Page 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The trailhead was nestled in the thick of a copse, the tall timber mingling with thick undergrowth. Berry bushes abounded, including huckleberries, blackberries, salmon berries, and thimbleberries. Ferns—waist high—covered the ground. In a few months, the skunk cabbages would be out, along with the wildflowers that grew within the Pacific Northwest’s biome. The trail itself was wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

The professor didn’t say much, letting us enjoy the walk without trying to point out everything around us. I appreciated that. It gave me time to think, and to get to know Kyle a little bit more.

“I’m not much of a hiker,” he said. “But this is nice. I normally wouldn’t take time out to do this.”

“I like being out in nature,” I said. “My aunt loves to work in the garden, and when I was little, I helped out a lot.”

“Do your parents live in town?” he asked.

I almost tripped over a root that protruded out of the ground. Kyle caught my arm and steadied me. The moment he touched my arm, even through my sleeve, I felt a tingle race up my skin.

Blushing, I said, “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure why I felt awkward, but I did. “My parents died when I was seven and I went to live with my aunts. But yes, I was born in Midnight Point. Okay, we’d better catch up. Jason’s pulling ahead.”

“Jason Willows is a good teacher, but he’s not really grounded in other people’s realities,” Kyle said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Look,” he said, nodding ahead.

Jason was out in front, at least ten feet ahead of the fastest student. He seemed so focused on the trail ahead of him, I doubted if he noticed the rest of us were having a hard time catching up. In fact, as I glanced behind us, I saw that Tiffany, a witch in her sixties, was struggling. She looked winded.

“I see what you mean. Wait for me. I’ll be back.” I sped up, increasing my pace till I passed a couple other students and reached Jason’s side. “Professor Willows?”

Startled, he looked at me like I’d assaulted him, then he smiled. “Oh, Maisy, what can I do for you?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a couple of the students are having trouble keeping up. You didn’t want anybody wandering off on their own, right? I mean…Tiffany is not as fast as you are. And as a matter of fact, neither am I.” I said it gently, hoping he wouldn’t get bent out of shape by my criticism.

“Oh.” He looked surprised, as though he hadn’t even thought of slowing down for the others. “I’m sorry, thank you for letting me know.”

He turned around, waiting for everybody to catch up. Tiffany flashed me a relieved look. I smiled at her, as she leaned on her walking stick. Jason followed my gaze and worried his lip.

“I didn’t realize I was pushing all of you so much. I apologize. We’ll take a break for a few minutes and then be on our way. We don’t actually have too far to go. Hollow Hill isn’t far from here. Though we will be heading off trail, the slope is gentle and we won’t have to crawl up any ravines.” He pointed ahead, toward a stake that had a sign on it reading “HH” with an arrow aimed toward the woods. “We turn off there.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to make it?” Tiffany asked.

Once again, Jason blushed. “All right, I’ll admit something. I didn’t take into account whether people would be able to manage it. I’ve taught seventh grade for years, before taking on community classes. I’m used to young kids who…”

“Can move?” Tiffany asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Right.” Jason sighed. “How are you feeling?”

“I thought we’d be able to drive most of the way to the wild place. To be honest, I’m not that interested in hiking for a couple hours into a place that might be chancy,” Tiffany said. “If you don’t mind, and if it won’t affect my standing in the class, I’d rather turn back.”

“I don’t want you walking to the parking lot alone,” Jason said.

“I’ll go with her. It’s cold and I’d rather be home on my sofa,” another member of the class said. A few others mumbled their agreement.

In the end, Kyle, two other members of the class, and I were left as the others headed back to the parking lot. I turned to Jason.

“So, should we go on? Over half the class has left.”

“I think so, if you’re game,” he said.

“That’s why we’re here, whether there are just five of us, or the whole class. Let’s get a move on.”

Jason turned off the trail and plunged into the undergrowth.

