“What is it, honey? What’s wrong?” she asked, getting to her feet to see the little daisy’s face better. It wasn’t easy because there was no moon and the only light was from the stars above.
“It…it’s my father.” Maribel sounded like she was crying. “I heard him telling some of his guards to come get you and tie you up. He…” A choked sob wracked her slender stem-body and for a moment she couldn’t go on. “He says he wants to know what roasted giant skinkle tastes like—he wants to serve you at our Grand Feast tomorrow!”
“Shit!” V’rone growled. “I knew we shouldn’t trust that flower-looking motherfucker!”
“Language, V’rone,” Terra snapped. “There are young ears here.” She turned to Maribel. “Thank you for warning us, sweetie. I really appreciate it.”
“You just look so much like my Duncan and you were so sweet to me,” Maribel whispered in a choked voice. “I couldn’t bear the idea of the four of you being served for the feast tomorrow!”
“Thank you.” Terra took the daisy girl’s frond-like fingers in her own and squeezed gently. “You’ve saved us—now go back to where you’re supposed to be so you don’t get into trouble.”
“Good luck! I hope you get away,” Maribel whispered. Then she turned and glided away, her root feet moving under the dirt and her petals ruffling in the light night wind.
“Is that what you were coming to tell us?” Terra asked Rive.
“Well, I didn’t hear the part about the four of us being eaten at the feast tomorrow,” Rive said. “But I did hear the guards talking. They’re planning to wait until we’re all asleep and capture us.”
“What about what the king said about them all going into a ‘torpor’?” Tem asked, frowning. “They sound pretty active for people who are supposed to be sleeping deeply.”
“Apparently it was a lie,” Rive said blandly. “Come on—there isn’t a moment to lose—we must leave this place!”
But as they turned to go, two more towering shapes appeared in the darkness before them.
“That’s them—they’re all up!” one harsh voice shouted.
“Get them!” the other yelled and then the two giant daisy guards came rushing towards them.
V’rone didn’t hesitate.
“Run!” he bellowed. Grabbing Terra, he threw her over one broad shoulder like a sack of flour and began charging down the hill towards the valley of the Chirrips.
“After them! If they disrupt the Chirrips, the King will have all our petals plucked!” the first daisy guard shouted.
“Then you can both get plucked and fucked!” V’rone growled over one shoulder—the one Terra wasn’t currently occupying. Raising her head, she could see the guards coming after them, running smoothly down the hill in that spooky weird gliding motion because their roots were moving through the soil and under the grass instead of on top of it.
They reached the valley filled with enormous mushrooms just before the daisy guards and stood there for a moment, panting and indecisive.
“We’re going to have to go through them,” Rive shouted, pointing at the glowing path that wound through the Chirrips.
“I thought you said we shouldn’t!” V’rone growled.
“We have no choice!” Tem exclaimed. “Come on—they’ve almost reached us!”
“Everyone take a deep breath and try not to breathe again until we’re through them,” Rive ordered. “Ready? Go!”
And then all of them plunged into the valley of enormous mushrooms, with Terra bouncing on V’rone’s broad shoulder and the daisy guards right behind them.
THIRTY-FOUR
Rive had known there was something off about this world, though he had chosen to believe they could get through it if they were just careful enough. Now he wondered if he had made a grave miscalculation.
Should have listened to Tem—he had misgivings from the first, he thought as they ran blindly through the Chirrips.
There was no way to avoid hitting the massive fungi with their shoulders as they pushed their way between them. And every time they made contact, the giant mushroom caps emitted huge puffs of toxic spores.
Rive held his breath for as long as he could, but eventually he had to gasp in some oxygen. With it came a lungful of the tiny, floating brown spoors. At once, he began to feel strange as a sense of unreality came over him.
Pushing the feeling aside, Rive ran on. He had hoped their fear of the Chirrips would keep their pursuers back, but could hear the Froozle guards coming right behind them. Grimly, he redoubled his pace. They were in a race for their lives—there was no time to stop and give in to the strange dark visions that had begun to form in his head.
Up ahead, he saw the end of the Chirrups and an immense green hill. There was an opening in the hill—one tall enough for himself and the rest of his colony-mates to get through, but not tall enough for the Froozles. If only they could get to that cave, they would be safe—he was almost sure of it.