Peter Carrot-top

  Chapter 15

  The Dark Forest

  Quietly the team ran through the forest, trying not to

  disturb anything; Samantha and the others could hear the

  roar of the large beast protecting the plant. Suddenly, as

  the team was moving through the forest, Sam could feel that

  they were being watched and told everyone to pick up speed.

  The team began to run, until they could not run anymore.

  Whatever Sam was feeling, was coming close; the

  slither on the ground and the crunching of the tree

  branches made the crew run even faster. But it was too

  late, a huge snake came out of its hole and was ready to

  eat! It was gray and white, with blue eyes and a red tail,

  the size of about two hundred men. Something was moving in

  its belly, another victim of some sort. Its scales began to

  flake off from the fast and furious chase; on its belly

  glowed a red symbol, and on its back were wings for flight.

  Yet, it seemed like one had been half cut off. It sniffed

  the crewmembers and decided to attack; barley missing one

  of the fighters, everyone split up.

  Using this tactic made the huge snake confused and it

  didn't know which one to attack. The snake became angry and

  lashed out at the first moving target it saw. Slithering

  faster and faster through the trees, the snake got a hold

  of Red Fox, crushing his ribs. He reached for his pocket

  dagger, and once in his hands, he stabbed the snake in the

  eyes with all of his might. The snake began to shake and

  quiver in pain, then it let out a long hiss, while dropping

  him to the ground.

  Samantha reached out her hand and grabbed onto him,

  pulling him inside a small hole with the others. But a few

  men were still out there and the angry snake was having its

  way with them. As blood dripped from the snake's eyes, it

  sprayed big splashes of blood all over the place, and with

  one fast swoop, it caught one of the fighters. Wasting no

  time, it swallowed him up.

  From the small hole in the ground, Sam and the others

  threw darts and arrows at the snake; they used all they had

  to help their fallen fighters. Finally the snake was killed

  from all of the poisonous darts and arrows. It took its

  last breath and lay trembling on the floor, and then its

  body became lifeless.

  Samantha and the others came out, and Sam and Red Fox

  quickly cut out the snake's belly to save their fighter.

  But, it was too late, he was nothing more than skeleton

  bones; the acid in the snake's belly had eaten him up in

  minutes. Sam was upset, but was quickly consoled by the

  others.

  "We can't stop, we must keep moving," said Red Fox.

  And quickly they put the event behind them, and moved

  on; this time they were much more cautious of their

  surroundings. The skies above were quickly getting dark.

  "It must be the flying manta rays," said Sam.

  From down below, these creatures were much bigger than

  what the hawk had described. They were huge flying sting

  rays with the same red symbols glowing on their bellies,

  huge horns protruding from their heads, a large spiked

  tail, and huge eyes that could see for millions of miles.

  Samantha ordered everyone to keep moving, and not to

  stop. She also told everyone to stay low to the ground; the

  manta rays would not attempt a landing. Everyone stayed

  low, moving as quickly as possible, and tried to avoid any

  contact with these creatures.

  Suddenly one of the fighters' swords made a spark, and

  caught the eye of one of the manta rays. Quickly it came

  swooping down, trying very carefully not to touch the

  ground. Samantha pushed the fighter out of the way and

  belly down on the ground, nearly getting killed herself.

  "That was a close call," said Samantha to the fighter.

  The fighter just nodded, she was in shock to say

  anything.

  "Cover your sword, the glitter from it attracts them,"

  said Samantha to the fighter.

  The fighter quickly covered her sword and crawled on

  her belly to safety behind a huge rock. Everyone was safe

  other than Samantha. As she tried to get behind the huge

  stone, a manta ray came from behind the mountain top and

  was now face to face with her. Samantha stared into its big

  black eyes as if she was being hypnotized. When Sam saw

  this, he threw a huge rock at the creature, startling it.

  It took its eyes off of Samantha, and she was now unparalyzed.

  She quickly ran for cover, but the manta ray

  caught up with her, pushing Samantha to the ground with its

  huge tail. Not only was the tail huge, but it was also

  sharp, giving Samantha a large cut across her legs.

  Samantha tried to run in pain, but couldn't. She was

  only a few feet away from the safe spot, but could not make

  it. She lay lifeless on the ground, unable to move. Blood

  began to pour from her cut; the manta ray was now circling

  its dinner, waiting for the right moment to pick up her

  lifeless body. As the manta ray came down, with all the

  strength she had left, she pulled out her huge sword and

  stabbed it through the heart.

  The manta ray let out a loud cry, then fell to the

  ground. Red Fox quickly ran out and pulled Samantha to

  safety. From behind the rock, Samantha and the others

  watched as the manta ray began to stumble and fall; it

  tried to flap its wings, but it did no good, it was stuck

  on the ground. When the other manta rays saw this, they

  swooped down and grabbed the manta ray as food.

  The others began to fight over the food in the air;

  pieces of guts and bones flew right past Samantha and the

  others, leaving a horrible smell. In the air, the other

  manta rays were feeding on their own kind, fighting over

  the last pieces of meat and bone.

  While this was going on, Sam quickly bandaged up

  Samantha's wounds with a piece of his shirt and ordered

  everyone to move out quickly and stay low to the ground. At

  the end of the forest was nothing more than desert.

  Skeleton bones of people who had tried to come here were

  visible. There was a warning sign for anyone who came this

  far to turn back.

  As bad as Sam wanted to turn back, he knew that he had

  to move forward, but getting through a hot sea of desert

  was not going to be easy. Sam decided to use his powers of

  levitation to carry everyone through the desert. So, he

  did; one by one, he levitated everyone. No one was left

  behind. Because of the number of people he had to carry, it

  put a lot of strain on Sam's mind, but he was determined to

  do it.

  Low, and out of sight, they all levitated through the

  air, not knowing where he was going, the heat from the

  desert made Sam hallucinate and he began seeing things.

  Once again, Sam saw the image of an elder telling him that

  his son Peter was the key. Sam began to mumble through the

  air, but no one was listening; everyone seemed to be worn
>
  out from the heat of the sun.

  Then there was nothing more than darkness; for hours

  it was like staring into the abyss. Soon Sam saw a little

  glitter of light; his eyes could barely open; his face and

  hands were badly sun burnt, and his tongue had an urge for

  a taste of water. Finally Sam got his mind together and

  began to sit up. He noticed that he was in a small room;

  there was a tiny cup of water with a tiny piece of meat.

  "This is like eating elf food," Sam said to himself.

  Sam began to wonder where he was; as he went to stand

  up, he bumped his head on a small overhang. Sam quickly

  looked around, and saw nothing familiar. He started to get

  out of bed. The last thing he remembered was carrying the

  fighters over the desert. By now, Sam knew that he was a

  prison of war.

  As he began to move around, Sam noticed that he had no

  clothing, he was butt naked! He quickly covered himself in

  shame, and began to look all over the room for his

  clothing. Then he heard little footsteps coming up the

  stairs. He quickly stood behind the door and waited for

  whoever was approaching. Then he jumped out, and what he

  saw was remarkable; the tiniest of elves that ever existed,

  standing only ten inches tall, and with blue fur.

  "Oh, you're awake. The others are waiting for you down

  stairs," said the elf.

  "Where is my clothing?" said Sam.

  "Well, your clothing was soiled and had the dingiest

  stains. So, we washed them," said the elf with a smile.

  The elf summoned another elf to bring Sam clothing,

  and he gave them to Sam. It was a nice feeling to have

  clean clothing. Sam thanked the elf and asked to see his

  family. The elf led Sam down a large tree trunk where they

  were all live.

  "Where are we?" said Sam.

  "Why, in Baja, of course?" said the elf.

  Where in Baja was on Sam's mind, but he was too busy

  admiring the place to say that. The place had thousands of

  pictures on the walls, all of generations of elves. They

  all lived in a huge big tree, all one million of them. The

  elf introduced himself as Dunbar, and began to tell Sam how

  they were found by the other elves as they were out hunting

  for food.

  "I must have blacked out," said Sam.

  "Yes, you did," said Dunbar.

  Sam wondered if his friends and family were all right,

  and before he could ask, Dunbar told him that they managed

  to save everyone. He then told Sam that Sam must have been

  very tired because he dropped everyone in a man-eating lily

  plant. If it weren't for the screams of the others, they

  would have never heard them, and they would all be gone.

  Sam once again thanked the elf, and Dunbar went on to

  tell Sam the boring story of how they hunt the lily plant

  for special healing powers. If they were not out that day

  hunting for medicine and food, Sam and his friends would be

  lost. But Dunbar was also an opportunistic elf; he loved

  the tick and the tock of Sam's old watch, and asked if he

  could have it.

  "After all, I did save your lovely wife," said Dunbar.

  Sam quickly, without hesitation, gave him the watch.

