Chapter 15

Paige squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the blow to her head.

A shout echoed in the room, and a crack sounded.

"Not today, troll," Dewey shouted, tugging his arms back to ready for another strike against the little green man.

Paige snapped her eyes open and scrambled to her feet as the troll stumbled backward, shaking his head from the blow. Dewey swung again, but the troll darted away, escaping the hit.

Paige hefted her sword up and thrust it toward the short assailant. The troll danced back awkwardly as Dewey exposed the blade hidden in his walking stick.

He lunged forward, jabbing the blade at the troll. It caught the creature's cheek, and a stream of green blood flowed down its face.

"Quick, Paige! Run for it," Dewey shouted.

"No way," Paige said, a grimace on her lips. "I'm not leaving you until he's not a threat."

She swiveled the sword in her hand, raising it high in the air. As she attempted to bash the troll in the head and render it unconscious, it lunged forward, teeth bared.

Dewey flew behind him and slid the walking stick under the troll's chin.

With an arm on either side of his head, Dewey tugged him backward, his wings beating hard. "Now, Paige!"

Paige lifted the sword again and swung it down, cracking the troll against his mossy head. The creature's eyes rolled back in their sockets before he slid to the ground, smacking into it with his legs bouncing up before falling back onto the dirt.

"He's out," Paige said between pants. "Let's go."

Dewey slid his blade back into the stick and sailed to the ladder, flying upward as Paige mounted the rungs, the sword still clutched in one hand.

"Paige," Dewey shouted a moment later, his eyes wide. "Hurry!"

Paige glanced over her shoulder. Trolls flocked into the room like ants. Two ran toward their fallen compatriot as the others stormed the ladder and climbed up the rungs at lightning speed.

Paige winced and continued her climb, hoping to escape in time.

A chubby hand wrapped around her ankle and yanked.

"Get off," she growled, shaking her leg.

Dewey descended past her, smacking the troll with his stick. The green creature released his grip on Paige, falling into the sea of trolls below. Another replaced him just as quickly.

"Go, Dewey. You can't keep fighting them off."

"I've got it, Paige. Keep climbing," Dewey told her as he beat off another troll.

Paige scrambled up several more rungs, staring up at the gray sky above her. A cry from Dewey forced her to cease her climb and glance over her shoulder.

A troll held one of his wings, teeth showing and mouth open, preparing to bite him.

"Dewey," Paige shouted.

She hurried down the rungs and kicked at the troll who held him. Dewey fluttered around wildly as he tried to escape.

Paige kicked the troll again. "Grab my leg, Dewey, and hang on."

Dewey fought against the troll's grip to grab hold of the fabric of Paige's pants. He dug his claws in, tugging himself closer to her and wrapping his arms around her thigh.

"Hold on," Paige said.

She wrinkled her nose and kicked hard, sending the troll flying across the room.

Another scrambled into its place. Paige stepped on its fingers until it cried out and lost its grip. Paige scrambled up a few more rungs as Dewey climbed up her back and onto her shoulder.

"Almost there," he panted out.

Trolls continued to climb after them, some of them leaping onto the ladder and shimmying up without the rungs.

Paige scurried up the remaining rungs and crawled on her hands and knees through the hole in the tree trunk. She spun and kicked at the ladder until it splintered and fell into the trolls' abode below. With her chest heaving, she stuck her head inside the tree and peered down the hole.

Trolls raised their fists at her as some tried to build a ladder from their bodies to reach the top. One troll climbed up the others, trying to settle on top of the highest's shoulders. The chain of trolls wobbled before they toppled over, falling back into their compatriots below.

Paige collapsed onto her back and breathed a sigh of relief as she stared up at the cloudy gray sky.

She swiped away the sweat on her brow and blew out a long breath. "Oh my gosh. That was intense."

"No kidding," Dewey said, lying in a pile of leaves next to her. He lifted his head and stared over at her. "Hey, I hate to be the heavy here, but we probably should move. I really don't want to get caught by a few resourceful trolls."

Paige groaned and pulled herself up to sit, climbing to her feet and grabbing the sword. "You're right. If we're lucky, no one is guarding the bridge, and we can cross it and move on to the next ridiculous obstacle."

Dewey grabbed his stick and flew into the air. "I'm starting to wonder if the Forest of Isolation will actually be the easier thing to deal with than the stupid troll bridge."

"Reserving judgment for when we actually know what the Forest of Isolation is," Paige said, patting her shoulder to signal Dewey to perch on it. "Can you get back to the bridge from here?"

Dewey settled on it, the stick clutched in his hand. "Yep." He poked the stick at a path snaking through the forest. "Take that path right there."

Paige set off on the dirt path leading to the troll bridge as the sky turned a shade darker. After another few steps, a crescent moon shone in the sky, and a few stars twinkled overhead.

"Guess it's night," she said.

"Yeah. Someone used the indigo crayon on the sky," Dewey noted.

Paige shivered. "I really hope we don't have to spend the night in the Forest of Isolation. It just sounds awful."

