The Forest of Lost Souls (9 page)

A
PALE GLIMMER OF MOONLIGHT FILTERED THROUGH
the thick foliage of the giant trees, shedding patches of strange mauve light over the undergrowth. The Runaways gazed at the silent forest in astonishment, finding it hard to believe they were actually there. The lack of movement was unsettling—they would have felt less intimidated if it had been teeming with life. Suddenly something stirred: a strange small head had just emerged from the ground, its freckled face tapered like a squirrel’s. Its body was a long, thick root, which was waving about in the air, sending small clumps of earth flying. Turning to the Runaways, it extended until the tips of its silky eyelashes lightly brushed Oksa’s face. The girl flinched and the head-root immediately drew back.

“Don’t move,” whispered Abakum. “It’s just as frightened as we are.”

Humans and head-root faced off for several minutes, when suddenly a spectacular black butterfly with a twelve-inch wingspan landed at their feet. It studied Oksa inquisitively with tiny eyes, its shimmering black wings vibrating faintly. Other heads popped up in their turn, forming an odd gathering, and began whispering to each other. Listening hard, the Runaways realized who the subject of conversation was.

“It’s the Young Gracious!” one of the little half-human, half-plant
creatures told the butterfly. “You can go and tell
it
she’s arrived. But for pity’s sake, try not to bump into the Wickedesses!”

“May luck be with me… What about those men? Who are they?” asked the butterfly.

Oksa cleared her throat. The butterfly turned to her, fluttering closer and caressing her with its velvety wings. Oksa held her breath, feeling defensive. She’d never much cared for insects, even when they were incredibly beautiful like the specimen stroking her skin. The slightest wrong move and she’d squash it between her hands. No mercy! But the butterfly turned round and silently disappeared into the forest, escaping a painful death.

“What was that?” murmured Pavel.

The first head-root replied in an outraged tone:

“What! You didn’t recognize the Wayfinder of the Envoy of the Soul-Searcher?”

“Well, that is… we’re not from around here, you know!” retorted Oksa, sarcastically.

At the sound of the Young Gracious’s voice, the small head bowed so low that its long auburn hair brushed against the mossy ground.

“That’s right—be rude, then grovel!” mocked the Squoracle, poking its tiny head out of Abakum’s jacket. “Hey! It’s rather nice here! The temperature is perfect and the rate of humidity ideal. A paradise on Earth…”

“Um… on Earth… I have my doubts about that, Squoracle,” retorted Oksa, looking around at the strange landscape.

“I wish I could help you by telling you where we are, but I’ve been unable to locate any landmarks, it’s very odd,” said the tiny hen.

“The boy and the old lady will be glad to have some visitors,” said the head-root in a shrill voice.

“You mean Gus?” asked Oksa, giving a start, her face suddenly lighting up. “Have you seen him?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’d seen him,” replied the creature. “More like felt him. Particularly when he was sitting on me!”

“That’s brilliant!” exclaimed Oksa, her heart feeling lighter.

“Yeah, sure—if you like being squashed,” remarked the head-root, clearly not sharing Oksa’s view.

“Where is he?” asked Pierre in turn.

He scanned the gloomy forest eagerly for any reassuring sign that his son was still alive. Acting on impulse, he rushed headlong into the trees and disappeared from sight.

“Pierre!” called Abakum. “Don’t do that! You’ll get lost!”

“He can’t get lost,” informed the head-root.

“What do you mean?” asked Oksa in surprise, worried about her friend’s father. “You can always get lost. Particularly in a forest like this!”

“He can’t,” insisted the head-root. “In the forest, your footsteps will lead wherever you want to go. The Forest of No Return chooses the path, but the traveller’s will determines the destination, even though the route may not be the most direct.”

“So if we all want to go to the same place, we’re bound to find each other even though we’ve been taking the paths chosen by the forest. Is that what you mean?” enquired Abakum.

“You’ve understood perfectly!” confirmed the head-root.

“He’s lucky,” muttered the Incompetent, still in the harness on Leomido’s back. “I didn’t understand a thing.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Oksa kindly. “Shall we go then?” she added, curbing her impatience with difficulty.

“Yes, let’s go!” echoed Abakum. “Let’s all think very hard about Gus and, whatever happens, don’t panic if we get separated. We all want to be wherever Gus is, and the forest will take us there.”

