Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing and the Quest for the Holy Grail ❯ The Black Forest ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11: The Black Forest

“Man, this place is aptly named,” Duo remarked.

After eight days of travel, the Black Forest rose up before them, dark and forbidding.

“It's weird the way it just springs up like that, like a wall,” Duo continued.

“It looks to have been cut back,” Hagrimore said. “No doubt local farmers were clearing fields for crops and grazing.”

“Most likely,” Damodin agreed.

“I don't see any herds,” Trowa remarked.

“The land doesn't look cultivated either,” said Quatre.

“That doesn't surprise me,” said Duo, “Would you want to live near that?”

The forest did indeed present such a gloomy and foreboding atmosphere that it was hard to imagine anyone willingly living near it.

As they rode up to its edge, everyone unconsciously slowed down, including the horses. At the very edge, everyone stopped and stared up at the towering trees.

There were fewer people in the group now. Upon returning to Hammersly after leaving Gift's cave, four knights had gone aside, talking quietly among themselves and casting nervous glances in Roku's direction. Roku seemed oblivious to this, but Quatre was clearly not. He watched the four knights with an expression which should have worried them far more than Roku's shape-changing. When Quatre began mumbling under his breath, Trowa spoke to him.

“What's bugging you, Quatre?”

“Those knights,” Quatre grumbled, pointing with his chin. “They're talking about Roku.”

“They're just worried about his dragon escapade, that's all. They'll get over it.”

“Hmph!” Quatre leaned over to Duo. “Duo, what are those knights thinking about?”

Duo looked up from his dinner (it was his third plateful, so he was about half done) and squinted at the knights.

“Umm… They're wondering… Shit, it's noisy in here! They're wondering what else Roku can turn into.”

“I thought so.”

“It's just what I said,” Trowa said.

“That one,” Duo pointed with his fork at one knight, “is also remembering that Roku performed magic twice helping Quatre.”

“I knew it!” Quatre exclaimed.

“You're not helping, Duo,” Trowa muttered with a frown.

Duo shrugged. “Just repeating what I hear.”

“Master Quatre,” said Percival, “you know that no knight of King Arthur's court would ever think to offer harm to your son.”

“Maybe not directly,” Quatre said, “but if they start making comments to people, it could cause trouble.”

“We're wandering around with a talking tiger, Quatre,” Heero said. “I'm pretty sure people are already making comments, whether our companions say anything or not.”

“But right now, everyone thinks he's a harmless curiosity. I like it that way.” Quatre frowned. “He's still just a little boy, despite any powers he might have. He trusts people.”

“You don't need to worry about, Roku,” Duo said around a mouthful of food. “He can read people better than I can. No one's going to get close to him with trouble in mind. Anyway, a couple of those guys are thinking about returning to Camelot. They're pretty much adventured-out.”

“Well, good riddance to them,” Quatre said, rather uncharitably.

“Our numbers keep dwindling,” Damodin remarked.

“Aye, but no one has died, so all-in-all, I would call this a good quest,” Hagrimore said.

“True.”

In the morning, three of the four knights elected to return to Camelot. The fourth, Sir Olwin, saw the other three on their way and then rejoined the rest of the party.

“You are not accompanying the others, Sir Olwin?” Percival asked.

“Nay, Sir Percival,” said Olwin. “I thought to come on this journey for a lark and I had not thought to turn back at the first challenge. Mere physical contests, such as we have had, should be no match for a proper knight and I have taken no qualm from them. I do confess to experiencing some dismay, as Sir Mauldin did, at learning of Master Duo's talent. But then I thought: if I, as a true gentleman, have such thoughts as I am ashamed for another man to hear, than I am no true gentleman. And I confess also to being somewhat put off by the many unusual talents of our youngest member,” he inclined his head to Roku, “but again, I considered that he has never offered harm to anyone, and is but an innocent child in sooth, so therefore I, as a knightly gentleman, should have no cause to judge or fear him. And finally,” Olwin concluded, “what sort of pious man would I be to give up on this most holy quest?”

Percival clapped Olwin on the back proudly. “Well said, Sir Olwin!” he cried. “That is the sort of talk it pleases me to hear.”

Even Heero had a grudging hint of a smile on his face.

“And how do you say, Sir Mendelere, being now the last who has not spoken his piece?”

The other remaining knight, one of the four whom Percival had originally invited, along with Hagrimore, Damodin and a knight who had been injured at Ettenmoor, rubbed a hand over the top of his head, where early baldness was taking its toll.

