Into the Forest Shadows (25 page)

The Watcher pulled at her shoulder more
frantically. Kate took a deep breath, and with a glance at Ayden
said, "Our ride is leaving!"

She plowed into the water, the moisture
quickly inundating her shoes and lower pants. She reached the
shoulder. The skin felt rubbery, making it easy to get a grip. She
worked her way up the rippling muscles, pulling herself up to where
Vistus waited.

Kate heard a large splash behind her. She
crawled up onto the top of the shoulder, working her way towards
the center of the back. Ayden appeared from over the side.

"You can be mad at me while you are
drowning!" Kate said to him with a smile. "The spores won't be
controlling you then."

"Dead is dead!" Adyen said right back.

The narboa moved off the rocks, settling down
deeper into the water. With a gentle side to side motion it slipped
farther out into the water, picking up speed.

"Spores?" Vistus asked. "Of what do you
refer?"

"The Newcomers have something they call
spores that take control of a person. Actually, it's taken control
of some trees, too. The trees around the camp can't move and
protect themselves," Kate said, "They used it on the humans,
including us."

"The same humans you saw cutting down the
trees. They have no mind of their own anymore," Ayden said to
Vistus.

Vistus sniffed the air. "So, that's why you
smell strange. Keep them to yourself."

"We'll do our best," Ayden said
sarcastically.

Vistus studied Kate, "You aren't mindless.
The Watcher trusts you."

"We've been able to resist so far. I don't
know how long we'll be able to continue to do so, though." Kate
said.

The water flowed by, barely below the level
where they rode. One little wave and they could be washed off. Kate
turned away, leaning forward with her hands hugging her knees. The
sun warmed her wet pants, but her feet still felt like blocks of
ice. No point in taking her shoes off yet, though. She would surely
get wet again once they reached the other side.

A howl echoed out across the water. Kate
turned to look behind them. Shadows moved along the shore they'd
just left. The narboa ignored the howls, continuing to slide
through the water.

"They were close," Ayden said.

"Diasis is among them," Vistus said. He gave
a curious bark of laughter, "And Diasis does not like to be
thwarted. Hope that he does not catch up with us."

"Or finds another narboa to ride across on."
Kate shivered, turning away from the sight of the shore. She
positioned herself so the sun hit her wet clothes as much as
possible.

The narboa reached the fast flowing middle of
the river, turning towards the mountains. Its strong tail pushed
against the strong current. Small waves crashed up against the
lower part of the back.

The mountain grew in size, pleasing Kate. It
would mean less walking later. In fact, sitting in the sun with the
gentle lapping of waves against the narboa was almost hypnotic.
Enough to put a person to sleep.

Her head snapped up. She saw Ayden's head nod
and she elbowed him. He started, turning a glare towards her.

She glared back. "I saw your eyes starting to
close."

"Does this mean you are going to start
insulting me to keep me awake? I'm not sure how much more of that
my ego can take," Ayden complained.

Vistus squinted his eyes, "Afraid to
sleep?"

"The spores would take us over. I'm sure of
it," Kate said. She adjusted the cape ties at her throat. "So, tell
me. What are shadow creatures all about? What do you do for the
forest?"

"You mean other than weeding out the weak
among the creatures of the forest?" Vistus asked, amused. "In the
summer times we aid the Ancients. We travel far and wide with
messages, partake in projects, watch out for infractions. Some
would work with the individual Watchers in our area."

"But it is summer time," Kate said, noting
the slowly approaching the green shore. "So, why would some of the
shadow creatures be acting in such a murderous way?"

"This is not summer. Not the summer we
await."

The vision of the colorful quality of the
forest popped into her head. Lush, active, pulsing with life. So
different from what she'd seen so far.

"This planet has cycles of a yearly summer
and winter, like most planets do," Ayden said. "This certainly
looks like summer to me. Winter is much colder."

