A Year of Stories: June Story

 Knights of Airy Knoll

The Venom of Voodoo

Draft_2

By: Chase L. Currie

(Disclaimer: I'll try to make this short . . .

I feel I must have a disclaimer to tell everyone what my idea for this blog is. It's getting to the point where there are a lot of posts and I fear the idea of the blog is getting lost. I am a young writer and I'm still trying to learn this art. Like any art, I love to hear constructive criticism about my work, which is why I am posting my earliest drafts of my writing. Some of these drafts I have only looked over once or twice at best, and they may not be the very best I can do, but nevertheless, I want to show them off.

I'm looking for constructive criticism while I'm working. I am also trying to show everyone my progress as I grow as an artist. Being an artist of any kind takes a lot of work and time to make your craft perfect. And I want to show everyone that a man with a learning disability and dyslexia can be a writer. I may not be the greatest writer in the world and I'm alright with that, but I can be a writer who inspires people to create. Even if I only inspire one person to become an artist, I want to inspire them because my friends and family have done that for me. They have never given up on me and I want to show them the gifts that God has given me.

So with that said, I hope you enjoy my work. I would love to hear your ideas on what you would do to make the writing better. Also, if a draft gets removed it's because I'm working on it or I feel like it doesn't need to be on my blog anymore. Thank you for your time, I know reading can take a while. So I thank you again.

With a handshake,

Chase L. Currie

Also, this story came about when I was driving to the park with my best friend Amber and we were talking about animals being different classes. It's funny how stories come from little thing.)

I tell you a tale of great lost and revenge. I tell you about a love stricken foe who brought death and destruction down upon Airy Knoll. I weave this story in the hopes you'll understand what the dangers of love can be. I hope, I pray to the angels of above you will heed my warning. Let not your heart fill with hatred and rage for lost lovers. Let not your heart be stained with sins of revenge. Let your heart be healed by time and friendship, by love and forgiveness. For if you do not then what great evil deeds are you willing to commit in the name of certain agony?

- Jared the Bard-

And so the story begins . . .

We fall onto a couple of old squirrels heading down the decrepit path to Airy Knoll. A road that turns, bends, and is full of holes and rocks. The travel to this Heaven on earth is a long and hard one. No one, no matter how many times you come to the farm, ever get there with ease. The road is long to the fire pit where the bards sing their songs, but the travel is needed. So that when you stand on top of that hill you can appreciate the true beauty of the valley.

The road leads through a small forest called Middle Brook, where they say elves and monsters lie about. There are things that go bump in the night before you reach the realm of Airy Knoll. Most of these tales are just stories to scare away unwanted visitors but every now and then, there is a story that is true.

The old squirrels rode on the back of their cart hoping to see the fire pit on top of the hill soon. The sign letting all know that they have reached Heaven. However, the night was deep and the fire light could only rush down the hill so far. These old ones have yet to see it.

Their mounts pull with all their tired might around the bend as the old woman said, “I told you we should have left earlier!”

“Oh, quiet down,” the old man mumbled to himself, trying to hold his lantern high above his head.

“What did you say?” the white and gray squirrel yells, smacking her husband across the back of his head, knocking the lantern free from his paw.

“Dammit, woman!” The old squirrel wails as he tries to slow the deer to a stop. He jumps from his cart, heading straight to the light rolling on the ground. The candle fights for its life as the wax tries to shallow it. He huddled over the glass lantern, lifting it off the ground, and saving the light's life.

“Jeff,” the now sweet old squirrel said, “please hurry, I think there’s something out there.”

“Of course you do,” the old man said, “you always buy into those tall-tales.” His voice dies as something in the night moved. It moved all around them like a bird circling its dinner. The darkness seems to breathe as Jeff’s eyes grow wide with fear. The thing, the monster, he thought was growing closer to him, to them.

He jumped back up on the cart like a much younger squirrel, pawed the lantern to his wife while saying, “Kelly, stay calm!” With haste, he wraps his paws around the reins of the deer and whips for them to take off into full gallop but something stands in their way. Kelly aims the lantern at the monster. The darkness moved like a fox from the light and all they see is chicken skulls hanging from its neck.

Then they were hit by two little needles against the neck, as if a snake was hidden somewhere in the night. Jeff rips the needle from his neck seeing that it must have been fired from a bow gun. Before he could react or say a word, they both fall to the ground. As their skull bounce off the hard earth, their minds start to melt away. Their eyes turn a deep snowy white and a voice calls for them to rise. They did as they were commanded, slowly pulling themselves from the ground. Their bodies are ancient but the magical poison that is rushing through their veins makes them forget about the pain of old age. They wait with drool pouring from their lips for their new master to give them more orders.

“Eat your beast,” the darkness said ever so lightly as if it was too tried to feel anything at all. “Leave their bones for the others; let them know their doom is here. Tell them all I am the venom of Airy Knoll!”

The night faded away and the orange light marched over the hills on to the small open fort at the very top of the valley. The fort has no walls around it for protection because there is no need for protection from enemies. The realm around Airy Knoll has a powerful magic spell that stops all harm to those inside it but the Knights never feel that way. They always carry some form of weaponry with them, even sitting at the dying fire pit.

Artful pokes at the dead fire. He doesn't let the light rest from its own battle during the night. He leans back on a stump from a tree they had cut down weeks ago. His duty through the night was to watch for travelers, but no one had come.

Artful pull out his small wooden pipe as he wonders what is for breakfast this morning. His squirrel ears move followed by his head to see a giant dog walking up the hill. The beast smiles at Artful and the squirrel just shakes his head.

“What?” Moses asks standing like a titan across the fire pit, crossing his arms.

Artful smiles at Moses, while he says, “You don't always have to wear your armor, my friend. Plus, it's going to be hot today anyways.”

Moses sighs, cracking a grin, “I like wearing my armor.” They both look each other up and down real quick. Moses stands there in dark steel armor plates with golden dragons gliding across his chest and mail hanging from his side. While Artful sits there in a dark green vest and dull brown pants, with a bow and sword beside him. “It lets all you fools know I am not to be messed with.”