  Down the long small hallway they went; Sam was too tall to

  stand up straight, always hitting his head or squeezing in

  a tight spot. Dunbar just laughed and chuckled at Sam as he

  tripped and hit his head all the way down the spiral wooden

  staircase.

  What a beautiful home it was, everything inside was

  carved from the tree; the chairs, the picture frames, the

  tables and the lamps. There were little elves running all

  over the place, zipping here and there and everywhere. Sam

  cautiously watched his step, being careful not to step on

  any of the tiny little elves. Finally Sam was downstairs

  with the others; the entire crew looked as if they were

  sardines in a can. They were all squeezed together and

  looked as if they were uncomfortable, but they wanted to be

  good to their host and not complain of the tight spot.

  "Oh, honey, I am so glad you're okay," said Jane as

  she gave Sam a big hug.

  Everyone thanked Sam for trying to save them. Because

  of this, Sam's spirit was lifted and he was ready to fight

  another round with the seven wizards.

  "We must be leaving," said Sam.

  Sam thanked the elves and promised them once the war

  was over they would return and reward them for their

  services. Before they left, many of the elves came up and

  gave Sam and the others special magic powders and

  medicines. Then they were handed paper sacks with food in

  them. The only thing wrong was that the food was elf-size,

  but nevertheless, no one complained; just gave thanks and

  they were ready to head out.

  Dunbar then led his new friends down a secret tunnel

  that only a few elves knew about. It had a golden rock in

  front of the door; it glittered and shone. With a punch of

  the secret codes on the rock, it rolled away and opened a

  door to a mystical place.

  "This is the way," said Dunbar; as he pointed to the

  hill where the white rhino plant lay.

  The first glance of this land was spectacular. There

  were plants and flowers that were made of puff balls; they

  would burst into the sky and float like balloons. It was

  raining in some parts and snowing in others. There were

  many new and never before seen creatures, like an invisible

  bird and two-headed snakes. Most of the creatures were

  harmless and went about their daily lives; while others,

  like the silverback apes, were terrorizing the forest,

  eating and killing anything in their path.

  Dunbar let Sam and the others know that the silverback

  apes did not eat human ghosts. Sam and the others were glad

  to hear this, and one by one Sam and the others spread out

  and were glad that they could finally stretch. They said

  their goodbyes to Dunbar, and began to walk toward the way

  to the plant. The secret entrance and the opening behind

  them simply vanished, as if it was never there.

  Once in the area, Sam and the others remained at a low

  profile, looking and watching the air. But, little did they

  know they were now in a battleground. First a hissing sound

  was becoming louder and louder, and then suddenly the

  ground started to move. The birds and animals of the forest

  began to scatter. Once Jane and the others saw this, they

  knew something was coming.

  "Keep moving, something is coming," said Red Fox.

  Everyone began to move fast, running through tall

  silver grass that cut like razors and plants that popped up

  out of the ground and shot fire out of their mouths at

  anything moving. No matter what, Red Fox ordered the

  fighters to keep moving. No one could see anything; they

  could just feel an eerie presence of something coming.

  "Head for that big oak tree," said Sam.

  Just as everyone was running toward the tree, a great

  big bu
g emerged out of the mud and began to attack. It was

  like no other, beautiful like a red and black lady bug, but

  vicious like a black spider. With its long teeth and razorsharp

  antennas, the bug began to hiss and snarl at Sam and

  the others.

  Everyone was sort of in a panic; they had never seen

  anything like this before, so huge and so quick. The

  fighters began to back up slowly, and started to run, but

  the monster bug had set traps of large holes all around

  them. Every time one would run, a deep hole would open up

  and swallow them up.

  "Stop moving," said Sam to the fighters.

  But they were in too much of a panic, and they kept

  moving. One by one, the holes swallowed them up; the dirt

  covered their faces, causing them to die of suffocation.

  Sam and the others begged their fighters to stay put, but

  most of them were too scared and began to run. Their lives

  were lost because of this foolish mistake.

  One by one, they vanished through the sink holes,

  gobbled up like a Christmas feast. Sam held his head low

  every time he lost one of his fighters. The huge bug sat

  there and waited. Once everyone stopped moving, it became

  inpatient and began to walk back and forth, pacing. Sam

  realized that she was not moving toward them because it was

  waiting for all of them to die. Sam ordered everyone to

  stay still.

  After hours of waiting, the creature got tired and

  went to collect her dead. It burrowed itself into the

  ground and began to move under the sand like a snake. The

  sand moved like ocean waves, kicking up and disturbing the

  plants and trees that were rooted there. Suddenly,

  something made a big burst into the air, with sand flying

  everywhere. It was the creature, and with it, it carried

  the bodies of all the dead fighters wrapped in some type of

  web.

  Sam and the others saw their friends for a last time;

  being carried away in the mouth of an unknown creature, the

  looks on the dead men's faces were that of fear. They died

  screaming, with their mouths open, or hiding with their

  hands covering their faces. Sam could not bear to see this;

  he began to doubt himself and his leadership, but Red Fox

  reminded him that now was not the time for him to be

  feeling sorry for himself.

  Sam quickly pulled himself together the best way that

  he knew how, and told anyone who wanted to turn back now

  that they were free to go. To Sam's surprise, many wanted

  to leave; they were all afraid and wanted to go back home,

  where knowing nothing would keep them safe.

  "You cowards!" shouted Samantha.

  Jane quickly covered Samantha's mouth with her hand

  and allowed the men to leave. She thanked them with her

  husband for their service and told them that they would

  always be heroes in her eye. Samantha remembered the disc

  that Mr. Stewart gave them in the underground city, and

  told Jane to pull it out of her back pocket. For a minute,

  Jane forgot that she even had it.

  "Mr. Stewart told us that once we were in trouble,

  throw the disc into the air, and it would open a door back

  home to the underground city," said Jane to the others.

  They carefully listened to every word. Jane held the

  golden disc in the air, threw it up into the sky, and

  watched it unfold like a letter. From the center, the disc

  opened, and a bright light emerged and let out a long beam

  of light.

  "This is your chance to leave, take it," said Samantha

  to the fighters who wanted to leave.

  At first, there was a little hesitation; then one by

  one, the fighters got in a line and headed toward the

  light. Not only were they ashamed that they had given up,

  but they were sad that they were leaving behind friends and

  family. When all was said and done, there were only two

  young fighters remaining.

  "This is your last chance, kids, take it or leave it,"

  said Sam, but the two young fighters shook their heads no.

  Suddenly the magical door of the disc closed, and the

  disc disappeared with it. By now, all that remained were

  Jane, Sam, Red Fox, Samantha, and the two young fighters;

  everyone else had either died or ended up leaving because

  they could not handle the war.

  "My father always said I could never control my men,

  and he was right," said Sam with a disappointed look on his

  face.

  But the others rallied behind him, and said that he

  was doing an excellent job. Now it was time to figure out

  how to get out of the bug's trap. The huge creature was by

  now long gone, but it left behind many traps of sinking

  sand; one wrong step, and a man could be swallowed up in an

  instant. Sam used his powers of levitation to get the team

  members over to the other side. One by one he levitated

  each person, then himself. Once everyone was safe, they all

  stood by an oak tree and took time to catch their breath.

  "There is no more time for rest, we need that white

  rhino plant, and we need it now," said Samantha.

  By that time, everyone had became frustrated with the

  entire situation and began to fight amongst themselves, one

  against the other. Everyone blamed each other, until a loud

  voice said. "Shut up, you bumbling fools!"

  Everyone looked around to see where the voice was

  coming from, but no one could see anyone. Then out of a

  puff of blue smoke came a white cloud; sitting on top of

  the cloud was a yellow frog.

  "Did you say something?" said Jane to the frog.

  "Of course I did, who else could it be?" said the frog

  in a sarcastic tone. "Well, where are you folks off too?"

  Jane explained to the frog that they were on their way

  to the center top to retrieve a white rhino plant. Well,

  before Jane could finish her story, the frog began to

  laugh, holding its stomach and falling off of his moving

  cloud.

  "Oh! That is so funny," said the frog.

  "Why is it funny, little toad?" said Red Fox with an

  angry look on hid face.

  The frog explained that the white rhino plant was so

  rare that it was placed there for a special reason, and it

  was guarded by one of the most vicious beasts Baja had ever

  seen. The frog told the team that there was no way they

  could get the white rhino plant. Many people had been after

  that plant for centuries, and millions of people had lost

  their lives trying to get it.

  Jane and the others could care less, and explained to

  the frog that if they did not get this plant, the whole of

  Baja would be lost, and there would be no citizens left to

  keep on fighting. Once the frog saw that they were serious,

  it became serious too, and told of a legend of how the

  plant was once retrieved and then put back for the next

  generation. The frog told of how the plant was once plucked

  from its roots many centuries ago. In the cloud that the

  frog was riding on, it showed a view of how Baja once
was,

  and how the white rhino plant had come to be so important.

