Up ahead, the Zone 2 shroomline cut across the forest in a shining white line. Even without the shroomline it would’ve been clear they approached Zone 2, as the glow of Zone 1 orangegills changed abrubtly to that of Zone 2 redparasols.

  Young voices cut through the night. Three gatherers were standing by the shroomline, trying to coax one of their group over the line, from Zone 2 into Zone 1.

  ‘C’mon Jess!’ a boy whined. ‘Just do it! We need to get back! It’s easy, look.’

  With the air of an arrogant showoff, he jumped back and forth over the line with no visible distress. After several jumps he lunged at the little girl but she twisted away.

  ‘If you don’t come now, we’re leaving you here!’ the boy said.

  ‘Just give me a few minutes!’ Jess looked close to tears.

  The eldest of the group saw Caruso and Webber approaching. She stepped off the path to let the mares go past.

  ‘Everything OK?’ Webber asked.

  ‘She’s new to Zone 2,’ the eldest girl said. ‘And a little afraid of the sporesickness. Not fully acclimated yet.’

  Caruso gave an understanding nod and made to continue down the path but Webber jumped off his mare and went to younger girl’s side. Caruso stayed up, intrigued what Webber was going to do.

  Webber approached the girl slowly with a wide friendly smile. ‘First time?’ He asked.

  She shook her head. ‘Fourth.’

  ‘So you’ve already been through the worst of it. You know it won’t be as bad this time, right?’

  ‘We told her that already,’ the boy said. ‘She’s still scared.’

  Webber smiled at the younger girl. ‘Logic doesn’t always help, eh?’ The girl didn’t try and run when Webber put a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘Best not to even think about it. Tell me, what’s your favourite shroom?’

  ‘Mum always gives us berryshrooms and—’ Webber scooped her up and carried her over the line. She screamed and kicked but as soon as she crossed over the line of white mushrooms, she stilled in Webber’s arms then vomited all down his front. Webber set her down carefully and pat her on the back while her friends rushed to her side. ‘I’m sorry,’ Webber said. ‘But it wasn’t that bad was it? Just a bit of stomach cramping. Next time you might not even vomit.’

  The girl moaned on the ground, clutching her stomach, bile stringing from her mouth.

  Caruso sympathized with her. He knew what it was like, sprawled pathetically on the ground with others watching. For her sake he hoped she hadn’t shat herself.

  Caruso looked at the other members of her group expectantly. When no one offered her anything other than water and reassuring words Caruso spoke up. ‘Don’t any of you have any bittergill or pennylace to give her?’

  They just stared blankly at eachother, shrugging. It wasn’t uncommon for amateurs to come out here so unprepared.

  ‘Is there any nearby?’ Webber asked.

  ‘My garden is a few minutes ride away. I should have something there.’

  ‘I’ll wait with them,’ Webber said. ‘Need to clean my shirt anyways.’

  By the time Caruso returned, the girl was still doubled over on the ground. Webber was busy scrubbing vomit from his shirt. ‘Give her this,’ Caruso said.

  ‘What is it?’ The older girl asked.

  ‘Pennylace, it relieves stomach cramps. Shouldn’t you all know this?’

  The older girl just shrugged again. ‘We do now. Thanks stranger.’ She gave Caruso a smile that made him blush.

  —

  ‘Should we keep heading straight?’ Webber asked. The path was less defined in Zone 2. It branched out in multiple directions, each new path was narrow and encroached upon by redparasols.

  ‘Let's keep going straight for now.’

  Caruso spotted several pine trees which would contain dog’s vomit. He knew he could save time by gathering sub standard dog’s vomit. But getting back to his room quickly was no longer his goal. With Webber, he could enjoy the forest without worrying about the Vandeliers. He could relax. And there was something about Webber’s company that made him feel…normal. Caruso smiled to himself. If he could do a good job here, then maybe teaching Webber could be a permanent thing. He only wished he could somehow be the type of person that Webber would want to be around.

