Lucid (26 page)

“Do it, Devon!” Mitch shouted, teetering over the edge of the protective circle, like he wanted nothing more than to join me inside of the spell.

I nodded to show him that I'd heard and turned back to the padlock. It was shimmering so invitingly, like it wanted nothing more than to be unlocked. Why would something that had been protected for s
o long finally want to be free?

The Dreamers are craftier than they seem. The voice hissed in my head. Its voice was shaking with what I thought was laughter
.

Hope didn't protest this time. Maybe she was so exhausted from her fight with the ceiling, or maybe she didn't disagree with the voice. My stomach dropped. Was this key going to trigger a trap? If we didn't get the book out of the case, then we'd surely be crushed under the rocks. But if I set off a trap, something worse might happen
.

I gasped as a felt a hand on my shoulder. Hope's bright eyes were focused on me as I wheeled around. For once she wasn't glaring at me, but I wasn't sure if I liked the scared look on her any better. She was somehow still holding the ceiling up, but I could tell the effort of standing was depleting her power quickly. The stones all around us started shaking violently.

“When you unlock the case
... th-the walls will come down… and all entrances to this tower will be
... sealed
,
” s
he said, wincing with each phrase
.

“Then how are we gonna get out?” I looked around, unsuccessfully trying to find another escape route. The others were looking at us with confusion and urgency
.

“Through the ceiling
.
” Hope nodded up, panting as she moved her head. Bright beads of sweat started popping up on her forehead, and her pixie cut looked droopy. “I can use the rest of my power to clear a path through the top. If your brother can use his Lucid powers to get us out of here, we may be able to make it out safely.

“And for the Nightmares?” I asked, shivering as I heard the deep voice chuckle in the back of my head
.

“This is the Lucid Well
.
” Hope cracked a weak smile. “And your brother was so eager to use his powers again.”

“Right
.
” I straightened up. Though our plan could go wrong on so many levels, it was our only shot of escaping with what we needed
.

“What's going on
?
” Iven called to us, clutching his book to his chest.

“Kyle, make something that'll fly us outta here!” I shouted, locking eyes with my brother. “Do it Leona's a
rena-style.”

“Right
.
” Kyle
's face broke into a mischievous grin. “What's the signal
?
”

“You'll see!” Hope yelled to him. She gave me one last look before preparing to use the rest of her power. The hunks of stone above us wobbled as she reserved some of her strength
.

I turned back to the case, knowing I'd only have seconds to unlock it, retrieve the book, and get Hope and me to Kyle. I was never known for my speed
, but at least I could react fast enough to get us out. Like believing in my magic ball of light, I had to believe that I could pull this off
.

The padlock was shimmering a little bit more than before, as if it knew I was about to unlock it. I took Sophia's key and placed it inside of the keyhole. The brass key vibrated with power, waiting for me to turn it.

Your escape plan will not work. The voice was back.
And even if it does, we are waiting outside to capture you and your friends.
Surrender now, and we will be merciful.

The voice was tempting, but I'd already made my mind up. I'd seen what the Nightmares could do in my glimpses of history. They, like the barbarians and tyrants of the past, were selfish and would never show mercy to those they thought were beneath them. I'd much rather be on team Dreamer any day
.

“This is the Lucid Well,” I said fiercely. “And it gives power to those who are of pure heart. You're on our turf right now, voice, and we're not giving up tha
t easily!”

With that, I turned the key, ready to run for my life
.

Return Trip

As expected, all chaos broke loose af
ter opening the case. If the protective circle hadn't broken, we all would've been dead in seconds. Hope collapsed right after she used the rest of her power to destroy the stones hanging above our heads. More were coming, fast, and I found myself barely able to stand. I hadn't realized how much of my strength was needed just to stand up and fight off the floating words and spells. How was I going to carry out the plan and help us escape if I could barely keep air in my own lungs?

Thankfully, our friends were in much better shape. Viv scooped up Hope, and Mitch yanked me to my feet to get to Kyle's rocket. Iven leapt over all of us with surprising agility to snatch the glowing book from its case
.

This time, Kyle installed some seats with harnesses for straps. It looked like one of those sketchy rides at a school fair, but I figured getting flattened by tons of stone might be a little more fatal. Besides, I couldn't even walk properly, and I used the last of my strength to help Mitch get me into a seat. In a matter of seconds, we'd all made it to the rocket safely, and Kyle did his thing.

The ride up was pretty similar to one of those Blaster rides at an amusement park. My eyes stung as we shot upward, and I only blinked to avoid having rubble scratch my corneas. I was so weak that I feared if I closed my eyes for too long, I'd slip out of consciousness
.

