Eliza Twitchel & The Haunted Forest

Eliza Twitchel & The Haunted Forest--Chapter 25

                        Surprise Visits & Fair Trades

Eliza didn't like the looks of the Haunted Forest by day with its creeping mist and twisted gray trees whose limbs creaked and snapped like dry bones. She particularly didn't like the wraiths that were there one second and gone the next, whispering just loud enough to make her turn her head and then disappearing into the murk.

As bad as the day was, nighttime was even worse.  Sitting by a campfire, her cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders, she listened as the dark forest came alive with the sounds of nocturnal predators and their prey.

Fanghorn sat across from her, using a stone to sharpen the blades of his axe. Orange firelight licked his fearsome face and reflected in deep-set amber eyes.  Behind him, his warhorse eyed the dire wolves, which stared hungrily back with glowing eyes..

"Does your horse have a name?" Eliza asked, jumping as something shrieked in the darkness.

"Horse," the ogre grumbled.

"Just horse? What kind of name is that?"  Eliza studied the huge beast.  "He looks like a Midnight; or maybe Shadow; or Zeus 'cause he's so big. Zeus was the greatest of the Greek gods.  I bet if he rode a horse, it would look like that."

The warhorse turned to Eliza and blew a puff of steam out its nostrils.

"Name is Horse," Fanghorn growled, pressing harder on the sharpening stone.  Sparks flew from the honed steel like shooting stars.

"That's a stupid name," Eliza said under her breath as she stared into the campfire's flames.  On the other side of the fire, Fanghorn drew the stone faster and angrier over his axe's blades, showering the ground with sparks.

Eliza jumped as something inhuman screamed in the distance.  She pulled her cloak tight around her throat as she cast wary glances around the dark woods.

"I was wondering: If the queen's parents were trolls, how come I didn't see any trolls in the castle? Where did they all go?"

Fanghorn continued to sharpen his axe blades. "Banished."

Eliza jabbed at the fire's hot coals with a twig. "Banished? Why?"

Fanghorn huffed in irritation.  "Queen's orders."

Eliza jumped at the sound of another scream, this one closer. "Why would the queen banish her own people?"

Fanghorn blew steam out his nostrils. "Why do you ask so many stupid questions?" 

Eliza squealed and swatted at her hair as something buzzed past her ear and hovered next to the fire.  It was the size of a hummingbird; humanoid, with transparent wings, pointed ears and iridescent green eyes that glowed bright.  The creature's chest heaved as it turned in all directions, looking for danger.  It chittered in a high-pitched voice.

Before the faerie could escape, something black and bat-like swooped out of the darkness and grabbed it in its sharp teeth, then returned to the darkness.

"Did you see that?" Eliza said, her voice rising in alarm.

Fanghorn stood and slid his battle-axe into the scabbard strapped to his back. "Go to sleep. We leave at first light."  He found a private patch of dirt away from Eliza and the gobblings and lay down.  His warhorse stood next to him, its eyes locked on the dire wolves.

Eliza gave the gobblings a wary look as she lay by the fire.  She took a deep whiff, taking in the scents of the forest around her.  It smelled of death and rot. Growls, screeches and sounds she couldn't begin to identify kept her awake until the fire burned down to glowing embers and her eyes grew heavy with sleep.