Aru Shah and the Forest of Shadows [COMPLETED]

Just Keep Walking, Just Keep Walking

When Aru got back, her friends were already awake.

And somewhat worried.

"You just left a note!" Mini fretted. "If you had died, we would've never known what had happened to you!"

"Well, I didn't die," Aru said.

Brynne glanced at the journal in Aru's hand. "What's that?"

Aru's old lying habits kicked into play. "I found it in the forest."

Mini began acting like it was radioactive, leaning away. "Did you sanitize it? What if it's got some sort of bacteria-"

"Mini, I'm sure it's fine," Aru said.

Brynne took it and flipped it open. "What is this stuff?"

"I think... it's about the forest. My mom said that very few people who went in cane out alive. This could've belonged to one of them."

The reminder of the fact that they could die only served to worry Mini some more.

"If you don't mind," Aiden called from the camp. "We could use a little help packing up here."

Aru grabbed the journal back and rolled up her sleeping bag, stuffing it into her backpack. Aiden walked over to her, arms crossed.

"Where in Brahman's name have you been, Shah?"

"You really do sound like a grandma."

"Ha, ha."

Aru ignored him and finished packing up. She thought Aiden would leave, but he stayed standing right where he was.

Aru picked up the journal, and Aiden seemed to notice it for the first time. He raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get that?"

"Found it," Aru responded automatically.

"Can I..." he held out his hand, and Aru gave the book to him, trying to ignore the fact that as she did so, his fingers brushed hers.

Aiden slowly opened the book, like he expected something to fly out and attack him. As he skimmed the first page, his eyebrows knit and his lips pressed together.

"No name," he muttered. "But this handwriting..."

"What about it?" Aru asked, peering over his shoulder.

His fingers traced one of the words on a page of writing in a language Aru didn't know.

"Greek," he said. "This is the Ancient Greek alphabet."

"You know it?" Aru asked, her hopes rising. Maybe, if they could decode the words, they'd have a shot at knowing more about the forest than what was written in plain English.

But Aiden shook his head.

"My cousin- not Rudy, a different one- showed it to me once. She was way into ancient dead languages."

Was, Aru noted, but she didn't comment.

"Anyway, she showed me a bunch of different alphabets- Norse, Phoenician, Greek, Old Latin, Cuneiform... but I never actually memorized any of them. I tried, honest, but I was like, seven or eight at the time."

A new plan started to formulate.

"Well," Aru said. "If we can get this to your cousin-"

Aiden shook his head again. "She wouldn't be able to translate it."

"Why not? I thought you said she-"

Aiden's face hardened, and he closed the book and handed it back to her. "She wouldn't. Trust me."

Then he walked off back to the others, and Aru had to admit, she didn't want to push him. Obviously, whatever it was, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Fine then," she mumbled, hoisting up her backpack.

The Potatoes started walking, again. Brynne's inner compass indicated that they were walking due west.

"How much longer?" Rudy whined, like a kid on a road trip.

"Shut up," Aiden grumbled.

Rudy mumbled something incoherent back and continued on.

Mini looked through the journal, frowning every so often.

"I've never seen anything like this stuff," she said.

The page she was on consisted of several hastily-jotted notes and a drawing of what looked like a berry cluster.

Mini squinted. "The writing is legible, but just barely. And these words up here in the corner-" her fingers traced them. "I have no idea what they mean."

"Aiden said they were Greek," Aru said.

Mini shook her head. "Runic. Like what the Vikings used."

"Cool!" Aru said. "So, whoever wrote this knew the Greek and Norse alphabet?"

Mini turned the page. "And whatever this is."

More strange symbols covered the page.

"Old Latin," Mini said.

Aru frowned. "I thought English was the Latin alphabet."

"It is. But this is a different version of Latin. Not used anymore."

"Oh, great," Aru grumbled. "More incomprehensible languages. Very helpful."

"Most of the journal is in English," Mini said. "At least."

"I'll bet the most important pages are the ones in different languages," Aru said.

"No doubt," Mini said cheerfully, closing the book.

"Just keep walking, just keep walking..." Brynne chanted some time later.

Aiden gave her a deadpan look. "Is that from Finding Nemo?"

Brynne didn't answer, which to Aru was a clear yes.

And that's when the huge dragon came out of the trees.