I was right behind Kyle, and was probably the only one who saw his wide grin as we broke free of the Lucid Well. The cool night air never felt so welcoming, and I swelled with pride at our successful mission as I gave into the weightless feeling of soaring into the starry sky
.

My brother had even prepared for the descent. Before the rocket lost complete momentum, he changed our seats into swing-like parachutes. I gripped my ropes as we all glided down. The breeze from the bay caught us and carried us away from Fantasm. I stole a glance at the city, wondering if I'd get the chance to see the city fully restored
.

“Where are we headed?” Iven shouted above the wind. He didn't seem worried, though. He was swaying in his seat as if he were on a swing. His bright eyes were scanning the scenery gratefully as he clung on to the two books hidden inside of his vest
.

“Wherever the wind takes us.” Kyle frowned. “I tried making propellers, but your bracelet isn't working anymore.”

“Oh, of course
.
” Iven grinned sheepishly. “Did I forget to tell you it had a time limit?”

“Then how did he get us out of there?” Mitch raised his eyebrows as he looked at the slowly approaching ground. I was wondering the same thing; would the parachutes give out completely if the bracelet ran out of juice?

“The Lucid Well gave him power,” Viv explained. “I suppose opening the Well completely allow
ed him to finish his last creation. Once the parachutes vanish, I am not sure what will happen.”

Viv was struggling to hold onto Hope's parachute. The young Dreamer was still knocked out, but that didn't surprise me. She'd done enough for today.

As it was, I could barely keep my head upright. The cool air had restored some of my strength, but I knew I wouldn't be able to summon my ball of light for a long time. Thankfully, when we touched down, we were only a few feet from the shoreline, and I managed to stand on my own
.

Kyle made the parachutes vanish with the snap of his fingers, but I saw he looked disappointed that he had t
o get rid of his last creation. Iven caught Hope before she could fall, though she was starting to come around. I could see her purple eyes fluttering behind her eyelashes, like a dim strobe light
.

“Oh no.
” Viv moaned, looking up at the sky.

“What?” Kyle frowned, looking at her. “Everything worked out well. Can't we just make camp to rest for a bit?”

“That sounds like a fine plan, except it is now dark
,
” s
he said
.

“And we have company,” Mitch added, looking toward the mountains. I slowly turned around, expecting the worst
.

Worst doesn't even begin to explain what I saw
.

Though we'd landed close to the shore, we were also only a few hundred yards away from the Nightmare camp. The place may have looked dead in the daylight, but now it was swarming with life. They didn't even need their searchlights to find us. I'm sure our slow descent to the ground was a dead giveaway
.

“Time to go?” I asked, looking at my brother
.

We heard about a hundred Nightmares roar as they charged us.

“Yep!” Kyle st
arted to the surf. “Follow me!”

Kyle screwed up his eyes in concentration, but nothing happened
.

“Your bracelet, remember?” Mitch pointed to the now dull band of leather on my brother's wrist. “Guess you're outta juice for a while.”

“Great!” Kyle cursed. He looked at Iven with wild eyes. “What do we do now?”

“I should be able to rec
harge the water in the bracelet,
” Iven explained. “But I need to be away from this water. The unorganized power around us will interfere with the Lucid River's flow.” He took Kyle's bracelet and backed away from the shoreline.

“That leaves us with creating a distraction.” Viv nodded to Mitch. “Devon, take Hope and help Iven and Kyle as much as you can.” She pushed Hope's limp body onto my chest.

I staggered a bit but managed to catch Hope and hold her against my chest. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I tried to avoid looking at Hope's fluttering eyes that were now partially hidden beneath her dark bangs. I also pushed aside the thought of her waking up in my arms. Sure, we'd worked together pretty well in the library, but I doubted she thought I was anything more than a weak human who got lucky
.

“You okay
, Devon?” Mitch looked at me worriedly
.

I was reminded of when he didn't trust my judgment with fooling Serpentine the first time we encountered the snake lady. Only this time, I didn't feel completely useless. My mind was exhausted from fighting off the spells inside the Lucid Well, and I was tired from using so much power
.

“I'll be your extra backup
.
” I managed a grin, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible with my chest feeling like it was about to rip open due to injuries and my rapidly beating heart
.

Mitch grinned and clasped my shoulder
. “Right
.
” He drew Reverie
.

The Nightmares roared again as the blade glowed blue in the dark night. Mitch only grinned more as he and Viv ran forward to stop the surge of Nightmares. I wasn't sure if they'd be enough to fend off the monsters.

Viv laid my doubts to rest by taking out a dozen Nightmares at once with her bow. It seemed she'd returned to full strength after leaving the library. Maybe seeing her home after so long brought back a fierce desire to destroy those who tore her family apart. She shouted as she spread a wall of protective magic around us. The magenta field kept out the Nightmares, but they were hacking away as quickly as possible
.