  Jane and the others carefully watched as the clouds

  played out the events right before their eyes. With only a

  few of them left, they hovered around and watched every

  minute of the legend. It went on as follows: a long time

  ago, the elders created a plant so outstandingly different

  and powerful that they could not keep it in Baja. The plant

  was filled with too many powers, and if it got into the

  wrong hands, it would cause a big problem for the elders.

  So they guarded the plant with a big unstoppable

  beast, one that had no respect for anyone; one that was

  savage and evil. But one man was determined to get the

  white rhino plant. He heard his parents talk about it; he

  climbed up to the mountains and dug a tunnel under the

  beast. For days and weeks he stayed in the forest, avoiding

  death many times, but his greed had overwhelmed him by the

  power he could achieve by obtaining the rhino plant.

  He was chased by beast and huge snakes. One time he

  was almost eaten by a huge lizard, but managed to cut

  himself loose from the lizard's grip with a powerful sword.

  After weeks of digging and being chased by scary creatures

  of the forest, he finally saw a beam of light to let him

  know to stop digging and that he was at the surface.

  The young lad waited until the time was right; once

  the beast walked over the hole, he drove his sword at the

  beast, killing it instantly. The sword went straight

  through the beast's heart, and it began to stumble and

  roar; until it finally fell off the side of the mountain,

  splattering guts and blood all over the place.

  The young lad came out of the hole in the side of the

  mountain and shouted and screamed. Animals of the forest

  began to talk, and the word was passed through Baja and

  other worlds like a shooting star. Once at the top, the

  young lad grabbed the plant in a choke hold, pulling its

  roots from the ground and shouting, "I did it, I defeated

  the beast!"

  Once the plant was pulled out of the ground, within

  minutes everything began to turn black and die. The lad

  immediately died holding the plant in his right hand. The

  trees whither away, the streams immediately dried up, and

  the animals feel from the skies. Life was being eliminated.

  Once the elders saw what was happening, they came in

  on a magical moon, all dressed in sparkling white robes.

  Their faces were never seen, and they took the young man to

  the moon and the elders re-planted the white rhino plant.

  Once in the ground, the plant sent off a burst of light,

  and with the light, seeds began to fly. Because of what

  happened, the elders hid many white rhino plants all over

  the galaxy and beyond. The young man was never heard from

  again. Legend had it that he was reincarnated into the

  beast that now guards the plant.

  "What was this young man's name?" said Sam.

  "Elmilio."

  "Why did the plant kill everything?" said Jane.

  The frog replied, "You as a plant grower should know;

  you never kill something that is alive, it's like pulling

  the heart out of the body. The trick is to only take what

  is needed."

  Jane looked in amazement to know that the frog knew of

  her. Before another question could be asked of the frog, it

  disappeared as if it was never there. Jane's brain was

  racing, thinking of everything possible that this legend

  could mean. Then she came to the realization and shouted.

  "Instead of ripping the plant out of its soil and

  killing it, all we need is a petal or a leaf," said Jane.

  As simple as the solution was, no one had thought of

  it.

  "That's why I married you," said Sam as Jane smiled

  and the others cheered her on.

  "Good job, Jane. Now the trick is getting up there,"

  said Samantha.

  Once on the other side, the team felt safe and began

  to take their time, but Jane noticed that the roots on the

  trees were moving, and the dirt was being disturbed.

  "Run!" shouted Jane.

  Everyone began to run; the tree stems and roots were

  running after Jane and the others, as if they were hunting

  them. Red Fox ordered everyone to split up, causing the

  roots to tangle amongst each other and tie in a knot. But

  as soon as one was tied up, another came chasing them. Jane

  and the others were running for their lives, up and over,

  under and up, over rocks and tree barks. Once most of the

  trees were all tied into knots they could not move. They

  began to holler and scream, so piercing that Jane and the

  others had to plug their ears. One by one the trees fell,

  still attached to each other in a knot.

  Jane tried to comfort the trees with her touch, but

  quickly found that her powers were not working in this part

  of the land. The trees seemed to be under some type of

  different spell; they were not listening to her commands.

  Then suddenly the trees withered and died one by one,

  turning into nothing more than mere ashes.

  The ground began to sink in and little man-eating

  plants came forth. They were no more than the size of a

  common house pet, but they were plants that ran on all

  fours like dogs. They were brown and blue in color, with a

  spec of white, and these little things were ferocious. They

  chased the team all over the place, nipping and biting at

  their heels. These little plant eaters were eating

  everything in sight; Samantha began to chop at the

  creatures with her sword, either cutting off their stems

  like paws or their razor-sharp petals.

  Soon the team was becoming outnumbered by these

  plants, and Sam and the others had no choice but to run. As

  Sam and the remaining members ran toward the area of the

  rhino plant, the creatures turned back; showing fear, they

  quickly ran in the opposite direction, leaving Jane and the

  others wondering what was next.

  At the end of this part of the forest, everything was

  water; the water was black and muddy, thick like quick

  sand, and every once in a while an underground volcano

  would blow, sending mermaids flying into the air. They were

  filthy and stunk from the thick black waters; their hair

  was matted and their faces partial visible. Their scales

  seemed to be dried up like old fish, fangs hung from their

  mouths, and even though they had the appearance of a human,

  they were not.

  Sam and the others watched them from behind a tree.

  The mermaids seemed to be having a day of fun, but it

  quickly turned into a day of survival for one. Sam and the

  others watched as the group of mermaids singled one mermaid

  out and began to fight with her. Sam wanted to step in, but

  was advised to let nature take its course. The mermaids

  continued to beat on one of their own, until a huge wave

  came and pushed them out to sea, sending the badly beaten

  mermaid to sho
re.

  "This is our chance, let's go," said Sam.

  As they walked up to the water, the mermaid let out a

  moan, she was in pain.

  "Well, we can't leave her," said Jane.

  The others did not want anything to do with this

  creature, but being the kind-hearted people that they were,

  they just couldn't leave her wounded. As Jane got closer to

  the mermaid, with caution she flipped her over. This

  mermaid was not as disfigured like the others; she was

  perfectly intact, she looked like the girl next door. Jane

  took a little of the water that they had in their

  containers and poured it over the mermaid's face.

  The mermaid awoke and was very frightened; she slowly

  crawled back into the water, looking over her surroundings,

  but did not run away. She started to cry and let off a

  moaning song that seemed to hypnotized Jane and the others.

  The only one not hypnotized was Red Fox; his animal

  instincts seemed to block it out. When the mermaid realized

  that, she went further back into the water, and Jane and

  the others came out of their hypnotic trance.

  "That was really strange, it was like being buried

  alive," said Samantha.

  Still, the mermaid did not leave; it came up closer to

  the strangers and stared at them.

  "Why are you here?" asked the mermaid.

  "Baja is in danger and we must save it from a deadly

  spell," said Jane.

  The creature glanced Jane over, and began to come

  forward, frightening Jane; so she moved back a little. Then

  the creature came out of the water and began to grow legs

  right before Jane's and the others eyes. Everyone was in

  amazement to see such a transformation take place. After

  the tail had turn into legs and the mermaid was human, she

  was covered with cuts and bruises; her skin was pale, and

  she looked sickly. The mermaid dropped to the ground and

  begged for more water. Jane gave her the entire container

  of water, and then the mermaid began to talk.

  "I am an outcast, I am not as pretty as the others, so

  they taunt me daily," said the mermaid.

  "You're the prettiest, your sisters are ugly," said

  Red Fox.

  The mermaid told Jane and the others that it was said

  that her father was a sailor and an adventurer; he came

  here many years ago, and never return.

  "Where are you trying to get to?" said the mermaid.

  "To the other side, so we can climb the mountain,"

  said Sam.

  "You seem like good people, I would take you there,

  but it is very dangerous; they say the beast lies there,"

  said the mermaid.

  "Wait, it could be a trick," said Red Fox.

  Everyone waited for the mermaid to go first. Suddenly

  the mermaid jumped on one of the last remaining fighters

  and carried him into the water. The fighter struggled and

  called out for help, but there was nothing anyone could do.

  Then Jane remembered that she had a magical seed. With a

  dab of water, she attached the seed to the palm of her

  hand. It began to grow into a wild vine, running up and

  down the sides of Jane's arm. She commanded the vine to

  make a rope, and so it did, allowing Jane to throw it out

  to the fighter in distress. The vine split into two and

  went after the mermaid, tying her up. Jane pulled the

  fighter out of the water; he was badly bitten and began to

  change. His skin became scales; his legs began to curl into

  the fetal position and began to form a tail.

  "Oh, now we must leave him," said Jane.

  Sam ordered the fighter to fight, but it was too late,

  the fighter had no more strength; he was now under the

  powers of the mermaids. As Jane had the mermaid in a hold

  with her powerful vines, she questioned it.

  "You tricked us," said Jane.

