Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (18 page)

Calico
did not stop.  Wren tried to resist the pace, wondering what the savage maiden
wanted with her, but she could get no response from the other’s mouth.

Where
are we going?  What does she want from me?
  Wren did not have to wonder
about it for long.

The
sound of a gunshot rang out behind them, and Calico stopped, tensing, knowing
she was defeated.  Wren shrieked in surprised, but when she turned, she saw Nix
lowering his gun from having fired into the air.

“That
was rude – trying to run off like that,” he commented to the savage girl.  “I
thought I’d taught you manners the last time we met.”

Calico’s
breathing was quick and angry, but Wren was grateful that they had stopped. 
She took the opportunity to jerk her wrist free of the Tribal girl’s grip.

“You
were always so predictable,” Nix said to the huntress, as if reading her
thoughts.  “If you'll behave, I might be willing to share her with you, but
she’s not going anywhere without me, so you’d best accept that.”

Wren
held her chest, trying to soothe a sharp pain and a chill.  She took steps back
from Calico and moved closer to Nix.  Now that she’d gotten a good look at the Tribal
maiden she knew why she had not recognized her in the beginning.  Her body was
much more mature, her torn clothing showing enough skin to make Wren blush. 
She’d always thought that the savage people had no shame, but if she’d had
something to be jealous of before, there was certainly more now.  Yet despite
her developed frame, it was evident that the dark-skinned girl had seen a rough
life.  She was dirty from head to toe.  The paint on her face was dry and
fading.  Her formerly straight and silky hair was twisted and uncombed.  She
was splattered with blood.  What had this world done to such a proud creature?

Calico
stood there, glaring at them silently, but docile as a lamb now.

“That’s
better,” Nix said, seeing fit to put his gun away.  Wren was safely beside him.

“We
helped her,” Wren said to him breathlessly.  “What else does she want?”

“Why
don’t you ask her?”

Wren
was shocked at his statement.  What he was suggesting was impossible, for
wasn’t it true that the Tribals did not speak English?

“I’m
actually curious as well,” Nix went on.  “How did those pirates get their hands
on you?  Your people left this area years ago.  Therefore, you must have been
close for some reason.  Why are you here, Calico?  Tell us that.”

Calico
and Nix stared at each other for a long moment, doing battle with their eyes. 
Finally, the girl opened her mouth, and Wren was surprised at the voice that
came out of it.

“I
have my reasons,” Calico said in practiced English.  Her accent was not
perfect, but she clearly had a grasp on the language, “and I assure you that
they are more genuine than those you might possibly have.”

Wren
was so surprised by the girl’s use of the language that she had almost missed
the words.

It’s
been years
,
Wren reminded herself. 
It’s not impossible that she learned
.

“You
can’t possibly know what my motives are,” Nix assured her snidely.

“Oh? 
Well if you are claiming Rifter’s best interest, then I know at least
that
is not true.”

Wren’s
ears perked up.  Nix had already admitted to her that he and Rifter were no
longer on good terms, but was Calico claiming something more?

“You,
Girl
,” Calico said shrewdly, drawing Wren’s attention but not breaking
her gaze from the tall boy.  “Did Nix tell you that he was
banished
from
Rifter?”

A
slight gasp escaped Wren’s throat as she looked to her companion.  This was a
low blow, to be sure, but the boy did not even cringe.  He only stared at
Calico in boredom.

“Is
that true?” Wren asked him quietly.  Nix did not respond.

“He
did not tell you?” Calico asked, clearly feeling power in this situation.

“Do
tell her the story then,
princess
,” Nix mocked swiftly, crossing his
arms. “I know you’re dying to.”

It
was a challenge.  She had his credibility in her hands.  Wren knew she was only
caught in the middle, but still she wanted to hear it.

Calico’s
gaze did not break from Nix as she spoke, but he was unfazed by her words. 

“My
people knew of the darkness before it came, though we did not know what form it
would take, or what it would bring.  After what we saw on the High Mountain
that day, it was unclear who was at fault.  The Scourge was thrown into the
mountain.  His body, with its black disease, was buried deep in the core of the
world.  It is my belief that this is what caused the darkness, though others
have their own opinions.

“Either
way, many blamed Rifter and the boys for the corruption – for destroying the
Scourge as they had, even though it had been done so many times before.  The
boys were deemed unclean by all others.  They were
hated
, and the
hunting of the wolves quickly became a favorite sport to nearly everyone on the
island.”

Wren
listened, taking it in but all the while wondering how this lined up with what
Rifter had told her – if at all.

He
said they had never discovered the cause of the darkness
.  Maybe the Tribals
were more enlightened.  Wren glanced over at Nix.  He gave nothing away.

“All
of that brings me to my point,” Calico went on.  “Each boy promised to guard
Rifter with his life as best he could, for they were brothers, bonded to the
land by blood, but as they grew older by the day, they began to wonder over the
truth.  The discovery of the demon did not help things, but it all comes down
to this: at the time that they should have forgotten their differences and
bound together, Nix turned against Rifter,
despite
his vow of trust. 
They came to blows, and Nix was driven away.  For spite, he had urged the other
boys to go out and find the answers for themselves.  Eventually, to Rifter’s
dismay, they did.  One by one, they left.  They
deserted
him when he
needed them most!  But you see, it was
Nix
who caused them to separate. 
That is why all this has happened!”

Wren
looked up at Nix, but there was no emotion shining through his eye.  Either he
did not regret this truth or he was unafraid of it.  Calico seemed sure of
herself concerning it, however.

“Have
you spoken with Rifter?” Wren asked.  “Did he tell you this himself?”

