Into The Forest Of Secrets

Chapter 6

Laxy POV

I already knew who the three of them were, but I had no idea who the mysterious man was. I walked over to him; he turned his gaze and raised an eyebrow at me. I wasn’t fond of him and felt like punching him after his comment, but they are my only chance of surviving in the forest; as long as they don’t drag me in their plans, this might work in my favor.

I stretched my hand out towards him, “Hello, my name is Laxy. It's a pleasure to meet you. What’s your name?” giving him a friendly smile hoping it will help.

He stared at me for a few seconds before walking straight past me; my mouth twitched as I turned around and glared at him. Well, that was an introduction.

“Your name is Laxy?” Aiden tilted his head.

Is...Is he serious?

I turned around to face him, hoping that he was joking, but he was serious, “I worked for you for years, and you now realized my name?”

He shrugged, “You were just a maid; why was it important to know your name?”

I clenched my fists; he is testing my patience. If it wasn’t my fear of Meg, I probably have no problem slapping him right now, but I don’t want to have my life taken away from me.

“Okay...My name is Preston, and it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. Please don’t mind them. They don’t know what manners are” He gave me a gentle smile.

I looked at him and huffed, he at least gave an effort to show some kindness towards me, but I had no reason to believe him or trust him. Why exactly is it a good idea to befriend them? I shook my head; they might listen to Preston if I ask for help.

“Well, since I can’t enter the forest, we have to find a new way in.”

“We?” Aiden questioned me.

“Yes, “we” I need help in the forest, and since we all almost died back there, I don’t think anyone can argue that going a different route might be safer” I turned to face him, “There no problem in that is there?”

Aiden opened his mouth to speak before Meg interrupted, “It might just be you that the boulders attacked; we can probably enter the forest without you and safely pass by.”

I forgot about the mysterious man’s comment about me being human; she might have a point with her thought process, but I need them, and I can’t let this opportunity go to waste. This is my only chance to enter the forest and finally discover the mythical creatures or even understand the forest’s secret.

“Well, the real question is, why are you heading in the forest?” Preston’s ears perked up as he crosses his arms.

I looked at him, and he didn’t trust me. He watched me closely, observing everything I do; to be fair, I had no reason to trust them either. I shouldn’t tell them about the book or the forest connect with it. What if they go against me if they found out about it? 

Shifting a little under his stare, “My tiger goes into the forest now and then. I got curious about what was so interesting about it.”

Preston stared me straight in the eyes as if he was making sure I wasn’t lying to them. If I turn my gaze away, he might get even more suspicious. I held the contact with him, but I won’t lie, my heart beating fast. The mysterious man cleared his throat as both Preston and I broke the gaze to look at him.

“Fine, we will help you find another way into the forest,” He spoke softly.

I felt relief and motivation were over me; they were going to help me. Aiden stared at him for few seconds before scoffing, realizing that the mysterious man was serious about helping me. 

“Thank you so much!” I exclaimed happily.

The mysterious man rolled his eyes as he started walking in a different direction away from the meadow. I quickly ran after him to make sure I could keep up. The others soon followed behind us. I felt hope, which is my chance to prove that I am not just a dumb human.

As we walked deeper into the forest, what was left of the light started to fade away into darkness—the sound of dry leaves as we walked through the darkness.

“So, why are you willing to help me?” I spoke out.

“Don’t get your hopes, sweetheart; we need someone to sacrifice when danger comes,” He spoke with no hesitation.

I stopped in my tracks instantly, “Sacrifice?” I questioned

“Of course, you are going to be our bait~” He spoke with smugness in his tone.

Before I could get a word out, someone bumped into me from behind, making me stumble forward.

“Oi! Watch it,” Aiden yelled at me.

I felt my body shake both in anger and fear; they really could care less about my existence, and I’m so tired of being treated as an object. I pushed my pride away, continuing the path ahead of us. It was quiet; no sign of life could be heard, just the wind blowing. None of us said a word, and we just listened to the sounds of our footsteps, using it as a guide to know where we are going. The mysterious man pushed aside bushes covering an entrance. Light shined through as we made it to a different entrance.

I peeked my head over his shoulder; the sound of a waterfall hit my ears as birds chirped in harmony. There was a lake, and it was clear blue as mermaids swam happily in its graces. The flowers bloomed in every color you can imagine. The place felt magical, and it was a sight to see. My eyes sparkled at the view; how could such a place exist in a dangerous forest?

I pushed past the mysterious man to get a better view or even explore the place. A hand grabbed my wrist, roughly pulling me back. I yelped in pain as I looked at the person stopping me.

“Do you have a death wish?” Meg’s ear twitched in annoyance.

“Eh? What do you mean?” I frowned, dumbfounded by her question.

She let out a huff of annoyance, “Mermaids are no friends to humans, especially intruders. They will kill you on sight.”

My body stiffened in fear as what Meg told me; I looked at the mermaids. They were beautiful with long luscious hair; their fins sparkled when the light hits them, skin white as snow, eyes crystal blue and red lips to complete their look. They looked harmless, innocent even. How could creatures like them be so dangerous?

“I don’t understand; what is so dangerous about them?” I asked, turning my gaze back at meg.

“Would you like to find out?” Her ears twitched, annoyed with me.

I shook my head rapidly, not wanting to risk getting tortured by them.

“Then I suggest you shut up and listen to us,” She spoke dangerously low.

I nodded my head, not wanting to argue with her. She let go of my wrist and walked past me to get a better view.

“We are going to have to pass through them, is there any chance you can turn into a fox to see a place for us to hide in?” Meg looked at Preston, seeing if he had any problem with the idea.

Preston gave her a gentle smile, “Not at all,” He started to shift into a fox. He was a big purple fox with bright red eyes. In all honesty, he looked adorable if he wasn’t a jerk.

Preston made his way to the mermaids; he rolled onto his back, wagging his tail, hoping to gain their trust. Their mermaids seem to buy it as they showered Preston with attention.

“This work?” I was surprised how easily he switched to an innocent being.

“Preston knows how to charm his way through things. Being innocent and harmless is his specialty,” Aiden smirked.

I nodded my head, then who was Preston? He deceives everyone with his innocent look, but the second they leave him, he is like a whole other person. I watched as Preston continued to play around with them, but his eyes would wander around, scanning the area for us to hide. His ears perked up as he found something; he licked a mermaid cheek before running off into a bush disappearing out of our sights.  

A soft melody started to play, the mermaid’s eyes began to turn black, sucking the life out of them as they began to turn into monsters.

“Uhh, guys,” I turned to look at them to question what is happening before Meg grabbed her ax handle, ready to fight.

The mermaids let out a frightening scream and turned their attention to us. All I knew is that we are caught, and it wasn’t going to end well.