The Changelings Series, Book 1 (5 page)

Izzy kept running even though her lungs begged her to slow down. The backpack bounced against her spine, jangling the plastic toys inside. The icy touch of the cobwebs still lingered on her skin. She felt sure that, at any moment, a white tidal wave would come crashing down the path behind her and swallow her up.

Izzy didn't slow down until she came to a dead tree that had fallen across a bend in the path. She stood beside the log, hands on her knees, wheezing for air. She looked back at the way she just came. No cobwebs. The forest was still except for the light rustle of leaves overhead. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to decide what to do.

The hole in the tree trunk that led back to her home—back to her
world
—was long gone. She'd sprinted past it during her escape. Finding it again meant going back to Netherbee Hall, back to the cobwebs. Even if she could make it, what would she do when she got back home? What would she tell her parents? That their youngest daughter was kidnapped by a fairy? That her rescuer now lay cocooned in a shroud of cobwebs? They'd never believe it. Izzy could hardly believe it herself.

She shuddered and closed her eyes. How could this be happening? Faerie was real. Changelings were real. The stories she'd read and loved were true. Things should have been wonderful. Instead, this was the worst thing that had ever happened.

Izzy looked up into the forest canopy. She couldn't tell the sun's position, but she guessed it must be late afternoon. She definitely did not want to spend the night in these woods. She placed her hands on the fallen tree and looked down the path snaking ahead of her. Marian said it led straight to Avhalon, where the Piper would take Hen to be adopted. Izzy tugged down on the backpack straps. She had to find the Piper and tell him this was all a huge mistake. Hen already had a family. Surely, he would understand and let her go.

Izzy planted a foot on top of the log. She was just about to climb over it when she heard a noise. It sounded like someone crying.

Izzy scanned the trees, listening. She heard it again—a low whimper. Fifty feet ahead of her, a large, mossy boulder sat in the center of the path. The crying seemed to be coming from that direction. She stared at the boulder, ready to run if she had to.

The rock moved.

Izzy ducked to the ground, her heart racing. Slowly, she rose up on her knees until she could just see over the top of the log. The boulder sighed. It began to heave up and down, making pitiful sobbing sounds.

Izzy blinked her eyes over and over. The boulder wasn't a boulder at all but some sort of creature who sat hunched over on the path with its back to her. Its shabby tunic and trousers were so pilled and nubby that she'd mistaken them for moss. The creature reached up its large hands to its face as if it were wiping away tears, revealing arms covered in dark-brown hair.

“Oh dear, oh dear.” The creature's low voice cracked as he sniffled. “I'm in for it now.”

In a burst of energy, he stood up. He strained with all his might, pulling on his hairy leg with both hands. As he struggled, Izzy saw a thin silver chain wound around his ankle, secured at the other end to a stake in the ground. Despite his great size, he couldn't free his leg from the delicate chain. He collapsed on the path again, breathing hard. Then he pushed himself up onto his hands and feet and did something that made Izzy's mouth drop wide open.

It started with a shiver of his shoulder muscles. His back billowed up and became covered with thick fur. He arched his back, tilting his face to the sky. His flat nose stretched into a thick snout. His pointed ears rounded and shifted to the top of his head. It was like he had melted from one creature into something completely different. Now, he was a scraggly, brown bear. His tattered clothes were gone, but the silver chain remained. He gnawed at it with his jaws, but it was no use.

The bear changed again, this time into a shaggy sort of ram that stamped its hooves and jerked at the chain. The ram then became an ox, and next an overgrown badger. Izzy forgot to breathe as she watched him transform from one animal to the next with ease. But no matter what he did, the chain held tight. Finally, looking very exhausted, he changed back into his first form and resumed his whimpering, his head in his hands.

Izzy made a conscious effort to close her mouth. If she hadn't already seen a hundred other unbelievable things that day, she'd tell herself she was hallucinating. The creature must be a Changeling, just like Marian. So did that mean he would be friendly? Or did it mean he was somehow connected to the Piper? Izzy still didn't understand if the Piper was good or not. She wished more than anything that Marian was still with her.

The creature sighed mournfully. It reminded Izzy of Dublin whimpering when they left him home alone. Whatever he was, she couldn't just leave him there to suffer.

She stood up and climbed over the log. As she approached the creature, she smoothed her hair forward to cover up her ears. Until she knew more about him, she wanted to keep her humanness a secret.

Izzy tiptoed forward until she was just a few yards away. “Excuse me, um, sir?”

The creature sat up and turned his head back and forth. “Who's—who's there?” he called.

