Evie groaned. She stirred and opened her eyes. What she saw was a spooky part of the Paperblank Forest. The trees were clumped together, making the area relatively dark. Overgrown vines grew around each tree, with continuous roots and logs.
Evie rose to her hands and knees. "Where are we?" she asked.
A figure appeared beside her. "You okay, Evie?" Sam asked.
She glanced at him. "Yeah. Thanks, Sam."
Sam put his hands under her arms. He lifted her to her feet.
Evie rapidly searched the vicinity. "Where's Mateo?" she said in a nervous voice.
The whole party had been scattered around Crows' Den, but they could still see each other. Maria, Ben, and John were close to each other despite a log being between them.
Maria had not left Mateo's side. She held him in her arms, took his hat off, and ruffled his hair. Mateo always liked it when she did that. However, he did not stir.
Maria tried to wake him with a kiss of true love. Nothing. She shook his shoulder and begged, "Please wake up. Please." A few tears ran down her cheeks. Why on Earth did Mateo agree to come to the forest in the first place? Maria looked over the log to Ben. "Your Majesty, he's seriously injured," she sputtered.
Ben was busy with John.
Joey watched him work. His rider examined the injured crane's wing.
He shook his head and told Maria, "John is, too."
John gulped. He touched his twisted feathers with his beak. Some of them popped right off like dead skin. "No, not my beautiful feathers," he grumbled. "I just went to the groomer's last week."
With each passing minute, Maria grew more fearful for Mateo. She noticed he shivered and sweated like mad. The young woman placed her palm on his forehead. "Yow!" She quickly pulled it back. "Your Majesty, he's got a fever!"
"A fever? Oh, that's not good. Here, Maria." Ben unwrapped his cape from John. He balled it and tossed it over the log. "Keep him warm."
Maria caught it. She unraveled Ben's cape and put it over Mateo. "You're going to be okay, Mateo. You're going to be okay."
Evie looked around for her parents. She sighed when she saw her mother and Ms. Brook fighting again. Her father was with them.
The rest of Evie's friends soon joined her and Sam.
Ashlynn crossed her arms. "That's seriously the only thing they like to do, huh?" she asked Evie while she examined Charlotte and Ms. Brook.
"Apparently so," Evie replied.
Charlotte ran her toe across dead leaves. "If you didn't ask to stop every ten minutes, we wouldn't be in this situation," she snapped.
Ms. Brook shoved her shoulder. "Hey! My baby boy has been working for nine months straight. Not to mention that his fiancée is expecting."
Even Keegan was in on the argument. He glared at the older woman. "Your son is nothing but a freak. He does not deserve a place in this family, and neither do you."
Ms. Brook clenched her fists. "Mind your own business, you jerk. My son is the greatest ranger in all of Pinta Country."
Now Charlotte pushed her. "If that's the case, why did the basilisk beat him?"
Ms. Brook looked like she was about to punch her sister across the face. "I already told you! He hasn't had a break in nine months! He's exhausted. If your daughter was his age, you'd know exactly how I feel."
The crow-shaped vines behind the parents seemed to shiver. They yelled so loudly that even Maria, John, and Ben heard them.
Ben took his hand away from John's wing. He had enough of these immature adults. He picked up John and put him over Joey's saddle. Ben took his reins. He clicked his tongue and led his horse to Maria.
John hopped down. His left wing hung limply, but he folded his right one.
Maria hugged Mateo close to her chest. "Ben, please," she sobbed. "Mateo does not deserve so much hate. He's just a baby."
Ben kneeled to her. He set his own palm on Mateo's forehead. "Oh yeah. That is definitely a fever. Don't worry, Maria. I've got this." He removed his hand and patted Joey's cheek. "I think they've forgotten I'm the king. Look after Mateo, John, and Joey."
Maria nodded. "I will."
Ben winked. He took a deep breath and turned on his heel, starting toward the arguing parents.
Joey, John, and Maria exchanged glances with one another.
John finally asked Maria, "What's up?"
She let out a heavy sigh.
***
"You stand before your king!"
Ms. Brook, Charlotte, and Keegan shuddered. Ben sounded agitated.
He crossed his arms.
Evie and her friends snuck up from behind. They stood on either side of him.
Ben pointed at the ground. "If you don't listen to me, I will have you in the stocks for a week," he threatened.
The parents hastily bowed to him. They did not feel like cleaning up horse dung.
Ben shook his head. "I hate to say this, but you guys are disgusting. Thanks to your immature behavior and lack of teamwork, two of our best team members have been injured." He gestured at Mateo. "Not to mention that poor ranger has a fever."