“And yet,” Artful said, looking down at the last breath of the smoke, “it doesn't work.”

“It should,” Moses barks, “you'll never know when I'm going to show you how mighty I am.”

“Dogs,” Artful said, shaking his head. “Always trying to be the alpha.”

“I'll show you who the alpha is,” Moses said, showing his teeth and rushing over to the reddish gray squirrel. But before Moses could wrap his giant paws around the throat of Artful or Artful pull his short sword out a bell rings from down the hill. They both jump to their feet, smiling and happy it's time for some breakfast.

Artful dumps a bucket of water on the fire pit and Moses stands at the edge waiting on his friend, wagging his tail. Moses can smell the food from top of the hill and his mouth is already watering. He can't wait to eat; breakfast is his favorite meal of the day. He always tells everyone, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but everyone just think he said that so he can eat more of it, because if he could he would eat it for lunch and dinner.

Artful joins Moses at his side as they walk down the hill to the small fort. “Dodger still mad at you?” Artful asks.

Moses snorts, not wanting to talk about the events that had happened a couple of days ago when they were all training and things got a little out of control.

“You need to talk to her,” Artful said. “You can't just act like nothing happened.”

“And I will,” Moses said. “But you know how Dodger is; she won't talk until she is ready. Plus, I have nothing to say to her right now.”

“Well,” Artful replies, “just don't make dinner awkward, is all I'm saying.”

“That is not up to me.”

“Ah, my friend, you know little about women,” Artful tells him, opening the door to the inner part of the fort. They walk into a small house, where Moses has to duck to enter any room. “It is always your fault and your job to fix the problem.”

“I guess,” Moses said, looking around the room to see Dodger is there, but she seems to be missing for now. “I don't care enough to fix her problems.”

They stop at the dinner table, standing around it while a white little mouse comes rushing into the room, followed by an old gray turtle. Karaline, the mouse, paws each one of them a plate as Bill, the turtle mumbles something to himself. “You care,” Artful said, smiling at Karaline as she stands beside him. “Because if you didn't, you wouldn't have picked that rose for her.”

“How did you?” Moses starts to ask looking over at them both, seeing Karaline quickly looking away. Karaline is the only one at the farm who can grow flowers. She knows that Moses asked for a rose for Dodger and she also knows those are her favorite flowers. Karaline couldn't help but tell her lover Jared the Bard about it and Jared couldn't stop himself from telling Artful. Lucky, as far as they know, nothing has got to Dodger, yet. Not even the rose. “Never mind! We are done talking about this,” Moses orders as Bill smiles at them all.

“Ah, think you embarrassed him,” Karaline jokingly said, elbowing Artful.

“Moses the Mighty,” Artful starts to say, “the big hopeless romantic!” They both start to laugh at him.

“I said . . .” Moses starts to yell, growing full of rage but is stopped by an old raccoon sauntering into the room.

“Now, now my children,” Elizabeth said, smiling at them. “Be nice to each other.”

“Yes ma'am,” they all said. They are not her real children but might as well be. She treats them like they are, and they have spent most of their lives at Airy Knoll. Elizabeth has been taking care of them when no one else would.

“Bill,” she said, looking over at the turtle who is falling asleep while standing, “would you lead us in prayer.”

“What about Jared and Dodger?” Artful ask.

“I sent them out to find the Cave-Claws,” Elizabeth tells her Knights. “They should have arrived last night but never made it. I just want to make sure everything is alright on the roads. Now let’s pray.”

They all grab each other’s paws, lowering their heads as Bill prays to the great Father in Heaven. All them repeat what Bill is saying or what they think Bill is saying, all but Moses. He looks over the table. At all the food. The fresh corn, the steaming acorns, the sugar apples, the homemade biscuits, and the cut up peaches. His stomach can't help but recall the years before Airy Knoll where he lived on the streets, where he would starve for days, almost dying. He was the oldest of the Knights to be recruited into Airy Knoll. He was also the most damaged. Or so he believed.

Artful and Bill let go of Moses paws and he still can’t believe this is real. He can eat as much as he wants. He gets food every day. There are animals around him that care for him, love him, even if they give him a hard time. The jokes are just a part of being in an odd family. He takes a piece of everything on the table, trying to make up for the years of living on the street. It's another reason he always wears his armor. The instinct someone will try to steal it if is it not on him causes him to keep his armor close at all times.

“I hope they save us some food,” Dodger thinks to herself aloud. The all black cat stands in front of the Cave-Claws cart staring at it. “But I'm sure Moses is going to eat it all. He is so inconsiderate!” She pets her chin trying to understand what happen here. There was no real sign of a battle or fight, just bones from the deer. Bones that look like they have been gnarled on for some time.

She drops her paw back under her black and purple cloak as a Red-shouldered hawk fall from the sky, landing beside her. Jared smiles at Dodger’s bright green eyes and says, “I don't see anything.”

“Where could have they gone?” She ask.

“I think the better question,” Jared ask, moving the thin leather armor around a little on his chest, “is what happened to the deer?”

“Couldn't have been a bear or a troll,” Dodger states moving close to the cart. She moves like the hawk flies, quickly and with ease, almost as if her paws are not touching the ground. “We chased them from these lands weeks ago.”

“And orcs?” Jared asks, flying over to the cart, landing on top of it, and holds his sword out from his side. “But they always make a mess and I don't remember them eating just deer.”

“Or taking prisoners,” Dodger said, rubbing her paw against the wood. “So where did they go?”

“Maybe it was a siren or banshee,” Jared said, looking through all the stuff in the back of the cart. There are piles and piles of art supplies, food, and working supplies, plus a few bedrolls and a tent. “Then again, banshee might have taken some of the supplies,” he continues to say.

Dodger’s paw follows the wood to the back of the cart where she bends down to look under it. She jumps back as if she found some bodies there and quickly tells Jared to get off. He flies over to her, looking down under the cart seeing, not bodies but a symbol painted on the ground. The symbol, from what they can guess, is a spell, a seeing spell. Who every made it can see what is going on around the cart and more than likely, hear too.

