Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

We stood at the edge of a vast landscape that seemed like the aftermath of a temper tantrum with art supplies. The ground was a mess of jagged rocks made of crumpled paper someone had tried to smooth out again, all sharp edges and unpredictable. Mist swirled around us in thick ribbons.

"Looks like we're in for a fun ride," I said.

Robbie sighed, already sounding tired. "We have to keep focused. This outpost might be our only way back home. It might even bring us to Jaylyn. We don’t have any choice here, we have to keep moving, or we could be stuck here forever."

"At least we have real supplies now," I said .

Jessie held out her wand. "And we have powers. You guys have grown so much since becoming a fairy godmother and sugar daddy. We can see this as a test of your abilities."

I smiled. "I’ve never been a big fan of pass or fail tests."

Robbie laughed. "Me neither. But think positively, we’re going to pass this thing!"

After a quiet moment, Jessie said. "At least I don’t see anything living out there."

I shivered. "Nothing with scales or sharp teeth."

Robbie put a comforting arm around me. "You’re with us. You’re safe."

"Right."

"Should we whistle as we go?" Jessie asked.

I grinned. "Maybe something catchy?"

Robbie was smiling, but he shook his head. "You two better not. If I get some annoying song stuck in my head, I’m coming for both of you."

Jessie and I exchanged a look and burst out laughing. Okay, Robbie was right. I’m safe. I’m with my friends. We can face anything, as long as we’re together.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" He asked, playfully, then squinted into the distance. "Let's get going… and keep our eyes peeled," he said, his blue eyes scanning the horizon. He stepped forward, taking the lead without hesitation.

Jessie patted my shoulder. "We've got this," she said, her warm brown eyes speaking volumes about her confidence in us.

We moved cautiously, Robbie stepping carefully on the uneven ground that felt like walking on a giant relief map. The rocks didn't give way beneath our feet, but they didn't exactly provide stable footing either. It was a strange feeling. It’d take a miracle if none of us twisted our ankles on this thing.

"Watch your step," Jessie said as a rock shifted under her.

"Thanks," I adjusted my balance.

We walked as the sun rose higher in the sky. Despite Robbie’s protests, Jessie and I began singing. It was my mom’s least favorite song from when I was a kid. It Was The Song That Never Ends. As time passed, I think Robbie was sure we’d get sick of the song. But we didn’t. If anything, it got funnier the longer we sang, until, finally, Robbie joined us. Belting out the song in his much deeper voice.

Suddenly, the mist parted slightly ahead of us, revealing a bridge in the distance that hung over a vast chasm that ran in both directions as far as the eye could see. The bridge made from twisted vines and ropes complete with patches that seemed to be held together by sheer willpower, or maybe chewing gum and hope.

"Is that our way across?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

Robbie pulled out the map, its edges frayed, reminding me of torn construction paper. "Yep," he pointed to a shaky line that crossed a chasm. "That's our crossing. Our only crossing."

"Looks sturdy enough," Jessie said, though I caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sure, if you weigh as much as a doodlebug," I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"What do we do?" Jessie asked. "That can’t possibly be safe. "

"Is there a spell we could use?" I asked, hopefully.

She thought for a minute, then shook her head. "There are spells we can use if the bridge breaks to keep us alive and safe, but not to actually help us cross this distance. Even if we had everything for a potion to make us jump like frogs, for example, I don’t think we could jump that far."

"Darn," I said, eyeing the rickety bridge. "So, I guess we have to cross it, but I’m keeping my wand at the ready."

"We all should," Jessie said. "Along with keeping a specific protection spell in your mind."

All three of us held out our wands and nodded, glancing back at the deathtrap we had to cross. If it broke, or we fell off it, it’d be seriously frightening, but our spells should keep us alive.

"Come on," Robbie stepped onto the bridge. It swayed under his weight, and my heart did a little tap dance in my chest.

"Easy does it," he said to us.

I took a deep breath, following him onto the bridge. Every creak and groan from the planks had me picturing us plummeting into the abyss. My hands gripped the rope sides the best I could while holding my wand, my knuckles turning white.

"Look at you, agile as a cat," Robbie said from a few steps ahead.

"More like a cat on a hot tin roof," I focused on putting one foot in front of the other without looking down.

"Remember, it's all about balance," Jessie said behind me, her tone steady and calm. "Balance and taking our time."

"Right, balance," I said.

Halfway across, the bridge bucked like a bronco, and I froze. But we couldn't stop; stopping meant thinking, and thinking meant realizing how crazy this was. So, I keep going, clinging to the bridge as it moved as if it had a life of its own… a life that wanted nothing more than to send us flying off it.

