Enter the Frey

Chapter 8

“The next task is to make it through the field of dreams,” Ziel told the group. “Sounds like a breeze.”

Jack shuddered and shook his head. 

“Not so much?” Adam asked Jack.

“Let’s just say there will be a few fewer teams on the other side,” Jack said. "I'm sure it is meant to say 'Field of Screams.' It must be a typing error."

Adam wasn’t worried. Not after seeing Ziel’s transformation. That thing could take on anything this place had to throw at them.

“We’ll stay here for the night,” Ziel decided. He fell silent, staring into the flames of the campfire with an expression of blankness so serene Adam daren’t interrupt him.

“Jack,” Adam said, “Is there any chance you could teach me to use magic like you did earlier?”

“What?” Jack frowned. “You’re an elf. Your magic is way stronger.”

“But I’m not actually an elf, I’m just in an elf body,” Adam tried to explain but he boy looked at him like he was speaking in tongues. 

He decided he would approach Ziel on the topic tomorrow, after they had gotten some rest. The others were all beginning to settle, and he decided to do the same, relieved he felt tired enough to drift off.

***

Adam woke to the sound of a commotion. He stood quickly and felt his robe slipping. 

“What the—” Adam cried, pulling at his clothing in confusion. A brief inspection revealed his golden sash was missing. 

“Your crown is gone!” Selena cried, pointing at Adam’s head. “And my blades.”

“Everything is missing,” Ziel raged. “Including Anrose.”

“Oh, no, she wouldn’t,” Selena cried. “Not after we saved her.”

“Never again,” Ziel said, kicking at the remainder of last night fire. “That is the last time I help someone.”

“You did the right thing,” Adam said. “It was Anrose who didn’t. You can’t blame yourself.”

“I don’t,” Ziel scoffed. “I blame you lot.”

Selena came to Adam’s aid, wrapping one of her bandages around his waist to tie up his robe. She smiled up, looking nervous as she fixed up his costume.

“It will do for now,” she said.

“Thank you,” Adam smiled shyly at her.

As Ziel barked orders at Jack and stomped about the place, Adam realised today was not going to go smoothly. Ziel was going to make them feel as bad as he did, punishing them for the actions of Anrose.

Adam didn’t feel violated by the theft, as he still didn’t see the possessions of Valaar as his own. The crown and sash were not his to begin with, so losing them didn’t feel quite so much of a blow.

When Jack had packed up they began to head off in the direction of the field of dreams. According to Jack it was not aptly named and would more likely feel like a living nightmare. Over the hill, Adam could see flowers of every colour blooming in glorious assortment. As he walked closer he noticed more and more red hues, and once they were upon the edge of the field, vibrant red had become the dominant colour.

Now close up, Adam could see the size of the flowers. In comparison to the roses and hyacinths he knew, these things were monstrous, standing far taller than the average man and topped with blooms the size of monster truck wheels.

“Oh my god,” Adam uttered as he saw a vine shoot down from one of the plants. It circled around the arms of the big guy who’d attacked Anrose—Morack his name was. He squirmed and thrashed as the vine spread over his body, wrapping him up like a boa constrictor. Despite his hefty stature, the thing pulled him from the ground with ease, flinging him back and forth before pulling him in toward the flower at the centre. 

The actual flower part of the plant reminded Adam of a sunflower—a plant he was familiar with, having grown them beside the house as a child. These were like sunflowers on steroids, some of them so large they could give the dinosaurs a run for their money.

Adam watched with detached horror as the seeds of the blossom rippled and pulled apart.

‘They aren’t seeds… they’re teeth,’ Adam realised as Morack was lost inside the meat-grinder-like flower. He tried to look away, but couldn’t escape the blood-curdling screams that echoed across the field. 

Moving as if in slow motion, Adam turned to the commotion below the expansive leaves. He recognised the guy who’d pulled Morack away from Ziel the previous night. The guy was pulling Anrose by the arm, trying to escape the vines that struck out in all directions, grabbing at them in the same way they had snared Morack.

