Dreamscape: Saving Alex (23 page)

I stirred at the gentle lap of the tent door
whipping against the rigid fabric. The quiet shuffling of footsteps swelled and
faded as people walked by on their business. The birds harmonized with the soft
trilling insects, and piercing bright light snuck in through the half-open
door. I flipped over. Even if the camp woke this early, I didn’t have to.

I sunk back into my dream, replaying the events
from yesterday. From the first moment I’d entered the Grove, my feelings about
Lockhorn had changed. The endless loop of canopy bridges, the army of people
living and working together in harmony, the feeling I got plucking the bow
against my fingers, and the thrill as I struck the target. The Grove filled a
void I hadn’t realized was there.

The shuffling got louder, alerting me. I tightened
my hands into fists and slowed my breath as the sound grew closer. The pounding
of the tent flap, the smooth whoosh of fabric, the footsteps on the ground—I
wasn’t imaging it. Someone was in my room.

Before I could grab my dagger, a hand tugged on my
shoulder.

“No!” I yelled, flailing my arms. I flipped over,
striking something hard. When I opened my eyes, I gasped and covered my mouth.
“Melody, I’m so sorry!”

Red frothy liquid raced down her leather pants.
“Good morning to you too,” she muttered, shaking the excess liquid off her
hand.

“Oh no, I am so sorry,” I said, standing to hand
her a washcloth. “What are you doing here?”

“You said you’d be up for helping me today. I was
just coming by to get you. I didn’t realize you’d still be sleeping.” She threw
the washcloth over her shoulder. I watched it arc towards the edge of the wash
basin and slide inside. I shook my head; this girl could not fail at anything.

“Here,” she said, holding out a now half-full mug
of tea.

Peering over the glass, I caught a familiar acrid
scent off the steaming red liquid. “Carrin root tea?” I asked, sticking my
tongue out.

“I see you’ve had it before,” she said. “It’s good
for you, though, and will heal any residual aches from the other day. Trust me,
I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”

I raised an eyebrow and gave her a skeptical look.

“Anyway,” she continued, ignoring my look. “I’ll
meet you outside.”

“But I didn’t say—”

“You don’t want to help the rebellion?” she asked.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Ah, Arrow was right. You are amusing to poke fun
at. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She turned and walked back out of the tent.

My face flushed as I watched the tent flap close.
I glanced down at the warm blankets and sighed. No more dreaming for today. I
threw on my new green outfit and straightened my hair in the mirror. Melody
didn’t seem the patient type, and I didn’t want to miss spending the day with
her. I grabbed an extra roll and ran out the door. The bread worked wonders at
soaking up the residual bitterness of the tea. Good for me or not, that tea
tasted awful.

The harsh sunlight blinded me as I exited the tent
and stopped on the dusty pathway. It seemed like I was the only one who’d slept
in. People rushed by with their arms loaded with supplies. Through squinted
eyes I saw Melody waiting across the street. Leaning casually against a wooden
fence, she twisted the feathered fringe along her vest as she leaned forward,
whispering into General Tanner’s ears. A dark shade of red flooded his cheeks
before he ran off.

I weaved through the busy street and met her with
a curious look. “What did you tell him?”

“Who, General Tanner? I was just telling him a
little secret,” she said, straightening the fringe on her vest.

“Must have been some secret.”

“Don’t look at me that way. It wasn’t
too
scandalous.”

I looked down the pathway. Even from a distance,
the red in his cheeks stood out.

“Sure…” I said sarcastically.

“Okay, maybe it was. Just a little.” She winked.
“Harmless fun.”

“Is that fair? I mean, at the field yesterday, he
seemed sort of taken with you.”

“All the more reason for it. With the sacrifices
we’ve all made, the least I can do is set his heart aflutter every once in a
while. It’s innocent…for the most part,” she said, shifting against the fence.

“Does he know that?” I asked. “It might be fun, but
what happens later? It’s not fair to lead him on like that.”

“Don’t get worked up. It’s not all a lie,” she
said, looking down the road. “But with his position, any relationship would be
more of a burden than a pleasure right now.”