Dodger points to the words painted in blood on the back as well. The word, “Venom of Airy Knoll.”

“I wish our foes would be more direct with their cryptic messages,” Jared said, sighing. “But on the plus side, this is going to make a great story.”

“Let's get back,” Dodger tells him, “with the cart.”

“Moses,” Elizabeth said, writing down in her notebook, “I need you to clean out the fields for the arrival.”

“Yes ma'am,” Moses said, looking over at the Artful and Karaline hoping one of them would join him in his chore but no one wants to work in the fields today. It's nowhere near mid-day and already everyone is dreading the heat to come but they grin, looking away.

“Artful,” Elizabeth said, never looking up, “I need you clean the barn and check all the supplies for the weeks to come.”

“Yes ma'am,” he said, happy to get an easier job than Moses.

“Karaline,” Elizabeth starts to write down but stop when Dodger and Jared come rushing to the table. They tell Elizabeth and the others what they found and that they bought the cart back with them. Elizabeth calmly gives Karaline, Dodger and Jared orders to clean out the cart. “And tonight,” she said, writing in her notebook, “all of you will go on patrol, let’s see if we can find the Cave-Claws and keep the road safe.”

“Mother,” Artful said, “we might want to send someone to go looking for them now.”

“Oh no, no,” Elizabeth said, pushing her glasses up her nose, “there is too much work to be done around here.”

“But they could be lost in the woods,” Moses said.

“And we know these woods better than them,” she replies. “If they are lost we'll find them. But, I fear there something else out there and it might only come out under the cover of night.”

“Isn't the King's High Knight due in a couple of days?” Karaline asks, while Dodger and Jared fix themselves a plate of food.

“Aye, he is,” she tells them. “Which means the road has to be safe.”

“Could be a siren,” Jared adds. “Although, I haven't hear any song being played at night. What about you guys?” he asks looking at Moses and Artful.

They both shake their heads no. “So that rules out sirens,” Jared said before taking a sip of wine.

“Either way,” Elizabeth said, standing up as Dodger pulls her chair out and takes her plate. The cat moved with lightning speed and everyone at the table almost didn't see her get up. “We have jobs to do here; we'll worry about the things in the woods tonight, after dinner. Dodger and Karaline you have dinner duty tonight.”

They both answer, “Yes ma'am,” with a long sigh.

The table empty as the group moves to do the duties they have been sign. Moses finds himself a pigskin for water and heads out into the heat, while the others head for the cart right outside the door. Jared fills up onto of the cart as Karaline smiles up at him. Artful quickly walks pass them heading up the hill for the barn and Dodger has seemed to vanish, which is common for her.

“Did you talk to Dodger?” Karaline ask Jared as he scans over all the items in the cart.

“No, we had more important thing on our minds,” he replies, digging around in the supplies, trying to decide what goes where.

“You said you would going to talk to her.”

“Sorry, didn’t really have the time but Dodger and Moses will work out their problems on their own time,” Jared tells her. “I don't see why we have to make them.”

“We are not making them,” Karaline said, picking up big boxes of paints, heading for the barn, followed by the brad carrying another box of paints. “We just making sure everything is good. You know how Dodger feels about having a dog around and we don't need her looking for a fight.”

“Moses doesn't help that, either, he's always looking for a fight,” the hawk said. “It's between them, as long as they can do their work then why should it matter?”

“Do you see Dodger around?” Karaline ask.

Jared looks around real fast and then lower his head, “No.”

“Then she’s at the apple tree,” the little white mouse said, setting the boxes down in the main part of barn. “And not doing her work.”

“Artful,” Jared yells down into the basement, “art supplies down or up?”

“Put them in the studio,” Artful yells up at them. They both pick up their boxes, heading up a couple of steps where a few beds sit, then pass them up a flight of stairs to the open studio above the barn.

“She’s just blowing off some steam then,” Jared said as he set his box on a table.

“She’s been blowing off some steam for a couple of days now,” Karaline said. “We don't need her thinking Moses hates her because she a cat.” She open her box and starts to pull out tubes of paint, setting them in a cabinet beside the door.

“At this point I'm sure he hates her for other things.” Karaline gives Jared a flat stare. “Alright, alright,” he said. “I'll talk to her but you need to talk to Moses as well.”

“I can do that,” she replies.

“And we need to do this before we go out tonight.”

“Agree.”

“By the angels,” Jared sighs, “this is not going to be fun.”

“Just remember,” Karaline said, smiling. “It'll make a great story someday.”

After the cart was empty and the supplies were put away. Karaline head for the fields where the tents are going to be set up for the weeks to come, if everyone can get to Airy Knoll safely that is. She feels somewhat bad for putting up all the supplies while the Cave-Claws are missing but Elizabeth knows best. She’s been at this far longer than Karaline or any of the others at the farm. Also, the little mouse knows that they'll find their missing friends, but right now she needs to help some other friends.

Moses has removed his armor but keeps in eyesight as he clears out the field of tall grass. He smiles as Karaline waves to him, he puts the scythe down and heads to meet up with the little mouse. Karaline paws him some apples and some more water as they both sit down on a small hill.

“Thank you,” Moses said falling back, looking up at the blue sky. “I forgot how much work it is to cut grass.”

“I can see if the others will help when they are done with their chores,” Karaline said, taking a big bite of a red apple.

“I'll be fine,” Moses replies. “I like the time alone anyways. Soon there won't be a place for any of us to be alone, not with everyone here.”

“That is true,” Karaline said, looking over at her dog friend and then asks. “May I talk to you about something?”

“If it is about Dodger, then no.”

“Why not?” Karaline demands. “You guys have to work this out sooner than later.”

“And we will,” Moses tells her, sitting back up, “but we will when are ready. Everyone just needs to let us be.”

Karaline stands up, looking down at him and said, “I don't like letting this be.”

“I know, but you need to learn.”