“I’m not letting Oksa out of my sight,” declared Pavel, taking his daughter’s hand.

“As you wish, Pavel… but I fear the forest may be stronger than you,” said Abakum. “If it has decided to separate you, you’ll have no choice but to comply. Just keep your mind focused on our shared destination and we’ll be together again, with Gus beside us.”

Oksa set off first, Gus’s face clear in her mind’s eye. “Whatever you do, don’t think,” she told herself. “Act!” She smiled when she thought about what Gus would say: “Hell’s bells, Oksa! You need to think before you act!” The complete opposite of what she was about to do… She glanced one last time at her father, who seemed beside himself with worry, then marched resolutely into the Forest of No Return.

She was immediately plunged into semi-darkness. A narrow, winding path lay in front of her, dappled with patches of ghostly light that filtered through the leaves of the giant trees. She shivered nervously and looked round, tempted to turn back, but it looked as though the forest had closed behind her, true to its strange name… The only living thing was a magnificent hare with brown fur gazing at her in a kindly fashion.

“Abakum?” she murmured.

The hare nodded and Oksa could have sworn she saw it smile. She bent down and picked it up, comforted that she had such a trustworthy escort.

“Don’t look round, my dear,” whispered the hare. “Tugdual isn’t far behind… let him think you don’t know, okay?”

“Why?” asked Oksa in amazement, stopping herself from turning round.

“He needs to think he’s your secret guardian.”

“I understand,” she said reluctantly. “But how did he manage to follow us, when Dad and Leomido became separated from us?”

“Oh…” sighed the hare. “Tugdual was just more single-minded. He set his sights on you, instead of focusing all his attention on Gus. Wherever you go, he goes, it’s as simple as that.”

Oksa blushed. Her morose friend never ceased to surprise her.

“Don’t let your mind wander,” reminded the hare. “Think about Gus.”

Oksa drew herself up to her full height and forged ahead, her eyes fixed on the path leading deep into the forest, relishing the cool fragrance of the undergrowth. Ferns towered above her, arching in a vault over the path edged with dark-green moss. As she walked, the ferns closed behind her to form an impassable wall of vegetation—she had no choice but to keep going forward. Abakum the hare loped along nearby; she saw him leaping above the tall grass that carpeted the undergrowth. From time to time, she heard the crack of a twig breaking or the sound of leaves rustling, which made her think that Tugdual wasn’t far away. A Fairyman and a Firmhand-Werewall—she couldn’t ask for better protection! Comforted by this thought, she relaxed and began studying the forest as she walked. It was a magical place where everything seemed larger than life. The huge trees were so tall and beautiful that Oksa couldn’t quite believe they were real. Even the tallest trees on earth—the giant North American sequoias—looked like shrubs compared to these colossuses. Oksa’s thoughts turned to the Sylvabul Territory described by her gran and Abakum. She’d never dared admit that she’d found it hard to imagine whole cities built in the branches a hundred feet above ground, but at the sight of these giants, she no longer had any doubt it was possible. She shivered again, recognizing the signs of mounting anxiety. There was no denying that the forest was beautiful, but it was a freakish, almost intimidating type of beauty. The abnormal silence and stillness made her jittery. She felt spied upon, as though she was walking into an ambush. Cunning, hostile or dangerous creatures might be lurking behind every tree, fern and blade of grass, biding their time until the moment was ripe to attack and tear her limb from limb! She looked up: a glimpse of treetops and maybe a small patch of sky might alleviate this awful feeling of being trapped. However, she soon realized that the crests of those bark-covered giants were miles above the ground.

“That’s insane,” she murmured incredulously.

She continued walking, her head tilted up, spotting small patches of mauve sky through the dark leaves. The sensation of being caught in a
trap grew stronger and her pace quickened in time with her racing heart, until she was running in a panic, although she managed not to scream so as not to alarm Abakum and make Tugdual think she was a wimp. She raced along the sharply twisting path which led deeper and deeper into the forest, until she came to an abrupt halt when she tripped over something snaking across the path and fell flat on her face. She cried out, irritated at herself for not paying enough attention. It was so dark though… Lying on the path, which was covered with black earth as fine and soft as ash, she levered herself up on her forearms and realized she was face to face with a hideous plant, a sort of hairy ball with aerial roots, which looked like a jellyfish. Oksa stood up to run away as fast as she could from this freak of nature, but hadn’t reckoned on its desire for conversation. The plant stretched out one of its roots and grabbed Oksa’s ankle, causing her to fall flat on her face again. The hare immediately bounded over to her side, looking warily at the plant.