As Kyle, Nena, Lonny, and I followed him, it was as though a silence fell on our shoulders, and without the others around talking, the energy of the thicket surrounded us. We weren’t climbing a ravine, nor were we in such dense woodland that it felt like we were cut off from everything, but somehow, it felt like we were isolated. The parking lot was a mere ten to fifteen minutes away, but we were alone, and all around, a force was watching us, listening to us, waiting for us.

Spooked, I drew closer to Kyle. By his stance and expression, I could tell he was feeling the same way I was. When he reached out for my hand, I took it, the firmness of his grasp helping me ground and center.

The sun broke through the clouds and I welcomed the brightness. As I focused on the rays of light piercing the canopy, I heard my own breathing and realized I was taking shallow gulps of air. I stopped, and Kyle stopped with me. Taking a deep breath of air, I held it for a count of four, then slowly exhaled. The second time, Kyle joined me, and then we took one more deep breath. As the air whistled out through my mouth, I monitored myself and once again, felt grounded and present. My nerves were still on high alarm, but I wasn’t sliding into panic.

I nodded at Kyle when he looked at me, and we moved on, catching up to the others.

“Is the forest getting to you?” Jason asked.

“Yeah,” I said, not wanting to admit it.

“That’s common around here. It means we’re getting close to Hollow Hill.”

“Is it steep?” I asked.

“Is what steep?”

“The hill—Hollow Hill,” I said.

Jason blinked, then cleared his throat and turned to us. “I thought you knew. Hollow Hill isn’t a hill at all. That’s just its name. Hollow Hill is a…well…I can’t explain it. You’ll just have to see for yourself. We’re almost there.”

“It’s a good thing Tiffany didn’t come with us,” I said. “I don’t think she would have managed the walk, even though she seems in relatively good condition. The energy here is thick. It’s like walking through sludge.”

“You’re right, it is like sludge. That’s because the energy coming off of the Hollow is incredibly powerful.” Jason motioned for us to follow him again. “When we get there, I want your promise that you won’t do anything without consulting me first.”

We all promised, though his words made me nervous. “Is someone watching us?” I asked.

“I feel them too,” Kyle said.

“Not some one . Some thing .” But Jason wouldn’t say anything else, even though we cajoled him.

Another five minutes and he stopped. We’d come to a thick part of the copse. The undergrowth had mushroomed, and where it had been crowded before, here, it was so thick that it was hard to tell if anything was in it. And as the wall of foliage stretched in front of us, a mist rolled out from between the grasses and sedges, like steam through a strainer.

“Come,” Jason said, heading for the one opening that I could see in the wall of leaves, bushes, and grass.

As I approached the path leading in, a strong wave of fear washed over me and I backed away.

“I don’t want to go in there,” I said. “Nope…not going in.”

“It’s all right, Maisy. I’m here,” Kyle said.

“I don’t care if the entire goddamn military is here, I don’t want anything to do with whatever it is that’s in there,” I said, feeling my fear turning into panic. I seldom ever had panic attacks. What the hell was going on?

“It’s the protective nature of the Hollow,” Jason said. “That’s how it deflects anybody who might disturb it.”

“These wild places,” Kyle said. “Are we talking portal areas, or…”

“My aunt says this is where the Fae come and go. She was surprised you were bringing us here,” I said, deciding to get to the bottom of things. “Won’t the Fae be upset if we disturb them?”

Jason hesitated. “There are other portals we could travel to, but the trip would take more than a day, and the danger is greater. As I said, I received permission from the city to bring you here—there’s a fence ahead and I have the key. When we reach there, if you still want to leave, we’ll turn and go.”

The others glanced at me. Everybody looked nervous.

Finally, I shrugged. “We might as well go as far as the fence, I suppose.” Not wanting to be the deciding factor for everyone, I once again told myself that if, when we reached the perimeter and I still felt like leaving, I would.

Jason frowned, but said nothing. Instead, he turned and began pushing forward again, through the thickening undergrowth.

Kyle leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Are you sure you want to continue? I’m curious, but I also have the sense that we shouldn’t be here.”