“Have you given her the flower yet?” Karaline asks, hoping if he has then they are well on their way to make up. She hopes that Dodger would take the rose.

“No,” Moses said, and Karaline hopes quickly grow to anger. She doesn't understand why he, they, are taking their time to make their friendship better. It's been days now and everything should be fine but it's not. All Karaline wants is her family to be happy, back to nominal, just it was when she got here. If two of them are mad at each other the chance of one leaving is high. Something Karaline can't bear to think about. The thought reminds her too much of her old family. “But I will when we talk,” Moses tells her, standing back up, giving Karaline a long hug. “I need to get back to work. I need to have this done before dinner.”

“You need to - - -”

“Karaline,” Moses orders her while he walks back over to his scythe, “let it be.”

Dinner for the most part was eaten in silence. Everyone was either too tried to talk or too mad at each other to care about the day of work. Or in the case of Dodger no work, which made the others a little upset at her. Something, they all knew not to say anything about it. So dinner was eaten in quiet and little laughter was heard from the house of Airy Knoll.

After dinner, Artful started the fire up at the pit where everyone met. They each paired off into small teams; Dodger and Jared, Moses and Karaline, Artful alone, the way he likes it. Each of them, other than Artful, took a torch and headed out into the woods. The hope was to quickly find the Cave-Claws, return home with them and get some sleep. Sleep that was well needed because they knew tomorrow would be filled with the same amount of work, if not more.

“What if we call it early?” Jared asks, his feet starting to hurt from the hours of walking in the woods. The search has been taking far longer than it should have. It was supposed to be quick and easy or that was the way Jared saw it. He's not happy that he’s still up or not sitting by the fire with a cup of wine. “I'm sure the others can find them.”

Dodger’s green eyes said all that needed to be said. They are not going back and the others can't find the Cave-Claws without them. Jared just sighs, giving up the idea of sitting beside the fire but not giving up on the idea of the wine. He pulls a pigskin from his side full of wine he snuck out of the kitchen. He smiles big while drinking from the bag.

“Want some?” he ask holding the wine out.

“Nah,” Dodger said, “I'm good.”

“So . . .” Jared starts to say, “Karaline wants me to talk to you about the fight you had but I don't care to talk about it and I know you don't. I think the best course of action is to lie. If she ask we talked, aye?”

Dodger grins, snickering to herself, “Sounds like a plan.”

They cut around a bend and then stop. Something seems to be moving in the dark. They can hear the paws of this thing slowly pulling itself to the road or the light. Dodger steps back into the dark while Jared steps closer to the noise, hiding the assassin in the night. He wraps his wing around his sword as Jeff comes stumbling out of the night.

The poor squirrel stares at the hawk with beady white eyes. Jeff reaches for Jared, his arms fully straight out, and his feet barely able to move. He moves and reacts as if his mind has been shut off and his body is just doing what it can. Jeff's movements make no sense as he cocks his head or throws it back and then forward. Jared jumps back a little. “Something is not right with him.”

“He looks sick,” Dodger said from somewhere in the night.

“I think that would be an understatement,” Jared said, ducking Jeff’s sudden attack at him. The mad squirrel tries to bite his friend and that is when Jared notices the blood around his lips, as if he been eating on meat, deer meat.

Jared flies away from the squirrel, telling him, “Jeff, I don't want to hurt you. So stop being crazy!” But the order doesn't work, Jeff madly chases after Jared as he flies above the ground.

Moses holds the torch high in the air as Karaline walks beside him with her wooden staff in her paws, and her eyes wide from the dark. Being a mouse, as Karaline is, means she’s not very fond of being out where something could eat her. She is easily frightened and worse she likes to run away when she is scared. It's something she can't help. She might be a powerful wizard, maybe one of the most powerful but that doesn't change the fact that it's dark in the woods at night and she is a weak mouse.

Moses on the other paw, loves the idea of a battle. He's been looking for what he called an 'honorable fight' for most of his life now. He hopes he can find it out here in the night but doubts he'll be able to. Knowing his luck, it is more than likely a bear or a troll in the woods, something he can easily kill with a swing of his warhammer/battle axe. He holds his long powerful weapon over his shoulder, letting the blade of the axe head hang down and the blunt part of the hammer hold high in the air. The weapon looks heavy because it is heavy. It would take ten of Karaline if not more to move the weapon only a few inches. She knows from experience because she has tried to move it while cleaning one day. It didn't happen.

“Can we go home?” Karaline ask. “Or can you take me home? I don't want to be out here anymore.”

“I need you,” Moses said, smiling from ear to ear. It might not be the battle he is looking for but it is a battle and he has been itching for some real combat lately. “If it is a troll then fire spells work best against them and if it is a bear then your earth spells will come in handy.”

“Dodger and Jared,” Karaline tells him, trying to move closer to Moses as she thinks she heard something in the woods, “said it was neither of those things.”

“Even more reason I need you here,” Moses tells her. “Your magic is powerful and I might need you to be the distraction. After all, I don't want them to eat me.”

“What?!” She yells. “Nothing is going to eat me! You better not let them! Moses, if I die I'll haunt you forever.”

“Oh God,” He exclaims, “Having a little mouse to annoy me for the rest of my life would be unbearable.” He smiles down at her.

Then Karaline stops and points ahead. Moses follows her finger to see a tall fox standing there. The red fox has its face hidden behind a bear skull, also hanging from its neck are several small chick skulls, the fox doesn't say a word, and it just stands there looking at them.

Moses drops his weapons from his shoulder, letting the hammer hit the ground with an echoing battle cry. Karaline jumps behind him, still peeking out from his back. The fox already has her claws out, hanging down for them both to see. It’s almost as if they could feel the smile from under the skull mask when the fox jumps at them.

Karaline cries, vaulting out of the way as Moses swings his giant weapon. The fox dodges the attack, sliding to the side of Moses. The dog holds back his scream of pain as the fox's claws tear into his flesh; it almost feels like he is not wearing armor at all. Karaline scrambles to her feet trying to find her staff in the dark.

