Inner Darkness (Book 2 of Dragonfire series)

Chapter 7

The next day in my Nature class we went on a field trip to Mirkwood Forest. I was hesitant to board the plane thing, seeing that the last time I flew to Mirkwood Forest I was almost killed by a hydra. Professor Tivona put us into groups of three. My group consisted of me, Stella, and a girl named Lilah. After twenty minutes, we landed in a grassy field. We walked down the ramp leaving the ship and listened to Professor T's instructions.

"Within the swamp of Mirkwood Forest is a vine called a Mandragora. It has large purple leaves that grow on it. I would like you to find this plant, pick one of its leaves, and bring it back here in ninety minutes. You aren't allowed to transform or use magic. I'm warning you, however, to be quiet around this plant. The first group back will score the highest, and the last group will get a zero." And with that, the hunt started. Thankfully, Professor T gave us boots to wear so we didn't ruin our own shoes. The three of us walked into the woods, which really didn't look like a swamp at all.

"So, do you guys have any idea where we should go?" Stella asked frustratedly. She wasn't the outdoors type.

"We need to continue straight," Lilah said as she stopped and closed her eyes. Stella and I exchanged glances before looking back at her.

"How do you know that?" I looked at her confusedly.

"My powers are of nature, so I can sense things. The plant we're looking for is in this direction." Alright, I'm impressed.

"Wow that's so cool! I'm glad you're in our group." We laughed and continued walking.

The further we walked into the swamp the hotter it got. We walked on any grass we could to avoid the water. Eventually, we came across what looked like a large pond. There were rocks jutting out of the water and bubbles formed on the water's surface.

"I don't see any more grass," Stella said as she plugged her nose from the smell.

"We're almost there, we just need to get across this." Lilah bit her lip and looked for a way for us to get across. The pond was so wide, it would take too long for us to walk around.

"Well, there are a lot of rocks. I guess we have to jump across them." I looked to Stella and Lilah to see their reactions.

"Uhh you know what happens if you touch that water right?" Lilah took a step back as she spoke. Stella and I shook our heads in confusion. "That water will make you stink for at least a week! It's like skunk spray." I crinkled my nose and shook my head in disgust.

"What's a skunk? I don't think I have those on my planet," Stella asked. Before we could answer, a bubble in the water popped loudly, scaring us.

"We better get going, come on." I gestured to them as I stepped on the first rock. To my surprise, it was actually pretty sturdy. I continued to jump from rock to rock until I was halfway across the pond. I turned around and saw Stella had just jumped onto the first rock. I yelled for her to hurry as I reached the land on the other side. Lilah joined me shortly, and after a few minutes, so did Stella. We entered into the woods following Lilah's guidance.

"Do you guys notice how quiet it is in here?" I asked quietly as we scanned for a purple vine.

"Too quiet." Lilah replied as she looked around uneasy. Suddenly, we heard screaming up ahead. We ran towards the sound and I smiled from ear to ear.

Amirah was screaming as long, purple vines wrapped around her arms and legs, lifting her off the ground. The big purple leaves caught my eye, and I slowly walked over to one of the vines. I grabbed the leaf by the base of the vine and quickly ripped it off. The vine instantly wrapped around my arm as I covered my mouth, trying not to make too much noise. Lilah ran over to me and placed her hand on the vine. She closed her eyes in concentration, and the vine slowly unwrapped itself and let me go. I rubbed my arm and thanked her. Amirah was still screaming and the girls in her group were now trying to physically take the vines off her. I recognized one of the girls, the blonde one, from when she made me catch the maze on fire in Defense.