  "Of course, you fools; we saw you coming and we

  smelled you. The others are waiting on their dinner, which

  is you!" said the mermaid as she changed back into her

  original ugly form.

  The plant fit on Jane's hand like a glove, and its

  vine covered up the mermaid from head to toe and strung her

  up a tree.

  "Try getting down from that, you can't be out of water

  too long," said Jane sarcastically.

  Out of all the fighters that Jane and Sam had, they

  were all gone except one, and Sam vowed to the fighter that

  he would do everything to protect her. But this young

  fighter was brave and demanded to fight on. Yet, deep down

  inside, Sam knew that the young fighter was very much

  frightened.

  "We must leave before the others come back, looking

  for their sister," said Red Fox.

  As soon as they started to leave, the others returned.

  When they saw Jane and the rest of her friends were free,

  and not dead, they came out of the water with a vengeance.

  Their tails turned into feet and they were now walking.

  These creatures were very powerful, throwing Red Fox and

  the others around like rag dolls. One by one Sam and the

  others went flying through the sky; the mermaids were very

  powerful. Sam shot a poison dart into one of the mermaids'

  chest causing it to immediately fall to the ground.

  Jane made her magical seed turn back into a wild vine,

  stringing up the mermaids one by one. Through the air they

  swooped, and into the tree. They were no match for Jane's

  magical seed. Finally they were all up in the tree, arguing

  with each other, saying who should have set the trap. To

  hush them up, Jane sent a vine to cover their mouths, and

  soon they were balled up in a cocoon-type vine.

  "We must keep moving," said Red Fox.

  Everyone started moving, looking back on their friend

  who was now turning into a mermaid himself. There was no

  hope for him, he was gone. The one who was most hurt was

  Sam; he had lost another fighter under his care and command.

  There was no time to be sad; they had to cross the

  lake. It was so huge and scary, with fur-like toads and

  huge rock crabs. The water was so black that no one could

  see the bottom. Jane decided to use her vines to make an

  aerial ladder. They quickly went to work, forming and

  twisting to make a ladder. Once it was made, one by one,

  Jane and the others climbed on with just their hands

  holding on and their feet hanging toward the water. Every

  once in a while, the raging waters would send a weird

  looking fish flying through the air, frightening Jane and

  the others.

  "We need to move fast before something else comes,"

  said Samantha.

  The team began to move faster and faster through the

  air, using their feet like pedals to help them make it

  across. For some reason, Samantha looked back and saw the

  bitten fighter getting into the water. He was already

  changed and was on the hunt for food.

  "The fighter is in the water, keep moving," said

  Samantha.

  Everyone did so; they moved as fast as they could,

  using all the strength and power
that they had. They had to

  get away from the fighter that was now changed into a

  mermaid, and was in the water coming after them. The team

  moved faster and faster; no one had forgotten that this

  mermaid was once their friend and a fighter of Baja, but

  they had no choice but to survive.

  The fighter was no longer their friend; he had change

  into a species that most had only read about. His muscular

  body grew thick scales, his feet were now a tail, his skin

  had become pale and dirty from the muddy waters, and his

  eyes glowed with evil. This was not their friend anymore,

  this was an animal of the forest, and the team had to

  remind themselves of this, and keep moving. Because this

  fighter could no longer be saved, the ex-fighter came

  swimming faster and faster through the murky waters; until

  he caught up with Jane and the others.

  "Faster!" shouted Sam.

  The remaining members kept on moving, faster and

  faster, but the ex-fighter caught up and began to snap and

  gnawed at Jane and the others. Then he began to throw muddy

  slime from the water at his friends. The water was so toxic

  that once the slime hit the vines, it began to kill the

  plant instantly. The vine caved in and began to break,

  sending Jane and the others flying through the air

  uncontrollably.

  Everyone screamed as the vine took them on a wild

  ride; it was slowly dying and losing all of its strength,

  but it was trying to hold on, to help its master and her

  friends. Meanwhile, down in the water, the mermaid began to

  laugh hysterically, waiting to feast on the ones who would

  fall into the ocean. But, unexpectedly, the vines managed

  to grab the remaining fighters and threw them to safety.

  One by one Jane and the others landed on a hilltop as the

  vines tried to save them all.

  Red Fox was the last to be thrown to safety, and just

  as he was almost to the top, the vines began to die and let

  go of him. Landing on the side of the rock, immediately

  Jane and the others rushed to his side. As the mermaid saw

  this, it began to swim faster and faster, until it was at

  the same rock that Red Fox was on. It slowly crawled up the

  side like a slithering snake. Red Fox was badly hurt, but

  fought off the mermaid. With a touch of its long

  fingernails to Red Fox skin, he shouted out in pain. The

  toxin was entering his body; Red Fox's fur began to fall

  off, his body began to wither away, and with saliva foaming

  at the mouth, he mumbled to his friends.

  "Go, I am a dead man!"

  Everyone looked on in horror; Sam could not levitate

  his friend to safety, his mental abilities seemed to be

  drained. Sam began to cry out in agonizing pain for his

  friend; the tears flowed and everything seemed to be

  cemented in time. Red Fox's body had now succumbed to the

  toxins of the water, and was being feasted on by the

  mermaid; all that was left on the rocks were traces of

  blood and bones.

  In the air, Sam and the others could see Red Fox's

  spirit passing on, up and up it went; until it disappeared

  behind a cloud no longer to be seen by anyone. Sam and the

  others were torn up inside. Was it really worth it to keep

  going? They had already lost thousands of fighters, who

  left behind children and families. This lay heavy on Sam's

  heart, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing. But

  it was now time to keep moving. Sam and the others quickly

  wiped their tears away and started up the hill, often

  looking back to see if, by some weird miracle, Red Fox

  would be there.

  There was nothing but an eerie feeling of losing a

  good friend. Sam could still see the bones of his friend

  lying on the hillside. Just a few more feet, and Red Fox

  would have been safe. There was nothing the team could do

  but look down to the place where their friend had die, and

  watch the creature that was once their friend feast on Red

  Fox.

  Sam huddled the team together and told them they had

  to keep moving. No one was really in the mood for a pep

  talk, but they stood and listened. Sam let the others know

  that they were almost there, and that everyone must keep

  fighting. Yet, inside Sam was filled with anger and hatred.

  He was risking his life for a place that once exiled him

  and his family; now he had to be the one to save it,

  causing him to lose most of his friends and families.

  Yet, being the kind and passionate man that Sam was,

  he also knew that he was doing something right. Samantha

  was taking it the hardest; she and Red Fox had been friends

  for many years, and now, in an instant she had lost her

  best friend. Samantha began to curse Baja and the elders,

  her voice became so loud that the birds in the trees began

  to scatter. Her voice echoed through the forest, and then

  she suddenly fell to her knees and pounded on the ground

  with her fist until it began to bleed.

  Everyone gave Samantha room to grieve, but they had to

  keep walking. They did so; with no one hardly saying a

  word. They had now left their dead friend way behind, no

  one knew where they were going; they were just following

  Sam.

  The mountain top was filled with wild flowers called

  jumpers. They played and jumped on anything passing by;

  running through the fields like wild rabbits. No one minded

  the silly flowers; they were more a stress reliever to the

  remaining members. Jane admired all the plants and flowers

  on the hillside, touching and nourishing the ones that

  needed it.

  "Why are you helping them?" said Samantha to Jane.

  "Because I am a grower of all vegetation," said Jane.

  Samantha wanted everything to die like her friend had;

  she became very angry at Jane for caring for the plants,

  letting Jane know that she was very naive and crazy for

  caring for something that could kill them all. Jane knew

  that Samantha was angry, and walked away with one of her

  flowers on her shoulder, carrying it like a baby.

  Sam pulled Samantha to the side and talked to her; he

  tried to comfort her by letting her know that everything

  would be all right. Samantha was so angry that she just

  walked away from Sam, leaving him talking to himself.

  After a brief rest underneath a tree, Sam let the

  others know that the time had come for them to keep moving

  and the sun was going down. They must make it to the very

  top and retrieve the white rhino plant. Sam told the team

  that, if one person made it, it would have to be Jane, to

  re-grow the rhino plant for many generations to come.

  Everyone nodded in agreement, and off they went.

  As they walked, it began to snow. At first, the snow

  was very light, and then it kept coming down heavier and

  heavier. Jane and the others began to tremble from the

  cold. Out of the blue, the sky began to send down tons of

  snow; no one was prepared for this. Out of the corn
er of

  her eye, Jane saw a willow plant; one she remembered as a

  little girl. Her father used to gather them up to make her

  a coat. The willow plant was a thick furry plant; the fur

  hung from its branches.

  Jane told the team to gather up a bunch of the willow

  plant, and everyone did. She taught them how to make coats

  out of it by folding it into a certain pattern. Once this

  was done, everyone had a nice warm coat, and Jane healed

  the plant. It grew more willow fur right before everyone's

  eyes.

