The children were pushed and pulled along as the group of men took them through the forest. Bert and Betty at least tried to keep an eye on where they were going, but it proved nearly impossible. There were no distinguishable features to the landscape that they could memorize. The trees were all the same, a blend of maple and aspen. The path they took seemed to disappear as soon as they stepped away, the fallen leaves covering it again like snow in a blizzard. Would they ever get back home?
Their guard soon swapped places with the fellow who had chased them through the tree. He introduced himself as Ace Gerling and was kind enough to explain about the peoples of Tremen. There were the xhindi, the ones with the golden sheen to their skin and had slightly pointed ears hidden under their long hair. Then there were the nariphons, beings born from trees who were graceful and lovely to behold, with women coming from the fruits and men coming from the roots. Of the men in the group, they were the ones with leafy hair, ridged tan skin, and a branch growing out of the back of their necks. There were the kisias, the ones who, like Max Pankow, had larger pointed ears than the xhindi and had a special connection to pumpkins and sunflowers. And finally, Ace’s own species, the spriggans, beings who looked similar to trees with the seedlings having wings which they lose upon reaching adulthood.
“So, that means you’re an adult?” asked Greg as they trudged along.
Ace grinned, showing off his copper teeth. “You got it kid.”
“What I want to know is, what were you doing in our world?” asked Bert.
Ace glanced at the rest of the group before turning to the kids and bringing his finger to his lips. “Keep this quiet, but sometimes I need to get away from this crowd for a piece of quiet. Every spriggan needs it, but we don’t always say it when we need it, and so we just disappear for days. Your backyard was my place of quiet. And I’d rather they not know about that.”
“You and us both,” mumbled Bert.
Ace rubbed his chin. “Hmm, you see, spriggans have a natural ability to command trees. I could move it …”
“But-but how will we get home?” hissed Bert. “Unless you’re going to take us with you when you move it.”
Ace shook his head. “It takes a little more time than that to move a tree. Plus,” he leaned in and said in a low voice, “crossing Pankow is not a good idea.”
“Then what does he want with us?” asked Betty.
Ace’s firm hands grabbed them and pulled them to a stop. The rest of the group were also stopping. “You’re about to find out,” he mumbled as Pankow unlocked the gates to an enormous treehouse. Though, calling it a tree house didn’t seem like an adequate description of it, it seemed more like a tree mansion. The children gasped as Ace gently pushed them through the gate, though they didn’t need much prodding to go in. They wanted to see this tree mansion, inside and all the way around. The tree itself was a large oak peppered in golds and oranges, its size alone was enough to make it stand out from the quivering trees surrounding it. A large, curved double door was set at the base of the trunk and parts of the house were sticking out of the trunk like thick, large branches that ended with flat, sharp corners. The branches of the tree twisted and curved in such a way that gave the illusion that branches were coming out of the walls. The windows looked like they had been curved into shape out of other branches.
“It’s nice, huh?” whispered Ace.
“It’s beautiful,” whispered Betty in awe.
Ace chuckled softly. “Wait until you see the inside.” He gently pushed them forward again as everyone waded through the tall grass in the front yard. They stopped yet again as Pankow unlocked and opened the doors. Then they went inside, single file. Ace pushed the children into the house, and they paused in the foyer.
The entry wasn’t massive, but it was certainly elaborate, and that more than made up for it. The foyer wasn’t the showpiece that made them pause, though. It was a simple foyer, with two closets for coats and umbrellas and an end table set in the cent with mail and other papers littering the tabletop. Golden vines were etched into the archway that led from the foyer to the living space, the real eye opener. The ceiling vaulted high over their heads. In the middle stood a grand circular staircase, the golden vines from the archway also engraved upon the railing. Immediately to their right was the sitting room, several cozy armchairs encircling a stone fireplace. To the left of the staircase was a large dining table and several chairs positioned around it, all made of wood with branches and leaves sticking out like they were still trying to grow. Just past the staircase, on either side, stood mirroring archways, exact replicas of the one they just passed through. They looked like they opened up to the kitchen.
The three took a step towards the staircase, but were held back by Ace and another guy, a nariphon by the looks of him.
“Gerling, Acheson, keep them here,” Pankow ordered. He turned to two others. “Go get the kandacs.”
Ace sucked in his breath softly, but the children heard him and turned to him.
“What are kandacs?” whispered Bert.
“Insects that feed on pumpkins in swarms. They can destroy whole fields of pumpkins if unchecked.” He shot them a glance out of the corner of his eye. “And the kisias rely on pumpkins for many things, including their houses.”
The children’s eyes widened.
“No!” whispered Betty.
“That’s mean!” said Greg. Pankow slowly turned towards them. The children inched closer towards Ace.
“That might be mean, little one, but they will eventually listen to me.”
“L-listen to you about what?” asked Bert.
“Here are the kandacs.” The two men had returned with two boxes.
Pankow turned to them and took one. He walked over to Ace and handed it to him. “You two take the children to Pottsville and release the kandacs there. Meet us on the outskirts of Golding.” He glanced at the children. “Without them.”
“Um, y-yes sir.”
“Go.” Ace and Acheson gave little nods before taking the kids back out the treehouse.
“Wait!” called out Bert. “What do you need us for?”
Pankow smirked. “As a distraction. Kandacs are venomous.” He turned and kept talking. “Gaspar is going to have a field day trying to save you and stop me all at once.” He laughed. “Let’s see him try.”
“Gaspar who?” cried out Betty, but she got no answer as Ace and Acherson had dragged them out the door and back into the woods. Betty and Bert glanced at each other, concern, fear, and worry etched over their young faces. Dragged into a world of unknowns.