Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) (24 page)

They headed through the hedge maze, and arrived at the opening to the valley, which led down into the Fianna Barrows.
 
Michael looked at Liam, who had a nervous, yet determined frown on his face.

"That's where we want to go," Liam said, pointing to an area of the forest just beyond the pond.
 
"I've seen things there at night, up here from the garden.
 
Lights, wisps and things…I'm not really sure what they were," he finished in a feeble voice.
 
"Anyway, it's nearly dusk.
 
We need to get going."
 
He set off down the hill, and Michael followed.

At first, they trudged heavily down the grass covered slope, as if they were marching proudly off to battle, but when they neared the barrows, Liam began to move more light-footedly, as if he were afraid he was going to wake up something that was sleeping down below.

The air, which had been deathly still, began to blow ever so slightly, carrying in a thick fog.
 
Neither of the boys liked the idea of being in the midst of the barrows with that rolling in, and they started to pick up the pace.

They began to ascend the hill on the far end of the valley, and soon reached the edge of the dense, dark forest.
 
Michael kept walking, eager to get into the woods, but Liam stopped him.
 
"I don't think you should go in there, not now.
 
We need to wait here at the forest's edge."

"Right," Michael said.
 
He remembered from the book his father had given him that if there were faeries living in these woods, they might consider an uninvited trespasser dangerous, and respond accordingly.

Both boys just stood there for a while before deciding to sit down.
 
Neither of them wanted to turn their back to the barrows or the forest, so they sat back to back in the grass where they could each see either place with a slight turn of the head.

The air seemed unusually cold, and the fog had now settled in on the valley, making the barrows and the pond disappear completely from their view.
 
An intense fear slowly crept over Michael, just like the fog had come over the valley.
 
His body began to shake uncontrollably, whether from cold or from fright he could not tell, but he noticed that Liam was shaking too.

"You okay," he asked.

"Oh, just dandy.
 
Never been better."

They continued to sit there for several very long minutes, and still nothing happened.
 
After a while, Michael realized that he no longer felt cold.
 
He wasn't sure how or why, but he actually felt quite comfortable.
 
A light, sweet smell like flowers and honey came drifting through the air.

Michael looked cautiously from side to side, but didn't see anything unusual.
 
Everything was calm and quiet, and the stars shining overhead looked more brilliant than he had ever remembered seeing them.

His eyelids were feeling unbearably heavy.
 
He knew that sleep would be a very bad idea, but maybe he could just close his eyes and rest for a bit.
 
After all, Liam would be watching things.
 
His eyes slid shut, as did Liam's, and within a moment, both boys were in the midst of a deep sleep.

Michael opened his eyes to the blurry form of Liam, sitting on the ground beside him.
 
A campfire crackled several feet away.
 
He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Liam grinned at him nervously.
 
"They're incredible."

Dozens of small, bright lights danced through the air all around them.
 
Each was a different color, and they varied a bit in size and brightness.
 
The sound they made while zipping around reminded Michael of the hummingbirds in his yard back home.
 
He tried to make his eyes focus on one to get a better look, but it was too bright and fast to see clearly.

"What's going on, what are these things?"

Liam shrugged.
 
"I have no idea.
 
I woke up just a few moments before you did, and they were already here."

Liam carefully reached out his hand to touch the tiny green orb of light, which floated in front of him.
 
As he got closer, the thing remained still, and he approached it gently with a single index finger.

"Ouch," he said, snapping his hand back.
 
"The darned thing bit me, or, or stung me or something."

"It isn't polite to touch a lady without her permission."
 
The voice, which came from a nearby tree, was boyish and timid.
 
Michael and Liam both turned their heads to look.

"Liam, did that tree just speak to us?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he replied,
 
"look, up there in the branch.
 
I, I think its a Ghillie Dhu."

"A what?"

"A Ghillie Dhu.
 
See him there?"
 
He pointed to one of the low hanging branches.

Michael caught sight of the little creature.
 
He was about six inches tall, and dressed in clothing that appeared to be made out of leaves and moss.
 
He had a sheepish look on his face, which was pale green, and his hair was jet black.

"I've never seen anything like him," Michael breathed in amazement.
 
The little creature turned its head away.
 
It seemed quite shy.

"I'm Liam, and this is my friend, Michael."
 
They waited for a response, but the creature just stood and watched them.

"He won't give you his name," said another small voice, this one came from the green dot of light in front of Liam.
 
"To do so would give you power over him.
 
My name is Isla."

Liam nearly fell over backwards.
 
"You can talk.
 
Why did you bite me?"

"I didn't
bite
you," she said, obviously offended.
 
"I stabbed you with a dagger."

"But why?"

"Well, like Deverell said, you aren't supposed to touch a lady without her permission."

"I thought you couldn't tell us his name," Michael said.

"No, I said that
he
couldn’t tell you his name.
 
It doesn't matter if I tell you."

The boys looked at each other incredulously.

"And you just behave yourselves until the queen gets here," she lectured them, "because Deverell could have done away with both of you if he wasn't such a softy.
 
He still can if you to try and pull something."

The little Ghillie Dhu was still peering at them from behind the tree, but it had hidden most of its body on the other side.
 
It was a bit funny to see, but for some reason Michael felt that this creature was just as dangerous as he was shy.

"We aren't here to cause any trouble," Michael pleaded.
 
