Dreamscape: Saving Alex (12 page)

Arrow cupped his hands around mine. The same jolt
of electricity ran through me. “Change the pressure on the powder, depending on
the amount of light you want.” He demonstrated by pressing my hands together
and then letting them fall open again.

“Like this?” I asked, letting the light roll along
my palms. Each grain of powder flickered, and when condensed, brightened. I
created small snowballs of light in each hand.

“Not too bad for someone from the north. I
actually think you might know what you’re doing.” We laughed together.

The excitement behind his eyes deepened as he
looked at me. I loosened the powder to hide the red rushing to my cheeks and
slid half of it into the envelope, tucking it away inside my bag.

“Don’t give me too much credit yet. Wait until we
make it out of there. Speaking of, we really should be going. Ready?” I asked.

“At your command, Alex,” he said, brushing the
dirt off his legs, stepping into line behind me. “Lead the way.”

Something about his words struck me. I hadn’t thought
about being in control. Now it was like a spotlight shone on those words. It
was all I heard. I’d never had complete autonomy before.

This could be fun.

I smiled as I made my first decision and stepped
into the forest. The stars hid above the dark branches, and when I looked up,
the silhouettes of the birds followed me into the bramble-lined forest.

The farther we marched, the more thorns bit into
the thin fabric covering my legs. Ducking into the thorn bushes didn’t help,
and a nagging pressure bordering on pain poked my ribs. Sharing space with the
heavy branches hurt, but also gave us the best vantage point into the valley
below. The damp ground soaked through my leggings, and my teeth chattered.
Arrow draped his cloak over my shoulders, but it wasn’t that kind of chill.

My breath looked like the layer of fog surrounding
the already ominous building. The Marix estate stretched across the bowl of the
valley, backed up against the foothills opposite us, and rested near a small
pond to the east. I could see the strategy of its design. With only one
entrance to the manor, the baron effectively kept his enemies at bay by
watching every arrival.

I wanted to leave. Every fiber of my body screamed
danger!
Terror choked me from the inside. My heart pounded in my chest,
keeping me from breathing deeply. Could I really do this? Face the multitude of
dangers lurking in those long hallways?

Before my fear could paralyze me, I stood up.
Arrow’s cloak slid off my shoulders. I had to remember I wasn’t doing this for
the rebellion. Papers were not worth this risk…but getting home was.

“You’re sure you know this place?” Arrow piped up
from beside me. His voice didn’t give away the glint of doubt in his eyes.

“Like the back of my hand,” I said, keeping my
eyes glued to the building. My heart hammered against my chest. I shuffled
forward through the brush, only hearing snippets of what Arrow said. I glanced
in his direction and saw him checking the fastenings on his vest and tightening
his bag.

“...Armored knights, poison darts, fire balls...”

“Mmmm hmmm.”

“...Explosives, trap doors...” he continued,
rattling off the list of known dangers.

“Yeah, I know all about them,” I said, moving
closer to him.

I wasn’t ignoring him on purpose, but his nervous
energy was killing me. I was well aware of the dangers awaiting us at the
castle. Having them listed off did nothing but escalate my heartbeat, and if it
drummed any faster, I would need more vines to heal broken ribs.

“Look, Arrow, no more talking about the dangers.
Unless you’re trying to talk me out of this,” I said, raising my eyebrows at
his silence. “I didn’t think so. I promised we’d get your papers, and we will.
We’ll be out of there in no time. Together.”

“Before we—”

“No. We leave now,” I stopped his thought before
he said something that would change my mind. “Stick close to me. We might not
be able to stop once we get in there.”

Arrow didn’t flinch, falling silently into line
behind me.

From a distance, the illusion of the game
continued. As a tiny speck on the horizon, the manor hardly presented a threat.
Even as it grew to the size of my palm, I felt in control. It wasn’t until we
reached the bottom of the hill, hiding behind the bridge’s stone pillars that
the pit in my stomach opened.

A sensation of nausea, exponentially worse than
how I felt before every art contest, crept up my throat. I had to move.
Experience taught me not to let it linger. I cracked my knuckles and tucked the
ponytail underneath the edge of my hat.

Time to play the game.