“Ahem. Excuse me, but—”

He turned and locked eyes with Izzy. “Aaah! Oh dear, oh dear! This is the end! How did it all come to this? Make it quick then, and just slice my throat!” He flopped down onto his back, and his round belly shook with sobs.

“Slice your throat? No, no, I'm not going to do anything like that! I was going to ask if you wanted me to try and help you. That's all.”

“Then this isn't your trap? You're not working for the Unglers?”

“The who?” asked Izzy, walking forward. “I don't know what you're talking about. But if you hold still, I could try to look at that chain.”

“It's useless,” he said as he snuffled, swinging his leg out so she could see. “The snare's absolutely unbreakable. You'll have to leave me here, unless you want to be caught yourself.”

Izzy glanced out into the forest. It was so peaceful at the moment. Surely, there was time to set him free. “Let's see what I can do.”

She bent closer to his ankle. Blood soaked the creature's thick hair where the snare cut into his skin. It was knotted in a noose that got tighter the more one struggled, perfect for catching something large and clumsy. Izzy worked on the knot very patiently, testing it first one way and then another. It reminded her of untangling her necklaces after Hen made a mess of them.

As she worked, she stole a glance up at the creature. He wasn't an animal, but he wasn't quite a person either. Fine, downy fur covered his flat face, which was dark brown as garden soil except for a black stripe that ran across his eyes like a burglar's mask. He had a velvety nose, just like Dublin's, and a thin-lipped mouth. His large eyes held a childlike sweetness, but he was too big to be called a boy. He looked like he'd be at least as tall as Izzy's dad.

“I should never have come to Hollowdell,” he said with a sniffle. “It's too near the Road. But it's gumroot season, and this is the best place to find them.” He nodded toward a basket lying just to the side of the path full of plump, dark-purple tubers with leafy green tops. “I was just about to be off for home when I see the biggest, fattest gumroot. I go to pick it up, and
snap!
I'm caught. I should've known there'd be snares here—Selden even warned me of it—but did I listen? Learned my lesson now though, I can tell you that. Well, say…look there!”

The loops of chain now hung looser around his ankle. Izzy was only a few more maneuvers away from releasing his foot when she heard a piercing shriek echo through the woods.

“It's the Unglers!” whispered the creature, wringing his hands. “And me without my Stairstep! Oh, if they smell me, I'm done for!”

Izzy worked her fingers faster. “Almost got it…”

The shrieks grew louder and were joined by others. They sounded like pigs squealing, but from the terrified look on the creature's face, Izzy knew they must be something much worse.

“Oh, please hurry—they're getting closer!” he cried.

“Almost. One more second. There!”

The creature stood up and flexed his foot. “A thousand, thousand thanks, friend!” He grabbed her hand and shook it up and down vigorously. “But let's be out of here, quick!” He fetched his basket and started bounding into the woods. “Come on!” he called over his shoulder.

Izzy stood frozen to the spot. “But—the path! I'm not supposed to leave it!” she shouted after him.

“Don't be foolish!” he said, turning and coming back to her. “Don't you hear them?”

The screeching sounded closer every second. Izzy wasn't sure what was louder—the shrieks or Marian's voice ringing in her ears, warning her to stay on the path no matter what.

“The Unglers can pluck the flesh right off your bones!” said the creature, his dark eyes growing even wider. “They'll start with your kneecaps!”

That settled it. She wasn't going to stand around waiting for something to eat her knees. With a running leap, she left the path and landed in the thick moss at the creature's feet.

“Finally! Thought you'd never come to your senses,” he said. “Let's get moving. Up you go!”

He bent down and picked her up under the arms, hoisting her onto his shoulders. Before she could say anything else, he took off crashing through the brushy understory.

Behind them, the path receded from view and disappeared.

The creature didn't stop until they reached the edge of a stony creek. “Here we are, and down you go.” He lifted Izzy off his shoulders and set her gently on the ground. He waded into the water, wriggling his leathery toes. “Ah… Nothing like a cold soak after a long hike, I always say. Go on, have a dip if you like. My name's Lug. What's yours?”

“Um, Isabella,” said Izzy, looking around nervously. “What if the Unglers saw us come this way?”

“They can't see,” said Lug. “Haven't got any eyes. Besides, this is miles from the Road, and they never stray far from it.”

“Wait. Do you mean we're miles from the path?”

Lug sat down on the stream bank and carefully inspected the gumroots in his basket. “Hmm? Oh yes, far, far away from it, thank goodness.”

Tears welled up in Izzy's eyes. Not even one hour in Faerie and she had already gone against Marian's advice. She was more lost than she could possibly be, and not a single soul knew where she was or how to find her. She would never, ever find Hen now.