“Well now, Sir Percival,” said Mendelere, “I might repeat all that Sir Olwin just said, for I agree that his words were well spoken.”

Olwin nodded his thanks.

“And to it I might add that I've a mind to see this task through to the end, for whether or not we find the Holy Grail at the end of our quest, to have gone through it all and kept our honor is a fine thing of itself.”

“Huzzah!” Hagrimore and Damodin shouted.

Then Mendelere grinned sheepishly. “Perhaps, in all fairness, I should also mention that my wife told me not to return before summer.”

So it was an energized and focused group that set out from Hammersly for the Black Forest, and who now found themselves facing that glowering wall of trees on an overcast day that would have benefited greatly from a little sun.

“It doesn't smell very good,” Roku said. His nose was twitching.

“It smells of rot,” Damodin agreed.

“The growth is so thick, the sun must never reach the ground,” said Trowa.

“We should look for a trail,” Quatre said. “Gift said we need to go to the druid's altar and it sounded like they use it regularly. In that case, there should be a path.”

“That is a good idea,” said Percival. “Let's split up. Half will go to the left and half to the right. If a trail is found, note its location and return. In either case, we should meet back here no later than sunset.”

The group split along natural lines, with the five pilots and Roku heading east and the five knights heading west.

The pilots had not been traveling five minutes when Roku lifted his head and sniffed.

“There's a stream up ahead,” Roku announced.

The stream was narrow but swift flowing, and the water was clear and cold. They stopped to get drinks.

“I didn't expect decent water to be coming out of a place like that,” Duo said. “This tastes pretty good.”

“Perhaps the forest just looks bad,” Trowa said.

“And smells bad,” Wu-Fei added.

“Let's keep moving,” said Quatre.

They crossed the stream and continued along the forest edge.

“Look! Sheep!” Roku cried.

“Do not chase them!” Quatre ordered sternly.

“Aw, man!” Roku complained. He sounded just like Duo.

As they came closer, they could see a shepherd keeping watch from the top of a boulder.

Quatre reined to a halt. “Why don't Roku and I wait here and the rest of you go ask that fellow if he knows of a trail into the forest?”

“Hmph!” Roku plopped down on his haunches.

The others rode up to the shepherd.

“Good day,” Trowa greeted him. “We are travelers seeking a way through this forest. Do you know of a path that might ease our passage?”

“Oh, aye,” the shepherd said. He pointed toward the east. “The Druid's Road lies just beyond the field there. It's wide enough for your horses.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome, but have a care. Stick to the road. It's three days till the full moon and the druids get prickly. They don't sacrifice people or anything, but that don't mean they won't kill someone who's trespassing.”

The four pilots exchanged glances.

“Thanks for the warning,” Trowa said.

“What happens if you blunder across the druids on the full moon?” Duo asked. “We have other people traveling with us that we have to meet up with first.”

The shepherd shook his head. “I wouldn't advise being around during the full moon ceremony. The druids summon spirits and not all of them are gentle woodland sprites, if you know what I mean.”

They thanked him again and rode back to Quatre and Roku.

“This isn't good,” Quatre said upon being told of the shepherd's remarks. “It's already pretty late. We won't be able to start until tomorrow. If the altar is more than a day's ride into the woods, we'll only have one day to find what we need and get out before the druids show up.”

“That assumes they don't show up until the day of the full moon,” Wu-Fei pointed out.

“Maybe we should just wait until after the full moon,” Duo said.

“Sit around on our hands for three or four days?” Heero growled with annoyance. “What's the point of that? We can handle a few druids.” He started riding west, toward the rendezvous.

“He has a point,” Wu-Fei said. “We handled the ghouls just fine, after all.”

“Says the guy who's un-killable,” Duo mumbled under his breath.

“Don't worry about it, Duo,” Quatre said. “You have two sorcerers accompanying you. I'm sure we can handle anything the druids can dish out.”

“Mama, what are druids?”

“Druids are a religious group who adhere to a belief in a natural order. Some people say they worship trees, but that isn't really true.”

“Are they dangerous?”

“Well, I've never met any, so I can't say from experience.”

“They're probably dangerous in the same way wild animals are dangerous,” Trowa said. “Going about their normal behaviors might result in bad things happening to someone, but it might not be specifically intentional.”

“But we could still end up just as dead,” Duo grumbled. “I don't see why we can't wait until after the full moon.”

“Don't be such a wuss, Duo,” Heero said. “How bad could it be?”