The manor was close enough now for me to see it in
detail. Shadows blended into the stones, creating a wall of varying shades of
gray. Charcoal stained the walls where the torches had been extinguished. Even
the Marix crest, a black stallion, melted into the nothingness. The manor stood
several stories high. On each level, torches created a beam of light across the
base of the hills, briefly illuminating the multitude of guards defending the
estate.

My breath caught in my chest again as I counted
men inside rushing past the windows, dimming the light with their movements. An
isolated light shone from the top of a tower.

The baron’s quarters. That’s where we needed to
go.

We hunched over, skimming the damp ground as we
crossed the bridge, hiding ourselves in silence and shadows. The only sign of
our presence, the small triangles of our wet footprints, slowly faded away.

At the threshold of the door, I paused, my hands
scraping the rough stone. Arrow’s eyes remained alert, watching for my signal.
“Are you ready?” I asked, cursing the slight warble in my voice.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. I won’t leave your
side,” he said, tightening the buckles on his vest one last time.

“That’s what I’m counting on,” I said, offering a
warm smile.

“And I’m counting on you.”

No pressure.

“Arrow, there’s one thing you should know,” I
said. “I have a good idea of some of the dangers we’ll face in there. I’m not
afraid, but if it comes down to it, I’m not sure I can kill.”

There was a long silence. “You may not have a
choice.”

The sadness in his voice caught my attention, and
when I looked back, his eyes had darkened with their familiar, guarded
expression. How many choices had been taken from him? I frowned and turned back
to the manor. That discussion would have to wait until we were safe.

The cold, black handle of the door chilled my
hand. A loud click sounded as I leaned my weight against the handle. It didn’t
budge. This would not be the stealthy entrance I’d hoped for.

Arrow hissed at me and nodded towards the end of
the path. I followed his gaze and saw a dark mass flutter in and out of a
window. I ran to the window, carefully peeking around the curtains. No guards,
light, or loud clicking noises from the door to alert anyone. My heart leapt.
There was still a chance we could miss some of the threats.

With my dagger in one hand, I straddled the
windowsill before dropping into the room. Behind me, Arrow followed. It was too
late to change my mind now; we were committed. The room echoed with silence. I
rolled my fingers over my palm and activated the luminance powder. Through the
dim light, cold, hard grimaces peeked through the shadows.

“We’re in the statue room,” I whispered, walking
tentatively forward.

I shook my palm, loosening the powder to create a
broader light. My breath caught in my chest. Marble statues stared at us from
around the room. Each was carved with great skill, showcasing details down to
the razor edges of the swords. I walked silently past the figures at first, but
the artist in me couldn’t resist them. A thick layer of dust collected along
each bust. It was a shame that no one enjoyed or took care of this art. No
wonder they didn’t notice the window was open. I blew off the dust, apologizing
as Arrow sneezed.

“Is there something in here?” Arrow’s question
brought me back to the present.

“No, sorry. I was just looking at the statues. So
much underappreciated beauty. Who are all these people?”

He clenched his jaw. “They’re the new ruling
class. Berkos and his minions. Let’s go.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Now you do. Where do we go from here?” He stepped
in front of me, and a flash of red caught my eye.

“No!” I yelled, pulling him back towards me as an
explosion shook the room. Chunks of marble hit my legs as we rolled away from
the statues underneath the window. Dust covered us, making it hard to breathe.
The blast had turned over statues, breaking some in pieces. On others, new
scars marred the hard surfaces.

Not exactly the stealthy entrance I had been
hoping for. Every guard had now been informed of our intrusion. It wouldn’t be
long until they arrived.

I stood slowly, yanking a chunk of marble from my
thigh. Blood soaked the upper edge of my leggings; the rest hung together in
tattered shreds. I bit down on my dagger and tied my belt around my leg. I
hated blood, and now it coated my free hand.

“Arrow,” I said, shaking his still body, curled
underneath the windowsill. “We have to go.”

He stirred with protest, and rested his head in
his hands. A trail of blood rolled down the side of his head, clearing a path
through the layer of dust. His dark eyes stood out in his pale face as he
looked me over. “Are you hurt? How did you know?”

“No, the explosion missed me. Don’t forget, I know
this place,” I reassured him, hoping to calm the fear in his eyes. “The
statue’s eyes flashed before it blew. I’m just glad I saw it in time.”

“Me too.” He coughed and bent over, grabbing his
ribs.