Lug hurried to her and wrapped her in his long arms. It stopped her from crying—mostly because he was pressing her so tightly into his warm belly that she could hardly breathe.

“There, there, my girl. I know that was all a bit frightening, but we're safe now. Here, have a gumroot. They're better roasted, but they're not too bad raw either. That's a girl… Er, what did you say your name was again?”

“Call me Izzy,” she answered, taking one of the purple roots from Lug. Her first thought was to refuse it—what if it made her turn into a toad or something horrible like that? But Lug looked at her so expectantly. She nibbled the crunchy root. It tasted like beets mixed with licorice.

Lug's smile spread the length of his wide face. “There you go, Izzy! You'll feel better as soon as you get some gumroot in your belly. Being hungry is enough to make anyone upset. Go have a seat, and I'll look around for some tipplewort. The two go together perfectly.”

Izzy sat on a flat rock near the edge of the stream while Lug waded to the other side, searching the banks. He soon came back with his hands full of bundles of tender green shoots. They sat side by side, taking alternating bites of the gumroot and the juicy tipplewort, which fizzed in Izzy's mouth like ginger ale.

“Go easy on that stuff, now,” said Lug. “It can make you a little loopy if you eat too much of it at once.”

Without the empty feeling in her stomach, Izzy did start to feel better. She looked up at her strange new companion. Her mind burned with a thousand questions for him. Where were they? How far was Avhalon? Did he know anything that could help her find Hen? But she worried those questions would make him ask questions of his own, and she wasn't sure how to answer them. Her gut told her that she could trust Lug. After all, he'd helped her get away from the Unglers, who didn't sound like anyone she'd want to meet.

“Lug, how do the Unglers set their traps if they can't see?” she asked.

Lug waggled his fingers over her face. “They've got horrid, clever hands. Almost like they have eyes on each fingertip. And when they've caught something”—he tapped his nose—“they can smell it a mile away.”

Izzy shuddered at the description. “Have you ever been caught by them before?”

“Goodness, no! If I had, I'd be—” Lug caught himself and turned to look at her. “Say, you must not be from the Edgewood if you don't know about the Unglers.” His eyes scanned her clothes and backpack. “You some sort of vagabond peddler?”

Izzy patted her hair to make sure her ears were still concealed. “I'm just…you know…traveling through.”

“Where to?”

“To…the city.” Izzy held her breath, hoping she sounded believable.

“Oh, to Avhalon? Splendid!”

She exhaled with relief. “Have you been there?”

“Used to live there,” he said proudly. “Best days of my life were spent in Avhalon. Would love to be journeying there myself.” He looked up wistfully at the trees. “You must be going to the Apple Festival.”

Izzy tried to remember what Marian had said about Avhalon. She couldn't recall anything about a festival, but it sounded like a good enough reason to be on her way to a fairy city. “I'm going to…to meet my sister there.”

“What lucky girls! This is the first festival they've had in years. But you shouldn't be on the City Road, you know. It's full of dangers. Not just the Unglers—bandits, bogies, all sorts of nasty things.”

Izzy frowned. Faerie must have changed since Marian left, or she would have warned her about those things. “But someone once told me never to leave the path—I mean, the Road. She acted like if I didn't stay on it, I'd never find my way out of the woods.”

“Oh yes, that's true as well. Really the best thing is not to go into the Edgewood at all if you can help it.”

“But don't you live here?”

“Sure.” He pointed upstream. “Just up there a ways.”

“Well, how do
you
keep from getting lost?”

“Oh, that took ages. Still do get lost every now and then, especially in the winter when everything looks the same. But for now, it's much easier getting around. See this gumroot? It only grows in certain areas of the forest. There's lots of other plants like that—they only like to grow in certain places. So if I'm ever lost, I just look down, dig around a little, take a nibble of a root here or there, and I can usually figure it out.”

Izzy's hopes lifted. “Do you think you could tell me how to get to Avhalon?”

“Sure I could. You know what yellow mallow looks like? In a couple days, the yellow mallow will be in bloom, and you can follow it west till you get to a cluster of old trundle oaks…”

“Maybe it would be better if you
showed
me the way,” Izzy interrupted.

Lug shook his head and muttered, “Oh no, couldn't do that, I'm afraid. Couldn't do that at all.” He stuffed his mouth full of tipplewort and two huge gumroots.

Izzy wondered what she'd said to make him go quiet. She sighed and looked down at the gumroot in her hand. Learning all the species of plants in the forest would take her years. If she was going to find Hen, she'd have to be more direct.

“Lug, can I ask you about something? Back there when you were still caught in the trap, I saw you transform into some different animals.”