“Stop!” said the plant in a strange voice. “I command you to calm down because I mean you no harm.”

Her ankle still gripped tight, Oksa sat up and immediately adopted a ninja attack position. Infuriated rather than reassured by the jellyfish plant’s warnings, she rose above the ground and began spinning in her famous “human top” manoeuvre in a bid to free herself. However, the plant wasn’t caught out: it gripped Oksa’s ankle with surprising force, and she was rolled up like a sausage by the root spooling from the plant as though on an endless reel. Oksa fell heavily, and was immediately joined by the hare, which was about to bite through the tendril.

“Let me go!” she screamed as she writhed, more angry than afraid.

Strangely enough, the plant obeyed immediately. It pulled on the root rope and Oksa rolled over and over on the ashy earth until she was free. She stood up, still fuming, and brushed her clothes, sending little clouds of fine dust into the air around her.

“Don’t even think of trying that again!” she warned, threatening the jellyfish plant with her fist.

“Please accept my apologies,” said the plant in its peculiar voice. “I may have been a little over-enthusiastic, but I only wanted to greet the Young Gracious,” it added, rolling over to Oksa’s feet.

“How do you know who I am?” exclaimed Oksa in amazement.

“Everyone here knows,” replied the plant enigmatically. “But you should make haste to reach the young man and the old lady. Your arrival will put an end to despair, for them and for us too. Hurry! The forest isn’t patient and the wilderness isn’t kind. If you linger too long, the path will vanish. You and your guardians will be lost for ever, and nothing and no one will find you again—except for the Wickedesses. Hurry!”

So, listening only to her heart guiding her towards Gus, Oksa sprinted ahead as fast as she could.

T
HE FASTER
O
KSA RAN, THE DENSER THE VEGETATION
grew, as if the wilderness had suddenly changed its mind about allowing visitors. She had to concentrate hard to make out the path, which was becoming increasingly overgrown and more difficult to see with every stride. Fighting panic, the Young Gracious cursed herself for not having more self-control, sensing that her fear was undermining her judgement and making her waste valuable time. “This is no time for weakness, Oksa-san!” she scolded herself. “Gus is counting on you. They’re all counting on you!” But the forest, impervious to her good resolutions, kept closing in on her. Oksa could now barely see the path: it was overrun with ferns, which scratched her face, and long grasses, which hindered her as she ran. With a strength born of desperation, she tried to throw a few random Knock-Bongs, then some Magnetuses, which flattened a few stalks, but didn’t really help matters. These powers didn’t seem to work as well on plants as they did on humans. She tried some Fireballisticos too, without much success, since the plants were far too green to burn. As a last resort, she stood by one of the massive trees and, trying to slow the beating of her heart, which felt as if it was trying to burst out of her chest, she scrambled up the trunk. Then, steadying
herself by holding onto the rough bark, she lithely hurled herself towards the next tree, a good sixty feet away.

“Ya-haaaaaa!” she yelled furiously, grabbing a branch with all her might.

She continued like this, leaping from tree to tree with the agility of a small monkey, sparing only a fleeting thought for her two guardians.

“Abakum? Are you there?” she called anxiously, deliberately ignoring Tugdual, since she wasn’t supposed to know he was following her.

“Keep going like that, Oksa!” she heard from the bushy ferns. “And don’t stop thinking about Gus!”

She glanced down quickly and glimpsed the hare bounding through the almost black vegetation. Feeling relieved, she obeyed the Fairyman and concentrated on turning her thoughts back to Gus.

She pictured his handsome Eurasian face: his dark-blue eyes smiled at her, then misted over with fear. Oksa shivered and set off again, keeping her friend’s frightened gaze firmly fixed in her mind’s eye.

She’d lost count of the number of trees she’d leapt from when she suddenly spotted something shimmering in the midst of the dark forest. At first barely visible, the twinkling light grew larger and brighter as she drew nearer. She reached it rapidly and felt herself being thrown sideways. She shut her eyes, gave a shrill scream and was suddenly rolling on earth as soft as the ash path in the forest.

