Would Embrose’s people accept him? He was sure no one from one-thousand years ago was still alive. Did the modern villagers even know his legend?
Bittersweet looked so different. In one-thousand years, the purple and blue mushrooms, which sprouted when Embrose became the basilisk, were now the size of full-grown trees. They hovered over the village’s animal skin tents. Vines grew around them like curtains. The whole village shimmered a slight purple and blue, thanks to the mushrooms.
Nervous, Embrose ducked behind Evie. The strength in his legs had almost completely returned, although he still stumbled a bit. He, Evie, Sam, and John stopped when Ms. Julie landed her gryphon in front of them. Behind her, the mushrooms lit up their lantern-like cores. It was as if the plants themselves were excited. A group of Bittersweet villagers, all of whom wore animal-themed clothes and had long hair, emerged from the forest, mushrooms, and their tents. A good number of them sported white, red, and black paint on their faces.
Ms. Julie slid off Allister. Her feet kicked up very little dirt when she hit the slightly rocky path. “We were starting to wonder when you would get here,” she told Evie, Sam, and John.
“Euphorbia. She…” Sam started. He could not finish the sentence without choking up.
“We know,” Ms. Julie said. Patting Allister’s wing, she started toward Evie. “You can come out, Embrose.”
Embrose gripped Evie’s shoulders. He peeped over her right one. The sight of Ms. Julie and his people caused him to sweat. Why was it hot all of a sudden?
Evie touched his hand. “It’s okay,” she gently said.
Embrose gulped, but he nodded to himself and pulled hair out of his face. He stepped out from behind Evie.
Ms. Julie halted in front of him. Grasping his shoulders, she stared into his deep brown eyes. “You have not changed one bit in one-thousand years. Heck, you don’t even have a white beard!” She took a second to glance at Evie. “Can he speak yet?”
“No,” she replied.
“That’s fine. He’ll get his voice back soon.” Ms. Julie released Embrose’s shoulders. “Come with me, Embrose. The villagers are eager to see you. As for you, Evie, Sam, and John, the others are anxiously waiting. Evie and Sam, your family is at the tent where Mateo is staying.”
Evie sighed a breath of relief hearing that her friends and family were all right. Well, mostly all right.
Ms. Julie knew she was about to ask about Mateo, so she went ahead and answered her unspoken question. “Ranger Krysta has Mateo on some pretty heavy sedatives right now, so he’s a little out of it. The ambulance is on its way as we speak.”
“But doesn’t Dad accept him now?” Evie wanted to know. “That’s what Sam told me.”
Ms. Julie nodded. “He does, but you have to understand, my dear, that Mateo is also fighting a secondary illness. Unfortunately, it’s starting to overtake the forest sickness.”
A whoosh of air next to Evie’s shoulder told her that John had entered the scene. He ruffled the feathers of his right wing and asked, “What’s the secondary illness?”
Ms. Julie rubbed her palm down the length of her neck. “Ranger Krysta diagnosed it as either pneumonia or tuberculosis. She seems to think it’s tuberculosis.”
“Tubercu–?” John felt even worse now. “I should be in his shoes, Ms. Julie.”
“Yeah, but you’re not,” Ms. Julie said in a stern voice. “Maybe next time, John, you should care a little more about the mission than the way you look.”
“You’re going to fire me, aren’t you?” John whimpered. “Just say it.”
“No,” Ms. Julie replied, “because I know you. You will learn from your mistakes. We always have to deal with the consequences at some point.” She gave John a small wink. “No need to be overdramatic, John.” With those words, she left him and led Embrose in the direction of the group of villagers. “There’s no time to lose, Embrose. Your people already have the ceremony set up.”
Ceremony? What ceremony? Embrose asked in his head.
Ms. Julie read his face. “It’s your acceptance ceremony.”
Acceptance? Wait, so Embrose’s people did accept him, despite all the horrible things he had done?
Ms. Julie hugged him to her chest. She ran her fist across the top of his head. “Do you not remember that the Bittersweet never abandon one of their own, despite what they’ve done? We’re only human, after all.”
Her charming personality was what Sam and Evie needed to clear their heads a little.
John still looked disturbed. Where were his children and Infinity when he needed them? He was sure that, despite Ms. Julie’s words, the Union would fire him and throw him into jail for attempted murder. If Mateo survived, he would never speak to him again. John just knew it. Some fatherhood mentor he was, nearly killing a twenty-one-year-old, huh? He was going to be the reason why Mateo’s daughter would grow up without a dad. Just thinking about that, John shuddered. His guilt accelerated. He jogged to Ms. Julie, who just climbed aboard Allister again, and offered her his neck. “Just take me to jail for attempted murder.”
“John, there’s no reason to overreact,” Ms. Julie said. She patted his hat. “We’re not sending you to jail. I’m just teaching you a lesson.”
Allister snorted to show that he agreed with her. He kicked his back legs.
“I can’t go see Mateo,” John whimpered. “He will never talk to me again.”