“Look Arrow, this is your last chance. We don’t
need to do this. We can just jump back out the window like we were never here,”
I said, seeing the pain on his face.

“We’re not going back. I need those papers,” he
said, gripping my hand and standing up. “At whatever cost.”

“Then we have to go,” I said, helping him up and
wrapping my arms around his back. I just hoped the cost wasn’t more than I
wanted to pay. Together we hobbled around the edge of the room, avoiding the
now-obvious trip wires. As we passed each statue, red flashes warned me of
their activation. With that one misstep, we’d armed the entire estate.

I kept my eyes focused on the flashing lights on
top of each statue. One wrong step would cause another explosion.

We hobbled out of the statue room and slid against
the stone walls in a darkened corner of the hallway. Guards ran past us, their
armor echoing through the corridor as we shrank further into the shadows. I
pulled the cloak over us, grateful for the invisibility of the unlit hall. In
our condition, we weren’t prepared to fight any of them.

I leaned over Arrow and glanced down the
connecting hallway. Every second we lingered put us in jeopardy. His breath
sounded in my ear, shallow and strained. When I leaned back, I noticed his arms
protectively cradling his ribs. I held back my instinct to hold him, to try to
make him feel better. In all the scenarios I had run through my mind, Arrow
getting hurt had never occurred to me. The consequence of my actions, or lack
thereof, moaned at my side.

“Did you break something?” I asked, dreading his
answer.

“I’m fine,” he said, wincing as he adjusted his
position against the wall.

“That didn’t answer my question. Do you have any
more vines?”

“There’s a few more, but I’m saving them, just in
case.”

“In case of what?” I demanded. Too loud. I forced
my voice to be quieter. “You’re hurt. You need them.”

“No, not yet. I’ll be fine.” He pulled his bag to
his chest, wheezing with effort. “We should save them.” He raised an eyebrow
and managed a small smile. The vines were for me.

I gave him a hard look. “There’s no point in
saving them if it costs you your life. This mission is for you. Not me. I don’t
need the papers to do my part.”

He kept his bag closed.

“Look, I’m not playing around here. You’re hurt,
and my wounds are fine. The bleeding in my leg has already stopped and I can
walk, but I’m not strong enough to carry you. So if you want these papers, you
need to heal yourself. Otherwise, I’m walking right out that window. I’m not
going to get killed because of your stubbornness. I’ll find another way.”

He avoided my gaze for a long time.

“Let me see your dagger,” he said, pulling out a
tangled heap of vines from inside his bag. I handed it over, surprised at the
emptiness I felt with it out of my hand, even for a moment.

“Thanks,” he said, slicing through the vines.

A scent of melon hit me. I hadn’t noticed it in
the forest, but in these stuffy halls, the crispness was overwhelming. I was
about to say something, but the words stuck on the tip of my tongue as he undid
his vest and lifted his shirt to wrap his bare stomach. Strong muscles hugged
his body where his fingers tied the vines together. I couldn’t look away, I
couldn’t stop my heart from beating, and I couldn’t find the words I had
planned to say. I froze, my cheeks flushed.

He caught me looking before he leaned against the
wall, closed his eyes, and sighed. “You were right.” A content smile reached
across his face. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn about it.”

I mumbled incoherently, still tongue-tied. He
opened his eyes and gave me a crooked smile.

“What?”

I still couldn’t remember what I’d wanted to say.
Even worse, his playfulness told me he had an idea why.

“If you’re better, it’s time to get going again.
Every second we stay here is an extra chance to be caught,” I blurted out.

“I live to follow your orders, Goldy,” he said,
winking. “Give me a couple more minutes for the vines to soak in.” He leaned
back and closed his eyes again. “Thanks for saving me by the way. I guess that
makes us even.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Not until we get those
papers.” I reached for my hair, brushing away the loose strands around my face
and down my neck.

As I waited for him to heal, I turned my attention
to the dusty floor and dragged my fingers through the dirt. A clear line
appeared under my fingertips. I quickly outlined the castle formation and the
rooms we’d pass through on each level.

“Can you see this?” I asked.

“What’s that supposed to be?” He covered his ribs
as he leaned forward. The pain still resonated on his face, but he wasn’t as
pale as he had been a few minutes ago.

