m over here trying to gnaw this thing off your leg, and it tastes terrible.”
Paige rolled her ankle around, trying to relieve the smarting pain in it. “Just gnaw faster. It’s still pulling on me.”
“Okay, okay,” Dewey said before he bit into the pulpy creeper again. “Ugh.”
His lips tugged into a deep grimace, and he spat out a thick green goo. “This is disgusting.”
“Hurry, Dewey!” Paige said as the plant’s leaves smacked against her shoe.
Dewey chomped down again on the plant, and it snapped. One end snaked back to the main stalk, while the other flopped around, bleeding a green goo all over the ground before it went limp.
Paige let her head thud against the ground as she buried her face in her hands. “Thank goodness. I thought I was a goner.”
“I may be,” Dewey said, plopping on the ground next to her.
Paige pulled her hands away from her face and stared at him. “Are you okay? Are you poisoned?”
“No, it’s not poisonous. It just tastes disgusting. Like sand mixed with tar and paint and then rolled in manure, with a dash of–”
“That’s enough description,” Paige said as she scrambled to her feet and unraveled the end of the vine from her ankle. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get out of here.”
She lifted Dewey from his seat on the ground and stuck him on her shoulder. “Oh, I’m not sure my taste buds are going to recover from this.”
“Well, I appreciate your sacrifice,” she said as she hurried back to the Glowrock fruit, snatching it from its resting spot and setting it on her hip.
“I don’t. I can’t get this awful taste out of my mouth. It’s horrible.”
“I’ll get you a big glass of water when we get back to your village,” Paige promised.
Dewey fluttered off her shoulder and buzzed around the plants. “Uh-uh, nope. I can’t wait that long.”
“What are you doing?”
“Shh, I just need a minute to find a tasty fruit to eat.”
“Are you kidding? We’re in a Harpy village, stealing from their garden, and you want to pause to find a tasty fruit?”
“Next time, bite your own Quicksand vine if you can’t be sympathetic.”
Paige shifted the large golden fruit to her other hip with a sigh. “Fine, fine. Just hurry up.”
“Don’t rush me, Paige. I’m suffering here.” He smacked his lips together as she circled through the plants before he wrestled a cluster of silver berries from a plant and dangled them above his head.
He bit a few of the round fruits from the vine and chewed. “Oh, so much better,” he said, with his mouth still full. Silver liquid squirted from inside as he bit into a few more juicy orbs.
“That looks gross,” Paige said, with a wrinkled nose.
“What, this? Oh, no, they are so good. Here, try some.” He snagged another bunch off the plant and shoved them toward Paige.
She grimaced and shook her head. “Pass, before I end up poisoned again.”
“Nah, these are safe for humans.”
“It looks like you’re eating Christmas ornaments.”
“Come on, try them,” Dewey said, shoving a few of the silver spheres toward her.
“Fine,” Paige said. She grabbed the wobbly round balls and popped two in her mouth. Her taste buds puckered as she prepared to bite down. Her teeth gnashed at the fruit’s flesh, and juice squirted against her tongue.
Her eyebrows shot up, and she turned her lips up at the corners. “Wow, this is good!”
“Told you,” Dewey said before he tossed a few more into his mouth.
“Mmmm, it’s like cotton candy and bubble gum all rolled into one.”
Dewey nodded his head up and down and winked at her.
“What’s this called? No, wait, let me guess. Cotton Gum?”
Dewey shook his head as Paige popped a few more of the fruits into her mouth before she strode toward the opening in the fence. “No…”
“Ummm, Silver Bells.”
“Uh-uh.”
She puckered her lips. “I give up. What is it?”
“Screaming Poisonberry.”
Paige stopped dead before she exited the garden. The color drained from her face, and she gulped. “Say what?”
“Don’t worry, Paige. Despite its odd-sounding name. It is not poisonous at all.”
“Oh, right, sure. I trust you implicitly after I’ve thrown up three bushes.”
“Stop being so dramatic,” he said as he fluttered into the air and tried to pull the chicken wire closed.
“I’m not being dramatic. I’ve already been poisoned once on this trip by something that sounded innocuous. Imagine my alarm when you tell me I’ve just eaten a Poisonberry.”
Dewey grunted, while he pushed the chicken wire. As he attempted to latch it, it snapped back and rolled away from him. He let his arms dangle in the air as he slumped over.
“Just leave it,” Paige said. “Let’s get going. I’d like to have a long conversation on the walk back about just why these are called Poisonberries.”
Dewey stared after the fence for a moment before he spun. “Okay, fine, I–”
His speech cut off, and his jaw dropped open.
“What now?” Paige set her hand on her hips. “Have I turned silver? Oh, no, wait, I have silver pimples. No, I’m a pile of mush.”
Dewey shook his head, clamping his jaw closed as he swallowed hard. “Nope, not that.”
“There’s a plant growing in the pit of my stomach, and soon I’ll toss my cookies?”