Moses moves to attack the fox again, but the fox quickly dodges the axe head by jumping over it. The foe lands on her feet, then like an arrow, Moses feels a hit across the face from a hard kick. The force makes him stumble off the road and on to the ground. He pulls himself up to his knees, trying to shake off the attack. He looks up to see the fox’s paw hanging in the air like a sword about to fall.

The night burns as a thousand candlelights suddenly cut on. A long flame shoots from the end of Karaline's staff right at the fox. The light blinds everyone but the fox jumps away from the dog. The flames fade and the fox fades along with them. Moses rubs his eyes, climbing to his feet as Karaline joins him at his side. She looks at the dipping blood from the giant warrior’s side.

“We need to get that cleaned out,” Karaline said.

“No,” Moses growls, “we need to find that fox!” He starts to head into the woods but is stopped by some trees moving to block his way. He looks back to see Karaline eyes glowing bright green.

“We are going home,” she orders him as the trees growl louder than him.

“We have to do something!” Jared yells back to Dodger, who is somewhere in the darkness as Jeff claws up the tree at the hawk. The squirrel is either too old or too sick to climb the tree to Jared. The hawk just looks down at him, trying to come up with some kind of plan, but nothing is coming to mind. His old friend just snarls, growls, and hisses up at him. There is a part of Jared, the curious part, that wants to slowly reach down with one of his wings to see what would happen, but his mind tells him not to do it. “Well?!” He yells. “What are we going to do?”

“We can't kill him,” Dodger said.

“I don't think he has the same plan here,” Jared replies.

“We need to - - -” but before she could finish her sentence the whistling scream of three arrows hit against the tree, pinning the old squirrel. Jared looks across the way to the other tree to see Artful sitting on a branch with his bow drawn.

“Here comes Kelly,” Artful yells, as out of the woods comes Jeff's wife, acting and looking just like him. She stumbles around a bit as she looks for something to eat. She heads for her husband who sits with three arrow pinning his clothes to the tree. For a moment Jared was sure she going to help but doesn't. All she does is try to climb the tree as well and with the same result. Three arrows pin her to the tree.

“They have to be under some kind of maddening spell,” Artful cries out.

“What do we do then?” Dodger asks, still hiding, waiting for her time to attack. “We can't go get Karaline or Bill to break the spell, the Cave-Claws could be gone by the time we get back.”

“Or worse,” Jared said, “they could eat each other.”

“Can you knock them out?” Artful asks.

“Hmmm . . .” Dodger replies, quickly jumping from the darkness hitting Jeff on the side of the head with a very large log. The log rings with a thud sound. Jeff fall lifeless as Dodger hits Kelly over the head with the same log. They both hang against the tree without a sound. “I guess that worked,” Dodger said, dropping the log. Artful along with Jared both come down from the trees.

“Let’s tie them up,” Jared said, “and get them back to Airy Knoll.”

Bill slowly comes out of the house, smoking a pipe, while being urged by Elizabeth to get up here. He just mumbles to himself while walking up the hill to the barn. He finally makes it to where everyone is standing around, looking down at the two old squirrels tied up. The old turtle pushes his way in between the Knights so he can see what is going on. He bends down pushing out a cloud of smoke.

“Oh Bill,” Elizabeth cries, “Do you have to smoke in here?”

“I do and I can,” Bill replies but it was more of a mumble than anything else and everyone just had to guess what he said.

He closes his big eyes and slowly moves over the squirrels feeling the black magic in their blood. He grins, telling everyone plain and clear, “This is voodoo.” He cleans off the dirt and blood from the squirrels telling his Knights to take the Cave-Claws to the guest beds in the house. Moses reaches down and throws the two old friends over his shoulder while heading out, followed by Karaline.

“Voodoo?” Artful ask. “Isn't it too far north for that kind of magic?”

“Seems that way,” Bill said, pulling his pipe from his mouth. “I've only seen a few voodoo spells once before.”

“Tom,” Elizabeth said, “he knew a little of the southern magic.”

“Could it be him?” Dodger asks.

“No, no,” Bill said, “He lives further north and we received a letter from him not too long ago.”

Dodger puts her paw under her chin, “Is there anyone else we know who knows anything about voodoo magic?”

“I don't know,” Bill said, heading back down to the house. “This is a problem for y’all. I have two squirrels to heal.”

Artful said to Elizabeth, “There had to be someone.”

“Tom did talk about a girl he knew that was more powerful with the magic than him,” Elizabeth tells him.

“Was she a fox?” Dodger asks, as they were all told about the battle Karaline and Moses had with the fox in the night.

“I can't remember,” Elizabeth said then she ordered them to get some rest, “tomorrow we have more work to do, and a fox to find it seems.”

“Elizabeth,” Dodger said, stepping closer to her, “we can go back out now. We have to find this foe! The King's High Knight is arriving the day after next. We have to find this fox.”

“I have to agree,” Artful said, stepping up as well.

“Oh no,” Elizabeth said, walking out of the barn, “it can wait for the morning, get some rest, morning will come quick.”

Dodger waits for Elizabeth to get back to the house and turns to Artful. “No,” Artful tells her, leaving her side, “Elizabeth is right, we need rest. We'll find the fox in the morning.” Dodger just sighs, letting her shoulders far low; she looks over at the black forest and wonder if they will be able to find this sly fox at all.

The fire pit sits dying in the morning dew as Artful smokes his pipe beside it. He sits against the large stone that is used for Elizabeth to tell her stories. It makes a perfect seat and for now, Artful is the king of the fire pit. He lets the tasty smoke sit in his mouth for a bit before blowing it out, waiting for the bell to be rung for breakfast. He knows today is going to be long. Today they have to go hunting for a fox. A fox they know nothing about. They don't even know if the fox is the true foe or not. Either way hunting a fox that doesn't want to be found is never an easy task.

He tries not to think about the day but instead enjoy the morning’s cold air and the dying fire. He’s alone up here for a little bit. Soon, there won't be a moment of quiet so Artful knows he needs to enjoy it as much as possible.

