“Teofil talked to crazy, flesh-eating vines,” Astrid said.
“Astrid came up with the idea for the gliders,” Teofil offered.
“Dulindir’s hair glows with starlight at night!” Astrid exclaimed. “Show them!”
Dulindir smiled and closed his eyes. A moment later, his hair shimmered with warm white light, and Thaddeus’s father and Miriam both drew in a breath.
“He helped us a lot,” Astrid continued. “We’ve been told so many stories of how the forest elves behave, and he’s done nothing like that.”
Miriam smiled, but suspicion was in her gaze as she looked at Dulindir. “All beings are unique in and of themselves, dear. Just as all gnomes or witches are not the same, this is sure to be true of forest elves. I’m glad you’ve found a new friend.”
Thaddeus’s father yawned, and it proved contagious because soon all of them were yawning as well.
“Let’s get some rest,” Miriam said. “Children, first the troll poison will need to be scooped out of the ground within the tree shelter. After that, there should be just enough space for all of you to lie down. Nathan and I will sleep out here and keep guard.”
Thaddeus hugged first his father, then Miriam, and followed Teofil into the space between the trees. They used flat rocks to dig up the dark, slick mess his father had left and tossed it far out among the trees. The moss-and-leaf fire inside the shelter of the trees continued to smolder, the smoke escaping through the gaps in the trunks as it heated the space. Thaddeus stretched out on the ground on his side and sighed when Teofil lay behind him, putting an arm around him and pulling him close.
“Sleep well,” Teofil whispered before placing a gentle kiss on his earlobe.
“You too,” Thaddeus replied, then sighed as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 17
It was late in the afternoon, and Thaddeus knew they would need to stop and make camp soon. He didn’t want to stop yet, but he had to keep the others in mind, especially his father. When they had first started out again a few days prior, his father had asked Thaddeus to take the lead, and he’d agreed, enjoying the rush of pride he felt at his father’s request. He’d used the compass to make sure they remained on course for Wraith Mountain on the other side of the Lost Forest.
Now, he stopped and turned to the group. All of them looked tired, and his father was panting for breath. Despite the water from the Well of Tears, the after effects of the troll poison seemed to be lingering. Yes, it was time to stop.
“I think we’ve gone far enough for today,” Thaddeus said. “Let’s set up camp.”
“We can go farther,” his father said. “Don’t stop on my account.”
“My feet hurt,” Astrid muttered. “I’m glad we’re stopping.”
“Well, if Astrid says we should stop…,” Thaddeus’s father said, and everyone laughed.
A short time later, as they all sat around a small fire, Thaddeus looked at them each in turn and wondered how he had ever lived before knowing them. This entire world that had been hidden from him before now, a world of magic and mystical creatures, lay open and inviting to him. Anything was possible in this world, anything at all. Even finding someone who just might love him.
Teofil took his hand and leaned in closer. “You’ve changed.”
Thaddeus frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’re different from the boy who moved in next door at the beginning of the summer.” Teofil smiled and squeezed his hand. “I like it.”
Thaddeus blushed. “Well….”
“But I like that you still blush easily,” Teofil said. “Don’t ever change that part of you.”
“I’ll try,” Thaddeus said. “But how have I changed?”
“You’re much more confident. More in control and in charge. This summer, this journey we’re on has changed you, helped you grow.”
“I hope so,” Thaddeus said. “I needed to change. Something felt wrong about who I was back then.”
“You knew you were special. You just needed to understand why.”
“You helped, you know.”
“Me? How?”
Thaddeus shrugged and looked away a moment, then back at him. “You saw me. Really saw me. And you like me, as more than a friend. I never thought anyone would do that.”
Teofil leaned in closer. “Well, I do like you. A lot more than as a friend. And I’ll continue to do so, no matter what happens.”
“Good.”
“Thaddeus,” his father said from across the fire, catching his attention. “How far do you think we’ve traveled?”
“Difficult to say for sure. I read somewhere that a man can walk twenty to twenty-five miles a day. But with the forest to deal with, probably less than that. Maybe fifteen miles?”
“No wonder my feet are sore,” Astrid said with a moan.
“I haven’t walked this much in almost twenty years,” Miriam said, then smiled brightly. “It feels wonderful.”
“For the record, Leopold and Vivienne said they would meet us at a point closer to the mountains,” his father said. “He mentioned something about a village at the foot of the tallest one. I’m pretty sure I know which village he meant.”
“Will they have beds there?” Astrid wondered, turning left and right to stretch her back.
“And baths?” Teofil added.
“And warm food?” Thaddeus threw in. “Maybe even pizza?”
“Pizza?” Teofil, Astrid, and Dulindir asked together.
“Oh my gosh, you guys have never had pizza? Well, you’re in for a real treat, trust me.”
“Let’s not get too excited about it,” Miriam cautioned. “We still have a long way to go to get out of the Lost Forest.”
Thaddeus looked off into the trees in the direction of the tall, rocky peaks they needed to reach. His mother would be there, still in dragon form. He felt it. And, most likely, Isadora, the power-hungry witch who had started all of this, would be there too. He wondered what life had been like before Isadora’s attack. Maybe, if he asked questions about the past and listened carefully, he could figure out what other family secrets lay in wait for him to discover. He considered his options and finally decided on a course of action, then turned to his father.
“What was our family like?” he asked. “Before Isadora attacked the village? Were you and Mom happy? Did you have a lot of friends? What was it like?”
His father exchanged a quick glance with Miriam, and Thaddeus thought he saw a startled and uncomfortable look pass between them. Could he have hit on the very family secret Isadora had alluded to? But then Thaddeus saw his smile and the gentle sadness in his eyes as he replied, and thought that wasn’t it.
“Times were good before Isadora attacked,” his father said. “They were very good. Your mother had wanted to have a baby for many years, but her pregnancies never seemed to take.”
Thaddeus felt a chill. “Miscarriages?”
“Several. But when she became pregnant with you, she knew it was different. She told me it felt right, that you felt good inside her. Still, she was careful not to exert herself while she was carrying you.”