“That is such a loaded question.”

“Show some backbone, Duo,” Wu-Fei said lightly.

“Maybe the duke's daughters screwed it out of him,” Quatre said with a grin.

“That's not funny!” Duo exclaimed. “I barely managed to enjoy myself last night.”

“Two or three times,” Wu-Fei added in an exaggerated whisper.

“I thought it was four,” Heero whispered back.

“You might be right,” Wu-Fei replied.

“I get no respect!” Duo complained.

“But you do get screwed,” Quatre noted.

“It's the only reason I put up with all this abuse,” Duo said haughtily, but then he grinned.

“There's Sir Percy, Mama.”

The five knights were waiting at the rendezvous.

“I hope you had better success than we did,” Percival said when they arrived. “There is a large river not too far west of here that looks all but impassable.”

“We did,” Quatre replied. “There's a road not too far east of here that leads into the woods.”

“Our informant called it the Druid's Road,” Trowa added, “which bodes well for it leading to the altar.”

“Most excellent!” Percival said with satisfaction. He glanced at the sky. “As it looks to be near sunset, we should make camp and continue in the morning.”

“I agree,” said Trowa. “We found a small stream just over there with fresh water. We should camp near there.”

“Good idea.”

They made their way back to the stream and set up camp for the night.

In the morning, the group set out for the Druid's Road. Hagrimore eyed it skeptically when they arrived at the opening leading into the Black Forest.

“'Road' seems a mighty generous description for that muddy game trail,” Hagrimore remarked.

“Didn't that shepherd say it was wide enough for horses?” Quatre asked

“He didn't say we wouldn't have to go single file,” Trowa replied.

“If it gets any narrower, we'll have to get off and walk,” said Duo

“I'll go first,” said Heero and he led the way into the forest.

Sir Percival followed him and the others fell into line, with Olwin and Mendelere bringing up the rear.

Almost immediately, the temperature dropped and all trace of sunshine disappeared. Water dripped from branches that were probably wet year round and mud squelched unpleasantly under the horses' hooves.

“Do you want to ride with me, Roku?” Quatre asked.

“No thank you, Mama. I like the mud.”

Quatre sighed. “I was afraid you would say that.”

“May I walk up in front with Papa Heero?”

“Go ahead.”

Roku trotted up the line of horses until he was next to Heero.

“Did Quatre say you could come up here?”

“Yes, Papa Heero.”

“Good. You can take point. Your nose is better than mine.”

“Ok.” Roku trotted out in front of Heero's horse.

The road, such as it was, had that meandering, no-hurry, who-needs-straight-lines quality that one often finds on game trails. It did not get any narrower, fortunately, but neither did it get any wider. Every now and then, however, they passed a narrow post stuck into the ground beside the road with runes carved on it.

“What do you suppose the runes mean?” Damodin asked.

”Warnings not to leave the trail, most likely,” Hagrimore said gloomily.

“I think they're distance markers,” Wu-Fei said. “Some of those runes I recognize as numbers.”

“You can read the runes?” Damodin asked in surprise.

“Partially,” Wu-Fei replied. “I have studied many interesting topics over the years, and I spent a few months studying ancient runes once. I don't recognize all of these symbols, but several of them are familiar. But I think Sir Hagrimore is partly right. That last post I think said something about a hazard to travelers in this area.”

“What kind of hazard?”

“I don't know. The symbol they used was unfamiliar.”

“It's probably some kind of natural hazard, like quicksand,” Trowa suggested. “I haven't heard or seen any sign of animals near the road.”

“That's true,” agreed Hagrimore. “Come to think of it, I don't hear any birds either.”

“Great!” Duo mumbled sarcastically. “Nothing lives here. That bodes well.”

Now that Hagrimore had mentioned it, it became plain to everyone that the only thing they could hear, beyond the noise they were making themselves, was the incessant dripping of water from the tree branches.

“Young Roku,” Percival called, “do you smell anything of note?”

“No, Sir Percy,” Roku replied, “except that I think some people came through here not too long ago.”

“People?” Heero asked immediately. “Are there tracks?”

“There are footprints in the mud,” said Roku, “and sometimes I can smell people.”

“Everyone stop!” Heero ordered. He immediately swung down from his horse and squatted down beside Roku to examine the footprints. Then he walked a short way up the trail to examine more tracks before returning and remounting his horse.

“I think Roku's right,” Heero said. “I'd say at least ten people used this road within the last day or so; probably druids on their way to the altar for their full moon ceremony.”