Anrose’s face transformed with horror as she was plucked from the field. Her companion did his best to hang on to her, but his strength was no match for the vines. Her hands slipped through his as it suspended her high above its dangerous centre. It didn’t devour her as quickly, chomping at her form bit by bit as she screamed and thrashed. 

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person,” Ziel commented in a dry voice. “While it is distracted, we can slip past.”

“Follow me,” Jack advised. “I know the safest route.”

As they turned to follow Jack the guy reached out and grabbed Adam's ankle. 

“Please help me,” he cried. “I don’t want to die like that.”

His eyes were transfixed in horror as he watched Anrose’s slow and agonising death. Thankfully, her screams had died down. Now the only sounds were the visceral squelching as teeth chomped through flesh and bone.

“Please help me,” the man repeated, staring up at Adam. His immediate reaction was to turn to Ziel.

“No way,” Ziel scoffed. “Do you really think we would save you after you tricked us and stole our stuff?”

“Please. I’ll give your stuff back. If I get eaten you’ll never see your stuff again,” the guy tried to bargain. Ziel took a knee beside him and patted down his body.

“You don’t have it,” Ziel said and turned to leave.

“It’s stashed,” the guy explained.

“Tell me where you stashed it,” Ziel grinned down at the guy, “And I might consider saving you.”

“Edge of the field, inside the old badger hole,” the guy blurted desperately as the vine began to yank on his foot. “Please, please help.”

He was desperately trying to hack away at the vine with his short sword, but the blade was having zero effect. 

‘What could cut through these things?’ Adam wondered.

“Great! So we have to go back for it?” Ziel complained. “I’m definitely not helping you. Have fun being slowly eaten alive.”

Adam gave Ziel the most pleading look he could muster. “We can’t…”

“I’ll do anything,” the guy promised, his eyes wide in terror. “Please… show mercy.”

Ziel rolled his eyes and sighed for dramatic effect. “Anything is an understatement. If you want to live you can take my binding spell.”

The guy nodded with fierce intensity, giving consent.

“What’s your name?” Ziel asked.

“Darian,” he replied.

“Darian, you will concede your life belongs to me. You are the subject of my will… yada yada yada,” Ziel said, placing the bandage-like wrap around Darian’s neck.

Ziel stood and looked at the others. “So how do we get these things off?”

“Ice,” Jack told him. “Only freezing them works.”

“Do an ice spell then, fast,” Ziel commanded. 

“I haven’t replenished,” Jack shrugged apologetically.

“Valaar, you’re up,” Ziel stated.

“Me? Oh, no, I can’t…” Adam panicked.

Darius looked up at him as the vine started to slither up his thigh, getting a better grasp on him in preparation. “Please, please, please help me, I’m begging you.”

Adam felt his heart thud in his chest, throwing out adrenaline by the bucketload. Sadly, no amount of either flight or flight was going to help in this situation.

“Think cold. Concentrate. Think of nothing but icy coldness and hold up your hands for Light's sake!” Jack instructed.

‘Think cold, think cold,’ Adam repeated the mantra, aware Darian was slipping away fast.

He thought of the coldest moment in his life, stuck outdoors waiting for a bus in the ice-cold rain and hail. He remembered how the cold, harsh shower had made his skin sting and turn numb. 

Holding this memory, Adam raised his hands and willed something to happen. He was so shocked when a ball of ice began to form that he almost dropped it. 

“Point it at the vine! At the vine!” everyone was shouting in unison. 

Feeling like he might faint, Adam pointed toward the vine. He screamed as it hit the spot, a little close to Darian’s leg then he would have liked. But it hit! He’d used magic. He still wasn’t sure how… or whether he would be able to repeat it, but for now, he was on a high. 

Darian scrambled away from the giant plant as it pulled away, thrashing angrily. 

“Stand by me and you will be fine,” Jack assured them. The vines whipped and struck out in all directions, almost touching them, but unable to get any grip.

“Come on,” Jack said. “Follow my footsteps exactly.”

Adam did so but couldn’t help looking at the other groups in peril. He wanted to save them all. Maybe he could…

“There’s no chance,” Ziel huffed, as though reading his thoughts. “Darian got lucky, but now you will need to recharge your magic so don’t even think about playing the hero.”