I thought about it again, weighing our options. Finally, deciding that I should trust the teacher to do his job, I nodded. The school wouldn’t have hired him if they hadn’t done a background check.

“Let’s go,” I whispered back. “I may just be hypersensitive. A lot has been going on in my life and I’m not sure if my hesitation has to do with Hollow Hill, or just life in general.”

Kyle took my hand. “I hope you don’t mind— it makes me feel less nervous.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. Truth was, I didn’t mind at all. I was rapidly growing to like Kyle, and holding hands with him was actually comforting.

We worked our way past the line where the panic had set in, and now—all around me—it felt like we were being watched. Everywhere I looked, I thought I could see someone, and then they would vanish. They weren’t ghosts, either. I wasn’t sure exactly what was out here in the woodlands, but I trusted my instincts.

“Have you ever heard of the Woodlings?” Nena asked. “Do you think there are any out here?”

Puzzled, I waited for the teacher to answer. The name didn’t ring a bell and I wasn’t exactly sure what Nena was talking about.

Jason again cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m familiar with the Woodlings. I’ve actually seen one. And I do believe they exist here, especially since this is a known Fae habitat.”

“What are they?” I asked. The discussion was helping me keep my mind off the energy that felt so unwelcoming.

“The Woodlings are spirits from the wood, shaped from the very wood itself, and they serve the Overkings.”

“Overkings?” I asked.

“Another word for the Fae,” Jason said. “It’s what the Woodlings call them, because they are bound servants. The Woodlings are sentient creatures, and they belong both in our world and world of Fae. You’ll find them whenever you are deep in the forest.”

“Servants?”

“More like slaves,” Nena said. “I know we have a few members of the Fae in our city council and in our communities, but they have such a feudal structure that I’m amazed they put up with interacting with us.”

“You’re correct in that assumption,” Jason said. “They do have a feudal structure to their hierarchy. As to putting up with us, there isn’t much else they can do, given the nature of our encroachment into their native territories. In a sense, it’s colonialism all over again.”

“I’ve met two members of the Fae who interact with our society, and I have to say, they’re pretty nice. It feels like we’re making assumptions based on stereotypes.” I felt like I needed to stand up for my new friends. Neither Bealissa nor Ginger had seemed anything like what I had heard about members of the Fae race.

“The Fae can be nice on an individual basis,” Jason said. “Do not expect their race to mirror that. And you met two of the Fae who prefer to interact with mortals. Again, you cannot assume that is a good representative of the actual community. Should we meet any of their kin, do not thank them for anything, and do not say the word favor around them. You might inadvertently bind yourself to a lifetime of servitude.”

Now that I knew. And I fully realized that I couldn’t base my opinions off the small sector I had met. But I still felt like they were getting a bad rap.

“Don’t worry, we’re listening.” I wanted the whole subject to be done and over with. I didn’t feel like controversy today, nor did I feel like an argument. Kyle squeezed my hand and gave me a wink. “Don’t let him get to you,” he whispered. I glanced over at Nena. She had a scowl on her face, and she was openly glaring at the back of the teacher.

With every step, the sensation that we were being watched grew, and I tried to brush it away. My instincts were screaming turn back , but I had committed to seeing it through and I really didn’t want to explain myself.

A moment later we came to the fence that Jason had been talking about. On the other side, the wild had really taken over. There was no sign of any trail, and the energy that flowed out from behind the fence made my stomach tighten. I moved closer to Kyle as Jason took out a key and began to unlock the massive padlock holding the chain gate shut.

As he opened it, I had a flash that something was about to go devilishly wrong.

Jason swung the gate wide and started to step through when a loud growl echoed past us.

I jumped, stumbling back. Nena froze, but Lonny pushed her to the side as a massive bristled boar with glowing red eyes and curved tasks came rushing through, knocking Jason to the ground. I suddenly realized that it was headed directly toward me. I screamed, unable to move as it barreled down on me.