[Ash]: 102.Jack Frost.24

Gareth dropped down out of thick branch below into the foggy grounds of the northern forest. Here no one lived, the soil was tough and the woods were green and the animals prospered. He had been in the north searching around for the last day and had found nothing. Even with his Dryad powers his greatest attempts at growing heartwood had all failed.

Gareth looked up at the sky and saw the large frozen moon above him giving him light in his quest. Gareth returned to the ground looking, all around him were the dead steams of past heartwood plants but not a new growth in years. Closing his eyes he tilted his head back and breathed in the crisp night air.

‘It’s out there…’ he thought, ‘I’ve got to find it for Marylin.’ Gareth slowly lifted his eyelids and stared up into the stars taking in the vastness of the night. ‘Don’t let the heartwood be all gone.’


Marylin slowly raised a slender hand up to her mouth and hacked into it. Klaus slowly pushed the door opened and let Jack’s deep blue eyes stare out and see the young woman obviously feeling terrible. She turned her head hearing steps behind her and lost her little smile and looked over at Jack as he stepped out. “Oh… it’s you.”

“That’s a… That’s not a warm welcome.” Jack said nervously and stopped a few feet behind her.

Marylin with apple in hand turned around slowly and stared at him. “Did my mother give you skin?”

“Why yes, she did as a late wedding present.” Jack said and looked down at his hand, still amazed as he was when it had happened. Raising her head and tuning his attention to Marylin who bit down on the apple. “So are you feeling alright?”

“No, I feel rather sick, suppose I should go lay down.” Marylin said dropping the apple down to the ground. She wiped her fingers quickly on the bark of the tree and turned back to him. “Is mother’s bed still here, I’d like to go lay down.”

“Of course, it’s through those doors; I think the girls are already in there… sleeping.” Jack said and without another word Marylin strolled along the wooden floors and grasped the icy door handle and opened it. “Your friend… the Dryad boy, he’s gone to find you Heartwood.”

“Why that’s silly of him. Heartwood’s been extinct for over 400 years.” Marylin said weakly and went into the dark room closing the door behind her. Jack quickly turned around to Klaus with a sadden expression on his face. “Klaus go get Cassandra and tell her to come home then go find the Dryad and tell him he minds well give up.”

“Yes sire.” Klaus said and flew out the window near the ceiling leaving Jack alone realizing that his only child was condemned to death.


Night was falling on the forest and the sound of hooves could be heard coming in through the open fields just meters away from where Cassandra stood behind the tree line. She carefully stepped out just in front of a large oak where the head of the Dryad leader popped out. “Lady, we will be your back up.”

“I won’t need it.” Cassandra muttered and walked slowly into the moonlight, the large centaurs skidded to a halt just feet in front of her. “And what do you think you’re doing?”

A spear quickly moved into Cassandra’s face and the centaur holding it snorted. “Stand aside witch, this is of no concern of yours what happens in the back forests.”

Suddenly a large vine sprouted up and whipped the centaur away through the sky. “You,” she said moving to the next, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“Uh…” The centaur said as the largest of the herd moved to the front and looked down on Cassandra, two large puffs of steam flaring from his large nostrils. “Witch! This is our territory! Leave now!”

“That’s so very rude; I don’t think you deserve your territory, now it’s my territory. Shoo!” Cassandra made shooing motions with both hands and the centaur roared in anger and pulled a sword out. Vines reached up and grabbed him and flung him far across the field near the other warrior.

The rest began looking back and forth between themselves wondering if they should attack or flee, finally the back of the herd began to move way from the field and towards their own woodlands accepting Cassandra’s change.

Cassandra stood watching them until the last of the Centaurs were back into their woods. The Dryads trickled down around her and stopped at the edge of the woods watching carefully.

“They retreat now, but what of later, Lady?” The Dryad leader asked stepping down from her tree and placing a strong yet gentle hand of Cassandra’s shoulder. “We are still few and they are still many.”

“Then I guess you should get to work, I suggest you try some explosives, horses scare easily as you can see.” Cassandra said. She turned around and pulled the hand off her shoulder, “I’ll be frank with you, in a little while I won’t be able to protect you. You’ll have to go to the roots of your people, just like you mothers did. I suggest you stop lolly-gagging around, find a town, rape all the men you can find and pray that you get pregnant.”

“But… that’s so barbaric!” A small Dryad said from the back of the group. “If we do that, they’ll hunt us!”

“You guys don’t know men very well do you?” Cassandra said and turned around hearing wings flapping Klaus landed on her shoulder. “What is it?”

“Mistress Marylin has awoken and she says… the Heartwoods gone.” He whispered quietly. Cassandra’s face stood still in a solid position. “I have to go tell the Dryad boy now; he’s searching for it still. Jack would like you to come home.”

“Go Klaus.” Cassandra said quietly and the bird took off into the darkened sky. She watched as the bird ascended and drifted off in the light of the moon. Cassandra didn’t waste anytime and leaned into a run, her thick leather boots propelling her across the rooted ground.


Gareth sat in a tree, his back propped against the sturdy trunk. His head was tilted greatly, his chin pointing up towards the sky at the individually glistening stars. He breathed the icy air deeply and exhaled a steamy stream of air. His eyes richly gazed at the moon and in a loss of though and in a moment of need a small steam of tear revealed down his cheek.

He pulled his knees up close and wrapped his arms around bowing his head with closed eyes. A vision of Marylin popped in his head, the bright hair young child spinning in a circle in the woods. Then her grown in a woman walking by the lake.

It was then a sharp wind blew and Gareth saw as a large golden bird flew directly by him and stop at a branch near him and turn to him. The large hawk had a small piece of paper in hand and flung his head chucking it at the lost Dryad.

Catching it Gareth opened the read quickly the small scribbled message. ‘The Glade, sun rise –Lady’

Gareth crushed the paper and stared over at the bird. “So that’s the Woods Lady’s grand plan? The Glade…”

Gareth dropped from the tree and landed flat on the ground and began to run towards the open area of the North to get some perspective on where he was. Catching the North Star he began heading in the opposite direction hopping tree trunk to tree trunk.


The sun was about to rise and Cassandra burst through the two front ice doors and tossed a giant leather bound book in front of Jack’s feet. Jack who was sleeping in his chair woke up and looked up at her. “Cassandra?”

“Get up and get Marylin, she’s going to the glade.” Cassandra said and the book began to flip through, page after page was passed by until it stopped on a peculiar set of pages. On one was a beautiful glade painted on it. The other however in bold letters read: How to Stop Death.

“Are you sure, it didn’t work for… I forget her name.” Jack said trying to remember the woman he was in love with once. Jack quickly waved it off, “the fact is it didn’t work.”

“It will work this time, you just have to know how to use the Glade.” Cassandra said pointing over to the wooden doors where three little heads popped out.