"A fever?" Ms. Brook instantly jumped up. "Mateo Waeo!" She shoved by Ben and hurried to her son.
Keegan merely scoffed. He could care less about that scrawny ranger.
On the other hand, Evie noticed her mother looked slightly guilty.
Ben tapped his foot. "Now, until we find a way out of this dump, we must set up camp. Charlotte and Keegan, I want you to go collect some firewood."
Charlotte nodded. "Yes, Your Highness." She and Keegan rose to their feet and began their quest.
Evie placed her hands in her pockets. Euphorbia's pebble felt warm to the touch. It was trying to tell her something. Evie pulled it out. A white light washed across her face. Her friends crowded around her.
"Why's the pebble glowing?" Amanda wanted to know.
"I have no idea," Evie responded.
Sam placed his hand on his hip. He looked like he was thinking. "Euphorbia, Euphorbia," he mumbled.
***
The late afternoon felt more like nighttime because Crows' Den was so dark. The party managed to find a small lake deep within it. Well, it looked more like a scene from a horror movie. Fog enshrouded the lake.
Evie shivered as she ducked a cloth into the chilly water. She expected leeches to crawl onto her hands and arms and suck her blood like hungry vampires. Euphorbia's pebble rested beside her ankle. It still glowed, just not as brightly.
Red and orange flames from a fire lit up the edgy area. The rest of the group sat around it. Evie's friends carefully watched the cackling ashes. They asked themselves if rangers could manipulate nature, did they also have the power to control fire?
Ben, Maria, and Ms. Brook tried to tend to Mateo, but he refused to let them look at his belly. He may have woken up, but he was in so much pain. He was clearly in much worse shape than John.
He pushed Ben's hand away, demanding, "Don't touch me."
Maria sat on her heels behind him. She took his head and set it down on her thighs. "Mateo, please, we're just trying to help you."
Mateo tossed Ben's cape off him. "I'm fine." Yet, he shuffled uncomfortably on the ground.
Maria glared. "You are not fine. You have a fever. And a mighty high one, too."
Ben attempted to look at his belly again, but Mateo grabbed his wrist.
John was glad he wasn't a challenging patient. He rested on his tummy in front of a log. He passed the time by pulling out the rest of his loose feathers. He hoped that when they grew back, they would be extra gorgeous. Ben got a new layer of skin when his arm healed.
Maria, Ben, and Ms. Brook finally just gave up. If Mateo wanted to be stubborn, that was his problem. They stopped fighting him.
"Let's let him calm down," Ben ordered. "He's just scared." He picked up his cape and tossed it back over him. He secretly pulled Mateo's walkie-talkie-like device off his belt. Ben hid it behind his back.
Ms. Brook reached under the cape. She felt around for Mateo's hand. "Your Majesty, we can't leave him like this," she said.
Ben took her shoulder. "Don't worry, ma'am." He flashed Mateo's device and got up. He and Joey left the gathering.
Before long, Evie returned to Ms. Brook, Maria, and Mateo. She handed Ms. Brook the wet cloth. "Here."
"Thank you, dear." Ms. Brook accepted it. She put the cloth over her son's forehead.
He squeezed her hand. "Mamá, I don't want to die."
"You're not going to die, sweet cakes," Ms. Brook said. "But you do need to let us look at your belly."
"No, please." Mateo stopped her before she could remove Ben's cape. He could not let Maria and his mom see the seriousness of his wound. They would never allow him to return to the wilderness if they did. Where were those berries when he needed them most?
Evie joined her friends. She, Sam, Emrys, Tate, Amanda, and Ashlynn sat cross-legged. Evie's parents were across from them, on the other side of the fire.
Evie nervously fingered the glowing pebble. She tossed it from one palm to the other. "It has not stopped glowing since we fell here," she explained to her friends.
Sam offered her his good hand. "May I?"
"Sure." Evie gave him the stone.
Sam carefully examined it. There was something in his head, something he had trouble pulling out. Then, it hit him. "Wait, wait! I know what it is."
"What?" Evie and her friends asked at the same time.
Sam held the pebble up to their faces. "Euphorbia. Euphorbia is here somewhere."
Evie looked amazed. "Wait, you're serious? If that's the case, then do you think she'll be able to heal Mateo and John?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Sam replied.
Ashlynn excitedly clapped her hands. "Ooh, yes, yes! Another adventure for the Never-Ending Rangers!"
Charlotte and Keegan stopped the children before they could leave.
"Evie, where are you and your friends going?" Charlotte asked.
"Mom, Dad, we think the Green Guardian is here," said Evie. "We were going to go look for her."
Keegan shook his head. "Not without an adult, you aren't."
"Dad, we'll be fine."
