With a touch of the mermaid's hand, Ben was able to temporarily breathe underwater. He was shocked to find how deep the pool was. Tall weeds grew like trees on the bottom. The mermaid dragged Ben through them, not saying anything. She was an expert when it came to remaining mysterious, or maybe she just didn't like to talk.
Ben recalled his and John's journey, when they found the dried-up mermaid just off Maglin Beach. She was actually one of his friends, a friend he met when he stumbled upon Maglin City five years ago. Just seeing the mermaid next to him, he felt a wave of nostalgia. It had been forever since he'd seen his Maglin friends.
At the end of the weed forest was an opening. It passed under the waterfall. The tunnel was dark, but Ben's eyes adjusted. He saw patterns and images on its walls: images that represented fairies and humans. They told the history of how the humans betrayed the fae. Ben brushed his palm across the wall. He and the mermaid swam for a little bit longer, and then they reached the cavern Fororli mentioned.
Strangely, it looked like an underground graveyard. Lines of rocks stretched across each end of the rectangular-shaped room. At the back of it was a single cauldron. Green smoke swirled above it.
The mermaid ducked back underwater, but Ben climbed out of the pool. He pulled wet hair out of his face. He heard the roar of the waterfall, but it was hidden behind some walls that jutted out.
Ben looked left to right, up and down, and then his eyes landed on the tombstones. He walked down each line and examined them. He searched for names and dates, but there were none. "What a strange place," Ben told himself. It definitely felt like the layer of a witch. He looked up from one tombstone, and that was when he saw her. The mermaid. Except, she no longer had her tail.
The blonde-headed woman stood behind her cauldron. The silky red sleeves of her lightweight dress dangled off her shoulders. Her hands gripped the side of her cauldron.
"You," Ben said, amazed. "You're the witch."
"I am Anecka," she said in a mystical voice. "Why have you come here?"
Ben stepped out from the row of tombstones he had been admiring. Even though he was a bit nervous, he remained brave. "You know why. I'm trying to help my friend."
"The fae ranger?"
Ben nodded. "Yes, ma'am. He only has a few days to live, but the only way to save him is for that human, Keegan, to accept him into his and Evie's family–the family of the Pebble Masters. Fororli told me that you know something that may help."
"I don't answer to you, even if you are a king," Anecka admitted. "You humans are the ones who destroyed the magical beings."
"The prophecy clearly says to 'regain lost trust'," Ben argued. "It means the trust between us. Once Keegan accepts Mateo, the Pebble Masters will work together to save the forest. Our worlds will once again be intertwined."
"I don't answer to you," Anecka repeated. "You're the reason why that boy is still alive. I destroy you, and he dies sooner."
"Wait, what?" Ben backed away from her. "This isn't what I wanted."
"I destroy you, and the boy dies sooner!" Anecka repeated, much angrier that time. "We sacrifice one of our own to save our culture." Her long nails scratched against the rim of her cauldron. The green glow shimmered on her pale face.
"But Mateo is my friend." Ben could not believe how naïve he was, all because he loved adventures. He needed to find a way to get Anecka to change her mind. "Please, Your Highness, I understand how you feel, but as king, I must protect my people. Even you. I accept all races in Pinta Country: the humans, mermaids, fairies, witches, centaurs, and even the dragons. Not only is our kingdom a land of magic; it's also a land of family."
Ben's speech did not help. Anecka twirled her hands in a circle above her cauldron. "Elushia Amisha!" she announced in a clear voice.
Ben heard rattling behind him. Quickly, he drew his sword and turned his body to the graveyard. One by one, skeletons of human-sized fairies rose out of the ground. There were men, women, and even children. They walked like zombies toward Ben and held their bony hands out to him.
Anecka stretched her arms out to her sides. "Come, my pets!" she finished. At her command, two large figures stepped out from the shadows behind her.
Ben's jaw dropped when he recognized one of them. "Thebes!"
The centaur's eyes glowed red, just like the basilisk. He released his two swords from their scabbards. Ready to attack, Thebes held them over his head.
The second figure Anecka summoned was a Fused Monster. They were rare creatures in Pinta Country, only conjured from dark magic. The monster had a lion face but moose antlers on top of its head. Half its body was bare and scaly, but fur covered its front half. It had a wolf tail and wolf-like front legs. Its back legs were horse-like. Like Thebes, its eyes glowed red.
Ben had only seen one Fused Monster in his life, during his and John's journey. They were gnarly beings who had psychic powers. His eyes switched from it and Thebes to the undead army closing in on him. "I just want to help my friend," he protested. "You don't need to sacrifice him to save your culture. Just trust us."
Anecka narrowed her eyebrows. "We will never trust you humans. That boy's family destroyed us when his great-grandfather enslaved the basilisk. His mother should have never married a fae man."
"But we loved each other!" The voice was deep with a Mexican accent. Anecka paused her attack at the sight of a single skeleton fluttering his way through the army. Compared to the others, he was the tallest and whitest in the bunch. Those characteristics alone helped him stand out. He landed next to King Benjamin.
His sword dropped from his hand. It landed with a clang on the floor. "Faelyn!" he said.
The skeleton's eye sockets seemed to stare at Anecka. "I'm with the king. You don't need to sacrifice my son for your retribution." His bony, oval-shaped wings flapped behind him. Ben felt a little awkward standing next to a skeleton.
Anecka did not appreciate Faelyn's outburst. "Enough, Faelyn!"
"No." Faelyn shook his head. "I've been rotting down here for twenty-one years under your supervision, and I'm tired of it. The king is friends with my son, and I demand that you tell him what he needs to know to get his uncle to accept him."
"Enough!" Anecka repeated. "Elushia Amisha!"