  Each pine tree they passed, Caruso pointed out to Webber why it wasn’t perfect. Webber was slow to grasp the concepts, but made up for it with enthusiasm. Eventually, they tied up their mounts next to a fallen pine log covered in dark green dog’s vomit. The fungus covered the log in little lumpy puddles. Caruso showed Webber how to peel them off the log slowly without tearing them. Despite this, Webber ripped the first one in half. He seemed to enjoy the challenge and immediately tried again with the next.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  As they stacked the dog’s vomit into their baskets, Caruso pointed out the thick rope of mycelium running through the centre of the pine log. He explained that as you get deeper into the Zones, the trees and the mycelium network become more and more integrated. He then identified all the other medicinals nearby, breaking down which ones were used for deworming, which ones were for cleaning teeth, and which ones could reduce swelling. He explained why sourcaps thrived up in the trees but never grew on the ground.

  It was only when they were back at their mares, loading the baskets into the side saddle, that Caruso realized he had been rambling for the past ten minutes. Fuck. How did that happen? The last thing Webber wants is to listen to a boring mushroom lecture. He scanned his memory for stupid or cringe worthy things he might’ve said.

  ‘Sorry for rambling,’ Caruso said. ‘Got a bit carried away. Just tell me to shut up if that happens.’

  ‘What are you on about? I’ve tried learning this stuff before you know, from proper mushroom teachers and books and shit. But this is fun. I’m actually learning loads from you.’

  Caruso was pleased that Webber couldn’t see how deeply his cheeks were flushing.

  ‘I’m gunna tell Bozi all that too,’ Webber continued. ‘So he’ll keep you on as my teacher. That’ll be pretty cool, right?’

  Webber actually thinks being my student is “pretty cool”? Is it possible that Webber is actually enjoying my company?

  ‘Yeah, that would be pretty cool,’ Caruso smiled. ‘But let’s make sure we find these inkballs first. Or Bozi might not be so happy with me.’

  ‘Right on.’

  They went deeper into Zone 2. Webber became even more talkative than usual, and so did Caruso. He couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken this much to anyone.

  —

  Webber scratched “dog’s vomit” from the list, leaving only “inkballs”. Webber frowned at it.

  ‘What even is an inkball?’ Webber asked. ‘Don’t think I’ve heard of that.’

  ‘Yea, it's a rare medicinal. Mainly used for, uh… for men who can’t…’

  ‘Can't what?’

  ‘Can’t… you know… get it up.’

  Webber laughed. ‘For floppy cock? No wonder old Bozi wants it. Better pick him a potent batch or we’ll put Fun-Girls out of business.’

  ‘Does Bozi really, uh, frequent the brothels?’

  ‘Like a shroommoth to a purpleveil.’

  I wonder if he ever goes to The Hushrooms…I wonder if he has ever visited that window, second from the left—Caruso shuddered and buried the thought.

  ‘So what are we looking for?’ Webber asked.

  ‘Inkballs grow on the branches of willows. The best ones come from willows without bright shroomlights, and must be next to a stream or river.’

  ‘Is there a stream nearby?’

  ‘The one we want is right at the end of Zone 2, next to the Zone 3 shroomline.’

  It took nearly an hour to reach the stream. There, they followed the narrow river upstream keeping an eye out for the right willows. Caruso mentally noted several decent looking trees, but they weren't perfect. He didn’t just want a passing grade, he needed to impress Bozi. Perhaps then he will keep me on as Webber’s teacher. The thought warmed Caruso.

  The mares trod over the soft red ground shrooms. This deep into Zone 2, and this late at night, seeing other gatherers or foresters was rare. The only sounds came from the lazy river, the background ringing of insects, and the occasional screech of a barn owl.

  Eventually the Zone 3 shroomline loomed up ahead, beyond which the ground was covered in bright blue metamine.

  ‘That’s Zone 3 then?’ Webber said, a trace of awe in his voice. ‘You ever seen it up close?’

