"Um, he can't talk, right?" Evie rubbed her hands together. She, her family, and her friends watched King Benjamin brush his fingers through his horse's long, feathery mane. They stood before Paperblank's stable, which consisted of a bunch of small huts clumped together. Behind them was the hiking trail they would take to search for Euphorbia. The name of it was Fairytale.
Joey, Ben's noble steed, was a graceful Andalusian. He stood at least seventeen hands and was black all over. He wore an English saddle on his back.
Ben chuckled at Evie's question. "Were you expecting a dork like John?" He gently grasped his horse's muzzle. "'Hi, I'm Joey. I'm just here for the carrots.' Of course not, Evie."
Charlotte held up her hands. "Do you need to bring that mangy beast on the hike?"
"Hey!" Ms. Brook snapped. "I think he is a beautiful animal."
"For your information, Mrs. Madison, Joey and I go everywhere together," Ben answered. He adjusted his white shirt under his chainmail armor. His velvet cape flapped with a sudden gust of warm wind.
John stepped in for his friend. "Not to mention, they crossed the whole country when Ben was sixteen. I mean, I did most of the navigating, but–"
"Oh, shush, John." Ben playfully flicked his friend's beak. "How many times did I have to save you?"
"Well, excuse me," John argued. "Who was the one who got shot by an arrow?"
Evie's eyes widened. "Wait, you were shot with a bow, Your Majesty?"
"A crossbow, to be exact," Ben explained. "It was the best moment of my life. Do you want to know why? Because I'm not dead! Now, come on. The Green Guardian is waiting." He stuck his left foot in Joey's stirrup and hoisted himself on his back.
The horse grunted. His huge feet stomped the dirt. At Ben's command, he walked through the crowd of people to the trail. He pushed past groups of ferns and climbed the beginning hill.
Ben halted him on its highest point. He looked over his shoulder at his people. "What's the holdup?"
Evie and Mateo exchanged glances with their friends and family members. Something told them the journey would be one they would never forget.
***
Sam led the way because Ben hoped he would remember where he met Euphorbia. Ben and John were close behind him, followed by Evie's party and Mateo. The first part of the hike was flat, wide, and smooth. Trees, bushes, and flowers surrounded the group on either side.
John walked beside Ben. The two friends recalled old memories from their journey.
"Do you remember when the sirens placed you under their spell, and I had to blow them away from you?" John laughed.
"Oh, har, har," Ben replied. "And what about when you messed up the troll's riddle?"
At the sight of their friendship, Evie sighed. "Why can't we be like them?" she mumbled. Charlotte had not spoken to Ms. Brook—let alone looked at her—since the hike began. She was too busy coddling Mateo.
She brushed the dirt off his uniform and demanded, "If you need to rest, let me know."
"Mamá, I'm fine." Yet, Mateo stumbled over a tree root.
Maria saved him before he could fall.
Ms. Brook did not take the stumble too well. Instantly, she yelled at Ben, "Your Majesty, my baby boy needs to rest."
"What?" Ben asked. "We've only been walking twenty minutes."
Boy, it was times like these that Evie was glad her mother wasn't overprotective.
Charlotte was eager to get rid of her sister. "Yeah, let's leave them behind," she told Ben. "Less luggage means more success."
"We're not leaving anyone behind," Ben snapped. "Not with a basilisk on the loose."
Ms. Brook tried again. "My baby boy needs to rest! And so does his fiancée!" She stamped her foot, picking up dust in the process.
"Okay, okay," Ben said. "Ten minutes."
"No! Twenty!"
"Mom, please stop," Mateo begged. He hoped the whole hike wasn't going to be like this.
Maria was a little tired, so she and Mateo sat together. They propped their backs against a log.
Ms. Brook tended to the young adults. She gave them water and Maria a throw-up bag in case she started to feel sick.
Evie knew nausea was a symptom of early pregnancy. She and her friends wanted to join their counselor, but Keegan and Charlotte did not let them—Keegan especially.
Charlotte pulled a brush out of her backpack. She ran it through Evie's ponytail. "You don't want to get caught up with them, Evie."
"That man will do nasty things to you," Keegan growled. "I can't believe the camp put you in his group."
Evie opened her mouth to protest, but Ashlynn jumped in for her. "Y'all have it all wrong. Mateo is a good man."
"He tried to hook up with Evie's grandmother!" Keegan fought.