"Maybe it'll be day by the time we reach it. I don't know how long nights last in books, but it never seems long. Oh, unless this is one of those endless-night books where all the bad stuff happens at night."

"Please stop talking. You're making it worse," Paige said.

The trees thinned, and they spotted the bridge drenched in moonlight.

"Careful. They may have left a sentry behind."

Paige readied her sword. "Yeah, well, if they did, he's not getting any sympathy from me."

Paige inched around a tree at the edge of the path and peered at the bridge.

"I don't see anyone," she whispered.

"Wait here. I'll fly up there and see if he comes out."

"Stay high enough in the air that he can't crack you with his walking stick," Paige warned as Dewey leapt off her shoulder and sailed toward the bridge.

As he approached, a troll climbed from underneath and approached him, speaking in Troll.

Dewey answered in the same language. The troll narrowed his eyes and shook his head, holding out a hand. Dewey's head bobbled around angrily as he responded. After another exchange, Dewey exposed the blade on his weapon and thrust it toward the troll, rambling on in the other language again.

The troll dropped his walking stick and clapped his hands on his head before racing off into the woods.

"Come on, Paige. We've come to an understanding," he called.

Paige emerged from her cover behind the tree, sword raised. "What's the understanding?"

"He lets us pass. Period. I told him he has no backup. His buddies are all stuck in his treehouse."

Dewey landed on Paige's shoulder again as she stepped onto the stone bridge and hurried across it.

She glanced over her shoulder as she stepped onto the trail again. "Made it. One obstacle down."

"Yep. Let's keep moving."

Paige nodded and continued down the path toward the signpost at the fork. They found the direction for the Forest of Isolation, taking the path through a flat valley to a large grassy knoll.

As they reached the foot of the hill, the sun peeked over the horizon.

"Seriously?" Paige asked as she pushed her hands against her thighs to climb.

"I imagine the book version said something like, ‘It took the better part of the night for them to cross the valley.'"

"It's just weird," Paige said as she sucked in breaths from the exertion.

"Almost there," Dewey announced as they neared the crest.

The sun rose higher overhead, brightening the landscape around them.

Paige climbed to the top and shielded her eyes, gazing ahead. "Oh, wow!"

Dewey's grip tightened on her shoulder as he stared at the forest spreading out in front of them. "That must be the Forest of Isolation."

"Really?" Paige questioned, her brows knitting as she flicked her gaze at him. "That's the Forest of Isolation?"

"I'd guess so. The sign said it was this way."

Paige eyed the vast and colorful woods. "It looks…enchanting! Like a fairy tale. Or Candyland."

In the early morning sun, the pastel-colored trees sparkled as though made of crystals. Bright glints of pink, purple, and blue burst from the forest.

A grin spread on Paige's face as she started her descent down the hill toward the forest. "I wonder if trees have candy on them. Like gumdrops and candy fruit slices."

Dewey frowned. "I'm not as convinced as you are that a forest known for isolation will have candy trees."

Paige thrust her hand toward their destination. "Dewey, look at this place! It's like a fun, whimsical playhouse."

Dewey wrinkled his nose, his horns wiggling. "Then why is it called the Forest of Isolation?"

"Maybe because the forest itself is isolated from other things," Paige replied.

"We'll see," Dewey murmured as they approached the edge.

"Oh, wow! It's even prettier up close. Are the trees made of glass? Or crystal?" Paige ran her hand up and down the shiny orangish bark.

Dewey glanced at the crooked sign stuck into the ground next to the path leading into the forest's depths. "Forest of Isolation. Woe to all who go here."

Paige joined him, grimacing at the skull painted next to the warning.

She wandered back to a tree and pulled a lollipop from the foliage. "Maybe they mean woe to your waistline. Mmm, strawberry."

"Paige!" Dewey huffed at her. "Did you just pick something off of a tree and eat it?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to eat another one," Paige mumbled around the bits of candy she crunched. "I'm starving."

"Stop eating stuff. We have no idea what might be in that. It could be poisonous!"

Paige chewed up the last bits of the lollipop and tossed the crystal stem to the ground. "I'm already dying, first off, and second, I'm starving. I can't believe you're not. You eat way more than me."

Dewey pressed his lips together and eyed a cotton-candy tree.

He grabbed a wad and stuffed it into his mouth. "You're right. How bad can it be?"

Paige shot him a grin and tugged a wad of cotton candy from a blue tree, then she stuffed it into her mouth and licked her fingers.

Dewey flitted farther into the forest, pulling gumdrops from another tree and popping them into his mouth before harvesting peppermints from a nearby bush.

Paige approached a dark-colored tree and wrinkled her nose. She poked a finger at it. "Here's what the warning is about. Black licorice tree. Worst candy ever."

"Don't forget about candy corn."

"What?" Paige asked, grabbing another handful of cotton candy and tearing it apart. "I like candy corn."

"Eww, who likes candy corn?"

"Me. I wonder if I'll find any in the forest." She tugged another lollipop from a nearby tree and stuck it into her mouth.