“That could pose a problem,” said Percival.

“Let's try to pick up the pace,” Heero said. “If we can find the druid's altar tomorrow, we should be able to get what we need and be on our way with a full day to spare before the night of the full moon.”

“Agreed.”

“We should have gotten lunch out before we started,” Duo complained. “I'm hungry!”

“Do you want to eat or do you want to get to the altar before the full moon?” Wu-Fei asked with a grin.

“How about eat and get there after the full moon?”

“Nice try.”

But everyone was complaining about being hungry when growing darkness made them decide that the unseen sun was setting. At about the same time, the trail entered an obviously man-made clearing with a natural spring on one side.

“I guess this is where we stop,” Heero announced.

Everyone quickly dismounted and immediately dug out food.

“It must be overcast,” Hagrimore said, staring up at the dark sky visible between the branches that did not quite meet over their heads. “I see no stars.”

“It's so damp and chilly here,” Damodin complained. “I wonder if even Master Wu-Fei's fire can light this wood.”

“It better!” Wu-Fei said. “I'm cold, too.”

Wood was collected and assembled into a large pile. It took awhile, and there was a lot of smoke, but eventually Wu-Fei was able to get the fire burning. Everyone huddled close to the warmth and finished their dinners. Roku sat with his back to the fire when he finished eating, staring at the forest.

“What are you looking at, Roku?” Trowa asked.

“There are eyes.”

“What?!” Anyone who had been drowsy a moment before was now wide awake.

“I see eyes,” Roku repeated. “Mostly green ones, but there are some red ones, too.”

Ten sets of human eyes focused on the dark wall of the forest.

“I don't see anything,” Hagrimore said.

“They're kind of small and close to the ground.”

“What the hell?” Duo exclaimed. “I see them, too!”

“So do I,” said Heero.

Eventually, everyone could see them.

“What do you suppose they are?” Olwin asked. He sounded as if he was questioning his decision to continue on the quest.

“There're not human,” Duo said. “I don't hear any thinking.”

“I don't think they're animals, either,” said Trowa.

“They're not,” Roku assured him, “I don't smell anything.”

“Let's see if we can get a better look,” Quatre said. He spoke softly and a ball of light formed in his right hand. He tossed it toward the forest.

There was a flurry of guttural squeals and several half-seen shapes scattered away from Quatre's light.

“That didn't help,” Duo said.

“Well, it doesn't seem like they intend us any harm,” Wu-Fei noted. “Maybe the light from the fire attracts them.”

“But what are they?” Olwin definitely sounded unhappy.

“The shepherd said the druids summon spirits during their ceremonies,” Wu-Fe said. “Maybe these are sprites of some kind.”

“Sprites?” Heero said. “But we can see them. They have bodies.” He drew his sword and marched purposefully toward the shining eyes.

“Heero, wait!” Quatre exclaimed, but his warning went unheeded.

Heero strode up to the trees and swung his sword at the ground. He was immediately swarmed by dozens of small creatures that stood no higher than his knees.

“Get off me, you damn things!” Heero exclaimed. He kicked his legs and swung his arms to knock the creatures off. They scattered with guttering noises that almost sounded like giggling and retreated to a safe distance.

“Dammit!” Heero snarled. “One of the damn things bit me!” He examined his left arm, just below the armband he'd gotten from Gift.

“Let me have a look,” said Trowa. He examined the wound. “It's not serious, but let's disinfect it.” He picked up a burning twig from the fire and jammed it against the bite mark.

Heero snatched his arm away. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Cauterization works best,” Trowa replied brightly.

Heero muttered something extremely unflattering under his breath.

“Well, this might prove interesting later,” Quatre said.

“Why?” asked Wu-Fei.

“I read about sprites in one of Merlin's books. It said sprites mark people with small bites so they can find them later. Apparently, sprites have difficulty telling humans apart. Heero's been marked, which means sprites can recognize him now. It may not mean anything, but the book said only marked humans could get sprites to do favors for them.”

“You mean Heero can order them around?” Duo asked.

“No, it means he can ask them for favors, which they may or may not choose to grant.”

“That is quite interesting,” Wu-Fei said.

“The eyes are gone,” Roku announced.

“Do you suppose they just wanted to mark someone?” Trowa asked.

“Probably,” Quatre replied.

“This is just great!” Heero growled.

“I did try to warn you.”

“Maybe it won't be a bad thing,” Wu-Fei said.

“What are the odds?” replied Duo.