  Jane's powers were amazing, but by this time everyone

  wanted to leave. Sam had a hard time figuring out why his

  powers would not work; his levitation was on and off,

  sometimes it would work fine, and other time it would not

  work at all. Jane let her husband know that maybe the

  stress he was under and the evilness of the forest had

  something to do with it, but Sam began to doubt himself and

  wished that his father was here by his side.

  Jane let her husband know that it was time that he

  became his own leader and stop depending on his father. Sam

  agreed with his wife and got the team together with a heart

  warming speech and the power to fight for all they had

  lost. The team's spirit rose, and they were willing and

  ready to fight again. This was the last chance to get it

  right, and the team was willing to sacrifice everything

  that they had to make it work.

  Through the thick snow and the blazing cold winds, the

  team struggled up the long hill, climbing for days, and

  then weeks. To make it up to the top took three weeks, but

  to Jane and the others, it seemed like it was no time. But,

  indeed it was. Time had passed so fast that the ones on the

  ground never felt it. When they looked at each other, they

  could tell; Sam's orange hair was now down his back,

  everyone's hair had grown, their eyes were puffy from lack

  of sleep and their hands and feet were frozen solid. They

  had frostbite, and everyone looked at each other as if they

  were looking at complete strangers.

  "We have lost a lot of time," said Jane, as they stood

  near the top of the mountain where the rhino plant lay.

  Sam and the others could hear the loud chanting and

  roaring of the monster.

  "We must get to the mountain top," said Sam.

  As Sam tried to levitate, his powers would not work.

  He was frustrated and began to once again doubt himself;

  until Jane slapped him across the face and told him to get

  over himself and have faith in his own power! Sam rubbed

  his face from the harsh slap, and started to believe in

  himself. He began to think as a leader and a captain.

  Sam told the others what to do, where to go, and how

  to fight. There was no more time to have self-pity, it was

  time to fight and revenge all those who had died. So the

  four remaining members went toward the creature. The

  chanting became louder and louder until it was almost

  hypnotizing. The team finally came face to face with the

  creature. From the bottom, Sam and the others saw the

  creature that was protecting the plant; a huge beast that

  paced back and forth, guarding the plant with its life.

  Sam wanted to find a way to the top, then he

  remembered the story the frog on the cloud told him, and

  his plan now was to find a way underground. He asked his

  wife to use her seed to grow a plant that could pierce the

  ground and dig a tunnel big enough to fit them all.

  Jane took the seed out of her pocket and touched it

  with her thumb, causing it to sprout out quickly. Then she

  placed the small plant on the ground and watched as it dug

  its roots into the soil. She commanded it to grow and make

  a tunnel under the earth to fit them. Immediately the plant

  went to work; the dirt above began to move as the plant

  grew and went deeper underground. Rocks and stones began to

  change their positions, other plants and shrubs began to

  move as the plant made a pathway for its master.

  As the team waited, Jane searched around for plants

  that they could eat. There was an orange plant whose leaves

  were orange and red. This plant let off hot steaming water

  that tasted like tea. Jane brought back enough for everyone.

  "Oh, that is good, it's like drinking a cup of hot

  tea," said Samantha.

  Everyone began to drink, until Jane noticed that she

  had one extra stem of hot brew in her hands. "Where is the

  young fighter?" she said.

  Everyone looked around and noticed that the fighter

  was gone; the last of the remaining fighters had now

  vanished. Jane and the others quickly ran looking around,

  hoping to find her.

  "Where could she have gone? She was here just a few

  seconds ago," said Sam as he searched the area with his

  eyes.

  Jane quickly grew a plant that would take her way up

  into the air, and she searched for the fighter. Out of the

  corner of her eye, Jane spotted the fighter running toward

  the mountain top where the beast lay. The fighter was

  greeted by a strange visitor in a black cape. Jane watched

  intensely to see what the visitor was telling the fighter,

  but no words were shared among them, just a silent

  communication. Jane quickly lower herself from the plant

  and told the team what she'd seen.

  "We were betrayed," said Jane as she explained to

  Samantha and Sam what she had just seen.

  Suddenly Sam rode the plant up to see if he could see

  anything else. The plant took him high in the sky. He saw

  the dark hooded stranger leaving as the fighter was whisked

  away in some type of air bubble. Across the mountain top,

  Sam could see the chanters getting ready to go to war. Sam

  realized that they would be outnumbered by the thousands.

  Sam came down from the plant and told Jane to give the

  plant digging the tunnel more power to move faster; they

  had to be leaving. The monster was building an army of men,

  and they were heading their way. Jane touched her plant

  with her thumb, gently giving it a huge dose of growth.

  Jane's thumb began to turn green as the power from her body

  went into the plant's stem. The plant began to grow larger

  and larger, burrowing through the mountain top faster and

  faster, causing a huge tunnel to form.

  One by one, Jane and the others jumped into the

  tunnel, and quickly closed it up behind them. Jane and

  Samantha packed the entrance with dirt, hoping to seal the

  hole. Everyone was amazed to see how wonderfully the tunnel

  had been carved; the vine was very artistic, leaving leaf

  marks and strange carvings that began to glow. The vine

  powered its way to the top of the mountain. Once at the

  top, the vine peeked out, catching the rays of sunlight on

  its leaf; then the vine slithered back down to its master,

  letting her know that the top was near. Then it crawled

  back into the small magical bean seed.

  "Good work," said Jane to the
vine as it crawled back

  in.

  Jane immediately tucked the magical seed away in her

  pocket; then off they went, the final three. They ran

  through the tunnel, following the path that the vine had

  set out for them. On the walls a story was portrayed of the

  beast and the rhino plant. Apparently, Jane and the others

  were now in an ancient tunnel. This was the find of a

  lifetime!

  Jane slowly passed her fingers over the carvings in

  the stone, and read the secret messages of the beast that

  protected the white rhino plant. As the team kept on

  moving, they could still hear the chanting of the

  worshipers of the rhino plant and the beast. They could

  also hear thousands of marching footsteps above the ground.

  "They are looking for us," said Sam.

  The entrance to the tunnel was now being dug through

  by beaver dogs, huge dog-like animals the size of a

  miniature horse. They were mean and ugly, always drooling

  from their sharp long yellow teeth, and covered with matted

  and grungy looking grey fur. They gave off an awful smell!

  The beaver dogs were a cross between a house rat and a

  horse; one of the most hideous creatures one could ever

  see. Jane and the others could hear the growling and the

  scratching at the entrance; the beaver dogs had picked up

  their scents and were on the hunt.

  "Faster, faster" shouted Sam as he pushed Samantha and

  Jane forward; himself staying in the back.

  As Sam and the others were running through the tunnel,

  they were stopped by a glowing light coming from beneath

  the sands. Quickly, Sam brushed away the dirt and

  discovered a small hole that he could see through. Once he

  looked down, he saw something that was so incredible, a

  long sword about five feet in length, made of pure gold

  that shone and sparkled. On the tip of the sword was a

  round crystal ball that gave off a bright glow every so

  often. For a minute, Sam was mesmerized by what he had seen

  and completely forgot about being chased.

  "They're coming, get up!" shouted Jane to Sam.

  As Sam went to move, the entire floor caved in, taking

  everything with it. Jane and Samantha screamed as they went

  tumbling down the sides of the opening. Everything was

  pitch black; the only thing visible was the glow off of the

  sword. The army of chanters was on their trail, and now in

  the tunnel. But they did not know that there was no floor

  underneath them, and many of the chanters feel down, taking

  with them their beaver dogs.

  Sam fell to the bottom first, hurting his back and

  shoulders; right behind him was Jane and Samantha, tumbling

  down. Samantha used her ancient kung fu skills to help her

  gracefully land on her feet. The place was completely dark;

  the sword glowed and lit up the room, giving Sam and the

  others a few seconds to find each other.

  The light also showed what was in the tunnel, and that

  was a treasure hunter's dream: gold and gems were scattered

  everywhere and secret books that opened and closed on their

  own. Sam quickly reached for his match and lit a fire. The

  air inside the cave was thick and stuffy; this room or

  chamber had been closed for thousands of years.

  Once the light was lit and Sam could see better, he

  called out to Jane and Samantha. Brushing off the dirt from

  the fall, the three managed to find each other, glad and

  relieved that everyone was okay. Jane told Sam that some

  chanters and their beaver dogs were after them. As the room

  lit up, the only things Sam could see were small, tiny

  beetles crawling up and down the walls. It was an eerie

  sight; one beetle turned into two, and two into ten, and so

  forth until there were thousands crawling up the walls.