Charlotte was with her husband. "What if the basilisk attacks you?"
"The basilisk won't attack if Euphorbia is nearby," Sam explained.
Keegan glared at him. "What makes you think that? For your information, sir, I'm in the Boy Scouts."
Scoffing, Ashlynn said, "Honestly, Mr. Madison, we prefer to have Mateo help us, but he's out of sorts right now."
"That scrawny ranger...?" Keegan's voice trailed. He picked up a stick. "I'll show you I'm just as capable as him."
Evie wondered why her dad disliked Mateo so much. Was he jealous? It seemed that way.
Keegan led the way through Crows' Den. He twirled his stick as if it were a sword hilt. Except, he had no idea where he was going. He and the children ended up running into a cliff face. Keegan bumped his nose on the rocks. The impact knocked the stick to the ground. He patted the rocks a few times.
Sam, who still held onto the pebble, said, "Why don't we let the pebble guide us?" He moved it to the right, and the glow faded. Sam shifted it to the left, and the pebble glowed brighter. "This way," he added.
Keegan just embarrassed himself. A child had outsmarted him.
Charlotte grasped his shoulder. She gave him a feeble smile. "It's okay, dear."
The pebble took the group past the cliff and into a circular area of the den. A single, enormous tree stood in the heart of it. Groups of orange lights floated around its branches, looking like lanterns. A mossy knothole was in the tree's trunk.
Sam pointed at it. "There."
The tree's branches rearranged at the sound of his voice. One branch tried to smash the party, but they quickly moved out of the way. With impact, leaves and flower petals scattered. The lantern-like lights started to dance in a swift but calm manner. Two more branches cut Evie and her friends off from Evie's parents.
Without warning, the tree asked, "Who dares disturb me?"
Everybody's jaws dropped. Oh no, first, there was a talking Red-Crowned Crane, and now there was a talking tree!
The tree's voice, though angry, was also wise. It reminded Evie of movies where elderly mentors taught pupils. She stayed brave. She stood tall and said, "My name is Evie Amanda Madison, and I'm one of the Pebble Masters. We're looking for Euphorbia."
"Leave!" the tree boomed. "Euphorbia wants nothing to do with humans." She protectively wrapped her branches around her knothole. Evie guessed that was where the fairy was.
Sam shakily stepped before her. He offered the tree the pebble. "I'm Sam Aitchison. Sixty years ago, Euphorbia saved me. We have her pebble."
"Hm." The tree unfolded its branches and moved in on Sam. The branch circled him a few times and poked him with some twigs. Momentarily, it stopped over the pebble. Eventually moving away, the tree said, "Euphorbia only answers to the Fairy Dance."
"The Fairy Dance?" Sam inquired. "But she saved me. We're friends."
"She only answers to the Fairy Dance!"
Evie, Ashlynn, Amanda, Tate, and Emrys exchanged looks.
"Mateo," Tate softly said, looking concerned.
"Yes." Evie nodded. She remembered the dance Mateo shared at the Feast of Peace. That was the Fairy Dance.
Her parents gave her a nervous look. They didn't want their daughter to get hurt.
Evie inched closer to the tree. She bowed to her. "Your Majesty, we have somebody who knows the Fairy Dance, but..."
"...he's injured," Ashlynn finished.
"That's not my problem," the tree grumbled. "Without the Fairy Dance, you'll never see the Green Guardian."
"But we need her to defeat the basilisk!" Evie argued. "We also think she can heal our injured friends."
"Silence!" The tree moved another branch under the little girl's feet. She tripped over it and fell onto her backside. Evie clenched her teeth.
"Evie!" Charlotte yelled. She and Keegan hurried to her. They each grasped one of her shoulders.
"Please," Evie begged, digging her palms into the wet soil. "These people are good people."
The tree tightened her branches around her knothole. "I'm not going to ask you again. Leave!" A final branch hit the ground. At her command, a magic barrier appeared around the whole plant. It was lime green and had a fuzzy appearance to it.
Evie stood up. She pushed her parents off her. "We have no choice. We need a Pinta Park Ranger. We need Mateo."
"But he's injured!" Amanda said. "There's no way he can make it here alone."
"Oh, I think he will," Keegan evilly said. He rubbed his hands together.
Evie gave him a nervous look. "Um, Dad?"
***
As expected, Euphorbia was in the enchanted tree's knothole. She lay on a few dying leaves, surrounded by vines. Her wings drooped.
Euphorbia forced her eyes open. She caught a glimpse of Evie's party through the tree's branches. Her little fingers tightly gripped one of the leaves. The heels of her ballet slippers clicked together. She was horrified. Within the time span of a minute, the fairy fell unconscious.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