  ‘Several times. Whenever I’m out this far I like to go and stand right up by the shroomline and look out.’

  ‘Really? Come on then.’

  Webber continued up the river towards Zone 3. The mares refused to go within twenty paces of the shroomline, so they secured them to a tree and Caruso followed Webber to the line of bright white mushrooms.

  ‘Kinda spooky, isn’t it?’ Webber said. ‘Just imagine, one step over that line, and you’d be stuck there the rest of your life.’

  The thought didn’t scare Caruso as much as it should’ve. Looking into Zone 3 gave him the same feeling as looking up at the night sky. Compared with the well documented first two Zones, Zone 3 looked alien. It wasn’t just that he didn’t recognize all the shrooms, but many were far larger than normal mushrooms. One of these megashrooms stood twenty paces away, taller than a man, and pulsed with dim pink luminescence. Even some of the trees in Zone 3 were unrecognisable, some held a faint glow from deep within their trunks and sprouted fungus instead of leaves. Caruso felt an unsettling urge to dash over the line to discover all these oddities.

  ‘Look at all that Metamine,’ Webber said. ‘Beautiful sight. But what’re all those yellow shrooms. Don’t see them in the shroomeries.’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘That’s a first.’

  A comfortable silence developed between them as they gazed into the Zone 3 abyss. A barn owl’s distant screech silenced the din of insects for a few seconds before it all came cascading back.

  ‘What do you think’s out there?’ Webber said.

  ‘Nothing beyond Zone 2 is in any of the books or scrolls.’

  ‘But surely you must’ve heard all the rumours?’

  ‘You mean about the urchins?’ Caruso asked. ‘Even back in Bob, everyone knows of them.’

  ‘Yeah? What’ve you heard?’

  ‘Just that the urchins are a group of people living in Zone 3, with nothing but drugshrooms to eat, so they’ve all become crazy murderers and rapists. Some even believe they’ve figured out how to cross back over the Zone 3 shroomline. And if it weren’t for the Foresters they’d come and…I dunno.’

  ‘Rape us?’ Webber offered, grinning.

  ‘I guess so. And then I’ve heard tales of additional Zones beyond Zone 3 existing. Where beasts who are half-man-half-animal roam around, feasting on anyone who comes near.’

  ‘It’s all a load of tosh if y’ask me. I reckon the foresters just make this shit up.’

  ‘Why would the foresters do that?’

  Webber shrugged. ‘Maybe they want to keep us out. Maybe there’s something in there we’re not supposed to find. Maybe there’s a good reason they don’t just hire anybody off the street to learn their secrets.’

  ‘I’ve always been curious how they can survive Zone 3 sporesickness.’

  ‘Any theories?’ Webber asked.

  ‘Well there’s a bunch of Zone 3 shrooms I’ve never seen before.’

  ‘You reckon one of them stops sporesickness?’

  ‘It’s possible,’ Caruso said. ‘But it doesn’t really fit the theme of Zone 3 drugshrooms.’

  ‘A shroom from a deeper Zone then?’

  ‘But if there were useful shrooms in deeper zones then the Foresters would sell them. We’d know about them.’

  Webber looked sceptical. Behind them, one of the mares gave a snuffle, and the other a whinny.

  ‘Spose we better find Bozi’s floppy cock shrooms.’

  The river was a dark channel through the bright redparasols. It spanned about ten paces across, and flowed straight from Zone 3. Old willows lined the bank. They followed it down until it dodged left around a rocky outcropping. A tall willow with dim shroomlights stood in the river’s elbow, it had low sweeping branches and looked easy enough to climb.

  ‘This one,’ Caruso announced, slapping the trunk and staring up at the high branches. ‘Are you a good climber?’

  ‘That’s one thing I can do better than you. Watch and learn.’ Webber grinned. He jumped and pulled himself up on a lower branch, immediately reaching for the next.

  ‘Alright then, you go high, I’ll search low.’ Caruso said, finding himself smiling as he climbed.