Chapter thirty-two
Forest of the Unforgotten
S unlight trickled through the conservatory windows. I reached for Darragh and found empty sheets.
“He’s gone,” Alyth said. She sat with her eyes closed, sunbathing on a chair. I bolted upright.
“He’s what?!”
Fear stilled me.
The sweet, wafting stench of decay hit my nose and I covered my mouth. A knot of dread rooted in my stomach, and I scrambled out of bed. Wilted, brown leaves hung lifeless over the side of every pot in the conservatory. I took a step forward— crunch ! The magnificent plumes of leaves that grew from planters now lay flat on the floor. Darragh’s words echoed in my head. ‘ When I’m away, the house cares for them, like an extension of me .’
The stink of rot filled my nostrils, suffocating me.
Where’s Darragh?
Warm tears welled along my lashes.
Without opening her eyes, Alyth said, “He left you something.”
“What?”
Alyth squinted against the sun and pointed at Darragh’s pillow. Sure enough, a small scrap of thin bark lay beside me. Written in ash, the note read:
Nell,
No one else will die for me. Not you, not Bowyn, not even Marlowe.
If I’m unsuccessful and I don’t come back, break the orb. Go home.
Live a happy life for me.
I love you.
I’m sorry I couldn’t say it out loud.
- Darragh
Betrayal blossomed in my chest as I focused on those three words, scribbled in Darragh’s childlike handwriting:
I love you .
The note burst into flame, and I dropped it with a hiss. The frail bark burned to nothing before it hit the mattress. The orb sat on Darragh’s pillow.
“He took the necklace too,” Alyth pointed out. My hand shot to my neck, where the necklace used to be. Examining her fingernails, Alyth said, “Don’t worry, he didn’t take the right necklace.”
“What?”
“I swapped them.” Alyth scrunched her face. “Well… you swapped them.” I stared at Alyth incredulously. She rolled her eyes and said, “Check your sock.” I ripped my sock off. Sure enough, the necklace tumbled out.
“I don’t understand.”
Alyth’s head fell back in dismay. “I encouraged you to do some sleepwalking last night. You replaced the Queen’s necklace with a fake.” Alyth’s expression clouded. “And let me tell you, it was a real pain. He had quite the hold on you. ”
“But why?!”
“I didn’t trust him.” Alyth shrugged. “Apparently, you shouldn’t either.”
Darragh had gone to the Queen with a fake necklace.
What had she done to him?
I stared into the middle distance, at the vines that dangled from hanging baskets. Without leaves, the vines swung like brittle nooses from the ceiling.
Dead.
Everything was dead.
I rubbed my chest, hoping to ease the tightness—
“Oh!” I ran to a shelf and shoved several withered plants aside. There, inside a tiny terracotta pot, was a thriving sprout. A speck of green amongst all the death. I dragged the pot out and cradled it.
Hope.
I set the pot down and stomped past Alyth, out of the conservatory. “Where are you going?” she shouted.
“I don’t know!” I ripped open the cottage door and made to storm out.
“Agh!” My face smushed against an invisible wall. My arms flailed as I bounced back and landed on my ass.
Alyth examined the door and muttered, “Clever boy.” I touched my nose tenderly; I’d been headed pretty hard out that door. “He’s enchanted it. We’re trapped.” Alyth turned to me. “Can you put some pants on?”
I scrambled up and ripped open a kitchen window. Instead of air, my palm pressed against something flat, like the window was still closed. Suddenly feeling very claustrophobic, my mind raced. How could I be trapped? What if something happened, and I needed to get out? What if there was a fire?
What if there was a fire?
I ran back into the conservatory. My pants and one of Darragh’s sweaters lay discarded on the ground, I yanked them on. I grabbed the orb and sprinted back to the den. A satchel lay discarded by the fireplace. I tossed the orb inside and strung it over my shoulder. “If I know Darragh, he’ll have put a fire safety clause in this trap.” I jumped on a chair and grabbed a bunch of dried herbs from a beam. Leaping from the chair, I tossed the herbs on the floor. The fragile leaves cracked into pieces.
Nice and dry.
I focused all my energy on the kindling.
Nothing happened.
Hurry !
Darragh could be hurt—or worse.
“Ugh! I can’t concentrate!” I took a deep breath. “Can you do fire?”
Alyth held her hands up apologetically. “I only do shadows.” I scoured the cottage, ripping open cupboards and drawers. Nothing to make fire. No surprise. Why would Darragh own anything to start a fire? Alyth stood in the den, arms crossed. Pursing her lips, she asked, “Now what?”