“Nice try,” a sinister voice hissed from the other side of the field
.

Mitch and Viv yelled, and I gasped as we watched three dark figures pass through Viv's protective circle. The tallest Nightmare laughed at our surprise. His red eye glinted in the spell's light, and his black eye studied us with a chilling opaqueness
.

“Salik!” Viv growled, drawing her knives and dropping to a fighter's stance
.

“Baz and Aille
!” Mitch followed suit, holding Reverie like a fencer
.

“Yes
.
” Salik gave Viv a shark-toothed grin. “It is a pleasure seeing you again, Vivax. Tell me, do you miss being my captive?”

“We'll see!” Viv spat. She eyed Salik suspiciously. I didn't blame her. Why wasn't the Nightmare attacking?

“Then why do you keep testing my patience?”
h
e asked, as they started circling each other. He still hadn't drawn his creepy sword, though, which set me on edge more than if he had
.

Mitch kept his eyes on the other two. Baz hefted his club threateningly, smiling as if he were about to beat Mitch like a
piñata
.

“We didn't come here for you,” Mitch said, sounding a lot braver than he had after facing the Nightmares the first time. “Hate to break it to you, but you're not three of our favorite people in this world.”

“You practically walked into our strongest military camp, which we
just so happen to con
trol.” Aille shot Mitch a dirty glance
. I guess she thought that giving us a head start back in the forest meant she'd never have to see us again
.

“We came for Fantasm
.
” Viv narrowed her eyes, her auburn hair flying in strange patterns in the ocean breeze
.

“And now you will die for foolishness.” Salik shrugged as if he were explaining the circle of life. “You and your human friends escaped due to my comrades' stupidity and short-sightedness, but we will end this now
—
”

“Stupidity?
” Baz shouted angrily, rounding onto Salik.

“And short-sightedness?” Aille raged, appearing to forget her beef with Mitch completely. “May I remind you that I outrank you on this shore, Salik
?
”

“Not for long.” Salik didn't seem fazed by her anger. “Did you forget that
I was the one who received special orders for dealing with the two champions? Which you're currently neglecting, by the way.”

Aille glared at Salik for a few more seconds until Salik's black eye glinted strangely in the magenta light. The female Nightmare's eyes widened with surprise, and it looked like she wanted to ask Salik something; but it seemed her duty came before personal vendettas
.

“You will not escape this time, humans,” s
he told us. Her eyes flickered to mine, and for a short moment I thought she seemed conflicted. Maybe she just liked beating up Mitch but wanted to spare me as her human friend.

Great, I thought glumly. I'm the Nightmare's favorite
.

“And we'll get rid of these Dreamer pests, too!” Baz announced, swinging his club as if he were twirling a ribbon on a stick.

“Oh, and don't think we hadn't seen you back there, Devon Alexander,” Salik called casually. I almost dropped Hope in surprise as the Nightmare locked eyes with me. “We have special orders for you. It appears our Lord has taken an interest in your — erm —
unique talents.”

I swallowed hard. If I could've run away, I would have. The dark voice that almost made me fail in the Lucid Well…
could it have been the Nightmare king Phobio?

“Yes
.
” Salik nodded as if he read my mind. “You will serve a special purpose. Your friends? Not so much, so they must die!”

With that, the conversation was over. Despite being one fighter short, Viv and Mitch were giving the Nightmares a pretty tough time. Viv handled Salik wh
ile Mitch fended off Baz and Aille
. Salik finally drew his sword, but Viv never gave him the chance to use it. She kept attacking with her knives, jumping, rolling, and slashing wherever she found an opening. Mitch kept his fen
cer's poise as he fought off Aille
's fists and Baz's club
.

The short Nightmare, clearly outmatched by Mitch and his sword, suddenly tried focusing his attention on attacking me
.

“I can at least round you up, little boy!” Baz sneered, advancing in his lumbering fashion. I stumbled back as well as I could, but I still had Hope and could barely stand on my own
.

“What? Not much of a fighter after we kicked your butt last time?” I called, trying to keep the stupid Nightmare distracted
.

It worked: Baz staggered back, blinking. I guess he wasn't expecting me to talk back. After he understood what I'd said, he shook his head and glared
.

“You're lucky the Boss wants you alive!” He snarled, hefting his club. “But he didn't s
ay anything about injuries
-
ah!”

A flash of light
had come from the shore, blasting the Nightmare off his feet, his club flying beyond Viv's protective border
.

I turned around to see what had saved me from a bad headache. Iven winked, his eyes flashing as his outstretched hand glowed with light
.

“Are you all right?” h
e asked me. I nodded, which seemed good enough for the inventor, who turned around and resumed working on Kyle's bracelet
.