  The beetles seemed to fill the room in seconds, as if

  they were watching what was going on, and in the corner a

  sudden movement took place. The gold coins began to move,

  and the movement gave off a loud sound. Sam approached what

  was moving in the corner, and with its back turned, Sam

  called out to the chanter. It would not turn around; the

  figure was small and tiny, dwarf-like. The chanter suddenly

  turned around and gave Sam the shock of his life; it was

  wearing a scary tribal mask, and was not showing its face.

  "We mean you no harm," said Sam as he motioned to Jane

  and Samantha to stay back.

  Sam noticed something strange about this chanter; he

  was wearing an old watch that Sam had given to an elf named

  Dunbar.

  "Dunbar, is that you?" asked Sam.

  Dunbar quickly took off his mask, and acknowledged

  Sam. He explained to Dunbar that they were friends, but

  Dunbar said Sam was a traitor for having had a fighter in

  his army that sided with the seven wizards. Sam explained

  to Dunbar that he did not know this, and that he was also

  betrayed by this fighter. Dunbar told Sam that the young

  lady's name was Bissella, and she was one of the seven

  wizards' daughters.

  Once again, Sam was upset with himself and began to

  swear and kick things around. Coins and treasures went

  flying through the air. Sam was very upset and disgusted

  with all the mistakes that he had made. Dunbar quickly

  realized that Sam was telling the truth and ordered his

  other chanters to stay away. Sam and the others were

  surprised to see that they were surrounded by thousands of

  chanters that had also fallen through the hole.

  They were relieved that they knew Dunbar, but did not

  know that he was a chanter. Dunbar explained to Sam and the

  others that, for many years, they had been the protectors

  of the white rhino plant. Their job was to sing and chant

  to the beast to keep it angry for many centuries, so that

  no one would dare try to obtain the plant. It was a very

  powerful object that could cause the destruction of Baja

  and many worlds beyond.

  Dunbar told Sam that he did not trust them when they

  were seen with Bissella. The wizards had been trying to get

  the rhino plant for centuries. Sam explained to Dunbar that

  Baja was dying and that they must obtain the plant.

  "But the plant could not be moved!" shouted Dunbar.

  Jane came into the conversation, letting Dunbar know

  that they didn't need the entire plant; they just needed a

  stem, pedal or leaf. She let Dunbar know that she was a

  grower of plants and could grow almost anything. A little

  skeptical, Dunbar gave in, letting Sam and the others know

  that they were on their own, and that he could not be a

  part of what they were trying to do.

  For centuries, his family was commissioned by the

  elders to chant and disturb the beast so no one would ever

  want to come and disturb a plant that was so powerful and

  dangerous to the entire universe. Dunbar motioned to his

  other chanters to start moving out, and they began

  chanting. One by one, the chanters left through a secret

  hole.

&
nbsp; Sam tried to follow, but the hole was too small for

  him. Sam, Jane and Samantha continued to look around the

  place, not only was it filled with gold and treasure, it

  was filled with the history of the rhino plant. Jane

  quickly brought the light forward and began to read up on

  the rhino plant. The ancient scrolls told of a powerful

  plant that fell on Baja millions of years ago, causing a

  big bang and blast. Anyone touching the plant became so

  powerful that many rulers and kings could not handle the

  power. They began to have slaves and the power of the plant

  went to their heads; they could not control themselves and

  the power was too great for them.

  So keepers came and moved the plant and placed it in a

  safe place; where, for thousands of years, it had not been

  found, until now. Jane explained to her husband that the

  plant was very powerful and she was deeply afraid of

  turning into a bad person. Sam assured his wife that he

  would be there to bring her out of the spell, if anything

  should happen. There were thousands of books and manuals,

  there were ancient paintings and old scrolls, and treasure

  as far as the eye could see.

  As Samantha studied the paintings on the wall, she

  realized that they were once again in an old temple. There

  were pictures of how the temple once was; it was a thriving

  metropolis, everyone was wealthy and everyone lived in

  harmony, until the arrival of the plant. Once found, power

  and greed took over, and it caused the destruction of the

  entire population. As Samantha flipped the pages of an old

  book, there was a sword like the one that was glowing

  above. Samantha kept on reading. Finally she got to the

  part where the sword was placed in the possession of the

  people to cut off a small chunk of the plant, If there was

  ever a situation that the plant was needed.

  The sword was not just a sword; one had to be strong

  enough, brave enough, and their heart pure to even lift the

  sword. That's why for many years the sword lay on the top

  of the secret altar; because no one had come along with all

  those qualities to remove it from its resting place. The

  white crystal ball at the end was a formulated spell that

  would protect the person who touched the plant to not

  succumb to evil. The blades on the sword were the only ones

  powerful and strong enough to cut through the plant.

  The book also had a warning not to pull the plant from

  its roots; killing the plant would mean destruction to

  their world and many worlds beyond. Samantha explained this

  to Jane and Sam, and they were now thinking of a way to

  obtain the sword. Sam went through his mind, thinking of

  who would be the best candidate for obtaining the sword. He

  quickly ruled himself out and left the decision between

  Jane and Samantha. Jane feared with Sam and her family

  being exiled would cause the sword not to move.

  So the only one left was Samantha. She was not afraid;

  she had a look of determination on her face as she accepted

  the challenge ahead. As Sam and Jane lit up the room even

  more, they found out that the room was in the center of a

  volcano, and if one fell down or off of the edge, there was

  no way of ever coming back. The room also revealed more

  treasures and secret entrances that were blocked a long

  time ago.

  The doors were sealed shut as if they were glued

  together. When Sam looked around, the walls were covered

  with huge white spiders that seemed to be frozen in time.

  They were white and furry, with evil black eyes, foam

  coming out of their mouths, and one spider seemed to be

  eating a body of either a solider or a native person.

  Because of all the web and dust, it was hard for Sam to

  tell. He picked up a long stick and tired to shake the

  spider, to hopefully get it to drop whatever was in its

  mouth.

  Out of the corner of Sam's eye, he could see the

  spider seem to move, but when he turned around, the spider

  was not moving at all. Sam quickly put down the stick and

  returned to what he was originally doing. But his eyes

  remained focused on the spider. The room was also guarded

  by long huge snakes that were lying in their nests. The

  walls were inlaid with plant-like people, the ones Jane and

  the others had seen before. But these plant-like species

  were not the friendly type. They carried weapons on every

  part of their bodies, they had no eyes, just an outline of

  a face, and their bodies were a make up of mold and moss.

  As Jane got closer, their bodies also let off an odor.

  Jane feared in her mind that everything in the room might

  still be alive. Meanwhile Samantha was still reading the

  old scrolls and they told that if the person who handled

  the sword was not pure, they would immediately be pushed

  into the fire below, and once the sword was moved,

  everything in the room would come alive. Samantha shared

  this with Sam and Jane, and they had to now find a way to

  escape once the sword was lifted from its resting place.

  Suddenly magical block steps appeared with the symbols of

  Baja glowing faster and faster.

  A loud thunder approached, and then a voice boomed.

  "Who is the sword bearer?" said the voice.

  Looking everywhere to find out where the voice was

  coming from Samantha answer, "I am."

  "Well come forth and take the first step. If your mind

  is not clear and your heart is not pure, you will be

  sentenced to the lake of fire," said the voice.

  Samantha quickly took the first step, which took her

  high into the air. As she was riding through the air on the

  moving steps, Samantha could see the spiders and snakes on

  the walls were now starting to move.

  "Get in place, they're moving," said Samantha as she

  shouted to Sam and Jane.

  Sam quickly grabbed Jane and decided to find a way

  out. They pushed and pulled on the doors, but none of them

  would even budge. As they kept on searching for a way out,

  Samantha was headed to the top. Suddenly the voice appeared

  and the steps to the sword stopped, shaking and twisting,

  it gave Samantha a little scare.

  "This is your first challenge," said the voice.

  Then a whole entire line of steps appeared, and on

  each on stood a creature of unknown origins. They were

  ready for battle, adorned in fighting gear and swords.

  Samantha was ready for war; she activated the armor vest

  that Sam's father had made for her. In the secret pocket of

  the vest was a small thin mirror. Samantha had no idea what

  to do with it; she held it up as the creatures began to

  approach her, and nothing happened. The creatures were on a

  war path, smashing bricks and causing destruction all

  around.

  It had been many, many years since these creatures

  were ever let out, and now they were on a violent path.

  Samantha used her ancient ninja skills to jump and hurdled

&nbs
p; over the creatures, still keeping the mirror in her hand.

  From the ground, Sam and Jane tried to help Samantha,

  throwing things at the creature, but they were too far up

  in the air.

  While running and jumping, the mirror turned into a

  black liquid that oozed out of the mirror case, and onto

  the steps. At first, nothing happened; then suddenly the

  black liquid formed a puddle that went down the steps. As

  the creatures watched and laughed at the black oozing

  puddle, they were now stuck; they could not move or even

  take a tiny step. The black goo had the creatures stuck,

  except for two.