I flailed my arms. “You think of something!”
“I mean, if you didn’t rely on him to make you fire, maybe we’d be out of here already.”
“That’s rich coming from you!” I snapped. “If I’m trapped in here, then you’re trapped in here with me. Help!” Alyth crossed her arms tighter and sat on the sofa. I picked at my lip. “I have an idea.” I grabbed the string that held the dried flowers, and a few bits of wood from the blackened frame of the bay window. I sat down and fiddled with the string and wood. Alyth abandoned the sofa and sat across from me.
“What are you doing?”
“Something I saw on TV.”
“What’s TV?” Alyth asked, her tone laced with dismay.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about.” I admired my handiwork. “Ah-ha! ”
Looking glum, Alyth said, “It’s a pile of sticks.”
“It’s a bow-drill,” I snapped. My foot on the fireboard, I held the spindle down and dragged the bow. The spindle flew out from under me. “Damnit!” I cradled my hand.
“The Queen will kill your boy and come for us if we don’t hurry.”
“That’s not helping!” I repositioned myself and tried again. The skin on my palms blistered and ripped. My arms ached, begging me to stop. Still, I couldn’t form a coal. “I’m not strong enough.” I threw the bloody bow and hung my head.
“I have an idea,” Alyth whispered and pointed to the shadows. “Use them.” I calmed myself and concentrated. Twirling my fingers, I pulled the shadows to me. I repositioned again, but this time, the shadows dragged the bow back and forth. My hands might get sore, but the shadows wouldn’t tire.
After ten minutes, a small trickle of smoke wafted from the fireboard.
“Ah-ha!” Kneeling with my dried petals and twigs, I delicately placed the small coal in the tinder. It caught and the flame spread.
“Yes!” Alyth punched the air. Smoke puffed to the ceiling. I headed to the door, fire first. Sure enough, I walked right through it.
Alyth breathed in the fresh air. “Seems he isn’t as clever as you.” She smiled proudly. “What’s next?”
I’d focused so much on getting out, I hadn’t really thought about what came next. “I guess we…go rescue Darragh? And Bowyn, if we happen to see him?”
“You’re going to take on the Queen, and an entire mountain of guardians meant to protect her? All by yourself?”
“Well, I’ve got you.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Alyth exhaled. Her eyes bugged, and she covered her mouth.
“You’re forgetting who else we have,” I said.
“Who?”
I smiled.
“No.” Alyth crossed her arms. “Absolutely not.”
***
Alyth stood between me, and the garden shed. “Do not let him out.”
“Is someone there?” Marlowe’s muffled voice called. A clattering noise rang out as he tumbled over gardening equipment. Marlowe’s eye appeared in a gap between the slatted boards. I looked at the ground. “Oh, Nell! My dear. Come. Release me.”
I lowered my voice so only Alyth could hear. “We need all the help we can get.” I went around her and stood by the shed. “Darragh’s gone. He took the Queen’s necklace… I think he meant to trade it for Bowyn.”
“Oh, stupendous!” Marlowe said. “Oh, I’m so relieved!”
“The thing is, I still have the real necklace.” I pulled my shirt back so Marlowe could see.
Marlowe’s eye widened. “Oh, my.”
“Yeah, and I have a feeling the Queen wasn’t happy when Darragh showed up with a fake.” The wilted, dead plants nagged at my mind. “Darragh and Bowyn need us. I’ll let you out if you help me free them.”
“So, the Queen might cage, mutilate, or kill me? No, I don’t think I will.”
“You swore you’d help rescue Bowyn! You gave me and Darragh your word!”
“Yes! I promised Darragh and you. Not just you. I’m not conceited enough to think we have a chance in that mountain.”
“You escaped before!”
“Escaping by my onesies is one thing, sneaking both of us in, and four of us out, is another thing entirely! ”
“Please! Darragh said your persuasion is unmatched; if anyone can do it, it’s you!”
“My dearest Eleanor, why can’t you see this for what it is? An opportunity to flee this wretched place.” Marlowe’s voice was irritatingly calm when he said, “I will not set foot in that mountain ever again.”
“Fine!” I shouted. “I’ll go alone! Darragh will die, Bowyn will die, I’ll die.” I shrugged. “And there won’t be anyone left to get you out of this shed, so, I guess you’ll die too.”
The shed was silent.
