CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

MALLEY

Alexander stared in disbelief. He was tired from his near-death experience. He tried to stand, but wavered and fell to his knees. Abby helped to pull him up, and he leaned on her as a crutch. He wondered if his mind might play tricks on him, or maybe his eyes were still out of focus due to the dehydration thingy. After several minutes, he was Abel to stand on his own. He didn’t know how long the side effects lasted, having never suffered from dehydration before. He rubbed his eyes, blinked, and rubbed them again.

Flowers of every color and size lay before them. “How did they get here?”

“They’ve always been here. The question is how did you get here?” Malley said, filling his pipe with sweet smelling tobacco. “That is Longmire Forest, and beyond there is the copper mine.” Malley puffed on the pipe.

“And Morgan,” added Abby. A shiver ran down her spine.

Alexander craned his neck to get a better view of the area between them and the forest. “Why can’t we just go this way?” he asked. “The trees don’t look all that bad.”

“We can’t enter the forest from here.” Malley was overly cautious. “We need to find the Longmire Bridge. It’s the only safe way. Of course, there’s another option.”

“A shortcut?” asked Alex.

“Yes, a shortcut,” answered Malley, “but dangerous.”

“I’ve heard the shortest route from point A to point B is always best,” said Alex, quoting his math teacher.

Malley wrapped his arms around Alexander’s shoulder. “Be my guest. Abby and I’ll find the bridge. By the way, stay clear of those flowers.”  

“The flowers?” Alex whispered.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. Go ahead, but don’t face Morgan on your own. Wait for us. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” Malley tapped out ashes from his pipe on the soles of his shoes. He continued without looking at Alexander. “The flowers are pretty, aren’t they?”

“If you say so. I guess beautiful things can be dangerous too.” Alex winked at Abby as he spoke. “It’s nothing personal.”

“That’s okay. I’m interested in the flowers. They’re beautiful,” said Abby.

“So… I have to avoid all the flowers?” asked Alex, who thought it would be nice to collect a bouquet and surprise Abby with it.

“I’m glad you asked,” Malley radiated with enthusiasm. “Pay attention. I’m only going to go through this once.” He pointed into the tall grass where a plethora of colorful daisy-like flowers burst from between the blades. “A spore from one of those beauties will kill you instantly, and the leaves of another will cause madness. Another flower will bring eternal happiness while one just smells good. The problem is… I forgot which flower is which.”

 “I think I’ll go with you,” Alexander said after a few steps.

                                                                 

Malley smiled. “Wise choice, my young friend. Now, we must find the way to the bridge. Do you have any spots left?”

Alexander shrugged his shoulders. “Nah, but I suggest we go that way.” He pointed to the east.

“Did O’Toole tell you to go that way?”

“Nope, it just looks like it’s the way.” Alexander fixed his gaze to the east. They stood on a plateau overlooking the valley. The towers of the castle loomed in the distance and glistened in the afternoon sunlight. The valley sprawled out before them, a small miniature replica of his town. His mountain rose high above the valley on the opposite side of where he stood. Alexander swore he saw his parent’s house nestled in a crook of the mountain. That would be impossible as the house was so tiny and the mountain too large. He chalked it up as dreaming and sighed as he imagined his father instructing his brother in sword fighting or his mother teaching his sister in pageantry.

Malley tapped Alexander on his shoulder and startled him. “That is one great view. Few get to see it from this vantage point.”

“I think that’s the way to go.” He looked without taking his eyes from the castle.

Malley rubbed his nose and swatted a fly. “Think so?”

“I’m sure of it.” Alexander became mesmerized.

“Has your father forgotten about us?” Malley asked Abby over his shoulder.

Abby sat with her knees folded under her chin. “Not a chance. If I know him, he’ll be even more determined to find us because of what we backed at the castle.”

“There you have it. Going into the valley will be sure suicide. We might as well send up flares from here.” Malley wiped his hands together. “Discussion over. Forget about the bridge. Let’s head into the unknown toward the west.”

Alexander stood with his arms folded and his feet apart. “I thought you said that way was dangerous.” He removed his thumb. “I believe we should go east, toward the bridge.”

“Not a chance. If we go that way, we won’t survive long enough to be eaten by Morgan,” declared Abby.

“He’s right. We can’t chance it. To return to the valley would be a folly,” O’Toole whispered.

Alexander lowered his shoulders.

“We want you to be alive long enough to face possible death.” Malley helped Abby to her feet. She wiped grass away from her shorts.

Alexander looked at her, hands clutched to his sides.

                                                                 

It’s getting late, and we have a long way to go before we stop for the night,” said Abby.

Tall grass rustled followed by a loud gnawing sound from the lawn.

“Might I suggest we start now?” Malley looked at the gnarly steep hill leading to the west, his chosen direction. “The path appears to be impassable and impossible. Who knows what kind of beast is ahead of us.” He motioned for Abby and Alexander to back away from the grass. “Maybe Alexander’s suggestion is the wisest choice. We’ll go back down into the valley and hope for the best.”