Ironwood walkedover and looked through a gap in the vines and suddenly jumped backas they began to catch fire.
‘What’s happening?’ shouted Aquitain.
‘The bats have formed into large black boars with flaming redeyes. The gaze from their eyes is burning my vines.’ saidIronwood.
‘Make it rain.’ said Aquitain.
Ironwood noddedand heavy rain fell all over the vine cage dampening out the firebut it had substantially weakened the structure of the cage. One ofthe dark malevolent creatures charged at the weakened area of thecage partly breaking through. Ironwood beat at it with his staff.Another attacked the cage from the other side and another two fromother parts of the cage.
‘Release me’. pleaded Aquitain. ‘You can’t fight all thesecreatures yourself.’
ReluctantlyIronwood agreed and the vines holding Aquitain withered and fell todust. Moonbeam squealed and hid behind Ironwood who was trying tostop one of the creatures that looked like large boars frombreaking through a widening hole in the cage. Aquitain reached hishand out to little Moonbeam and said.
‘Please trust me Miranda. I won’t harm you. I’m here to saveyou. Hand me the flower.’
She tossed himthe flower and he picked it up and mentally reshaped it into asparkling silver sword and ran over to the side opposite Ironwoodand began stabbing at the creature trying to break in. The creaturescreamed in pain and stopped attacking. He then attacked anotherwith the same result. Unfortunately as soon as he moved to anotherpart of the cage to stop one the others would restart attacking thecage again. Aquitain knew they were fighting a losing battle. Maybehe could get her out of here to his own dream then he could reallyfight.
He moved overto Moonbeam and squatted down beside her.
‘Miranda you must trust me. We may not be able to win here.They may eventually overrun us. You must climb on my back and ifnecessary we will run to my world where I can fight myway.’
‘You gave me the flower. I will trust you.’ she said withtears in her eyes and climbed on his broad rocky shoulders clingingtightly around his neck with her little arms and legs. Just as hestood up to his full size one of the large beasts broke throughinto the vine cage. It ran straight at him but he stopped it deadin its tracks as he skewered it with his sword. It slid off hisblade forming a black blob of quivering jelly that fragmented intodozens of smaller bits, which reformed into black rats.
‘By the Lady these damn things are persistent.’ he said as ahoard of rats began to pour through other holes in the cage aswell. They swarmed right over Ironwood totally ignoring him. Theywanted to get at Miranda.
Aquitainstomped around kicking, squashing and smashing rats but still theycame jumping at him trying to climb up his body to get at Miranda.She screamed as one made it, biting into her leg. She bashed at itwith one hand knocking it off. The situation was getting desperate,then Aquitain had an idea.
‘Rat Catcher to me.’ he yelled and it appeared.
‘Destroy these rats!’
‘As you wish.’ said the Rat Catcher charging into the fraybiting and slashing with its claws. Each time it hit or bit a rat,the thing evaporated into a small cloud of vapour. It ran fasterand faster until it was almost a blur. Soon the onslaught of therats wavered and stopped. In another minute it was all over; therats were gone.
The cat sloweddown to a walking pace, moved to the centre of the cage, sat downand began licking its paws. Aquitain lowered Miranda to the groundand she ran over and patted the cat.
‘What is your name cat?’ she said.
‘I am Rat Catcher.’ it replied.
‘Thank you Rat Catcher.’ then she looked around atAquitain.
‘Thank you Aquitain, I’m sorry I called you a big monster. Youcan stay and play if you like.’
‘No. The Rat Catcher and I’ll have to get back to my dream.I’ll find you and take you back to your real body as soon as I can.The question is how to find you.’
‘Thanks for looking after her Ironwood. You had better notstay here for too much longer as I suspect whoever was after herwill probably try to find her current body. She’ll need to quicklywake up and hide. Can you hide her somewhere?’
‘That might be difficult.’ said Ironwood.
‘You see in the real world I am a tree. I am lending herstrength to heal herself but how long it will take I don’t know andonce back I cannot communicate with her and advise her tohide.’
Suddenly RatCatcher interrupted
‘Quickly, Lord Warden you must wake up. There is trouble atDarkmantle’s estate.’
‘You’re the Warden of Moonmist.’ said Ironwood sounding quitesurprised.
‘Yes.’ said Aquitain.
‘Better keep quiet about the fact I was here. I seem to beupsetting everyone’s plans lately.’
‘Yes My Lord.’ said Ironwood with a smile. ‘I’ll tell noone.’
Aquitainthought for a few moments then said
‘I have an idea which might work. I have a piece of my dreamworld here.’ and he reformed the mind clay sword back into a ballin his hand.
‘Can you please lend me a twig from your body? I might be ableto give you a way to communicate with Miranda when she wakesup.’
‘If it will help, Lord Warden take this.’ and he turned one ofhis fingers into a wooden twig and snapped it off and handed it toAquitain.
Aquitain tookthe twig and poked it into the mind clay. He then remoulded themind clay into the shape of a beautiful wooden doll that lookedvery much like the real Miranda and said to Moonbeam.
‘I’ve made you a little present that you can take home fromthis dream world but it needs a heart to be alive in your realworld so that it can talk to you. Can you form your little fingerinto a little heart and give it to me.’
‘Will it run around and play with me and Ironwood too.’ askedMoonbeam.
‘I’m sure it will if you ask it to.’ said Aquitain.
‘Then I’ll make it a heart.’ she said and formed her littlefinger into a heart