"You mean our grandmother?" Evie corrected. "Come on, Mom and Dad. Why can't y'all treat Mateo's family like how John and Ben treat each other?"
Off to the side, Ben trained John in the ways of combat. He released his silver broadsword from the scabbard on Joey's saddle.
Evie wondered how he was able to carry a beast like that. The sword looked like it was half his weight.
Ben stabbed the tip into the ground. "Remember to stay focused, John," he ordered.
"Oh, I got this." John prepared himself. He jiggled his wings and stretched one leg behind him. The bird dodged Ben's lunges. He ducked under the blade, bent his head back, and hopped off to the side.
Smiling, Ben said, "Nice job."
As the hike progressed, the path gradually grew narrow and rocky.
The bumps over the rocks agitated Mateo's tummy. He pressed his hand against a tree trunk and tried to catch his breath.
Up front, Sam cautiously examined the everlasting greenery.
"Well, do you recognize any of this?" Ben wanted to know.
"No." Sam tried to feel Euphorbia's aura, but Ms. Brook's voice broke his concentration.
"Your Majesty, my baby boy needs another rest."
Mateo slapped his hands to his face. "Mom," he groaned.
Ben was down for the suggestion because he saw how exhausted he was. "At the top of the hill is an overlook. We'll rest there."
Mateo felt like he was going to vomit again. "I'm sorry, Maria," he said. He snatched the throw-up bag out of her hand. Luckily, Ms. Brook had plenty of them on hand.
The overlook was right behind a miraculous open area of the woods. A sparkling stream cut through it.
Evie and her friends settled on a rock. They admired Pinta Country's scenery below: streams, meadows, and farms.
Amanda pointed at a cluster of buildings that poked out from the forest's canopy. "There's Paperblank Village."
Emrys rolled his eyes. "Wonderful." So far, the hike had not met his expectations. He expected more action—perhaps a surprise attack from the basilisk.
Tate scooched toward Evie. "I think the view is enthralling, just like a certain someone." He gave her a small wink.
Evie scoffed. She stood from the rock and brushed herself down. "I'm going to find Mateo." She smirked at the sight of her father napping. He had his head propped against his hiking pack.
Evie found Mateo at the stream.
He scooped out cool water and splashed his face. Drops of it ran down his cheeks.
Evie plopped down behind him. She sat in what looked like a fairy circle of grass. "Has your mother always been protective?" she playfully asked her counselor.
Mateo splashed himself again before he replied, "She used to put me in bubble wrap before I went to school."
"Really?" Evie couldn't help but chortle. "So, tell me, is Maria pregnant?" She picked up a stick and poked Mateo's back with it. A mosquito landed on her arm, but Evie smacked it.
Mateo shuddered. Oh, he hated getting asked that. Didn't he already have too much going on? At first, he did not answer the little girl's question.
"Come on, don't be shy," Evie pushed. "Will this make you talk?" Reaching her hand into her pocket, she pulled out Euphorbia's pebble. She waved it in Mateo's face.
He pushed it away. "If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"
"Hm, that depends." Evie tapped her chin. "If she is pregnant, I have some questions for you."
"Evie, I don't think we should discuss this."
Evie friendlily scoffed. "Oh, come on. I'm old enough to know how it works. You really do love her, don't you?"
"You're too young. Just let it go."
She shrugged. "Well, I think that's enough proof to say she is."
"Maria..." Mateo stopped short. He just noticed Maria was missing from the group. Instantly, he started to panic. "Maria!" Mateo jumped up.
Evie followed him over to Ms. Brook. She read from a cookbook that she had packed in her own backpack.
"Mom! Where's Maria?" Mateo snapped.
Ms. Brook looked up. "Oh, she went to pick some berries."
"Alone?" Mateo's face reddened. "Oh, I see how it is. You'll leave her alone, but not me."
Ms. Brook rolled her eyes. "Yes, I will because she has not been working for nine months straight."
Mateo's eyebrows creased. "I don't have time for this rubbish. I'm going after her."
Ms. Brook shrugged. "Be my guest. She's not far up the trail."
Mateo fixed his eyes on the continuous trail ahead. The crooked tree branches looked like faces, reminding Evie of the evil trees in Snow White.
Mateo took a deep breath.
"I'm going with you. Rangers look after each other," Evie said. She secretly wanted to spend time with her counselor before her dad woke up.