"Almost there," Robbie reached the other side and turned to watch us.

One step, then another. I kept my gaze fixed on Robbie's outstretched hand. And finally, with a last wobbly step, I reached solid ground again.

Jessie joined us moments later, and we shared quick, relieved smiles. We'd crossed the bridge to who knows where, but we'd done it together. That had to count for something.

The moment we stepped off the bridge, a wind kicked up, almost like something propelled by magic. It wasn't any breeze; this was the kind that could snatch you off your feet and toss you around like a leaf. I was scared to even take a step, terrified that my foot leaving the ground would be enough for me to be snatched off the ground and thrown into the abyss.

"What do we do?" Robbie shouted over the wind.

Jessie looked panicked. "Let me think."

My mind started working too, and an idea began to form. I wasn’t some expert fairy godmother, but I thought I had an idea that could save us. My heart thudded against my ribs as I clenched my wand tighter, focusing on the spell I'd learned in class.

"Protect us from the wind," I whispered, and then I began to work my hips while moving my wand around, just like I’d done in class.

A protective barrier formed around us, a column of calm in the chaos. The fierce gusts battered against my barrier but couldn't break through. Robbie and Jessie looked at me with wide eyes, but we were safe for now.

"Nice work, Cendi," Robbie said with a grin.

"Thanks." I let out a shaky breath, proud that I remembered how to conjure the spell under pressure.

"You’re a quick study." Jessie grinned. "That’s good to know."

We started forward, climbing up a small hill before coming to the other side. There, we stood frozen, staring in shock at the scene before us. Just ahead, the path was lined with plants straight out of a nightmare. They were round brown balls, and had jaws bigger than my head, with tendrils that writhed like snakes connecting them to the ground. Like Venus fly traps, only the size of giraffes. One snap from those things, and it would be game over.

"Do you think those things will eat us?" I asked .

"Those are definitely meat eaters," Robbie said, looking a little pale.

"There’s nowhere else to go."

"Yeah, we have to go through these plants," Jessie said, her voice a pitch too high.

"Let me try something," Robbie said. He pulled out his wand and wiggled around. I watched as a boulder lifted from the ground, hovering for a second before he sent it rolling down the path in front of us.

The plants went wild, snapping and spitting as the rock rumbled by. But it seemed to take them a long time after snapping at the boulder to be in an attack position again.

"This, we can use," Robbie said. "But we’re going to have to be fast and stay together. We only have a matter of seconds after they attack where they don’t seem to be capable of attacking again."

"Well, this sounds fun," I muttered.

Robbie waved his wand again and sent another boulder rolling down the path in front of us. Again, the plants attacked. Their attention fixed on the new toy, giving us the opening we needed.

"Now," Robbie yelled, and we dashed after the boulder.

It was like running an obstacle course where everything wanted to eat you. Robbie dodged and weaved, and I did my best to copy his moves. Left, right, jump, a dance with death on either side. But Robbie led us through, never missing a step.

"Keep moving," he said, and we pushed forward, past the gnashing teeth and venomous vines, until the danger was behind us, and the path cleared once more.

"Everyone okay?" I panted, glancing back to see Jessie nodding, her face flushed with exertion.

"Let's not do that again," she said, and I couldn't have agreed more.

We walked for a while, realizing that we’d somehow found ourselves in a garden of giant plants. Luckily, not all of them seemed to want to eat us. We stopped for lunch on the ground near some giant flowers that looked like purple sunflowers, and then continued until we reached, yet more, of the deadly plants.

Robbie got his wand out and ran boulders ahead of us once more. Only something was different. Something had changed. The deeper we got into the twisted garden, the more I realized Robbie's boulder trick was losing its magic. Some of the plants weren't even glancing at the rolling stone anymore; their hungry eyes, or whatever passed for eyes on these monstrosities, were fixed on us.

"Jessie," I whispered, "Got any tricks up your sleeve?"

"Let me try something," she said, her concentration knitting her brows together. She extended her wand outwards toward the writhing mass of greenery. A soft, golden glow emanated from the tip of her wand, and slowly, the vines and branches began to stiffen, like ice creeping over a windowpane.

"Quickly, before they break free," Jessie broke into a jog.

We slipped through the now-motionless plants. It felt eerie, passing so close to what could've been our doom if not for Jessie's spell. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding when we finally cleared the last of them.

"Nice work," Robbie commended as we gathered ourselves on the other side .

"Thanks, but let's keep moving," Jessie said, already eyeing the next obstacle.