“See you never.” I started to leave. Alyth’s shoulders sagged with relief.
“Well…I’ve changed my mind,” Marlowe’s voice floated after me.
“Mhm.” I halted. Alyth’s head slumped forward.
“If you spring me from this shed, I swear on pain of death, I will help you rescue Bowyn.”
“Please,” Alyth begged, “do not release him.”
I lowered my voice. “I’m hoping he won’t betray me until after he has Bowyn.”
“He abandoned his son many times before. What makes you think this is any different? He’s an opportunistic parasite.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
“It’s not. Do not trust him. Please.”
“We don’t have a choice.” I approached the shed. “We need all the help we can get.”
I opened the door.
***
The walk into Wilbur was longer than I remembered. Perhaps because I was worried about Darragh. But more likely because of Marlowe’s constant chatter. Made worse by Alyth, who answered every one of Marlowe’s statements with a scoff, and some disparaging remark like, “That didn’t happen.” Between the two, there was little silence and, often, they spoke over one another. By the time I saw the tall, crooked buildings of Wilbur, I was ready to tear my ears off.
Though, I noticed Alyth quieted when she saw the buildings.
As we passed the inns and shops, a window filled with bright gowns and robes caught my eye. “I’ll return in a moment,” Marlowe muttered and hurried toward the shop.
“Wait! What—” Marlowe opened the door, but I slammed it shut before he could slip inside. “We’re in a hurry!” I cried.
“No. You’re in a hurry,” Marlowe responded. “I’m in no rush to enter that tomb again.” Removing my hand from the door, he said, “I’ll be five minutes, I promise.”
Marlowe disappeared inside the shop.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered and turned to Alyth.
She was gone.
“Alyth!” I whisper-shouted, looking around. Panic sent my pulse racing as I spun in a full circle, searching for her. I ran down the street, peeking around houses and buildings. When I came to an intersection, I didn’t see Alyth anywhere. Heading to the left, I muttered, “Damnit, damnit, damnit.” I searched frantically down the alleys.
“You!” I pointed at Alyth, who stood in front of a rundown building. Window boxes that once held flowers lay empty, the wood rotted and falling away. Above the door hung an old sign, faded from the sun. It had an image of…a boar? As I approached, I noticed the doors and windows were boarded. The building looked like it hadn’t been occupied in half a century.
Alyth’s hand slipped from the boards over the door. She remained silent when I stopped beside her. Her gaze was lost, as if she could see through the boards—see through time itself to what this place used to be.
“Did you know the people that used to live here?” I asked.
“I did.”
“What happened to them?”
Silence.
I opened my mouth to speak again—
“It doesn’t matter,” Alyth said.
Though, when she turned away, her tear-stained cheeks glistened.
We headed back to find Marlowe. He was waiting outside the shop when we returned. His boots were shinier, and his black leather coat, less worn.
“Was that really necessary?” I asked.
Marlowe flourished a hand down his body. “If the Queen captures us, I couldn’t look like a pauper, now could I?” I shook my head, and then continued on the road out of town.
With the buildings of Wilbur behind us, we trod onward. Shadow Peak loomed in the distance. While Alyth remained silent, Marlowe continued to chatter.
“How’d you like the show?” Marlowe asked.
“Hm?” I tilted my head.
“ Alexander Hamilton .”
“Oh, right.” That seemed an eternity ago. I hadn’t really stopped to take it in. “I knew it was going to be better than I expected, but I didn’t know how much better.” I smiled, recalling the last song. I blinked quickly, thinking it a silly time to be emotional.
Marlowe watched me closely and said, “You were the first one to your feet at the end. You know, I always look.”
I chuckled. That was probably true.
Marlowe nodded to himself and said, “I got you something.” He withdrew a large bundle from beneath his coat. Where he’d been keeping it, I didn’t know.
“How’d you pay for this?”
“I asked nicely , and they gave it to me. Go on. Open it.” I unfolded the merlot-coloured bundle, revealing a burgundy leather jacket. A matching set of pants fell out; accents of gold thread caught the light and shimmered. I ran my finger along the meticulous stitching. It tingled with magic.
“What’s the deal with them?”
“Dunno.” Marlowe shrugged.
Is he lying ?
I’d scarcely turned to Alyth before she spat, “Of course he is!” I winced, cradling the clothes against my chest.