He stopped chewing and gave her a sidelong glance. “Saw that, did you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Listen, I'd appreciate it if we could keep that our little secret,” he said, lowering his voice. “It's just that I'm not supposed to let anyone see me do that—”

“See you do
what
?”

They spun around to see a girl standing in the reeds behind them with her hands on her hips and a very disapproving look on her face. Lug didn't seem surprised to see her at all. He stood up quickly and brushed the tipplewort off his chin.

“Oh hello, Dree! I was just—um—talking to my friend here…”

“Your
friend
?” she asked skeptically, walking toward them.

The girl looked a couple years older than Izzy. She wore a thin dress that might have been white once upon a time but was now a smudgy gray with tattered sleeves, one of which kept slipping down off her bony shoulder. As she came closer, Izzy wondered if the tipplewort really was going to her head. No, she knew what she saw. The girl was
translucent
. Izzy could look straight through her body—clothes and all—and see the forest behind her.

The ghost-girl shot her a harsh look. “What are
you
staring at?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Lug again. “Have you been doing something you shouldn't?”

“No…not exactly…”

“Be honest!
Have you?
”

The girl's piercing stare was all it took to make Lug spill the entire story of their meeting. Though Izzy noticed he left off the part about hearing the Unglers' shrieks in the distance.

At the end of his tale, he said, “So you see, Dree, it really wasn't my fault! And Izzy here is a very kind girl and wouldn't dare tell anyone what she saw, I'm sure. Would you, Izzy?”

“No, I won't tell anyone. I promise,” said Izzy.

Dree let out an exasperated sigh and brushed a lanky strand of dark hair out of her face. “Lug, do you realize what you've done? What if she's a
spy
?” She nodded toward Izzy without looking at her.

“Me? I'm not a spy,” said Izzy.

“See?” said Lug.

“You can't expect her to admit she's a spy, can you?”

“Now why would a spy put her own life at risk to save me?” asked Lug.

“Spies will do anything to make you think they're not spies,” said Dree, rolling her eyes.

“I'm
not
a spy!”

“She's going to the festival in Avhalon,” explained Lug. “And I really don't think she's a spy. Look at her—she's such a little thing. We can just let her go on her way, and there's no need to tell—”

“We'll have to tell Selden, of course,” said Dree, crossing her arms.

Lug clapped his hands together in front of him. “Please, oh please, Dree! Let's not tell Selden—he'll be so upset with me!”

“
I'm
upset! You know better than to go to Hollowdell on your own!”

Lug dropped his chin to his chest.

Dree let out a deep breath. She reached for one of his hands, clasping it as solidly as a normal person. “I'm sorry, but I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. You know we have to tell Selden. If he found out that someone had seen you doing
you know what
, then we let her go… Well, imagine how disappointed he'd be.”

“Oh, all right,” said Lug. “Let's just get it over with then.”

While Dree chewed at a fingernail, Lug bent down and gathered up his basket, which was much emptier than it had been before.

“Am I going with you?” Izzy asked him in a whisper.

“Looks like it. Really sorry about all this. You know
I
don't think you're a spy.”

“But where are we going?”

“Back home—our home, that is. It's not too far. Just up the stream a few miles or so.”

“She'll have to be blindfolded,” said Dree, taking her fingernail out of her mouth and crossing her arms again.

Izzy spun around. “Blindfolded! You really think that's necessary?”

Dree finally met her eyes. “We've got to keep our location a secret.”

“And how do I know you won't throw me off a cliff once the blindfold's on?”

“Ha! There are no cliffs around here, silly!” said Lug with a low, booming laugh. “Besides, you can ride on my shoulders again, so you know nothing bad will happen to you. The blindfold is just a formality.”

“You don't need to be so paranoid,” said Izzy. “I couldn't find my way around this forest if my life depended on it—which it probably does.”

Neither of them had a blindfold, so she searched through Hen's backpack and found a navy silk scarf. Dree doubled up the scarf several times and tied it around Izzy's eyes. Then she helped her up onto Lug's shoulders.

Izzy swayed from side to side as Lug lumbered along. She could still hear the stream burbling to her right. She soon gave up trying to keep track of their direction. The two fairies were carrying her deeper into the forest and farther from the path, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She leaned over and spoke into Lug's ear. “Who is Selden?”

“One of my dearest friends. Don't worry. He's very nice.”

“Not
all
your friends are nice,” grumbled Izzy.

Lug lowered his voice. “Dree's really not so bad, you know. She's just a little stern about rules, that's all.”

“I can hear you,” called Dree from up ahead.

Lug dropped into a whisper. “Just like a thistle—wants to act thorny, but on the inside, soft as a feather.”

“I can
still
hear you.”

“And excellent ears too!”