“It’s the manor. Or at least the parts I can
remember. We’re here,” I said, pointing to where I had drawn two stick figures.
“And we need to get over here.” I trailed my finger through the dirt to the top
room of the tower.

“It can’t be that simple.”

“Oh no, it’s not simple at all. We have hidden
passageways to go through, traps to avoid, and guards to elude. The temptation
to fall for the traps will be great. These manors were built to kill. Don’t
forget that for a moment. The thing that tempts you most could be your
undoing.”

“I doubt that,” he said, his gaze lingering on me.

“Don’t test it. You said the woods were full of
danger? This is so much worse.” I stared him down until he looked away. He was
already hurt. I didn’t want to get him killed too. I knew just enough for it to
be dangerous.

“With you leading, Goldy, I don’t worry. My life’s
safe in your hands.”

I didn’t want his life in my hands. Trying to save
my own was tough enough. His cavalier charm was great when our lives weren’t in
danger, but now it added another level of responsibility I didn’t want.

“Let’s go,” I said.

Rocks scuffled behind me, and Arrow’s arm
encircled my waist for support as he struggled to stand. When I glanced down at
his hand resting on my waist, I wondered if all my nerves were from the manor.

“I’m ready. Where do we go from here?” His deep
voice brought my mind back to the present.

“Stay close. Remember what I said about traps?”

“I won’t leave your side,” he whispered.

“You already promised that.”

“This time, I mean it.” He peeked beyond me into
the hall. “I think it’s clear.”

My eyes lingered on him for a moment before
following his gaze to the corridor we had to take. “Okay, let’s do this.” We
plunged through the darkness, hoping against hope that we wouldn’t run up
against any more guards.

After a moment, we left the dim hallway and
entered a larger room on the other side. Bare walls encircled us, a blank
canvas of gray broken by the occasional torch and a row of evenly spaced doors.
Flames danced across the tops of the torches, the only movement in the still
room. As our eyes adjusted, we saw, hidden in that darkness, displayed in
niches between the doors, bouquets of dragon weed in brass vases. Half of the
poisonous flowers wilted over the edge. My palms burned just at the sight. I
looked more closely at the faded, red doors that lined both sides of the room.
Chipped paint revealed hints of hidden designs underneath.

We marched through the room, ensuring that no
guards followed us. When we passed beyond it, we entered another chamber,
nearly identical. The only differences were in the doors. Instead of faded red,
a mosaic of colors stained the wood.

“It’s beautiful,” Arrow said, straying from my
side.

“You can’t always see the biggest dangers. Don’t
underestimate anything in here,” I whispered, pulling him back to my side.
“These men don’t fight fair or by the rules. If they trick us into submission,
that’s fine with them.”

Each door called out to me. Hidden images flashed
beneath the bright paint. The designs played peek-a-boo with the light. Even
knowing the traps hidden behind these doors, I fought the temptation to draw
closer. I wanted to know what they held.

“What is this room?” Arrow asked as I reached for
the first door. I didn’t need to look at him to see the wonder rushing through
him. I felt it too.

“The room of promises,” I said, tracing the
delicate designs on the door panels. Light blue paint flaked off at my touch. I
gasped and covered my mouth. When the faded paint flecked off the door, an
image appeared.

My room.

Contrasting art pieces intersected along my wall,
creating an indecipherable puzzle, showcasing my triumphs and struggles.
Cardboard boxes were nowhere in sight, and my favorite treasures remained
untouched on my shelves. The sheets on my bed bunched together creating an odd
shape, and I saw popcorn lining the floor. Was that me, tangled in the sheets?

My hand tightened around the handle. If I opened
this door, I could be home. Re-enter my world. That’s what I wanted, right?
What I had been searching for since waking up here. This was it, a way back.
The metal handle jingled under my trembling hand. Why was I hesitating?

The longer I looked at the room, the more
unsettled I became. Something didn’t feel right. It was my home, yet it seemed
different. This wasn’t the room I remembered, the one I was pulled away from.

This wasn’t real. The vision offered to me was
from a lifetime ago. It was what I fantasized about—going back to a time before
moving was even an option. My unease increased. It was a hollow dream. If I
grabbed it now, I would be stuck in a prison of the past. My trance broke.

It was a trap.

I let go of the handle and stepped back, turning
just in time to see Arrow at the green door next to me. His hand was poised to
turn the handle in front of him.