Though
she asked, Wren feared the answer to that question.  She didn’t like the
thought of this girl being anywhere near the one she loved.

“I
have not been near Rifter in quite some time.  I thought, perhaps, that what
has been said was true: that he had gone away,” Calico admitted, and Wren’s
eyes widened in surprise.  “But you are here, and so now I must assume that he
lives.  I am glad of that.”

Wren
took everything in, and though the girl’s story may have been truth, she
wondered how to interpret this account of Nix being the cause of the fall – not
the darkness, but the way Rifter had let it endure.  Wren did not approve of
any of them turning on Rifter, but she had to respect that they had acted on
their own beliefs.

“Would
you still choose to be with him?” Calico asked, indicating Nix.  “He is not
what you might think.  You should come with me.  I can take you somewhere
safe.”

“If
you think I’m going to let you take her, you’re wrong,” Nix threatened, his first
words in several minutes.  “She’s not leaving my sight.”

“Which
is much more limited than in past days,” Calico sneered.

Wren
looked back and forth between them, quite unsure of either of their intentions,
but her answer could not be swayed by this argument.

“I
can’t leave him,” she told Calico firmly.  “Rifter asked me to gather the boys
back together, and that is what I must do.”

Calico
looked extremely disapproving of that, but a triumphant smirk had risen up on
Nix’s mouth.

“We’re
making quite a long journey,
Wren and I
,” Nix said pointedly.  “Is there
somewhere we might escort you?  Unless I’m wrong, your people are in the plains
now, aren’t they?”

The
Tribal girl sharpened her eyes, but kept silent.

“Perhaps
she could help us navigate the island,” Wren said quietly to Nix.  “If she’s
come a long way, as you said, then she must know how the land might have
changed.”

Nix
considered it a moment.

“It’s
your decision,” he told her.

Wren
felt a lot of pressure at that, but the usefulness of a guide might outweigh
the risk of Calico being a threat.  Aside from that, perhaps the Tribal had
more information about other matters that Wren could unearth.

“We’re
in need of a guide,” Wren said finally, speaking up.  “Would you help us?  I’ll
tell you what I know.”

“Yes,
do
come along,” Nix agreed, though it was apparent that he did not mean
it.  Calico glared at him forcefully.

“It
would be my honor,” she responded with resolve.

“Great. 
It’s settled then,” he said flatly, turning away.  He began to move off through
the woods ahead of them.

Calico
ably took the position at the back of the traveling line, forcing Wren into
step.  Wren herself was quiet as she walked along obediently, wondering over
things.  It seemed that every bit of information she gained contradicted the
next – everyone had a secret, and perhaps Rifter’s was the biggest of all.

Despite
how confusing it was, she felt she could at least comfort herself with the idea
that she had two capable companions with her. She could not say if meeting Calico
was luck or misfortune, but it was apparent that the Tribal was holding with
Rifter, which would aid her effort.  Nix was not so easy to convince, but Wren
was feeling more comfortable around him.  Perhaps he was not as she remembered
from past days, and for now, that was good enough.

Still,
there were things that bothered her.  How did Calico know so much?  If she had
not talked to Rifter, how could she claim to know how any of it had happened? 
And why did Nix seem just as hostile toward her as she to him?  Was there some
history between them?  She would inquire later, perhaps.

Maybe
it is none of my business.

Wren
knew that she would have to rely on the hands of others throughout this
journey, but she vowed to keep her own theories secret for now.

2

Rifter
didn’t bother keeping his feet on the ground as he traveled through the murky
bog of the shadow realm.  He hovered, but kept low, weapon in hand, keeping
watch.  He could see the wraithlike shadows drifting along in the distance, but
he imagined that they would leave him be.  He was not so different from what
they were – these creatures of darkness.  He kept his hood up around his face,
believing that this black disguise would keep them all thinking he belonged.

I
just need to find it
,
he reminded himself.  He had no business here except to find what he was
seeking.  He passed onward through the fog with one thing on his mind.

I
have to find the door.

The
Shadow Downs was a place for the dark beings, lost souls, and old memories.  It
was a realm beyond the farthest reaches of dreams, which one might even be less
likely to find than Nevermor itself.  Old memories, no longer desired, were
cast aside here, locked beyond thick doors.  The Rifter’s most painful memories
were here –
somewhere
– and he needed to find them.  There was something
there that he needed to see.  The fate of his plan – beyond Wren – rested on
this one thing.

He
swept along, his amber eyes searching tentatively.  There was no wind to push
him back, but the air passed over his face and white locks as he moved.  He
needed to make this happen quickly.  As long as he did not run into any of the
titans – those ghastly giants bound by chains, dragging the weight that others
had cast off – there would be no trouble.

Moving
on between the hills, he saw the first door.  The frame led into nothing, a
solitary structure that, when opened, would reveal hidden truths.  After eyeing
it a moment, he was certain that it was not the one he was looking for.  Within
the sturdy frame of singed timbers, a large eye opened wide, peering back at
him, and he passed it by.  There were many doors here, each not unlike the
next, but he felt he would know when he found the proper one.  It held the
biggest, most forbidden secrets and was no doubt gated accordingly.

For
hours, he searched, fearing that it might take him days after all, but he did
not have that kind of time.  He needed to get back to meet with the others.  He
could not afford to be lost – and then he saw it.

The
large black door was looming atop one of the downs.  He knew it was the one he
was seeking.  There were heavy chains across it, and it was protected on each
side by a shadowy sentinel with a spear – both of them titans – but Rifter did
not care if there was an entire horde of titans and nightmare monsters in his
path.  The memories behind that door were rightfully his, and he deserved to
have them.