Mateo wanted to protest, but he knew Evie meant well. Therefore, he let her tag along.
She took his hand in hers and gave it a small shake. "We're in this together, Mateo. After all, we're the Pebble Masters."
***
Maria found herself lost in all the whimsical berry patches. She hummed as she picked blue, black, and red ones and slipped them into her empty throw-up bag. She needed somewhere to store them without the berries getting squashed. At one point, she pulled her shirt up over her tummy. Maria held a fascinating blue and black berry up to it. "This is a berry," she told her growing baby. "They are some of the sweetest tasting things in the world."
The young woman was having such a good time that she didn't notice a pair of red eyes behind her. They were well hidden within the forest.
She kicked off her shoes and socks and wandered around the vast area. Maria hopped over tree roots and more berry bushes. "This is called 'play'," she explained. "You're going to do it a lot when you're little." Honestly, Maria was looking forward to motherhood. She was going to spoil her babe like there was no tomorrow. It was definitely an exciting time for her and Mateo. Nevertheless, she froze when she heard growling.
Maria dropped her shirt back over her tummy. She gulped at the sight of a huge shadow rising over her. Warm drool dripped onto her shoulder. It looked like a miniature waterfall. Maria peered over it. Her eyes widened at what she saw.
The basilisk rattled its two tails. Its forked tongue wiggled freely out of its mouth. The serpent launched its fang-like teeth straight at the young woman.
"Ahh!" Maria's scream shook the entire forest.
Evie and Mateo heard her.
"Maria!" Mateo yelled.
"The basilisk..." Evie said. "It's found us."
Mateo moved quickly. He took his rope off his belt and sprinted toward the clusters of berries in the distance.
Evie held her hand out to him. "Mateo, wait!"
Mateo kept moving forward. Within seconds, he reached the bushes.
Maria tried to escape the creature by crawling on all fours. It knocked a tree down with its powerful neck. “Ahh!” Maria screamed again. She dodged the tree at the last second and ducked behind a log.
The basilisk knew where she was. It turned its head toward her hiding place. Just before it could attack, a rope came from nowhere and wrapped around its muzzle.
“Get away from her!” Mateo demanded. He tugged on his glowing rope and tried to pull the basilisk away from Maria.
It lifted him off the ground. The creature spun the ranger in a circle. It tossed him into a few bushes and returned its attention to Maria.
She quickly got up. To protect her baby, she put her hands over her belly.
One by one, the basilisk felled more trees. It opened its mouth, but before it could unleash a wave of the sickness, vines suddenly smacked it in the face.
Mateo put all his trust in nature to attack it. He stretched his arms and stomped his foot. More vines appeared on either side of the monster.
While he had it distracted, Maria hid behind another tree. She gripped its trunk with both hands.
The basilisk didn’t have time for Mateo. It was on its own mission, and no pesky rangers were allowed. It lifted one of its tails and smacked him in his injured belly.
Yelling, he keeled over. He felt like a bomb had just blown his whole abdomen to pieces. The tail’s impact shoved him right into a tree, causing him to lose consciousness. Mateo usually had no trouble taking down magical beings, so Maria knew something was out of place with him.
“Mateo!” she shouted.
She could have sworn she heard her baby yelling, too. “Daddy!”
Before the basilisk could turn Maria into the blue-plate special, a figure appeared from the sky and landed on it. John latched onto the creature’s muzzle. He ferociously flapped his wings. The basilisk tried to shake him off, but John maintained a tight grip.
To Maria's surprise, King Benjamin, Evie's friends, Ms. Brook, and the Madison family also leaped into the fray.
Ben attempted to confuse the basilisk. Joey galloped in circles around it, drew his sword, and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Maria hurried to Mateo. She fell to her knees beside him. She slapped his cheeks until he woke up. Traumatized, Maria clamped his shoulders and asked, “Baby, what is wrong with you?” She gently set her hand down on his belly.
He clutched it for comfort.
The Madison family, Evie’s group members, and Ms. Brook chucked rocks and sticks at the beast, even though it was a bit of a dumb strategy. Rocks and sticks were not going to hurt a monster of its magnitude. They needed a better plan.
Sam stood in complete silence. He recalled the day he vanished: what Autumn told him and what happened with Euphorbia. Finally, something crossed his mind. Of course, it all made sense!
Sam yelled at his allies, “Wait! We can’t defeat it with violence!”
