![](http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/18f51d58f6b1c52486497ef3b023e674.jpg)

Meanwhile . . .

>*TYAELAEM said: "We're coming near the rootwind falls," Tyaelaem whispered, and he clutched Anise's hand tightly. "Watch out for pirates."*

Something sharp whizzed by Anise's face, and a feathered arrow thunked and quivered into a tree behind her. "Pirates!" Tyaelaem shouted. "Run, Princess!" He yanked her out of Hania's grip and sprinted down the pathway between the trees; arrows whizzed past them and pierced the glowing fruit on the trees around them; thick yellow liquid oozed down the mossy bark. Tyaelaem leaped across a snaking root and dragged Anise deeper into the woods while the thunder of the waterfalls disappeared behind them.

Hania and Randold had been left behind, where the trees swayed and twisted in rage at the storm of arrows.


![](http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/ghost.jpg)

>*TALAN said: The warmth and added light alerted Talan to the creation of the fire and he immediately turned to grab the torch from Simon and aimed it low to the ground to identify what was below.*

As the grass was illuminated by the purple flame, it glittered with traces of fine gold. The weeds and grasses hissed and moved; although whatever was moving at their feet remained unseen, the invisible snakes shied away from the flame and jerked back when the torch was brought near.

>*KITUO said: "Both of you watch my back as well as each others! We can't let these things sneak up on us!" He handed the torch to Simon, "There is something moving on the ground wave the torch near us so it stays away!"*

>*KITUO said: "Ergh!" Kituo lashed out, his eyes slamming shut as he winced. He dropped the spear onto the ground, its blade narrowly missing his feet. . . . "Guys!" Kituo unintentionally whelped, the pitch of his voice climbing to forest's canopy. "Something hit my neck!"*

>*TALAN said: . . . to Kituo he ordered while handing him the wood spear he dropped, " Hold onto this if something gets behind us it may be up to you to protect us!"*

>*SIMON said: **Shortly after Kituo had mentioned something touching him he felt something run through his hair as well. No way, no flipping way, this spooked Simon so bad that he took the makeshift spear out of Kituo's hand and took a lunge forward launching it as hard as his arm could throw it, it soared through the air passing through the treeline across the stream and out of sight.*

Tyaelaem and Anise had been running for only a few minutes, but the arrows had been left behind them and there seemed to be no more danger -- until a wooden spear darted out of the trees toward them. The sharp point of the crude spear ripped Anise's sleeve and scraped a shallow bleeding gash across her shoulder before it hit a tree and toppled to the ground behind them.

The princess had been injured. Tyaelaem's grip tightened angrily on Anise's hand. "Are you all right?" he shouted, fearful for her health and bent on vengeance against whoever had done this. He picked up the spear that had hurt her -- its tip shining with her blood -- and he dragged Anise off the path and into the leaves and brush, toward the place where the spear had come from. Whoever had thrown it couldn't be far.

>*SIMON said: **Simon put his hand on Kituo's shoulder and gave him a little shake to let him know that this was a human interaction, not taking his hand off his shoulder to give reassurance, he looked him in the face and said "I believe that something dark is going to happen Kituo, stay close to me and be prepared for pretty much anything right now" Simon clutched the touch tightly not knowing what is going to happen or even what this fire will do for him. So Simon decided to pick up the two stones that he made the fire with and he put them in his pockets.*

>*TALAN said: Talan was so engulfed in coordinating these two that he almost forgot about the mask. He was tempted to wear it as it might provide his face protection from whatever might be trying to claw at it soon. He snatched it from the ground and put it on.*

The world through the eyes of the wolf-mask was very different. Suddenly, Talan could see the ethereal snakes that slinked through the weeds at their feet, with long fangs and hollow black eyes that couldn't see. The lantern in Kituo's hand seemed brighter, but Talan would suddenly feel as if the object were very dangerous -- that he shouldn't touch it or suffer a horrible fate -- but at the same time he would have a sense that there was a precious life contained inside it. The Sparrow King looked just the same as he had before -- glimmering, glowing, an ethereal image of a horned child -- but now Talan could see what had touched them all: ghosts.

Only Talan could see the four smoky, translucent ghosts stood around them, barely human in form. They were made of the smoke from Simon's torch. The purple fire was feeding life into the spirits of the forest, which in turn attempted to communicate with the three young men by touching them with thin fingers.

Across the stream, Tyaelaem emerged from the forest with Anise's hand still gripped tightly in his own; in the other hand he held the spear that Simon had thrown into the forest. Tyaelaem stopped at the edge of the water, and he stared across the glimmering stream at the man wearing the wolf mask, the boy with the lantern, and the boy holding the purple-flamed torch. The forest was upset, and the Sparrow King was growing angry with the lack of respect.

Tyaelaem let go of Anise, and he put his hand against his mouth to shout across the stream at Talan. "You are the Wolf! Tell them to begone, and they will fear you!"

No sooner had he said this, two of the red-eyed beasts in the trees suddenly swooped down; their arms were black wings like bats, but they were furry and nimble like monkeys with smashed faces and red ruby eyes. They darted at Kituo, claws and fangs bared angrily; their goal was to force him to drop the lantern. Should Kituo touch them with the iron lantern, they would screech in pain; and if Talan should happen to touch the lantern while wearing the mask, the iron would burn him. The denizens of the forest could not touch iron -- but they could attempt to force Kituo to smash the lantern against the rocks.

Talan would see the dark-eyed snakes wrap around Kituo's ankles. Kituo, though he couldn't see them, would feel them tighten their slimy bodies around his feet. More ghosts appeared out of Simon's flame, and they all stood in the shadows around Kituo; but if any of them were touched by the lantern's light, they disappeared, only to reappear behind him.

Everything was chaos. The Sparrow King had caused the bat-monkeys, the snakes and the ghosts to descend upon poor Kituo and try to force him to drop the lantern. The ghosts disappeared whenever they were touched by the lantern's light. The snakes could be driven away by Simon's flame. And the bat-monkeys could be burned by the iron lantern.