“Okay, fine, but you’re missing quite the show,” Ms. Julie chuckled. “Mateo’s acting like he just got his wisdom teeth taken out. It’s quite humorous, and I thought you were all about humor.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” John said. “Well, it’s not working.” Turning on his heel, he marched away from Ms. Julie, Allister, and his friends and disappeared into a cluster of plants that were directly in front of one of the tree-sized mushrooms.
Evie, Sam, and Embrose gave Ms. Julie a funny look.
“He’ll come around eventually,” she said. With that, she dug her heels into Allister’s sides.
The gryphon squawked. He picked up Embrose with his beak and set him down behind Ms. Julie. Afterward, he trotted over to Bittersweet’s villagers.
Sam and Evie followed because they needed directions on where exactly Mateo was in the village.
***
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Sam and Evie literally had the best and worst show ever when they reached the tent where Mateo was staying. It was right under one of Bittersweet’s umbrella-like mushrooms. Like the village’s other tents, it was crafted from animal skin. Mateo’s bed wasn’t really a bed per se, but a mattress made from leaves. An orange, mushroom-styled table was next to it. On top of it was a bucket of water that had a rag draped over its wooden side. With Mateo in the tent were Evie and Sam’s family members, Maria, and Ranger Krysta.
Keegan and Charlotte rushed to their daughter so they could hug her.
“We need to start putting you in a bubble,” Charlotte admitted. “I don’t even want to list all the camp rules you’ve broken in the past week, Evie.”
“Sorry, Mom, but I had to calm John,” Evie said. She glanced at Sam. “Besides, Sam here looks out for me.”
“Is it true?” Keegan asked. “Is Euphorbia really gone?” He pushed a hanging flower lamp out of his face.
“She did it for Mateo and the forest,” Sam explained. He still had a hard time believing he would never see Euphorbia again. Mateo, though, brightened his mood, thanks to the drugs he was on.
The young man sat up in bed, with his back propped up against a few pillows that were as brown as a tree trunk. He was not fully awake; his eyes were mere slits. Ranger Krysta had taken off his shirt so she could switch out his bandages. The rash on Mateo’s body started to go down, but his skin was still exceptionally flushed. Maria was on the other side of him, out of Krysta’s way. She held a tissue in her hand. Her other one gripped Mateo’s.
“I thought you left me. You weren’t here,” he cried under his oxygen mask. Unintentional tears ran down his cheeks.
Maria dabbed the sides of his eyes. “Left you?” she asked. “Mateo, I’ve been here this whole time.”
“Are you my damsel in distress?” he said. “Do I need to kill the bad guy with my bobby pin?”
Maria played along with him. She did not want to stress him. “Your bobby pin, huh?”
“Yeah.” Mateo made a pretend bobby pin out of his hand. “You didn’t know this, Maria, but I’m Superman.”
Evie snorted. She knew she shouldn’t be laughing, but she could not help herself. She hid behind her hand. She, Sam, and her parents approached the end of Mateo’s leaf bed. They made sure not to step on the yellow flowers that grew out of the dirt.
Mateo’s eyes widened with her response. “You don’t believe me, Evie? Every day, I fly around the world and take out bad guys. I then bring them home and make a rotisserie.”
Again, Evie snorted. She rubbed her nose.
Mateo glared at her. “Why are you laughing? I’m a superhero!”
“I’m so sorry,” Evie chuckled. She literally had the biggest grin on her face. It had been a good while since she smiled like that.
Sam, Keegan, and Charlotte could not help but smile, too. They needed a drugged-up Mateo more often.
His eyes rolled over to Krysta, who worked on his shoulder. “What are you doing to me, you witch? Don’t curse me with your dark magic.”
“I’m not a witch,” Krysta said. “I’m a paramedic.”
Mateo coughed. "A paramedic? I'm not wounded!"
Krysta scoffed. “Yes, you are.” She moved her fingertips across his bruised shoulder.
“Superheroes don’t get hurt,” Mateo argued. He started to pull his arm away from Krysta, but he yelled when a bullet of pain smashed into his shoulder blade.
“Keep your arm steady,” Krysta said. She focused her attention on Evie, Sam, their family members, and Maria. “I think he has a break in his shoulder.”
“A break?” Maria yelled. “Do you think he injured it when he tried to walk?” She recalled the incident when Mateo fell out of bed and hit his shoulder, just before the undead army attacked Seranet.
“Most likely,” Krysta answered. She laid Mateo down on his pillows. “You need to get some rest, Superman. You’ve been working very hard lately.”
“I don’t need rest,” Mateo fought. “I’m Superman. My only weakness is Kryptonite.”
“You need to rest,” Krysta repeated. “You are very sick.”
“What are you going to do–stick a needle in me?” Mateo said. The unintentional tears fell again.
Krysta started to count. “One, two, three.”
At “three”, Mateo fell fast asleep. He dreamt about sugar plum fairies leaping over a rainbow.