Ms. Brook glared at him. “What are you talking about? That beast hurt my son!”
“This is why we need to find Euphorbia,” Sam stated.
“Are you out of your mind?” inquired Charlotte. “It will kill us all!”
Ben was the only one who picked up on Sam’s words because he knew the true meaning of friendship and teamwork. He pulled back on his reins, halting Joey.
The horse whinnied. He reared and waved his feathery hooves before dropping down on all fours.
The young king tucked his sword into his scabbard. He frightfully looked up at John.
The Red-Crowned Crane dug his claws into the serpent’s rough skin. “Ooh, does that tickle, Ganondorf?” he asked. “Do you want more? How about a nice blow to the eyes?”
John lifted into the air. He stretched his skinny legs before him. He had the urge to blind the serpent. Unfortunately, he did not notice it had lifted one of its tails again, and it moved it toward him.
Ben saw it. He tried to warn his friend. “John, look out!”
Finally, John caught sight of the creature’s tail. He started to fly, but he was too late. The tail smashed into his left wing like a head-on car crash. A horrible cracking sound exploded into the atmosphere.
The bird somersaulted out of the sky. He landed in a tree and bounced through its branches. He crashed onto the forest bed behind a wall of thorns. His hat was knocked right off his head.
John sat up, but he gasped when he saw his wing. He lost a handful of his beautiful black and white feathers. The remaining ones were twisted. His whole limb was bruised. Horrified, he shouted, “My wing!”
Ben wasted no time helping him. He kicked Joey’s sides with the heels of his boots.
Sam kept trying to talk to his allies, but they paid him no attention.
“What kind of stupid strategy is this?” Ms. Brook angrily asked Charlotte.
“At least I care about others, unlike you!” she argued.
Maria helped Mateo to his feet.
He was only semi-conscious. He tightly closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
Maria wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “For once, can y’all stop fighting?” she asked the older adults. “Shouldn’t we be running for our lives?”
Charlotte and Ms. Brook huffed, but they listened to her. They pushed the children and remaining adults forward.
The basilisk snapped at the group. It narrowly missed Evie’s ankle.
“Ah!” she shrieked.
Ben cantered to the area where John landed. The thorns were behind another berry patch. The wall reached halfway up the tree trunks.
Ben dismounted Joey. He shoved his way through the thorns. They scratched against his hands and face. Drops of blood splashed onto the plants. A few thorns caught Ben’s cape, but he released it. He reached John in a mere minute and a half.
The bird looked him in his eyes. "Ben, I think my wing’s broken," he whimpered.
Ben remained calm, as a king should. “I’ve got you,” he said. He undid his cape and wrapped it around his friend. One hand picked up his hat, and the other scooped him up. Ben hugged John to his side.
“Are we even now?” John jokingly asked. “You got shot by an arrow. Now it’s my turn.”
“Injured, but you’re still yourself,” Ben chuckled. He struggled back through the thorns. Their knife-like tips created new gashes on his skin. However, he managed to make it to Joey.
Ben put John’s hat over his sword hilt. He hastily mounted his horse but held the reins in one hand. He refused to let his friend go.
The basilisk ripped berry bushes from the ground and tossed them all over the place, hoping they would hit its victims.
Evie yelped when one bush crashed before her. Berry juice splattered onto her clothes and face.
Mateo lost consciousness again. His rope hung limply in his hand.
The basilisk roared. A cloud of forest sickness escaped its throat like a dragon's flame.
“It’s the sickness!” Ben shouted. He pointed at a hill that was just off the narrow trail. “Hill! We have no choice!”
The hill was overgrown with ferns. The Madison family, the Brook family, and Evie’s friends lost their footing on the slippery surface. Maria slid on her back. She hugged Mateo close to her. The others were subject to ragdoll physics. Everybody headed toward a dark section of the forest. It looked somewhat familiar.
Joey sat like a dog and planted his front hooves. Ferns constantly whipped up on Ben. The blood smeared across his face and hands.
John’s beak dropped. He moved his good wing under his friend’s cape and tried to make sense of everything that was happening.
The basilisk halted at the top of the hill. The sickness washed over the heads of its victims. Again, it roared. It was back where it started. The section Evie, her friends, and family stumbled into was the same place where Sam disappeared sixty years earlier… Crows’ Den.
ns 18.68.41.175da2
