Chapter 4

Isaiah scooped us up in one swift movement and tossed us atop his back. He took two large powerful strides and with two great pumps of his wings, we were climbing above the treetops. The wind blew Vanessa and my hair wildly behind us and our ears and noses were red and cold. I appreciated the slightly warmer temperatures these last couple of days but above the trees, where the air was open, the wind still struck my cheeks like shards of glass.

“Where are you taking us,” I shouted.

“I have something I must show you.” He said. The towering white pines in this mature section of forest were all at least 70 or 80 feet tall. These giant trees were blanketed with a heavy, wet, white snow, and I reached out to smack a heavy branch, sending snow flying into the air as the limb sprung free from its oppressive coat. We only flew a couple of miles before we descended back into the thick forest again. Once under the canopy and on the ground, we stepped off onto the soft bed of orange needles that covered almost every square inch of ground. Stumps and small bare sections were coated, with soft, lush moss, and there was an occasional tiny, round, green leaf poking up through the orange needles. There was nearly no snow here, “This way.” Isaiah motioned us to follow him as he walked towards an impressively out of place and incredibly massive tree covered in moss and vines. He came to the tree, put his face down low to the roots, and spoke quietly. The words seemed to wake the tree as the bark and branches moved around. You could see bark eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth. Isaiah stood up and continued to speak to the tree, though now to its face rather than the roots. “I have brought visitors, Prometheus. We need access to the library- It is urgent.” The tree, which stood taller than any tree, was as wide as a house, and it opened its great mouth, creaking loudly. Isaiah stepped in. “Come.” We stepped through the open mouth into a grad room. The ceiling was not in sight, as it extended to the top of the tree. There were lanterns and great velvety soft rugs. There were doors leading to numerous rooms, and to the right, there was a grand fireplace and two rustic high-backed chairs. In front of us, there was a magnificent spiral staircase that seemed to go to the very top of the tree, and for a moment, I thought of climbing to the top and sliding all the way down on the rail. We walked to the staircase, and up we went. The tree was very tall, and we climbed up several flights of stairs, passing many levels until finally, Isaiah pointed to a hall lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Vanessa and I let our fingers fall over the ridges of the books, touching all the beautiful leather-bound spines.

“What are you looking for?” Vanessa asked shyly. Vanessa and I were both cautious with what we said at this point, as Isaiah’s disposition had become very serious after we told him about our encounter and shared dream.

“There is an ancient storybook that speaks of a certain dark fairy that your dream reminded me of. In this story, she grows an army and wages battle against the peaceful creatures of the living woods in an effort to rule the forest. This book was read often to little woodland creatures growing up as a fun, scary tale.” He rested his wing on a book. “I do believe that it is out here, in this great hall, which is an extension of the library.” He pointed to the door on the far left side.

“Was the dark fairy bad?” Vanessa looked around nervously with her big blue eyes.

“Oh yes, very bad. You see, a dark fairy is more than a normal mischievous fairy-we have lots of those in this forest-a dark fairy often wishes to gain strength, power, and territory. They wish to not just occupy a place, but to dominate it. They will stop at nothing to rule as a queen or king.” Isaiah resumed looking through the leather books. I admired them quietly, envying the fancy gold calligraphy on the spine. The lettering was so magnificent that I found most of the words hard to decipher, and so, as a result, I could not help search. I was both concerned and a little confused.

“What does this have to do with our dream or the haze.” I paused my admiration of the books and set my gaze upon my new friend.

“Everything!” He looked at me with his big owl eyes, and I felt intimidated. “The river is full of magic Natasha! YOU were chosen to enter these woods when no man or woman or child has ever done so before!” I coward a bit at the volume of his voice. It became a bit shrill, and for the first time, his voice reminded me that he was indeed a barn owl. He lowered his head. “I apologize sweet child. I will not shout at you like that again.” He pulled a book out and began to read silently. “Aha. Finally!” he said triumphantly, and he grinned a bit at the achievement of finally procuring the sought-after book. He turned the book to show us a picture of a beautiful woman. She was tall and slim. She looked strong. She wore a dark brown, pleated, leather skirt with a matching corset. She had knee-high leather moccasins. Her wings were massive in size and colored the most vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and jagged like flames. She had tan skin, long chocolate-colored curls that hung down to her waist, freckles, and eyes so blue they looked like the water you see in pictures of the Bahamas.