“You can’t honestly feel that way.”

“I have to. My feelings don’t outweigh the greater
good of the rebellion. We can’t afford for one of our generals to be
distracted.” I heard a twinge of sadness in her voice.

“You sound like your cousin,” I said.

“Not really. He’s a smart leader, but we don’t
always agree.” She gave me a direct look.

Silence stretched between us, and I looked away. I
couldn’t ignore her hint.

“Enough of this,” she said, pulling her vest
straight. “There’s fun to be had. Ready?”

“Absolutely!”

She led me further down the dusty road past the
training field, where a group of archers practiced. Younger boys lined the
edge, captivated as General Amos shouted out orders. Deep lines marked his
face, and his arms remained firmly folded across his chest.

I sighed and turned my attention back to Melody
just before she moved around the edge of an old wooden barn. Green paint peeled
off in strips, revealing worn planks and empty holes where the birds had
nested. The smell of freshly turned dirt and warm hay wafted towards me. It was
heaven. I took a moment to peek inside the building, amazed at its simplistic
beauty. Rays of sunlight burst through the holes in the rotten planks, and
horses half-hid in the shadows, their manes sending flurries of dust through
the air as they pranced around the edges of their enclosures.

I wished I had my art supplies. This was a
painting waiting to be created.

“This is it,” Melody said, breaking my reverie,
gesturing around the corner. I peeked around and saw an open field where a set
of long tables overflowed with groups of women and men.

“What do we do?” I asked.

“We join in the fun.” She pulled me forward
through the tall grass. A few heads lifted as we came closer, but most stayed
down in concentration. “What do you want to do first?”

“I don’t know, what are my choices?” I asked,
looking down the long tables. Excitement buzzed from every station. I leaned
closer to Melody and whispered, “What’re they doing, exactly?”

She pulled me down the open space. “We’re putting
together some of our weapons and defense mechanisms to prepare for battle.
Here,” she said, pointing to the table in front of us, “is where we’re making
packets of dragon weed pollen and vials of its oil.”

I balled my fists together and shook my head. “No
dragon weed.” I had been burned enough. Even the sight of the dust sent a wave
of prickles down my spine.

She pursed her lips but didn’t question it. “No
dragon weed—got it. Then here at this table, we’re sewing feathers onto vests.”

“Feathers for defense?” I laughed.

“Of course. They make the perfect camouflage.
Why’d you think we wore them?” she asked.

I blushed but met her gaze. “They’re pretty.”

She stared at me for a moment, then smirked.
“Moving on,” she said, pulling me to the next table. “How about doing a little
welding?”

I looked at the brown and copper components on the
table and then back to her. “I’ve seen these before. What are they?”

“They’re acoustical enhancements—”

“Hearing devices,” I said. “That explains it!”

“Explains what?” she asked with a furrowed brow.

“It’s nothing,” I said, shaking it off.

“No, tell me.” She placed her hands on her hips.
“I’m curious.”

How could I tell her without the embarrassment of
admitting my early capture? I grabbed a couple of the wheels from the table and
balanced them in my palm. “Some of the people I ran into in Lindle had one.”

“Who?”

“Just some people.” I shrugged.

“People from Lindle? They had one?” She grabbed my
hand, her face paling.

“Yes…”

“This is awful. They’re not supposed to have any
of these devices. What do we do now?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, giving me an
incredulous stare. “If the enemy has their hands on this, then they know one of
our advantages.”

I turned to face her and grabbed her hands. “No,
not the enemy. The people I met, they were performers—rebels like you, me, and
everyone here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Who were they? Did you get their names?” she
asked.

I was sorry I had brought it up at all. Turning
our day into an interrogation wasn’t my plan. “Deakon had the ear thing, and
his friend Pipes was traveling with him.”

Her look softened. “Pipes? You saw him?”

“He was one of the first to recognize me, and he
helped me escape the capital.”

“It’s not the capital,” she said, reflexively.
“How did he look? Was he all right?”