“OKSA!”

“Gus? Is that really you?” she replied to the voice she’d just heard.

With her eyes still tight shut, she stayed there, curled in a ball on the ground, terrified of being disappointed.

“Yes, it’s me!” continued the familiar voice. “Come on, relax! You look like a frightened hedgehog.”

Oksa opened her eyes and, jumping up, found herself face to face with Gus, who was gazing at her as if she were a divine apparition.

“You took your time,” he said, pretending to be cross to hide his joy.

He stared at her, breathing hard, with tears in his eyes. Just as
emotional
—and just as unable to show it—Oksa studied him. Although his face was shining with happiness, he looked awful: he had dark circles around his eyes and his face was haggard. His grubby shirt was torn and his hair was tangled. Grabbing his shoulders, she shook him like a plum tree. “Is that all you have to say to me, you ungrateful wretch?” she spluttered.

“I’ve just risked life and limb crossing a forest which seemed hell-bent on making mincemeat of me and that’s all the welcome I get! Grrr. You selfish so-and-so! The next time you’re Impictured, remind me to leave you to your own devices, okay?”

“Hey! Gently does it, young lady! Would you mind leaving my son’s head on his neck?”

“Pierre!”

Gus’s father was standing a few yards away, looking as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. Oksa threw herself into his enormous arms and all three laughed till their sides hurt, delighted at being reunited.

“A frightened hedgehog wants to take off the Young Gracious’s friend’s head? The inhabitants of this place are very violent, we ought to be careful.”

As soon as the Incompetent, still harnessed to Pierre’s back, had made this ridiculous remark, they exploded with laughter again, watched inquisitively by the slow-witted creature. It took them several minutes to regain their composure.

“Did you manage to get through the forest safely?” Oksa asked Pierre, wiping her eyes.

“Hmm… I’ve taken more relaxing strolls, but I had a real incentive,” said the Viking, looking affectionately at his son.

“What about you, Gus? Are you… okay?” asked Oksa, looking
carefully
at her friend.

“I’m fine, now you’re here,” murmured Gus, focusing on a point
somewhere
behind Oksa. Oksa turned round and realized that Abakum was
there. The Fairyman had changed back into human form and seemed exhausted by his long run through the forest. He untangled a piece of fern from his short beard and came over to Gus and hugged him.

“It’s good to see you again, my boy.”

Gus couldn’t help hugging the old man back in relief and emotion.

“Hi, Gus!” came another voice which, although familiar, he was less pleased to hear.

“Hi, Tugdual,” he muttered with a scowl. “You’re here too, are you?”

“Tugdual!” cried Oksa, pretending to be surprised, and carefully avoiding Abakum’s amused gaze. “So you managed to get through, did you?”

“Child’s play, Lil’ Gracious!” said the young man. “It’s all about setting the right goals, you know…”

Oksa ignored this remark and turned to Gus, who was struggling to hide his irritation.

“Where are the others?” she asked, looking around for the first time since her vigorous exit from the forest.

Their surroundings were completely different. The forest had
disappeared
, along with all traces of greenery. Instead, rolling hills covered with dark-brown heather stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky, which had been glimpsed between the treetops, now glowed in all its mauve splendour. Pale rays emanated from an enormous hazy sun, casting a spectral light over the landscape. Behind Oksa and Gus was the entrance to a gloomy cave, which seemed to lead deep beneath the hills. A little farther away, Leomido was sitting on a rocky outcrop, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. His long silvery hair had come loose during the race through the forest and was hanging over his face. A woman was leaning over him, her hand on his shoulder. With a gentle movement, she lifted Leomido’s chin and ran her fingertips over his features as if she wanted to commit them to memory. From where she was standing, Oksa could only see her back and white hair, which was arranged in a magnificent, complex hairstyle.

“Is that Reminiscens? Leomido’s been reunited with her,” she said quietly.

“I’ll introduce you,” said Gus.