“Oh!” Vanessa exclaimed. “She is so pretty.”

“Who is she?” I wondered.

“She is the queen of fire and destruction and chaos. She rides a horse of smoke so black and heavy that it covers and smothers everything like a heavy blanket of insufferable smog. She is Ophelia the dreadful.”

“But isn’t she just a character in a fairy tale?” I pondered and looked at Isaiah.

“No,” He responded. I was again confused. He put the book under his arm and he began pacing back and forth in the long aisle. The hall carpet was a deep burgundy, and I briefly thought of getting home to dinner as my belly was starting to protest the absence of food. “In the living woods, everything has life- even the words of books.”

“What does that even mean.” The sharpness of my attitude came through for the first time since having met Isaiah, and he looked at me sternly. I was feeling much hungrier now, and as a result, I was also starting to feel snappy.

“So what if it is a bad book?” Isaiah and I turned our attention to Vanessa, who was now, sitting on the floor, petting the lush, red carpet. She looked only half interested and a bit tired.

“Well,” Isaiah said, as he paused his pacing, looking at the far wall. “It’s not that simple. It is not just bad books and bad words and good books and good words.” He turned back to us. “You see, a very good person can take anything and breath life into it and make it beautiful and whole. A very good person can read this book and learn a great deal from it. Many life lessons in this book teach young woodland creatures about good and evil- about how to live a good honest life.” he stroked the soft leather binding thinking hard and looking a little sad. “But a very bad person, or even a good person who is easily led down dark paths, can read this book (or any other book for that matter) and find a meaning that is not easily understood by the rest of us. Dark meanings. Evil meanings. And once that happens..” He looked me in the eyes. “Well, that is when the evil comes to life.”

I felt a chill rush down my spine.“So is she alive?”

“Yes. At least I believe that is who sent you a message last night.” We started walking back to the stairs slowly. I had an uneasy feeling about the entire conversation at this point, and I was nervous that I would meet this Ophelia even though I wanted nothing more than for her to disappear back into the book.

“Do you think she will visit us again?” My foot hit the last step, and we started towards the door.

“Have no fear.” Isaiah lifted his head and stopped just before walking back into the daylight. “Her powers outside this forest are limited, and she can only contact you with messages through the stream, at least for now, as she grows and forms an army. There are many books about many different fairies, but I believe, based on your visit last night and your dream, that the entity we are dealing with is Ophelia. I will take this knowledge and all the information you have provided to the council.” We stood outside again, and the air was much colder and brisker than in the warm library. I could see my breath, and little puffs like smoke left our mouths as we breathed and talked with each other.

“There’s a council?” Isaiah lowered his wing for Vanessa and me to climb up as we prepared to go home.

“Yes, The council is composed of all the oldest and wisest individuals of the forest. They represent their respective nations-The Trees, The birds of prey, Fairies, and so on. They will decide on what to do about Ophelia. I fear this is not her first uprising. Many years ago she brought terror upon our woods, and she concurred and occupied much of the land. It was then that the council was formed as a way to make both better and more swift decisions about what to do if she were reincarnated again but never fear my child, they will defeat her and her small army abruptly! Your dream gives good insight into how she is likely to form her army, and that is an advantage for us. Evil takes many different forms, and the way she goes about creating an army is often different each time we see it. Based on your dream it is very likely that she is not recruiting followers but rather poisoning them with her lies. Doubt and fear are great tools of evil you know. Once you are afraid and full of doubt she can infect you with hate, and that fuels her army.”

He smiled at us, and you could see the hope and happiness he had. “The council will prevail. There is no need to lose any more sleep. Now onward to home, children!” I hugged his soft feathers, preparing to take off.

Vanessa snuggled in close to hold on to me, and suddenly, I felt much more at ease than I had earlier. “And have no fear. She is afraid of the light, not just in its physical form but the light of those who have a good spirit.” He winked, and again we were off.

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When I stepped foot into the warm house after the long and cold ride I was thankful. Thankful for the food. Thankful for my mom and dad. Thankful for my sister and brother, and maybe, most of all, Thankful for my bed.