Alyth perked up, like she’d heard her name. She squinted down the path, and before I could ask, she took off. Up ahead, the path split, and a small sign with the image of a tree pointed to the right. Marlowe’s head swivelled to watch Alyth as she followed the side path.
“Ugh! Quick detour!” I shouted and sprinted after Alyth. She ran into a heavily treed area, heading toward an ornate wrought-iron gate. Alyth shimmered and ran through the bars. How would I ever get them open?
Creaaaaaak .
The gate swung open, beckoning me inside. My footsteps echoed along a well-kept cobbled path. Massive, wondrous trees jutted from either side of the cobbled stones. I brushed a willow branch aside as I walked cautiously after Alyth. An elaborate wooden bench sat under a tree with delicate pink buds. The farther I walked, the more benches I spotted beneath the branches. The trees here demanded silence and respect. Not even the birds dared to sing. Marlowe caught up with me, and I whispered, “What is this place?”
“The Forest of the Unforgotten,” Marlowe spoke in a hushed tone. “ Our bodies remain here, while our spirits pass on.”
“It’s a graveyard?”
“Of sorts.” Marlowe glanced over his shoulder.
Alyth stopped at a tree and laid her palm on the bark. Shaking her head, she moved to the next one. She walked from tree to tree until a withered and dying sapling caught her eye. Her breath hitched, and she rushed to the tree. The moment her skin touched the bark, she let out an agonized wail.
Alyth fell to her knees.
Marlowe and I approached quietly. Alyth knelt with her head in her hands, her body trembling. I reached out and touched the bark, and a vision of a handsome man with a sharp grey beard floated through my mind.
“Who’s that?”
A puzzled expression crossed Marlowe’s face when he touched the tree. “Erabus, the king. Well, the late king, I suppose.” He crossed his arms. “I didn’t know he’d passed.”
The sound of Alyth’s wails rocked the forest. “Could you give me a second?” I asked Marlowe. He tucked his hands behind his back and wandered away.
I knelt beside Alyth, who’s entire body convulsed with sobs. Her hands fell from her blotchy, tear-stained face, and she tried to speak, “I—I—”
“Sh, sh, it’s okay.” I scooched closer.
“I loved him more than anything,” Alyth choked.
“Alyth…how long were you trapped in the burrow with Jorgen?”
She dragged a hand beneath her nose; it came away shiny with snot. “Forty years,” she whimpered.
Alyth looked no more than sixteen.
I didn’t say anything more, I waited for Alyth to catch her breath. Gradually, her sobs lessened. She ripped a blade of grass from the ground and shredded it. An apathetic look settled on her face. “I met Erabus when I was helping my mother with the smoker one night. He came in—I’d never met someone so charming.” Alyth blushed. “He snuck down from the mountain every night for a month to meet me.” A tear slid down her cheek. “When he told me he had to wed, we wept. I could hardly breathe when he left that night. I sat outside in the dark, looking at the stars. I thought, if only I was better, stronger, we could be together. I thought of the stories I’d heard of a creature—”
“Jorgen?”
Alyth nodded. “I thought, perhaps if I could take Jorgen’s ring, I could be with Erabus. And if I died…well, I thought I might die anyway.” She laughed a sad laugh that ended in a sniffle. Her shoulders sagged. “I ripped myself in two. I put half in there.” She pointed to the necklace dangling around my throat. “When Jorgen offered me tea, I let him see it. He was so fond of jewelry. When he touched it, I called to the shadows and plunged us into darkness. The necklace released a ‘ decoy’ … me.” Alyth tapped her chest for emphasis. “Jorgen went after me.” She sighed. “The other Alyth snuck the ring from his finger. He whirled on her and she didn’t have time to grab the necklace.” Her breath hitched. “She left me. She took the ring and ran.” Alyth paused, recalling a memory she didn’t want to. “I still remember Jorgen’s smile as she fled. He told me I’d lose everything I cared for.” Alyth grabbed another bit of grass, mangling it between her fingers. “In the beginning, I had a strong bond with the Queen. Jorgen’s ring made her powerful, and she got what we wanted. She married Erabus…” Alyth trailed off, as something occurred to her. “Is it true I have a daughter?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “She’s beautiful and, I assume, powerful.”
Alyth beamed. “Is she happy?”
I frowned. “I don’t know.”