They followed Gus quietly, feeling moved. Oksa glanced at Abakum. At that moment, he didn’t look like Abakum, the powerful Shadow Man, magical hare and gifted Fairyman, but an ordinary old man, in the grip of deep emotion at being reunited with a loved one after years apart. He began walking hesitantly at first, then, struggling to catch his breath, he followed his three young friends. Reminiscens turned to look in their direction and Oksa was greeted by the most striking face she’d ever seen. She stopped in her tracks, stunned. Although the old lady’s twin brother was none other than the terrible Orthon-McGraw, she didn’t resemble him at all. She exuded a charismatic charm as she walked towards them with a wide smile. Gus took Oksa’s arm and urged her closer, but it was Abakum who greeted her first.

“Reminiscens…” he said in hushed tones, bowing respectfully.

“Abakum?”

The old lady’s voice was trembling. She looked overwhelmed. She covered the short distance between them with the grace of a dancer in her prime. Her delicate features were barely marred by a few faint wrinkles and her bright blue eyes lit up the pale, smooth skin of her face. Tall and slender, she was wearing a simple, almost severe, dress made of a soft, grey fabric which emphasized her figure. The only adornment she wore around her slender neck was a long necklace of tiny
honey-coloured
pearls.

“Abakum…” she repeated in a tremulous voice. “I’m so happy to see you again… after all these years… how can I thank you enough for coming?”

She bowed her head again—either from emotion or to avoid Abakum’s penetrating gaze, it was impossible to tell—and the Fairyman put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him.

“I’d given up hope of ever seeing you again,” he murmured, almost inaudibly. Reminiscens stifled a sad cry and placed her hand on her
heart. The scene, despite its great sense of decorum, moved Oksa to tears, which streamed down her cheeks.

“My friends! Oksa! You made it through!”

Leomido had come over to the little group, tactfully yet firmly
interrupting
Reminiscens and Abakum’s reunion. The two men congratulated each other, relieved to see each other again after being separated in the forest.

“Oksa, I’d like you to meet Reminiscens,” said Gus, taking his friend by the elbow. Oksa wiped away her tears and gave a noisy sniff.

“Reminiscens, may I introduce you to my friend Oksa…”

The elegant woman looked at her intently, with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

“Here you are at last,” she whispered, her eyes wide with exultation. “Oksa…”

And, much to the girl’s amazement, Reminiscens deferentially sank down before her in an unexpected curtsey.

“Hello,” she muttered in embarrassment. “Um… please get up!” Reminiscens obeyed, her eyes still fixed on Oksa.

“Your friend Gus has told me all about you, you know.”

“Oh! I hope he didn’t say anything incriminating!” said Oksa, to lighten the mood.

“Hey, what are you implying?” reacted Gus, nudging her vigorously as usual.

“No, nothing incriminating!” replied Reminiscens, laughing. “But he has told me a lot about you, your family and my darling Zoe,” she added, her voice breaking suddenly. “I’m so glad you took her in.”

“She’s fine, don’t worry,” Oksa reassured her immediately. “If only you knew how relieved she was to find out that you weren’t…”

Oksa hesitated.

“Dead?” added Reminiscens helpfully.

“Er… yes,” admitted Oksa.

“No, I’m not dead, but I would have died of despair eventually if you
hadn’t solved the mystery of my Impicturement. Everyone, particularly my dear Zoe, would have believed me dead and gone.”

“You’ll see Zoe again soon!” said Oksa, enthusiastically.

“First we have to get out of this trap,” added Reminiscens, her face clouding over.

She paused for a minute, her eyes brimming and her lips trembling.

“And who is this young man?” she continued, turning to Tugdual, who was watching the scene with his customary detachment.

“May I introduce you to Tugdual Knut,” said Leomido. “Naftali and Brune’s grandson.”

“Delighted to meet you, Tugdual,” said Reminiscens, bowing
respectfully
, one hand over her heart. “Thank you for having the courage to be Impictured. I knew your grandfather Naftali very well. An extraordinary man, a force of nature. He and your grandmother Brune made a truly striking couple.”

Abakum and Leomido nodded in silence, touched by Reminiscens’s excellent memory.

“What about Dad? Where’s Dad?” asked Oksa suddenly, frantically looking around.

Everyone jumped in surprise. Oksa’s mounting panic threatened to choke her and, eyes wild with terror, she stuttered.

“Has anyone seen Dad?” she cried. “Have any of you seen my dad?”