“He was fine. Wait,” I said, giving her a sidelong
glance. “You didn’t…Pipes?” The lanky man I remembered and the poised beauty
before me seemed like an odd pairing.

She looked off towards the trees. “It was a long
time ago. Did he sing for you?”

I pressed my lips together and smiled. It made
complete sense. “Yeah, he did. What happened between you guys?”

“I’m sure you know how these things go sometimes.
We had different callings, in life and in the rebellion. I’m glad he’s alive,”
she said, looking back at me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Now that that’s taken care of…do you want to make some of them?”

I hesitated. This seemed like something I could
handle, but I didn’t want to make it awkward for her. “What else is there?” I
asked, looking at the crowd gathered around the last table. Even from a
distance, I saw sweat beading around their temples and tense exhaustion on
their faces.

“That,” she said with awe, “is our newest weapon.”

“Weapon?” I asked, taking a hesitant step closer.

“Our reclamation team scavenged an electric whip
last week from the woods surrounding Berkin. They’ve been busy
reverse-engineering it ever since. Do you want to take a look?” She didn’t wait
for me to respond.

I crept up behind her, finding a spot near her
side where I could peek over a shoulder. Most of the people had their fingers
twisted in a web of wires. Small metal chips and bits of wire littered the
table. Women inserted spark plugs and electric circuits into a metal cylinder.
Next to them, a second team twisted and secured copper wire around a long strip
of leather. Sparks flew from the far edge of the table, where a few people hid
under a haze of smoke, soldering the pieces together.

Melody bit her lower lip and smiled, but I knew
the power these weapons contained. Even the lowest voltage meant death. This
was not good.

I wiped my hands along my leggings and tugged at
one of the feathers on Melody’s vest. “I’ve made my decision. I want to work on
the ear things,” I said, pulling her back.

“What?” she asked, reluctantly prying her eyes
away. “Sure, if that’s what you want.” She glanced back once more before
joining me.

“It is,” I said and strode back to the last table.
The workers only casually glanced up as we took two of the empty spots at the
far end of the table. They were entrenched in a web of wires and wheels.

“What do we do?” I whispered.

Melody smiled. “Just follow my lead. Once you put
one together, the rest are easy.”

A tangled mess of bright gears and coiled wires
flashed from the center of the table. I watched Melody, grabbing the same
materials she did until I had a small pile in front of me.

She inserted the copper wire between the gears and
folded the electrical pieces behind a leather strap. I followed her movements,
a step behind, until the first pieces were connected and a loose but complete
device sat in my hand.

“Easy, huh?” I asked, stifling my laugh. “I
seriously hope no one’s counting on me to create these things.”

“No, we’re counting on something much bigger,” she
joked. “Besides, it doesn’t need to look good, it just needs to function.” She
twitched her nose at the botched device in front of me.

I smiled but looked away, drawn to the table
behind us. A loud cheer erupted, followed by a buzz and a crackle. I stood on
my chair to get a better look, and my sense of dread tripled. A blast of blue
light erupted at the table. Streams of electricity spiraled around the whip,
sparking with sporadic bursts of blue flame.

“Yeah! You did it!” Melody cried.

Half the people from our table rushed over for a
closer look.

I didn’t share their feelings. They didn’t know
what power they wielded, and that disturbed me.

“What’s everyone looking at?” a deep voice asked
from over my shoulder.

I jumped, then exhaled deeply. “You scared me,” I
said to Arrow.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “What’s
going on?” He peeked behind me, pulling out a strip of jerky.

My mouth watered when he took a bite. Had that
much time passed?

“They figured out how to make the electric whips
work,” I said, returning my focus to the table. “I don’t think it’s such a good
thing.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised. “Why not?”

“They’re bad.”

“Bad for us or them?”

I gave him a half-smile. “Both.”

“Hmm,” he said, shrugging. “Sometimes we have to
take risks. Most of our devices started out as dangerous. Dangerous doesn’t
have to be bad if it can be channeled rightly.”

“Who decides that?” I asked, looking back at the
blue flames.