“We should head out before breakfast,” Dodger said, suddenly standing on the other side of the fire pit. “Foxes are mostly nocturnal so our best time to find it would be now.”

“Or,” Artful tells her, pointing his pipe at her, “We could wait to see what Elizabeth says and eat breakfast.”

“We need to find this foe!” Dodger demands, throwing her paws to her side.

“Why are you so eager to find this fox?” Artful calmly asks.

“Because,” Dodger tells him, as she turns her back to look out over the forest, “if the King's High Knight is harmed than the king will shut this place down. Elizabeth won’t be able to run classes up here anymore and I can't see that happen. Airy Knoll changed my life. It’s the only real home I have. So I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this place is safe!”

“I understand,” Artful said stepping to her side, “but patience is a virtue and rushing out to find a fight is only going to get you hurt.”

“I know that, I just can't - - -” But she stops as they both turn to see Jared flying for his life and Moses chasing after him. The giant dog swings his giant axe at the hawk as Jared screams for help. Karaline, Elizabeth, and Bill come rushing out of the house as Dodger and Artful join them. No one is sure what to do other than stare. They think, maybe, Jared did something to make Moses mad. After all Jared is known for not knowing when to stop talking. Which always makes Moses mad all the time.

“Something is not right,” Bill said, pointing at Moses and they all see it. His eyes are white and foam is falling from his mouth. There is a blind rage in his swing as if his mind is off.

Dodger and Artful take off running without being told to. They get close to Moses but not close enough to be hit by the axe. They watch as the dog madly chases after the hawk, not sure what to do. Both of them think they could take Moses, but he is the more seasoned warrior of the Airy Knights.

“Jared,” Artful yells up to the hawk, “keep him chasing you.” But the words stop Moses dead in his tracks and he looks over at the squirrel. He shows his teeth while holding his axe in one paw and then takes off after him. Artful freaks out, looking for the closest tree, and heading straight for it. Dodger just rolls out of the way and Jared falls from the sky.

“It must be the same poison,” Jared said out of breath, “that the Cave-Claws were affected with.”

“Great,” Dodger comments. “So all we have to do is knock him out.” They both watch the dog chop away at the tree with his axe while Karaline moves Elizabeth and Bill back into the house.

“He can't hurt us,” Jared said. “Not with the protection spell around the land.”

“Then why were you running?” Dodger asks.

“Didn't want him to bite me,” Jared said.

“The spell,” Dodger said, “he couldn't even if he wanted to.”

“What are you planning?!” Jared yells to her, as Dodger rushes to the side of Moses knowing the warrior would see her. He stops, looking dead at her then lifts the axe letting it fall right between her green eyes but before it hits her, the air around the blade burns a bright red. The red follows the pole down to Moses's arms, and throws him against the tree several times, knocking him out cold.

Moses wakes up still mad with the poison from the voodoo magic. He bites and claws at the chains around his paws keeping him tied up. He fights for hours trying to free himself and then suddenly he stops. He lowers his head, no longer full of rage while everyone stands around him not sure what to do, not sure how to help their friend, their brother.

“Bill,” Dodger said, softly, “is there anything you can do?”

“It will take some time,” the old turtle said. “The poison in his veins seems to be a little bit different than the ones in the Cave-Claws.”

“But they are alright, yes?” Artful ask.

Bill looks over to the tall squirrel with his pipe hanging from his mouth as he studies Dodger. The cat hasn't left Moses side, not once. “They are better and are resting.”

“Can we talk to them then?” Jared wonders. “If they can give us any clues about what is going on.”

“We know what is going on,” Dodger tells the group, standing up. “That fox in the woods is out to kill us.”

“But why?” Artful asks. “Why not just attack us when we are in the woods? There are plenty of moments to kill us, why go through the trouble of dragging this out.”

“Because,” a voice from Moses said. They all looked over at the dog as he continues to speak, “It's not just about your deaths.” The voice is not his, it’s the voice of someone else. “It's about the death of Airy Knoll.”

Elizabeth steps forward, while the others step back. “Who are you and why are you doing this?”

“I am Snake,” the voice said through Moses. “And I have come to destroy Airy Knoll.”

“Why?!”

“You took everything from me,” the voice said. “You poisoned the only thing I ever loved and he left me because of this place. So I have come to repay the favor.”

Elizabeth steps even closer, looking right into Moses dead white eyes, and said, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Moses cracks a grin, “You will in time, old bag.” Moses drops his head again as the voice left his body. She turns to her Knights who are ready to carry out any orders given. All of them are eager to end this attack against their home and save Moses.

“Dodger and Artful,” Elizabeth said, “track down this fox. The rest of you,” she tells them walking out of the barn, “head up the road, meet the High Knight, and make sure he gets here safe.”

“Yes, ma'am,” they all said, rushing to get ready for the task.

Dodger waits for Artful to get ready so they can hunt down this fox named Snake. She waits while sitting in front of Moses. The dog was not looking up, just hanging there, his mind seemingly dead. She said, “Moses!” She waits to see if there is any kind of response. Yet he says nothing. She says his name again but nothing changes. He doesn’t move or say anything or give any kind of sign he is in there.

“I don't think you can hear me,” she tells him. “And I don't care. I'm saying this because I have to get it out.” She moves a little closer to him. “I do not forgive you! What you did and what you called me was beyond forgiveness. Therefore, I cannot forgive you, not like this. Because you have to beg me to forgive you. Because you are going to make it so we can walk up to the apple tree and you give me those flowers. I know about them,” she tells him. “Karaline told me. I hope you can hear me Moses. I'm not going to let you die thinking I forgive you when you didn't ask for it. So you have to live, you hear me? You have to!” She wipes a tear from her eye turning to see Artful standing there smiling.

Dodger gives him a flat cold look, “How long have you been there?”

“Not long enough,” he replies, smiling big.

She grunts a little pushing pass him, ordering him to move so they can find this fox.