“No.”
“Then what?” she growled.
“There’s a harpy standing behind you.”
Paige spun around in search of the giant monster as Dewey began to laugh. He slapped his knees and zipped around in a circle as she twisted back. “Oh, man, I got you so good. You should have seen your face.”
Dewey rolled back in the air, kicking his feet.
“Very funny, Dewey. A real scream. Sure, tell me a giant monster is–”
“Standing behind you,” Dewey said, still chuckling. He flicked a tear from his teal cheek and blew out a breath as he tried to rein in his laughter.
“Dewey,” Paige whispered, with a shake of her head. “Don’t move.”
“Why? Is there a Harpy behind me?” He burst into laughter again before he waved his paws in the air. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I can’t help it.”
“Dewey,” she hissed. “Don’t. There is a giant Harpy right behind you.”
“Uh huh, sure there is. Here’s a tip, Paige. Don’t use the same prank the other person just pulled on you. It doesn’t work, and it reeks of unoriginality.”
“I’m not kidding. Fly over here quick, and we’ll make a run for it.”
“Okay, okay,” Dewey said, with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll play.”
He flew forward before he froze, forming his teal mouth into an “O” and pretending to shake all over. “Hope I can make it on my wobbly wings.”
He continued forward and landed, spinning around to face forward. “Now I can see that there is absolutely no–” His voice cut off, and his eyes went wide. “OMG! HARPY! HARPY!”
“No kidding!” Paige said as the giant bird squawked at them, scratching her foot on the ground before she charged.
Dewey landed on her shoulder, and Paige spun on her heel and raced around the corner of the garden. The bird-woman followed, screeching to call for backup.
Dewey glanced behind them, his muscles going stiff. He tightened his grip on Paige’s shoulder, his claws digging into her skin. “Run! Paige!”
“I’m running. I’m running!”
Massive shadows crossed the ground as other Harpies gathered overhead, responding to the alarm.
Paige glanced up as she ran the length of the garden toward the huts they’d sneaked past earlier. “They’re everywhere!”
“I know, I know,” Dewey called, wrapping his arms around her head.
“How did she find us? I thought they were all eating worms or whatever?”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you about Screaming Poisonberries. When they’re picked, they emit a high-pitched scream. The Harpies must have been able to hear it.”
Paige grumbled as she barreled forward, nearly to the corner. A Harpy landed at their side, leaving only a path forward. “Of course.”
Before she could cross to the hut, a Harpy landed in front of them. Paige skidded to a stop. Another Harpy slammed to the ground behind them, cutting off any escape that way.
“Oh, no,” Paige groaned.
“Should have dug that Bugs Bunny tunnel. Then we would have been golden.”
“We would have been golden if you hadn’t had to cleanse your delicate palate.”
“Next time you eat the burnt earth sandwich,” Dewey said as Paige searched for a way out.
The fence blocked them on one side. “Going to need to take bold action,” Paige whispered.
“Oh, yeah. What’s that?” Dewey asked.
Paige swallowed hard, firming her jaw. “Hang on.”
“Hang on?” His back arched backward as Paige sprinted forward. “Whoa!”
He latched onto her head and righted himself as Paige dove forward, flying head-first between the massive bird’s skinny legs.
“Way to go, Pa–” Dewey’s comment cut off as she smacked into the ground well short of the hut.
“Oh, come on,” she groaned, shoving herself to her feet, adjusted the large Glowrock fruit under her arm, and scrambled the rest of the way under the big bird.
“Drucinda would have made that.”
“And probably rolled to stand before she continued sprinting without missing a beat,” Paige huffed out as her feet fought to find purchase against the dirt.
The Harpy twisted to face her with a scream before she launched into the air. Paige hugged tight to the buildings as she snaked toward the village’s edge. The thick foliage of the jungle came into sight, and she pushed herself toward it.
“Devon!” she and Dewey screamed as they ran. “Devon!”
“I really hope he’s awake,” Paige choked out.
“If he isn’t, we’re ditching him,” Dewey answered.
They reached the village edge as Devon poked his head from under the leaves.
“There he is,” Paige said, pointing ahead. “DEVON! RUN!”
His eyes went wide as he stared at the Harpies circling overhead. “Run!” Dewey repeated as Paige stormed into the thick trees. Branches tore at her hair and flesh as she raced toward Devon.
He waved her forward until she reached him. “Get under cover,” he shouted, shoving her into the thick foliage.
Paige nestled into the thick leaves, squatting down to keep her head covered. Devon squeezed in next to her. She stared up at the skies as Harpies soared overhead in search of them.
Devon pressed a finger to his lips when she shot him a glance. She nodded as she tried to steady her wobbling legs. If they were found, they wouldn’t make it out of the camp this time.
Shadows blotted out the sun above them as the Harpies continued to search. Paige’s heart pounded as she wondered if they’d make it back to Dewey’s village to save them, or if this would be the last moments of their lives.