“Arrow, no!” I yelled, running at him and slapping
his hand off the knob.

“I have to go in there! He needs me.” He pushed
past me, and I grabbed his wrist.

“You can’t. It’s a trap.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said, fighting against
my pull.

“You have to. This whole manor is nothing but a
trick. You can’t give in to it,” I begged, pulling him away with all my weight.
“I tried to warn you before. None of this is real. Your door’s the same as mine
was; nothing more than your deepest hope.”

“It can’t be,” he whispered with tears glistening
in his eyes. He backed away from the door and me.

“You have to believe me. This is the room of
promises. It pretends to give you your greatest desire. But it’s just a ruse.
If you open that door, you’ll be trapped forever.” I looked at the fading image
of two boys on his door. “Who are they?”

“No one,” he said, turning away. “Like you said,
it’s nothing more than a memory.”

“It looks like a good one,” I said, letting my
hand linger until he pulled away.

“It was.” He walked straight to the doorway at the
end of the room. I met him there, watching the personalized images on the doors
fade. A stab of loss hit me when I turned around. Walking away from a dream,
even if it was a trap, wasn’t easy.

“Wait for me.”

He stopped, but didn’t meet my eyes.

“Did you want to talk about it?” I asked, reaching
for his shoulder.

“I just want to get out of here. There’s nothing
good in this place,” he said, shrugging off my offer.

I couldn’t agree with him more. We walked through
another room, a replica of the one we’d already passed. Everything was the
same, down to the wilted dragon weed bouquets. The only differences were the
colors of the doors—saffron, silver, violet.

“Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”
he asked. His hands balled in fists at his side and tension strained his neck.

“I know it seems odd,” I said. “But you’d be
surprised how many people pass the first test, only to fail the next. Beating
one temptation doesn’t mean it goes away. Don’t lower your guard until we’re
out of here.”

He nodded and followed me through the room. We
stayed in the center, refusing to reveal the hidden images on each portal. Not
knowing made it easier.

We found ourselves in a new chamber with more
doors. Arrow pulled me back when I strayed close to the walls again.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing this time,” I
said, counting out the number of doors until I reached the seventh and stalled
with my hand on the knob. Arrow placed his hand on top of mine. I saw the
question in his eyes and nodded. “This is the one we go through.”

“Our deepest hope?” he asked with a straight face.

“That’s debatable,” I said with a dark chuckle,
“but it will lead us to the baron, eventually.”

“Eventually—” The darkness greeting us from behind
the door stopped him.

“Eventually.” We stepped into an abyss of
darkness. The door slammed shut behind us as we let go. “Arrow, please tell me
you have more of that luminance powder handy,” I whispered, fumbling to find
the edge of the room.

After a few moments of shuffling, a small ball of
light appeared in his hand, illuminating his haunted face. Just as my eyes
adjusted to the new light, he screamed and dropped the powder.

“No!” he yelled, disappearing into shadows. The
walls thundered with the pounding of his fists.

“Arrow, wait!” I shouted, scrambling after the
dispersed luminance powder. Without that, we’d be consumed by darkness. I
pressed the granulated flakes together and scooped them into my hands. When I
looked up, a mutilated face with gouged eyes and sunken cheeks smiled down on
me.

I screamed, dropping the powder again. The rough
floor cut through my leggings when I tripped over my feet, crashing to the
floor. I skidded backwards until I hit the wall. The sound of Arrow’s pounding
fists disappeared under the hammering of my heart.

“Arrow, where are you?” I screamed. “We need to
get out of here!” The silence responded for what seemed like an eternity.

“I’m right here.” He picked up the fallen light
and cupped my shoulder.

“D-did you s-see him?” I asked, grabbing onto him.

He exhaled slowly. “I saw him, and the others.”

“Others?” My heart hammered as I furtively looked
over his shoulders.

“They’re all here. Brave men,” he said sadly.
“They won’t hurt you.” He pulled me up, keeping his arm wrapped around me,
holding the light forward. “They won’t hurt anyone anymore.”

My heart broke as Arrow lifted the light to the
wall. Behind a glass enclosure, the remains of an army faded to dust. All I
could see were faces frozen in misery, hands outstretched towards the clear
wall, ivory bones encircling steel bars, searching for a way out.