  One flew from the highest steps all the way to the

  floor, sending off a loud pounding thump. This creature was

  going after Sam and Jane. Then the one at the top came

  after Samantha. She took a sword off of one of the stuck

  creatures and began to fight with the one that was chasing

  her. Back and forth Samantha and the creature fought;

  tumbling and rolling almost off of the secret steps. Swords

  were flying through the air, slicing and cutting, missing

  Samantha by inches.

  When the sword of the creature snipped off one piece

  of Samantha's long jet black hair, she became upset and

  lunged into the air, slicing the creature's head off. It

  stumbled and fell into the sea of fire. Green goo was

  everywhere, splashing against the walls of the temple and

  onto Samantha. The other creatures began to cry and moan

  for their dead, but Samantha had no time to waste, she

  needed to get to the top and get the sword.

  Meanwhile, on the ground, Sam and Jane were fighting

  the creature that had escaped from above. The creature was

  upset and began to throw and smash its fist against the

  walls of the temple, causing huge holes. Through the holes

  the creature made, Sam and Jane could see land of some

  sort, and they began to taunt and tease the creature so

  that it would continue making the hole bigger. The creature

  was tormented by Sam and Jane until it had made a great big

  hole in the wall and all Sam and Jane had to do was to get

  away from the creature, and wait for Samantha to get the

  sword and a piece of the rhino plant.

  Once the hole was made, Sam taunted the creature into

  following him. He was running fast, and the creature was

  quickly following. Sam did his best to get the creature to

  fall over the edge, but it was not falling only slipping

  every now and again. Finally Jane ran from behind the old

  columns and kicked the creature over the edge into the sea

  of fire.

  "Good job, honey," exalted Sam as he gave his wife a

  big hug.

  The cries and moans of the creature filled the old

  temple, echoing all the way back up to Samantha. She

  smiled, knowing that her friends were okay, and that they

  had destroyed the creature. Samantha continued her climb

  back toward the area of the sword. Then she was stopped by

  a mystical woman on the steps offering her gold, silver,

  and the finest gems; even offering Samantha an orb that

  could grant her every wish. Samantha's one wish was to get

  her friend back; she wanted Red Fox to return to her. She

  wanted things to be the way they once were. The mystical

  woman began to read Samantha's heart, and because of this,

  she could see all of Samantha's desires. Samantha was now

  in a daze, imagining that Red Fox was alive. Meanwhile, the

  unknown woman was weaving glass all around Samantha. From

  the ground, Sam and Jane could not see anything but a large

  glowing light.

  "Something is wrong," said Jane to Sam.

  Sam looked around for the book that Samantha was

  reading, and once he found it, he read all the levels to

  obtaining the swords. The first was the creatures of the

  unknown, and the second was the lady in white, who traps

  your soul and body in a glass that nothing could get

  through, but the magical sword. The scroll told of many who

  lost their lives to the lady in white; those who wanted to

  turn back the hands of time, or those who wanted material

  possessions. Sam knew that all Samantha wanted was her

  friend back, and that was why she might be caught in the

  lady in white's spell.

  Sam explained this to Jane and immediately Jane

  reached into her pocked and grabbed a hold of her magical

  seed, but the seed had died. There was nothing to sustain

  its living, no water or food. Jane tried to revive it, but

  the seed had died; it had done all it could for Jane and

  the others. Sam began to panic; he reached for long old

  binoculars, so he could see Samantha, who was now covered

  up in glass webbing from her feet to her waist.

  "We have to do something," said Jane.

  Sam tried his levitating powers, but it was limited

  and only worked for a few seconds. So he picked up a sword

  and threw it at the lady in white. She blocked the sword

  with the weaving of glass into the air, forming a barrier

  between her and the sword. Sam shouted at Samantha.

  Slowly Samantha began to come out of the spell as she

  heard Sam's voice. Samantha became frightened, and tried to

  move, but she was stuck in the glass web. The lady in white

  continued to try and offer Samantha everything her heart

  desired, but Samantha was now aware of the evil spell the

  lady in white was putting on her. Samantha refused to

  accept the gifts and the promises; she began to count out

  loud and the lady in white began to get irritated and black

  tears began to fall from her eyes. Her skin began to turn

  green and wrinkle, her beauty was all but gone and she was

  now a witch.

  The more Samantha counted, the more the lady in white

  changed into her original form, which was a green witch.

  The glass on Samantha's body began to break off, layer by

  layer. The more Samantha ignored the witch's promises and

  kept her mind occupied, the more the web of glass fell off,

  hitting the floor, smashing and sending glass flying

  through the air. As one of the glass pieces flew passed Sam

  and Jane, they could see what Samantha was wishing, and

  that was to be with her friend Red Fox. Samantha was angry

  that he died, and wanted him back.

  Sam was glad that she was okay, and watched as

  Samantha headed toward the sword as if nothing had

  happened. Deep down, they all knew that Samantha was

  hurting, through her tough-girl image, she was sad, and

  wanted her friend to return to her. Samantha quickly put

  all of her feelings aside and went on to retrieve the

  sword. Just one more step and she was there. The sword grew

  bright and the mysterious voice came.

  "Well done, you may obtain the sword," said the voice.

  Samantha was a little afraid; her hands began to shake

  and sweat, she gazed upon a beautiful sword. With all of

  her might, she closed her eyes and reached for the sword.

  It was as if an electric current had swept through her

  bo
dy. As she picked up the sword and held it toward the

  sky, everyone stood and waited to see if anything would

  happen. Nothing did. Samantha was indeed the one to obtain

  the sword.

  "Great choice, honey," said Jane to her husband Sam.

  Sam smiled and gave a sigh of relief. Samantha quickly

  and carefully brought the sword down to her side; the light

  from the sword went out and stayed in the glass globe at

  the end of the sword. Suddenly the temple began to shake

  and fall apart, statues began to hit the floor, sending

  pieces of stone and clay flying through the air. The

  snakes, spiders and creatures on the walls began to move.

  Sam grabbed the book of the sword and hurried to

  Samantha to come down. She began on her way down as she was

  attacked by one of the huge spiders on the wall. She

  quickly fought it off as Sam and Jane ran over to help her

  by setting fire to the creatures. As the creatures burned,

  Jane quickly grabbed Samantha by the hand and led her

  toward the hole in the wall.

  Suddenly the plant creatures pulled Jane by her legs

  and tossed her across the room like a paper doll. Jane was

  out for a minute, until Sam came to her aid, shooting fire

  at the creatures with an old bow and arrow that he had

  found in the temple. But, the creatures just kept on coming

  and attacking Sam and the others. Finally Sam grabbed ahold

  of Jane and dragged her out through the opening where

  Samantha was waiting.

  As soon as they were out of the temple, it began to

  crumble faster and faster, sending smoke and dust

  everywhere. Once outside, Sam and the others could see

  where they really were, and though the outside was

  flourishing with life, they were now at the home of the

  white rhino plant and the beast that protected it.

  Samantha quickly held onto the sword as her eyes gazed

  up toward the large beast. At the bottom of the hill,

  Samantha and the others could hear the chanting of the

  worshipers. Sam, Jane and Samantha quickly moved behind a

  large rock that sat a few feet away from the creature. They

  were all afraid, thinking of ways in which they could

  defeat this huge creature to get to the plant.

  Sam was fresh out of ideas; once again he began to

  doubt himself, and did not want to be responsible for any

  more lives lost. Then Jane took over and made up a plan.

  She now took the role of her husband as leader and

  protector of Baja. There was no more time for a pep talk,

  so she got everyone together and gave them the plan.

  Samantha was to cut the rhino plant while Sam and she

  distracted the beast.

  Everyone jumped into action, and as soon as they came

  from behind the rock, the monster was waiting for them. It

  stood many feet tall, with huge expandable wings that it

  opened and closed. Its mouth spew fire that would scorch

  the skin, it had horns coming out in all directions, and

  with its yellow cat-like eyes it glanced over Sam and the

  others. It was an unknown species of dragon; it seemed to

  be half-bat and half-dragon.

  This creature was nothing like what the locals had

  talked about, not even close. This dragon was huge, with a

  triangular tail that wrapped around its body, and black

  dirty and matted fur that was stuck to its skin. The beast

  glowed with red symbols when it gave out a loud roar.

  The chanters began to scatter as it caused rocks to

  crumble down the hillsides. The beast was tied to a heavy

  chain that prevented it from moving any distance. It opened

  up its large claw and then lashed out at Jane. She dove in

  between the creature's legs as she motioned to Samantha to

  get the plant.

  Samantha quickly jumped into action, using her ninja

  skills and leapt into the air. But the creature was not

  happy, and began to lash its tail at Jane, cutting her

  across the face and knocking her out. When Sam saw this, he

  quickly snapped out of his self-pity and ran to his wife's

  side, dragging her back behind the rock. Sam lunged at the

  monster with all of his force; the monster continued to

  roar and upset the rocks on the hill, which came tumbling

  down like an avalanche, running over most of the chanters.