Elizabeth sits on the porch waiting for her Knights to return. She sketches the rising sun over the hill keeping her mind off her adopted children. They all have been gone for almost a day and half. She knows that it shouldn't have taken them that long to find the fox or the High Knight, which means they must have ran into some trouble, or become a little lost. Now, she has to wonder how long to wait before summoning some powerful forest spirits to find her children. The spell, she knows, would take everything out of her and almost kill her. She draws a few more lines trying not to think about all the horrible things that could have happened to the Knights. She closes her eyes, forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind, breathing out slowly, and saying a silent prayer for them to be safe.

“They will be fine,” Bill said, sitting beside Elizabeth. “They are the best trained Knights in all the land,” he tells her.

“I know, I know,” she replies, “but I can't help but worry about them.”

“They will be fine,” he said again.

“How are the Cave-Claws?”

“Up and about,” he tells her. “They say they are starting to remember a lot more now.”

“Good, good,” she said, closing her book and looking over the hills of the place she loves. The place she grew up. “What about Moses?” She asks already knowing the answer.

“I'm still working on breaking the spell,” Bill tells her.

“I always thought this place was doing good,” she tells her husband. “But this fox, this Snake, said we poisoned her life.”

“I don't think we did it,” Bill said. “Everyone knows Airy Knoll changes lives and when change happens someone is bound to get hurt.”

“And now we are the ones getting hurt.”

“Not without a fight,” Bill said, taking her paw. “You have saved many lives by bringing them here. Just look at your Knights . . . this is their home, this place is where they are all a part of a family.”

“I know, I know,” she said, looking over at him, “but they might be lying in the woods dying right now.”

“I doubt that,” Bill smiles, pointing out to one of the hills. Elizabeth looks to see her group of children walking over the hill. All of them are marching back home. She stands up as they get closer and can see it on their faces. They have failed in one way or other.

Dodger and Artful tell her they couldn't find the fox. They spent all night looking for her but found nothing. The fox is hiding far too well for them to find her and plus the woods are just too big for the two of them. Even if they are the best trackers at Airy Knoll. Artful sits down on the steps while Dodger goes to see how Moses is doing. Bill quietly sneaks off to join her as the others report what they have found.

Jared tells Elizabeth that the Knights have already been hit. Most of the knights they found were taken by the Voodoo magic and the High Knight is missing. Karaline thinks and Jared seems to agree, that while Artful and Dodger were looking for Snake, she was off kidnapping the High Knight. But the good news seems to be the High Knight troop, which is about a hundred warriors, is staying on the edge of the woods and have not moved in a while. “But we couldn't find Snake there either. She must be hiding somewhere else,” Jared said, “somewhere we don't know about.”

Elizabeth sits back down, rubbing her forehead. “We'll find her,” Karaline said. “She can't be far.”

“I might be able to help,” Jeff said joining the group and sitting down beside Elizabeth. She looks over at him smiling as he wearily smiles back.

“It's good to see you up, Jeff,” Artful said to him.

“It's good to be up, my friend,” Jeff said. “But I'm starting to remember a lot, like I remember a giant cave with stone trees in it. Does that help at all? I can't really remember too much outside of that.”

They all look at Elizabeth, waiting for her to say something. She shoots to her feet, telling everyone to follow her as she heads to the barn. Dodger and Bill whispers about the poison in Moses’ blood and Dodger wants to know if there is anything she could do to help, but Bill still keeps telling her no. The group walks up to the barn, leaving Jeff behind with his wife. His body is still just too tired to walk that far.

“Bill,” Elizabeth said, “A cave with stone trees, you know of it? “Elizabeth asks. Bill looks at her then the rest of the Knights not sure, where they got their information. “Well do you or don't know?”

“I do but,” Bill said, “it's on the north side of bear hill. It's where all the old druids would do their prayers or that’s what John said.”

“Right,” Elizabeth said, turning to face her Knights, “go there, and stop this madness.”

“Hmmm . . .” Artful said, holding up his paw, “We need to do something about the knights.”

“They can't attack us,” Jared said.

“They can’t harm us,” Artful said, “but there are buildings they can destroy and we don't want to spend all summer rebuilding in the hopes Airy Knoll will still be helped by the King.”

“So what do you plan?” Karaline ask.

“I can distract them,” Artful said, “while all of you stop Snake.”

“By yourself,” Karaline said. “You can't do that by yourself!”

“Sure I can,” Artful said, “and it would be easier by myself than with someone slowing me down. I can do this.”

“Fine,” Elizabeth order, “but be safe.”

“Of course,” Artful said, running to get more supplies. “I have to live to see the look on Moses's face when we tell him what he did.”

“The rest of you,” Elizabeth orders again, “go, stop Snake.”

The cave was hidden behind some trees that had fallen but it was easy to find, just as Bill had said. It took them about an hour of traveling into the cave to find the room that Jeff was talking about. It was a large round room, that reached to the top of the hill and eight stone trees were holding up the ceiling. The top of the tree flowered out to hold the earth up. The stone was not only carved to look like trees but also to tell some old story that none of the Knights knew. They all would love to spend hours looking at the art carved into the tree but that was not why they were here.

Fire pits beside the trees lit the cave, but kept enough shadow to allow the Knights to move to the far end of the cave, where they could see a fox standing over a powerful lion on his knees. The lion’s name was already known to most as Aslan, the King's High Knight. Aslan didn't say, move, or do anything as the fox studied his bright sliver armor.

Dodger kept to the shadow as Jared moves along the treetops while Karaline ducks and rolls between rocks and stone. They were all watching the fox. Soon they are closer enough to attack all at once. Dodger jumps from the darkness, with her claws ready for blood. Jared drops from above with his sword aiming right at the fox's back and Karaline readies a fire spell just in case the others fail. The fox grins as the Aslan looks up. She ducks, kicking Dodger into Karaline and then moves under Jared’s falling sword. The tip of the blade strikes right into the ground and Snake brings her claws down onto Jared's back.

Dodger pushes herself off the small mouse in a flash heading right for the fox. She swings blindly at her foe but the fox ducks and attacks. A knee to the chest knocks the air out of Dodger's lungs as she falls back.