"That's probably what the warning's about. Candy-corn bushes."

Paige giggled and shot him a glance. "Black licorice is way worse than candy corn."

"It isn't. I bet you're one of those weirdos who like Peeps, too."

"The sugar-coated marshmallows?" Paige nodded. "I love those. But you gotta open the package and let them get hard for a day or so."

"Oh, ugh. Stop, you're making me sick."

"That's probably the massive amount of cotton candy you consumed," she said with another giggle.

"Possibly. Oh," Dewey groaned, patting his swollen belly, "I am stuffed. Wow." His flying slowed, and he descended to the ground below, plopping in a heap under a gumdrop tree. "Maybe a little nap."

"There's no time to nap," Paige argued with a yawn. "Though maybe I'll just close my eyes for a minute. We have been up all night."

She slouched down the trunk of a cotton-candy tree and let her head rest against it.

"Yeah, all one hour of it," Dewey said as his eyelids slid closed.

A weak chuckle escaped Paige's lips as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A strange squawking awakened Paige from a restful slumber. She startled, sucking in a sharp gasp of air as her eyes opened.

Darkness surrounded her.

"Dewey?" she called, squinting into the blackness.

No response came.

Paige climbed to her feet, glancing up at the night sky above her.

"How long did we sleep?" She raised her voice and called out for her partner again.

Only the raucous hoot that woke her echoed through the forest, which no longer sparkled under the moonless sky.

Paige shoved her glasses up on her nose and glanced up. "What happened to the moon? And where did Dewey go?"

She shivered as an icy breeze rustled through the candy trees. Dread inched up her spine, and she wrapped her fingers tighter around the sword she still clutched.

"Dewey!" she called again, her voice laced with panic.

She ran down the path of the darkened forest in search of her small friend but didn't find any sign of him.

She approached a clearing. A stone pillar stood in the middle, drenched in moonlight.

Paige slowed, her brow furrowing.

She glanced up at the sky, finding a full moon above her. "Where did that come from?"

A cold sweat formed at the small of her back as she swallowed hard and inched toward the square structure. She ran her hand over the top, her fingers detecting etched letters. She blew the dust off the pillar and adjusted her glasses to read the words.

"To summon the forest's keeper and pass the test, call his name three times under the full moon."

Her forehead pinched, and she shook her head. "What?"

She glanced around the clearing in search of more information.

"Hello?" she called with a raised voice. "Mr. Keeper, sir? Hello?"

She returned her gaze to the instructions.

"Call his name three times," she repeated. "But what is his name?"

She tapped her fingers against her forehead. "Think, Paige, think. This is a book of messed-up fairy tales."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, right! Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin!"

She spun in a circle, searching for someone to appear.

No one showed up.

She blew out a frustrated breath and puckered her lips as she tried to come up with another name.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice."

Her muscles stiffened as she let her head fall between her shoulder blades and groaned. "Come on! What is your stupid name?"

"Pssst," a voice said.

Paige glanced around in search of the whisper. "Huh? Is someone there?"

"Over here," the voice said. "Up here. In the tree."

Paige twisted and scanned the licorice tree. A crow stepped onto a moonlit branch. Paige pressed her lips together and raised her sword at it.

"I could have pecked you to death without alerting you to my presence, stupid girl."

Paige lowered her sword. "What do you want?"

"Seems like you need a bit of help."

"What I need is to find my friend. Have you seen him? Tiny dragon, teal, snarky, about this big." She brought her hands together to showcase the size of a small dog.

"He's not here."

"What? Well, where is he?"

"In his own forest."

Paige arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean in his own forest?"

"This is the Forest of Isolation. Not the Forest of Togetherness."

Paige adjusted her glasses, her features pinching.

The crow clicked his tongue. "Did you eat the candy?"

Paige snapped her gaze back to the bird. "Yes."

"Well, there you have it. You're both in an aberration. You'll need to pass his test before you get out. Otherwise, you'll be trapped here alone forever."

Paige glanced back at the stone pillar. "I don't know his name."

"It's on the post, stupid." The crow spread its wings and flew into the night.

Paige studied the top, finding nothing. She squatted down, searching the side. She found one letter: A.

"A, A, A!"

Nothing happened.

"That's stupid. Whose name is A?"

She circled around the pillar, finding another letter on another side.

"M," she murmured.

She continued around, noting the letters on each side. "A, M, L, I. Amli, Amli, Amli."

No one came.

Paige flung her arms into the air. "What gives? Amli, Amli, Amli."

She shook her head and chewed her lower lip. "A, M, L, I. Amli. Mlia. No. Liam." Her eyes went wide. "Liam!"

A grin spread across her features, and she bumped her glasses higher with her index finger. "Liam, Liam, Liam."

Wind gusted past her, circling around her as it rustled through the foliage. A swirling cloud appeared near the stone plinth.

Paige stumbled back several steps, shielding her eyes from the strong wind gusts.

The smoky vapor cleared, a form emerging from it.

Paige's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes went wide as she stared at what materialized.