  "Go for cover!" shouted one of the chanters.

  All the clan began to run, hiding behind huge trees

  and stones. Sam continued to punch the monster in its belly

  with all of his might. The monster continued to scream and

  moan, as it could not reach Sam. Finally the monster sent

  its tail under its belly, picked up Sam, and threw him

  across to the other side.

  Samantha had finally gotten to the beautiful flower;

  this was like no other plant. It was all white, made of the

  finest silk, its petals were big as elephant ears, and its

  stems were strong and muscular. At the end of the petals

  were rhino like horns that dripped some type of brown sap.

  Samantha pulled out the long sword and stood at a distance

  as she tried to cut the plant. It was not easy; it was as

  if Samantha was cutting into rock.

  Not paying attention, the monster came and hit

  Samantha over the head, sending her one way and the sword

  the other way. There was no stopping this creature, it was

  too big and they were outnumbered. Sam tried to talk to the

  creature in a calm voice and explain to it what they needed

  the plant for. But the creature was not in the mood to

  talk, and continued to kick Sam and the others around.

  Sam was frustrated and upset; with one final move, Sam

  jumped onto the creature's back and began stab it with the

  small knife that he had in his war shoes. The creature

  cried out and tried to wiggle Sam off, but Sam was not

  budging. Sam held onto the creature's fur with all of his

  might; not letting go, and continued to stab at the

  creature.

  From the creature's fur came a large flea that stuck

  its fang into Sam's shoulder. Sam shouted from the pain and

  his blood was everywhere. The huge flea began to drag Sam

  into its nest on the dragon. The nest was filled with

  hungry babies the size of horses. In pain, with the fangs

  of the flea still in his shoulders, blood began to pour

  from Sam, and the flea and her babies began to suck up the

  fresh blood.

  Sam shouted out for Samantha, who was still trying to

  recover from the hit of the dragon. Samantha got up, leapt

  into the air and onto the back of the dragon. She pulled

  out her sword and began to cut Sam out of the grip of the

  hairy flea. Once Sam was free, she slid down the back of

  the dragon and lay at the end of its tail.

  Trying to compose himself and catch his breath,

  Samantha was at the top of the dragon inside the nest of

  the fleas, killing and destroying all of them. It was a

  vile sight to see. Fleas had crawled under the dragon's

  skin and made it their home; there were millions of tiny

  eggs and thousand of them were about to hatch.

/>   As Samantha got rid of all the fleas, she noticed that

  the dragon was not moving or putting up a fight. She peeled

  her way out of the skin of the dragon, noticing the

  calmness and the non-movement. Samantha slid down the back

  of the dragon to find it lying peaceful on the ground,

  licking its paws and being content.

  Neither Samantha nor Sam could believe what their eyes

  were seeing. Sam quickly moved out of the way of the beast

  and went to check on his wife who was slowly coming out of

  her head injury. Samantha ran for the sword to cut the

  plant, and found herself face to face with the dragon. It

  looked Samantha in the eyes, and licked its yellow teeth as

  if it was preparing for dinner. Samantha pulled out the

  sword and held it up to the creature's face.

  The creature said. "I have been in pain for many, many

  years. All I needed was someone to remove my tormentors,

  and you did this kindness. I will always be grateful."

  Samantha and Sam were very surprised by the creature's

  attitude. For millions of years it was tormented by the

  huge fleas that were embedded underneath its skin, and the

  chanters made the fleas crawl more, and this made the

  dragon irritated.

  "You're very welcome," said Samantha.

  Then the dragon had one last favor, and that was to

  remove its bondage, which were the chains that kept it on

  the mountain. Samantha was a little skeptical and began to

  cut at the rhino plant before she let the dragon free.

  Samantha cut faster and faster at the plant, but it was

  very stubborn. Finally the dragon instructed Samantha on

  how to hold the sword and which way she needed to cut.

  "Face the sword west and cut at an angle," said the

  dragon.

  Samantha did not want to be tricked and continued

  cutting the way she was at first. When she found that it

  was not working, she then took the dragon's advice and cut

  in the manner that the dragon had suggested. Slowly

  Samantha could feel the blade penetrating the stem. She

  sliced the rhino plant in half, but with the first cut the

  plant began to die, and then everything started to die. The

  trees on the hills, even the grass began to whither faster

  and faster.

  Once Samantha noticed this, she called out to Jane.

  Still trying to recover from her hit, Jane was slowly

  coming around, but not fast enough. Sam picked up his wife

  and quickly carried her over to where Samantha and the

  plant stood.

  "Work your magic, honey," said Sam to Jane.

  Jane quickly stretched out her hands and laid them

  upon the rhino plant. Jane's thumbs turned green, and

  within a few seconds the plant grew right before their

  eyes; it became one again, its petals and stem grew

  stronger and stronger as it attached itself to the soil in

  the ground.

  A bright light appeared as the plant began to heal

  itself; the trees that were once dying began to flourish

  again. The grass became greener, and the plants grew wild.

  Jane gave all the energy she had left, and then passed out

  in her husband's arms. Jane had saved the rhino plant and

  possible Baja.

  Samantha kept her promise to the dragon and broke the

  chains that held the dragon to the top of the mountain.

  When Samantha cut the chains, she quickly stepped back,

  fearing that the dragon would attack, but it did not. It

  began to circle around like a dog chasing its tail, and

  then the dragon flew off into the air, opening its huge

  wings that blocked out the sun.

  A bright stream of light came out of the dragon's

  mouth and shot into the heavens; then, with a loud bang and

  a huge burst of colors into the air, the dragon came back

  down to where Samantha was. Still keeping her guard up,

  Samantha aimed her sword at the dragon. It shed all of its

  fur and muscles; out of the dragon came a primitive looking

  boy, slender in build, like that of a Native American.

  The young man never said a word, just ran away and

  disappeared into the forest. Samantha ran to see where the

  young man went, but never saw him again. His spirit was

  free, and he disappeared into the woods. As Samantha turned

  around to get a glimpse of the rhino plant once more, it

  also disappeared, and so did the carcass of the dragon. All

  that was left was an old wise saying: "Judge not by

  appearance, but by the action of your subject."

  All this time, many elders and citizens of Baja were

  judging the beast, but never took the time to ask why? And

  the answer was as simple as killing a few fleas. Millions

  had died because of the ignorance of many, but to Sam and

  Samantha this was a lesson well learned. With a few minutes

  to wrap their minds around everything that they had been

  through, Samantha gave a wild call to the large hawks that

  had dropped them off.

  Her call was not ignored, the hawks were on their way

  with plenty of other hawks to help transport them home.

  Samantha and Sam were glad to see their friends once more.

  They stood on the mountain top waving to the hawks as they

  circled around. The hawks flew down, scooping up Sam,

  Samantha and Jane. Jane was a little out of it, but was

  comforted by her husband.

  "Well done, well done," said the hawk to the remaining

  fighters.

  The hawk explained how the lands were now flourishing,

  but they needed to quickly plant the remaining half of the

  white rhino plant. Faster and faster the hawk flapped its

  wings, dipping and dodging through the clouds. Up, up and

  away the hawk went; it was in a hurry to let Jane heal and

  plant the white rhino plant.

  Soon Sam and the others began to drift off into a deep

  sleep. As the hawks flew vigorously through the air, Sam

  began to dream about all the things he had gone through,

  and began to see what scared him most. Sam began to twist

  and turn as he continued to dream; he thought of his

  brother, one he loved so much, and the one he might have to

  destroy in order to save Baja.

  Sam then saw a figure of his brother in his dreams.

  Marcus Carrot-Top was not happy with his brother, the

  ghostly figure of Marcus began to call Sam a loser, and

  that Sam could come and join him in the land of the wizards

  where he would never be exiled. Marcus began to show Sam of

  all the wealth and power his family could have, and with

  the two of them, they could take over Baja.

  But even in his sleep, Sam was a good man, and turned

  Marcus down; something Marcus did not accept too well and

  began to get angry with his brother.

  "Sam, you fool, Baja once exiled you and your family,

  and now you want to save them? You're a fool!" shouted

  Marcus to his brother as saliva spewed out of his mouth in

  anger.

  Sam begged his brother to stop, and come back to Baja

  where he could be a free man. Marcus refused and began to

  strangle Sam in his
sleep. Sam quickly woke up to notice

  that they were still in the air. Then a big dip landing by

  the hawks woke Samantha and Jane. Everyone noticed that it

  was really bright and hot; it was so hot that Sam and the

  others could see the heat waves in front of them.

  The hawk instructed the three to walk through the

  heat. Holding Jane up, Sam and Samantha followed the hawk;

  it didn't seem to mind the heat, it seemed like it had been

  here before.

  "Hurry, quickly, just a few more steps," said the hawk.