Krysta re-bandaged his shoulder and put his arm in a sling. She then grabbed the rag from the table’s bucket. Krysta soaked it and placed it on Mateo’s burning forehead. She hid her nervousness behind a fake smile and faced Evie, Sam, Keegan, and Charlotte. “Why don’t you guys attend Embrose’s acceptance ceremony?”
“And leave Mateo?” Evie snapped.
“He’s in good hands. Promise,” Krysta said. “The ambulance will be here in about an hour. I think you guys could use a little fun to help get your mind off him. I mean…” Her eyes rotated between Evie, Sam, and Maria. “Y’all are kids. You can’t let fear control your lives. Besides, Evie, your friends are attending the ceremony.”
“They are?” Evie questioned. Embrose’s ceremony did sound like fun, but she still wasn’t sure if she should leave Mateo. He was in such horrible shape. Although, aside from that, she wanted to see a little more of his so-called “Superman” and “bobby pin” talk.
“I’m not going to leave him,” Maria told Krysta. She squeezed Mateo’s hand. “‘In sickness and in health.’ Evie, you and your family go in my place. Please.”
“Should we?” Evie nervously glanced at her parents.
They shrugged. “If you want,” Charlotte said. “Keegan and I can tell you and Sam the amazing story of how we escaped the undead army unscathed. Besides, I think your friends would like to see you, Evie.”
“It’s okay,” Maria gently told the little girl. “Bittersweet is safe. The people here are fine warriors, so if anything happens, they’ll protect you.”
“Okay then.” Evie felt a slight pinch of excitement in her gut. She and Sam hooked fingers. She nodded at him, and he nodded back. The two children met Charlotte and Keegan’s eyes. “Sure, Mom and Dad. Let’s go to the ceremony,” Evie added.
***
Was John allowed to feel depressed? A dark cloud floated over his head as he pushed his way through the Paperblank Forest. He came to a halt at a large, sparkling pond behind Bittersweet. The trees went on and on. The incredible display of the clouds above the pond gave it a very picturesque appearance.
John picked up a few stones and started to skip them. With each skip, the water glistened rainbow. The last time John saw a pool like this was during his and Ben’s journey. That was before he became a ranger and nearly killed a twenty-one-year-old.
The Red-Crowned Crane skipped another stone, and then he lowered his long neck. The twisted feathers of his broken wing whooshed with a sudden zephyr. He heard a tintinnabulation, and intrigued, he looked up.
A water spirit lifted out of the pond. Her eyes glowed white, and her entire body was clear and liquidy. Her long, waist-length hair flowed behind her head.
John backed away from her. “Who are you?” he asked.
The spirit floated toward him. Small waves followed her. She placed her hands behind her back. “I am Euphorbia’s legacy, young crane.”
“Her legacy?” John tripped over one of his long legs. He fell into a dead bush. His hat dropped from his head.
The spirit hopped out of the pool. Her watery feet touched the pondside. “My gift bestowed from her to you is the gift of friendship. Use what you have learned with Ben for Mateo. When he was injured, you did not give up on him. Now you must do the same for Mateo.”
“But I’m such a horrible crane,” John whimpered. He rose to his shaky legs. His hat rested next to his ankle. “I need to get thrown in jail for attempted murder.”
“But there was no attempted murder,” the spirit argued. “What happened was a mistake, just like Maria and Mateo’s child. You need to put that mistake behind you and move on. Friendship and love will help Mateo. Show him, John, that he deserves to live. I know you can do it.”
John thought long and hard about the spirit’s request–so long that she slipped back into the pond.
She glanced over her watery shoulder to him. “Besides, who said that Euphorbia was gone?”
“But…” John was not able to finish his sentence because something happened.
The spirit twirled her hands in a small circle. At her command, drops of the pond’s rainbow water lifted into the sky. Each drop took on the form of a colorful fairy. They held their arms out to their sides and circled John from his legs up.
“The gift of friendship,” they chanted.
John felt his feet bounce off the ground. He rose into the sky, up toward Paperblank’s canopy.
“Remember who you are, John,” said the fairy spirits.
John thought about his mate and his two children. Oh, how he missed them. He followed the spirits to the water and dipped his good wingtip into it. A ring of colorful lights washed across the whole pool. The rainbows and positive memories helped him.
John nodded to himself. He smiled at the fairy spirits and Euphorbia’s legacy.
“Learn from your mistakes,” she said.
John kept on recalling memories. He remembered how happy he was when he saw his babies for the first time and when he got the exciting news that Ben had recovered from his arm injury. Slowly but surely, his confidence returned.
A ring of magic outlined his feathery body. He and the rainbow spirits zoomed across the pond. “There was no attempted murder,” John told himself. He twirled on the air currents.
The Paperblank Forest was wonderful. John could not let it fall into the hands of Evie and Mateo’s great-grandfather. That was not part of the mission. Mateo needed everybody to become the Green Guardian he was meant to be, even the five-foot-tall crane. John had to return to the village before it was too late. The Guardian’s Tree was waiting.