Snake lifts up her chin and said, “This was all a part of my plan.” Karaline casts a fireball and throws it at the fox, she sidesteps the fireball, laughing. “This is the best you Knights can do?! I almost feel sorry for you.”

“Well,” Dodger said, trying to catch some air in her lunges, “this was a part of our plan.”

Snake turns to see Jared breaking off the chain around Aslan. The lion rises to his feet, cracking his knuckles and roaring. Snake jumps back a little at the controled rage coming from the lion and Dodger returns the hit to her chest. Snake falls to the ground, rolling to one side, and jumping to her feet rushing for the exit. She reaches it just in time for a wall of earth to shoot up from the ground. Snake turns to see Karaline’s eyes glowing green from the spell.

“Alright,” Snake said, “you want to fight, then we'll fight.” Her paws light up and the ground starts to open up as she casts some spell. Dead things start to claw out from the pits and the Knights kind of wish they had let her run away.

On the other side of the valley, where Aslan's warrior set up camp and are under the power of the fox is Artful, who is playing a dangerous game with them. He sets most of their tents on fire and shoots a few arrows at them, just so they know where he is. Now they chase him through the forest as Artful jumps from treetop to treetop. The mindless beasts easily follow Artful as he yells down at them. All they want to do is eat him alive, something the squirrel is trying not to think of. The zombie army had already devoured the deer that were used to travel to Airy Knoll. Therefore, the endless hungry monsters need something new to eat like a loud-month squirrel.

Artful jumps, shooting arrows occasionally at a Knight. He hopes his friends will soon stop Snake and break the spell around the army. He can't defeat them all and that is not a part of the plan anyways. He just has to keep the army distracted long enough for his friends to do their job.

However, he knows he can't keep this game up forever. His body is already growing tired and he has no real idea where he is going. He can’t go too far away from Airy Knoll because if Snake can't stop the spell then the other Knights have to come and save him. However, at the same time he has to be far enough away just in case Snake tries to pull the army to her, so that it will take some time.

He jumps to a tree, stopping for a moment, shooting an arrow to make the horde know where he is. He sits down for a moment as the warriors try to climb up the tree. Their arms and paws too dumb to be used as they should be. Even the squirrels in the army can’t seem to remember how to climb a tree. Artful smiles knowing that this is what is saving his life. He shoots another arrow down, quickly running out, but the blunt arrow hits its mark, knocking a squirrel off its feet.

He pulls a pigskin of water out, taking a long drink and then starts to jump again, pulling the horde with him.

Snake, along with a couple of dead bears, rush at the Knights. Karaline whips some fire and ice from her staff, hitting a bear. The ice stops the bear dead in their tracks and the fire melts them but she pulls back as one of the monsters jump to eat her. Dodger throws the little white mouse behind a rock and she kicks the dead bear in the face. The bear shakes the kick off and attacks the black cat. Dodger runs from the attack, getting the bear to chase her.

Jared jumps into the air, ignoring the pain coming from his back. He shoots fast over to the bear that is chasing Dodger, crashing right into the monster, and knocking it off its feet. Jared rushes away from the bear as it tries to get up. But the ground under it opens up to the underworld. Dodger and Jared both look over at Karaline whose eyes are glowing black. She looks over the cave and slowly starts to unsummon all the dead in it. When there is just the living left in the giant cave, she falls to the ground, exhausted from the magic. Dodger and Jared rush to her side to make sure the magic didn't take all of her life force. She still breathes but ever so lightly. They look for Snake and see the battle between her and Aslan rages on.

They watch in awe as Aslan’s strength was beyond anything they have seen. He took each hit from the fox as if it was a rat beating against a tree with its fists. Nothing was causing the lion to feel any pain. And the thought came to all of the Knights how did Snake get the lion up here in the first place? But the answer was easy to come up with, poison.

Aslan picks up Snake by both arms holding her high off the ground with just one paw, roaring right in her face. Dodger was sure she saw a tear fall from the fox's eyes. Instead of killing the foe, Aslan hit her in the head, knocking her out. He drops her to the ground, telling Dodger to find rope and tie her up. “Jared the Bard, right?” He asks walking over to the hawk.

“Yes, sir,” Jared said, holding Karaline.

“Is she alright?” Aslan ask pointing to the mouse.

“She will live,” Jared told him.

“Good,” the lion said back. “We need to find the fox's totem. She had hidden it somewhere in here. The totem is what is holding my men’s minds under her spell.”

“Right,” Jared said, standing up. “What does it look like?”

“It should,” the lion starts to say, “look like a statue of a half fox and snake.” Aslan start to look around with Jared. They look under everything that would move and behind anything that could hide something small. “I saw her using it before you guys got here.”

Dodger ties up Snake and joins in the search for the totem. It takes them about an hour and half to find the little stone statue sitting on top of a tree. The break it as quickly as possible and then wait for Karaline to wake back up. Each time Snake was about to come around Aslan would hit her on the head again. About four hours later Karaline finally woke so she could take down the earth wall blocking the exit.

They head back to Airy Knoll and when they get there, they find Artful and Aslan's men waiting for them. Aslan orders a unit of about 15 men to take Snake back to the king for judgment while the Knights of Airy Knoll go to check on their friend. When they got there, Moses was already gone and Elizabeth was waiting for them.

“He alright,” she told them, “just a little weak but is up at the apple tree.”

“Why did he go up there?” Artful ask.

“For me,” Dodger said, turning to leave the barn, heading for the apple tree. No one else went with her. Everyone knew they should just let the two of them be. She found him resting against the tree, half asleep with some roses in his paw. She took the roses, and sat down beside him, not waking him. She watched as life went back to normal on the farm. She could see from the tree that Elizabeth is giving orders to everyone, even Aslan. Dodger smiles for her happy life to get back to the where it should be, until something else attacks Airy Knoll. For they are all the Knights of Airy Knoll, forever vigilant, forever weary of those who mean to do harm to this haven.

The End