"And the summer we await is much warmer."
Vistus gazed up into the sky. Kate looked up, but the only thing
she could see in that area of sky were a few clouds and the small
second sun of the solar system. "The second sun. When the second
sun glows bright, then will be our true summer. Most of the forest
sleeps, awaiting that time."

"It must have something to do with the
orbit," Ayden said. He suddenly grinned at Kate, "The second sun is
in a two hundred year elliptical orbit. Its just now starting to
swing to a closer position."

"So there are two summers? The yearly one,
and then another on a two hundred year cycle?" Kate asked.

"Sounds like it. And the humans crash landed
on this planet in the middle of the long winter season," Ayden
said. He fingered his retracted staff, "That explains things I've
seen in the forest. Some of the trees and large bulbs show no sign
of growth or activity. They might be in hibernation."

Kate found herself smiling, "I wonder what
it's like in the true summer."

"It's beautiful. I will be dead and gone by
the time it comes around again, but I have the legacy memories of
my kind to remember it with," Vistus said. He laid down, his eyes
taking on a far-off look.

"Describe it," Kate prodded. The wind in her
face changed as the narboa took a turn towards a section of
shore.

"The forest comes alive. Some of the trees
can move now but it's nothing compared to what will come. Trees and
plants moving from place to place, all in full bloom. Colors
everywhere. The forest animals buzz with activity. So much to eat.
So much to see and explore." Vistus turned his attention to her,
"My kind love to explore. Even now, in the winter, we roam far and
wide in our explorations."

"I saw a lot of new colors in the tree canopy
and birds I didn't recognize," Kate said.

"There are many birds asleep. Many creatures,
as well, including some of the Shadow Creature."

"When we get out of this I'm going to have to
take a look at the sun orbit. See if I can figure out when the
summer might begin," Ayden said. "There has to be a tipping point
to the level of solar radiation reaching this world at some
point."

"There is a way we know. The tall spikes of
the black bulb tree. Each year another ring of flowers appears on
the spike. When the rings reach the top then winter will be over,"
Vistus said.

Ayden smiled, "I've seen those trees. I
wonder if your Grandma has found it?"

"If she even knows about this," Kate reminded
him.

"Oh, she'll know. Your Grandma is a genius,"
Ayden said.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true. No human knows more about
this planet and its forests than her. She has an instinct on how
things work," Ayden said. "That's why I didn't like the idea of her
going into the city. She belongs to the forest and I think the
forest likes having her around. She could get trees to do things
I've never seen anyone manage. Like let them tap them."

"There is a human, different from all the
rest, spoken among us. Who lives in the middle of a vast orchard of
trees that do her bidding," Vistus said.

"That sounds like Grandma," Kate said. "She's
always working with the trees, finding things to help people."

"Then the trust of the Watcher comes to you
naturally. A cousin took her one of the sick trees we found near
the Newcomers camp. We could not heal it. We hoped the human might
have knowledge we did not."

Ayden motioned towards Vistus, "See, even
they think she is a genius."

"I think Vistus means something else," Kate
said, thinking about past dropped fragments from her mother. "You
say different. In what way? Acts different, like me?"

Vistus shook out his fur. "No, not like you.
She is of your kind, and yet is not. We know of no others like
her."

Kate didn't know what to think of that.
Grandma was just... Grandma. Sure, she acted differently, but then
so did Kate. Yet, something deep inside knew.

"You said legacy memories," Ayden said into
the silence. "Does that mean you know where we can speak with the
Ancients."

Vistus turned away, the tip of his tail
twitching. "I cannot help."

"Can't or won't?" Kate asked.

Vistus exhaled sharply. "The forests are in
turmoil. Some of our memories are held by them. They have taken
away some of the memories."

"They are protecting the Ancients," Kate
whispered. "That explains why Diasis has not led Captain Straos to
the Ancient's city."

"Did we just lose all hope?" Ayden
demanded.

Kate grinned, feeling better about their
chances than ever before, "No. Not if one has the help of the trees
themselves."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"You had no right! I've been working on these
deals for months, and you just cancelled them?"