Alyth’s smile faded. “Anyway…we thought we tricked the creature, bu t it was him who’d tricked us. He found a way to get out of that cave. He sent a piece of himself, his evil, with her, as much as she left me with him.” Alyth sighed. “Over the years, the Queen became less me, less Alyth. Jorgen’s power poisoned her. Occasionally, I’d get a snippet, a feeling or a vision.” She sniffled. Her voice dropped so low I could barely hear it. “Deep down, I knew Erabus was dead,” she choked. “I felt him die.” A tear streaked down her face. Alyth looked at the canopy. “I gave up everything because I loved him. I gave up myself, my name, my love… I became nothing but bitterness. Jorgen was right. I lost everything.”
Alyth tossed the torn bits of grass and screamed, “I’m not the Queen! I’m not that monster!” She reached for the shadows all around and they swam toward the tree. “Agh!” Alyth shrieked as the shadows tore the pathetic little tree in half. She flung her arms outward, and the two halves fell sideways. “I’m—I’m just a stupid girl who gave up everything!”
The silence in the forest was broken by Alyth’s laboured breathing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Alyth hiccupped and laughed. “Would you have helped me?”
My silence was a sufficient answer.
“You would have been right not to trust me.” Alyth shook her head. “I considered staying in your body, you know, taking it for my own. If Erabus was still alive, I don’t know if I could resist. It’s evil of me… Perhaps I deserve this.”
“No one deserves this.” I’d grown close to Alyth, figuratively and literally. While her intentions might have been misguided, she didn’t feel malicious. “I think you would have made the right choice when it came to it.”
“You’re too sweet, and too kind. Don’t let this world spoil you.” A softness overcame Alyth; she caressed my cheek and my skin tingled. “I felt for Erebus how you feel about that boy. Don’t love him so completely you forget to do what’s best for you.”
My heart tugged. I’d been so caught up with Alyth, I’d forgotten about Darragh.
“I have to go after him.”
Alyth exhaled, possessing the same worn-out exhaustion of a parent witnessing a child making the same mistakes they had. “Do what you must, but I beg you…bury me here. Promise me you won’t let the Queen have the necklace—have me.” Alyth’s pleading eyes met mine. “I have suffered a lifetime already. Please, just let me rest with my beloved.”
“But I need your help—”
“You don’t need me. You have your own power. I know you can do this.”
I wish I knew I could too.
Alyth lay down in the soil at the base of the tree. Curling into a ball, she closed her eyes. “I’m ready now.” Kneeling beside Alyth, I scraped dirt aside and placed the necklace in the ground.
“May our light meet in the next life,” Alyth whispered. As I brushed dirt over the necklace, Alyth faded. The ground rumbled beneath my knees. I scrambled up and backed away. A sprout snaked its way through the dirt. It grew, spiraling into the air. Branches and leaves shot out like spokes on a wheel. I stepped away as the trunk grew, propelling the tree high into the canopy. Beautiful lavender buds formed and blossomed all at once. A wind swept through the forest and shook the tree. Petals swirled around. The tree settled, magnificent and massive amongst the others.
Marlowe rejoined me and breathed, “Remarkable.” The tree blossomed, full of life. A beacon in the forest. I touched the bark and an image of two lovers crept into my mind. Alyth, and a handsome young man. They looked at each other, and my heart ached.
I wiped a tear from my cheek.
I had to help Darragh .
“There, there.” Marlowe pulled me into a hug. Comfort and warmth coursed through me.
Suspicious warmth.
I arched away from Marlowe’s embrace. His shimmering, charming eyes met mine. As easily as one might slip into a warm bath, my control slipped away. Behind Marlowe, Sateen stepped from the shadows. Had they been there this whole time? In their stillness, I’d mistaken them for a trunk. Marlowe released me, and I watched on, giddy as he unburied the necklace.
“Let’s go turn ourselves in, shall we?” Sateen slunk closer and Marlowe said, “Be ready when I need you.” He handed Sateen the clothes he’d given me. “Help me get these on her.” Marlowe snapped his fingers. I happily undressed and struggled into the well-fitted leather. Marlowe admired me, and I thought my heart might burst with pride. “Enchanting, my dear.” He picked up my satchel and shoved my clothes inside. Withdrawing the orb, he said, “Do you see this?”
I nodded without looking, distracted by the honey-coloured flecks in Marlowe’s eyes.
“This is your way out.” Marlowe locked eyes with me as he placed the orb back inside. “Do not forget it’s here. Do you understand?”
I did—but I wasn’t going anywhere.
Marlowe tucked the satchel over my head and offered an arm.
“Oh!” I took it and snuggled him.
Together, we walked to the mountain.