Thebes, the Fused Monster, and the rest of the undead army dove for Ben and Faelyn. The battle began.
Ben chopped the skeletons to bits with his sword. He ripped off their arms and legs so they couldn't fight back. He punched them, kicked them, and tossed them into one another.
Faelyn distracted Thebes and the Fused Monster. He led them away from Ben.
A large and powerful fae skeleton snuck up on Ben from behind. He knocked his sword out of his grasp and grabbed his arm. The being twisted it as hard as he could.
A wave of pain shot up Ben's entire arm. He yelled. He used his free hand to rip the bony fingers off him. His arm ached, but he picked up his sword again.
Where Thebes, Faelyn, and the Fused Monster were, Thebes smacked Faelyn out of the sky. He crashed into the wall.
Thebes put his swords up. He next drew his crossbow, and he pointed it at the distracted Ben. Just before he let the arrow loose, Faelyn flew in. He tipped the crossbow up towards the ceiling.
Ben continued to fight off the skeletons. Except, he started to grow tired. His sword felt a lot heavier.
The skeleton who twisted his arm took advantage of his weakened state. He waited until there was an opening, and then he dove like an eagle coming in to snatch its prey. His sharp nails scratched Ben on his right cheekbone. His skin broke, and blood trickled down his cheek.
"No!" Faelyn shouted. A mortal being could not get scratched by an undead man.
Ben collapsed onto his back. His sword rolled away from him. His whole body twitched. He tried to shake off the pain, but it was impossible. The young man yelled.
The undead army enjoyed the show, especially the man who hurt him.
Anecka smirked. "Elushia Amisha!" she chanted one more time.
Thebes and the Fused Monster stopped attacking. They moved towards the convulsing king, their red eyes flashing like an alarm.
"No! No! No!" Faelyn said. He seemed to glare at Anecka. "He just wanted to help his friend."
"He's a human," she argued. "I'll tell you, Faelyn, retribution has never felt so good."
"Mateo needs him to get better!" Faelyn cried.
Anecka shook her head. "I'm sorry, Faelyn, but sacrificing your son is the only way we're going to rebuild our culture. We don't need any humans getting in our way."
Faelyn clenched his teeth. "But he's just a boy."
Ben's left leg shook. He clutched the rocky floor. Thebes and the Fused Monster crowded around him. A few minutes passed, and then Ben stopped convulsing. He lied completely still. Thebes and the monster backed away. The undead army crept closer.
Ben's eyes snapped open. Except, they weren't the deep brown people were used to. They glowed red just like the centaur and monster. He had become another member of the hunter's army–the army that would destroy both Green Guardians, as well as the Paperblank Forest itself.
***
Mateo felt Ben's pain and suffering. A ranger/Guardian knew when something was amiss, just like how a parent knew when something was amiss with their child. He couldn't just lie in bed. That was not the ranger way. Mateo had to help his friend. He did not want to be useless anymore.
Maria tightly clutched his hand. It was like she was a claw machine and Mateo was the toy. "Mateo, calm down," she begged. "What's wrong?"
"He senses something," Ranger Krysta observed. However, Mateo was too weak to do rangery things. He could not work until he was stronger, hopefully by Monday. Right now, he needed to rest. His breathing also needed to improve. It was getting more labored by the second.
Krysta attempted to put another mask over his nose and mouth, but Mateo was too shaken up. He slapped it away.
"Please. I need to help him."
Maria's face turned stern. "You're not going anywhere, Anthony Mateo Brook. You're too weak."
"But I'm a Pebble Master," he whimpered.
"Yes, but so is Evie," Ranger Krysta elucidated. She moved the mask closer to his face. "Please, son, you need this to help you breathe."
Mateo buried his head in Maria's chest. He grabbed her arm and coughed. "No! It's my duty as a ranger to help."
The young man forced himself out of bed. He gently pushed Maria away. Except, he merely fell off the bed and crashed into the floor. His legs refused to work. They felt like Jell-O.
Maria got down with him. She hugged him close. "Baby, please, I can't watch you do this to yourself. You need to rest." She ruffled his hair.
Mateo kept on arguing. "I'm Ranger Anthony. I'm not allowed to rest."
"What are you talking about?" asked Maria. "Of course, you are. You're only human, after all."
Mateo shook his head. "No, I'm Ranger Anthony." It did not take him long to realize he was drooling all over his shirt. That meant only one thing.
Maria glanced at Krysta. "Ranger Krysta, he's going to throw up again."
Krysta made haste to grab something for Mateo to use.
He coughed. His face had a blue tinge to it, which meant he wasn't getting enough oxygen. His brain felt like mush.
Maria set her hand down on his forehead. "Stop pushing yourself. Just stop."
Edger and Notmuth left the room, clearly uneasy. They went to the living room. The fairy and dwarf searched the empty cabin.
"Where's my brother?" Notmuth inquired. "He and the king should be back by now."
"I'll go look for them," Edger replied. "In the meantime, Notmuth, I need you to look after Diana."
"Sir! Yes, sir!" Notmuth said with a quick salute. He loved Edger's little girl.
The fae chief flapped his wings. He lifted into the air and left his hut. Edger searched Seranet for Ben and Fororli. The sky was beginning to lighten with the morning sunshine.
Edger flew to the waterfall where the mermaid/witch kidnapped Ben. That was when he saw it… his cape. Fororli had left it behind. Edger landed next to it and picked it up. "Oh no."
He noticed something flying out of the waterfall in the early morning light rays. The figure was a fairy skeleton who had oval-shaped, bony wings. He set himself down in front of Edger.
"Where's my son?" he wanted to know.
Faelyn, Mateo's father, had returned, thanks to Anecka's spell, "Elushia Amisha".