"We were just hoping to find some information about a relic we've been searching for."

"You can speak to the queen about it when she gets here.
 
In the meantime,
I've
got some questions for the two of
you
."

Liam frowned at her suspiciously.
 
"Like what?"

"How did you know where to find us?
 
Did the old man tell you how to get here?"

"What old man?" Liam asked her.

"OUCH!" he shouted a few seconds later.
 
"What the heck was THAT?"

"You had better answer my questions, unless you want another arrow in your butt."

Michael decided to be as polite as he could.
 
"Isla, please, we'll gladly answer all your questions.
 
We didn't come here to cause trouble or look for a fight."

Isla zipped over and stopped in front of Michael.
 
"You talk funny.
 
You aren't from around here, are you?"

"I'm from the United States," he told her, and did his best to smile in a non-threatening way.

She hovered in front of him for a moment, considering what he'd just said.
 
"I have some cousins who live in Tennessee," she told him sweetly.
 
"Just outside of Nashville.
 
Have you ever been out that way?"

"Uh, yeah," Michael responded.
 
"Actually I have.
 
It's very beautiful country."

"Wait a minute," Liam huffed.
 
"Are you telling me that you things have made it all the way over to America?"

He new instantly that he'd said something stupid, and cringed in anticipation of another sting.

"Us
THINGS
?" she snapped at him.
 
"For your information, you scruffy little nerf-herder, OUR people colonized the new world before YOURS did."
 
She hovered in front of Liam for a moment.
 
"I'm not so sure that I like you."

Then she drifted back over in front of Michael.
 
"You on the other hand, I think I like.
 
You're handsome, and nice.
 
Now tell me if the old man told you how to find us," she urged with a sweet, but threatening voice.

"Isla, which old man are you referring too?
 
Can you tell us what his proper name is?"

"The old McGinty," she said.
 
"He was a friend to the fair folk, and even helped us imprison the Banshee."

Liam decided it was safe to chime back in.
 
"Shamus McGinty was my Great Uncle.
 
He passed away a few years ago."

"Yes, I know he did," she said.
 
"Not much goes on that we don't know about.
 
Your uncle had better manners than you do, by the way."

"Mr. McGinty didn't tell us how to find you," Michael answered her.
 
"We have actually been studying your people from books."

"Oh," she said happily, as if she thought this was a very commendable thing to do.

"Also, Liam has noticed strange lights coming from your grove from time to time."

Liam nodded.
 
"My mother used to spend a lot of time down here before she, before she…"

"Before she moved on?" Isla finished for him.
 
She actually sounded quite sympathetic.
 
"She's a very sweet lady."

"Did you know her then?" Liam asked.

"Mm, hmmm," Isla hummed, but didn't say anything.

"Listen," Deverell suddenly commanded.
 
They all fell silent.

A faint, hypnotic song could be heard drifting through the trees, and it was getting louder every second.
 
It was mystifying and regal, unlike anything Michael had ever heard before, and he felt strangely drawn to it.

"The queen has arrived," Isla told them.
 
"When her herald comes and summons us, I will take you to meet her."

It wasn't long before the queen's herald showed up to escort Michael and Liam to her throne.
 
He was a spry, impish man who stood about three feet tall.
 
His ears were slightly pointed, and his brown and green clothing, although simple, looked tidy and clean.

"Hello, good sirs."
 
He gave them an elegant bow.
 
"My name is Robin Goodfellow, but you may call me Puck.
 
Her majesty Queen Titania summons you to her presence immediately."
 
His mischievous grin made Michael wonder what he might be thinking.
 
There were very boyish qualities about this man, which made it hard for Michael to guess how old he was.

Isla swooped up by Michael's ear.
 
"Be sure to show the queen appropriate respect.
 
That is, if you value your lives."

Liam gulped, but Puck just rolled his eyes.

"Isla, why are you trying to scare these fine young men?
 
You know very well that the queen wouldn't take their lives."
 
Then he got a contemplative look on his face.
 
"Although, she may very well change them into hobgoblins."

Michael definitely didn't like the sound of that.

"Come with me."
 
Puck turned and started off, giving a wave that beckoned the boys to follow.

He led them down a forest path.
 
The sweet smell they'd noticed earlier seemed to grow stronger as they went, and tiny faeries shot from here to there like lightning bugs all around as they passed through the gnarled trees.
 
Michael was amazed by the way Puck moved along, hopping from the ground to low hanging tree branches to the leaves of plants, down to the ground again, then up to swing from a branch or bounce from some nearby rock, it almost seemed that the man- if you could call him that, was weightless.

Michael smiled over at Liam to see what he was thinking.
 
He grinned back nervously.
 
Michael knew his friend was scared, but didn't understand why.
 
The farther they went, the more dazzling and beautiful the forest became, it was like they were walking slowly into a dream, one of those wonderful dreams that you find yourself sorry to have woken up from.

Michael's thoughts were interrupted however, when the path abruptly broadened, and led them into a small clearing.
 
The trail passed between two wooden poles sticking out of the ground.
 
Each pole had an old, tattered human skeleton hanging off of it.
 
Puck glanced at them with whimsical eyes.
 
"Those two forgot to knock," he said.
 
"It's a good thing you waited at the entrance of the grove.
 
If you had trespassed without waiting, these fairies would most likely have shot you dead before you knew what was happening."