Mary wanted to run. She didn't like raised
voices, yelling or accusations, but somehow she found the strength
to keep her feet planted on the floor. "Good business is not
ignoring previous contracts in favor of new lower-paying
contracts."

Travis stopped his pacing in front of the
window, nearly knocking off one of the plants clinging to the
window as if trying to get outside to the forest. "This is the
gratitude you show me after I went out myself in search of Kate? I
searched the shuttle crash site and your mother's cottage. I come
back to find this?"

"Actually I did it before you left," Mary
said. She froze, not believing she'd said the words out loud.

"Before? Mary, you have gone over the line!"
Travis's face contorted. He slammed an e-pad on the desk, "I will
spend the rest of the day fixing the problems you have caused. I
forgive you on account of your worry over your daughter. We'll
discuss this over dinner tonight."

Gone was the handsome man who could turn the
head of almost any woman. Well, except her daughter. Mary silently
apologized to Kate. It appeared Kate had seen a part of him that
Mary had never seen.

Time to follow Kate's example.

Mary stepped forward and leaned over the
desk, making herself look him straight in the eyes. "There will be
no dinner tonight, there will be no date, and there will be no
contracts. All contracts and exports will go through me for
approval. When Mother and Kate are safely home then we will have a
conference about the future of this company. I suggest you watch
your step until then."

Mary swiftly walked to the door ignoring the
demand to come back. The door to the office slid shut behind her.
She didn't even mind the stares of the office workers.

She felt giddy with the sensation of freedom.
She'd stood up to him, and she'd won.

She narrowed her eyes at the distribution
board.

So far she had won. If Travis was anything
like his departed brother he wouldn't give up so easily.

Mary walked to a desk at the back of the
room. The head of distributions looked up at her with wide eyes. "I
have need of your computer."

"Uh, I don't think Mr. O'Hanson will like
that," The woman stuttered.

Mary frowned, not liking the answer at all.
Travis seemed to illicit complete trust in his employees. So, why
should the woman do as Mary asked? Hadn't she always done what she
was told? Hadn't it always been Mary to back down?

"Who owns this company? Mr. O'Hanson, or the
Blackstone family?" Mary demanded.

The woman swallowed. She grabbed her cup of
coffee and vacated the chair. Mary slid into it.

As she suspected, Travis immediately started
making changes to the next schedule. Changes that she didn't allow
to remain. Not only did she lock out all the higher functions, but
she set up for all new requests to go through her. By the time she
finished she had to work hard to keep from grinning.

Mary stood and glared at the closed office
door. She purposely turned her back on it, walking out of the
office with her head held high.

She found herself home in the small apartment
she shared with Kate. Touches of Kate lay scattered across the
living area. The multiple bright colors of the small pillows on the
couch and chairs. The intense colors of a sunset playing on the
digital frame on the wall. The gayly colored woven fake flowers
around a polished candlestick in the middle of the dining room
table.

For the first time since the shuttle crash
Mary stepped inside Kate's room. The typical mess greeted her.
Clothes of bright garish colors covered the chair at the desk as
well as the foot of the bed. A few stuffed animals lay scattered
about. Shoes and a storage box with the lid askew sat on the floor
next to the closet. She picked up a bright red hair ribbon.

And suddenly the gray and soft brown dress
she wore felt like sandpaper against her skin.

Mary retreated to her room, ripping the dress
off. She found an old pair of blue pants with splotches of topaz
blue paint on the front from when she'd repainted Kate's room to
its current color. A bright pink top and her most ratty and
comfortable pair of shoes finished the outfit. Around the prim bun
at the top of her head she wrapped Kate's red hair ribbon.

Not only did she appear different, she felt
new. As if she had shed off the crusty old skin, and with it came a
sense of bravery and energy.

Her mobile phone on the kitchen table started
chiming. Mary froze in the act of clearing her closet of all the
old clothes she no longer wanted to see, much less wear. Her ears
didn't want to believe the ring tone.