That's when we saw a waterfall so massive, the sound alone could've drowned out a dragon's roar. The water crashed down with such force that mist sprayed up, soaking everything within a ten-foot radius. We were at the top of the waterfall. Over the edge, there was nothing but mist. On each side of us, nothing but an abyss.

"Looks like there's no way around it," Robbie squinted at the map.

"Got any other spells up your sleeve?" I asked Jessie.

She seemed to take a moment to think. "Again, not that I can do without any ingredients for potions, because there’s no enchantment to get through something like this."

"So, we’re stuck," I said, feeling defeated.

Robbie squeezed my shoulder. "Magic isn’t the only way out of this situation."

"Do you have an idea?" I asked, studying his face.

"I think so." He moved away from us and grabbed a vine as thick as my arm and gave it a tug. It held fast .

"We could use this to swing across."

"Robbie," I said, shaking my head. "That’s insane."

His gaze moved from the vine to the other side of the abyss. "Do you have a better choice?"

"There has to be a better choice," I said, my words shaking.

Jessie tugged the vine too, looking thoughtful. Surely, she had a better idea. "I think this could actually work."

I took a deep breath. Okay, we’d done worse things than this. "What do we do?"

"I’ll go first, do what I do," Robbie said, then planted a kiss on my lips before jogging back the way we came.

With a running start, he grabbed onto the vine and swung across the raging waters. He acted like he did this sort of thing daily. On the other side, he gave us a thumbs-up, then swung the vine back, which I caught.

"Your turn, Cendi."

My heart hammered against my ribs. I wasn't exactly the swinging-on-vines type. But I couldn't back down, not with Robbie watching and certainly not with Jessie depending on me.

"Here goes nothing," I said, jogging away from the vine, then running at it before clutching the vine with both hands.

I pushed off, and for a moment, I was flying. The other side came at me, but it happened too fast. When I slid down the vine, my toes caught the edge of the other side, and then I was hanging over the abyss. Just barely hanging onto the edge of the other side with my toes. My grip slipped, and for a horrifying second, I thought I was going to fall.

"Pull yourself over to me!" Robbie shouted, reaching a hand out to pull me to safety.

I summoned every ounce of strength I had left, I used my feet to haul myself onto solid ground, far enough that Robbie could grab me and pull me fully to safety. Breathing hard, I glanced back at where Jessie still waited and tried to remember that I wasn’t having a heart attack.

"Are you okay?" Jessie asked, her face etched with concern .

"Never better," I lied, trying to steady my trembling legs. I couldn't shake the image of the waterfall waiting to swallow me whole.

"Let's not do anything like that again," I added, more to myself than anyone else.

Jessie swung across next, and successfully made it across, to all our relief. Then, we continued walking. Staying focused, as the sun made its way to the horizon. Several times, Robbie checked the map. And, several times, he told us we were almost there, but we continued, no outpost in sight.

The landscape changed. It became a mixture of everything we’d seen so far. Uneven ground, colorful trees, and little critters running in every direction. It was a much-needed break from the bleak dark words and the dangerous flowers.

We were almost at the outpost, Robbie told us once more, this time surer of himself, when a pack of Doodles swarmed us. Their round, colored bodies bounced and wobbled as they closed in. They had big, googly eyes that’d been stuck on with glue, and smiles drawn in permanent marker.

"Hey, watch it," Robbie said as one smacked a wet kiss on his cheek.

"Oof," Jessie gasped as two squishy arms wrapped around her in a bear hug. "They're kind of cute, but boy do they cling,"

I ducked as another doodle dove at me, its lips puckered. The last thing I wanted was to be covered in slobber that smelled like wax. As I sidestepped the affectionate attack, my stomach churned. I remembered the jerky from earlier and cringed, hoping these weren't the same creatures.

"Please don't let me have eaten one of your relatives," I whispered, dodging another overly friendly Doodle.

"Come on, keep moving," Robbie hollered, pushing through the sea of animated sketches, trying not to step on any of them.

"Sorry, little guys," Jessie said, gently shoving them aside. "We really need to get going."

It felt like an obstacle course designed by a toddler, full of giggles and scribbles. We rolled, ducked, and weaved until finally, we broke free from the clinging crowd.

"Okay, that was... interesting," I panted, catching my breath.

"Look," Jessie pointed ahead.

There it was. The outpost. It rose from the chaotic landscape with uneven and multicolored walls. We approached cautiously, our hearts pounding from more than just the exertion.

"Let's hope they're friendlier than the local flora and fauna," Robbie said, his hand resting on the door.

"Or at least less clingy," I added with a relieved chuckle.