Chapter 9

Brandon and Hal were frozen in place. The jemons were advancing on them and one had a bucket of water. “G-guys?” Brandon stammered. His feet felt heavy, he just wanted to stare. “We should t-talk this through.” Is that all he could say? Hal was giving him an incredulous look. The Jemons were standing still… for now.  Their faces were tear stained with streaks that looked almost like they were made of glass, and their ears twitched, waiting for their patients to move.

“Brandon, they have a bucket of water!” Hal whispered. Brandon gasped in realization. They wanted to take care of someone ever since things went wrong with their previous master. Now, they want to spill water on Hal and take care of him.! If they did get him wet, the two would be forced to stay here and waste a lot of time. If that happened, the portal could grow beyond repair. Brandon gave Hal a hard look. “Run.”

They sprinted down the cave, leaving a path of ruffled moss. The Jemons were pounding after them, on front paws and back paws.

When Brandon and Hal stopped hearing the muffled sound of a little army of paws, they dared to look back. The Jemons were looking right back at them. Four of the Jemons weren’t standing, but being carried. Brandon slowed down. Were they hurt?

Then, before he could pick up his feet the four Jemons were loaded on top of two others in a way that slingshotted the one on top towards the two Magi-landers. The duo ran faster than before. The four Jemons were only a few arm’s lengths from them and it seemed impossible, but the Jemons were gaining.

“Run faster!” Brandon yelled. Hal gave him a pained look. “I can’t.” One of Hal’s legs was crumpling with each stride he took. It seemed delicate… almost mushy. Then, Brandon realized that it must have been from when he was trying to get away from the steaming hot bath.

If they kept running at this pace, the Jemons could easily overtake them and drag them back down the cave. Brandon had an idea, but he knew Hal was not going to like it.

“Sorry!” Brandon yelled as he picked Hal up and held him as he ran. Hal was very light. So light in fact, that Brandon was afraid that if he let him go, then Hal would go flying backwards

The Creature struggled at first, but soon realized what Brandon was doing and held on for his dear life, afraid of being whipped into the air. He was not very aerodynamic and caught the wind easily.

It wasn’t very long until Brandon and Hal saw a light at the end of the long cave. Thinking about that now, whatever burrowed this cave was very persistent. The sight of the sunlight shining in gave Brandon a burst of energy. The Jemons behind him were getting tired and one had slipped on their own tail.

Hal and Brandon Burst into the open air. But, when Brandon really looked at it, he realized it was not really open. The bare ground was sprinkled with sticks and leaves. The end of the cave was protruding from a giant chalk grey mountain with mushrooms and moss lining its base. It was surrounded by a large pine forest that seemed to stretch on and on.

The dry, orange-tinted dirt crunched under Brandon’s feet as he carried Hal to a spot that was sheltered by bushes so that no one would be able to find them. Hal sat down on some pebbles, nursing his leg, while Brandon made himself comfortable in a nest of roots. Then he realized the bright colour of it. The roots and the whole trunk of the tree were purple.

“Hey, they have these trees back in Magi-Land!” Brandon observed, looking up at the blue leaves. “I wonder if they have the green and yellow ones too.”

Hal simply nodded at what Brandon was saying. But, when he was given a chance to think it over, he immediately stood up and looked around him despite his mushy leg. He was searching through the thick pine forest for a specific type of tree. “Most of the yellow and green ones are talking trees, Brandon.”