The Dream Catcher's Daughter (18 page)

“
i’ll
never let you have this even after you die.”

It shoved Jason forward, onto his knees.
He looked back just in time to see Shades lower the key into its mouth. With an
audible gulp, the key disappeared into
Shades’s
body.

“Why?” said Jason. “Why are you doing
this?”

The fish-Thing answered, “Because you know
her.”

Its fins lashed out, catching Shades around
its wrists and ankles. It stared at the fins, its red eyes unblinking. But
Jason could see the scowl etched into the creature’s lips.

“
what
are you
doing Thing we have a deal.”

“I don’t make deals with food.”

The other fins wrapped around
Shades’s
waist, and jerked it off its feet. In a flash, the
shadow flew through the air, catapulting straight into the fish’s gaping maw.
And like that, Shades disappeared. Thing didn’t even swallow. Once the shadow
was gone, the fish’s fins returned to its sides, and the grin returned.

“That was annoying. But we’re finally
alone.”

Jason glanced back over his shoulder
toward the stairs. If he had to make an escape, he could try, though he didn’t
know how far those fins could reach.

“What is there to talk about?”

The creature’s smile grew wide, and Jason
winced at the pressure in the back of his head. He needed to run now. No matter
what the fish-Thing said.

“Perhaps we could start with your mother?
Or, should I say, the Dream Caller?”

Jason no longer cared about the staircase
behind him. His eyes focused on the green fish-Thing. “You’re lying. She’s
dead.”

“You remember what you want to.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Doesn’t it? Let me ask you this: Do you
remember the night Talshe first found you, ten years ago?”

“Yeah. People passed it off as an
earthquake. What does that have to do with her?”

“What kind of person was your mother
like?”

“What?”

“Just think.”

So he did. He had a clear image of his
mother there, inside his head. She had long, black-as-night hair and sparkling
green eyes. Her smile filled him with warmth, and he could remember her
scent—sweet as honey.

“Whatever you’re thinking,” said the
fish-Thing, “
it’s
wrong. Everything you remember is a
lie, Jason McKinney.”

“And you would know?”

“I know a lot of things.”

“Okay, then. Prove it. Prove my childhood
is filled with lies.” The fish frowned a bit. A smug grin crept across Jason’s
lips. “You can’t. You’re lying.”

“No. I can prove everything I’ve said. I
was just pitying you. And wondering,
How
will you react?
Will you kill yourself? That would be ironic, wouldn’t it?” The smile returned,
and Jason clenched his fists, which were quickly filling with liquid stone.

“Forth,” said Jason.

The fish flailed, its chains rattling.
Dust and debris snowed down on the pit. “Don’t say that word!” said the
fish-Thing.

Jason glared at it. “Prove yourself right,
and I won’t say it again. While you’re around, anyways.”

“Sounds fair enough. But remember: Your word
is binding, McKinney. If I prove myself right, you can’t say that word. No
matter what.”

“Fine.” But as the word left Jason’s
mouth, he felt as though he’d made a huge mistake.

“Good,” it said. “Now, you’ll have to go back
to Caindom. I know, we’re sort of stuck inside a giant. But that’s okay. In
here, you get a special ability, courtesy of yours truly. Close your eyes and
sleep. Before your eyelids shut, though, think about a place back home. You can
pick anywhere you like, but I suggest you stop by work. Check in on dear
ol
’ daddy. He may not be doing so hot.”

Jason pursed his lips. Part of him wanted
to say that he didn’t care about his father. Then again, that part of him would
be lying. “So, I just go to sleep?”

The fish nodded. “You don’t even have to
lie down. Just close your eyes. But don’t forget to think about where you want
to go. Like I said, Silver Moon Grocery sounds like a great place to start.
Then wake up, and tell me what you saw. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Jason didn’t like the idea of closing his
eyes while sharing the same space as this green-gilled monstrosity. But he
couldn’t help but feel curious. Curious, and worried. “Before I close my
eyes...how do you know my father’s in trouble?”

The fish didn’t respond for a few moments,
letting Jason’s heart pound in his ears. Then it took a deep breath, and said,
“I have my sources. Now, sleep.”

Without further delay, Jason closed his
eyes.

And when he opened them, he stood in the
entrance of Silver Moon.

The creature hadn’t lied, but that didn’t
put Jason’s worries to rest. Lots of weird things had happened in that mansion.
The illusion of being back at the parade, on
that
day...What was
stopping this from being an illusion? Everything looked the same: the sales
displays lining the entrance, the cash registers just off to the right, the
aisles of frozen goods just behind the checkout lanes. But there were no
shoppers. There weren’t even any cashiers or managers. He stepped forward, his
feet silent against the linoleum floor. He peered around the corner, to the
right, where the customer help-desk stood empty. Jason’s stomach clenched. His
heart took up residence in his throat, pounding in his ears.

He jerked his head toward the sound of
running.

Just on the other side of the registers,
down the drink aisle, Len and Mr. McKinney sprinted toward Jason. Mr. McKinney
had his wand out, and glanced over his shoulder. There were a horde of paladins
with Sirin in the lead. All of their swords were drawn and glowing.

“Go!” yelled Mr. McKinney to Len. “You
have to find Jason! He has to see—”

But an explosion of light knocked Mr.
McKinney onto his face, his wand skittering across the floor toward Len. She
turned to retrieve it, but Sirin lifted his blade and a fiery bolt shot out of
the sword’s tip. It struck the wand and shattered it. The ensuing shockwave of
destroyed magical energy swept Len from her feet. She thudded on her back, the
breath rushing from her mouth. When she tried to get up, Sirin kicked her in the
side.

Jason rushed forward and tackled Sirin.
But instead of colliding with him, Jason passed through the paladin and rolled
a short way. He looked up at Sirin, who held his nose high. His nostrils flared
as he sniffed the air. Then he snorted, turning his eyes upon Len.

“Lenmana, apprentice of the Dream Catcher,
you’re under arrest for the planned murder of Jason McKinney...an innocent
human.”

“He’s not some human,” said Mr. McKinney.
“He’s my son.”

Mr. McKinney rose to his knees, his chest
heaving,
blood
smeared across his left temple. Jason
stood and tried to punch Sirin, but fazed through him. Again, Sirin raised his
nose, sniffing. He turned his body toward Mr. McKinney and motioned to one of
the other paladins, who restrained Jason’s father, shoving him to the ground,
almost grinding his nose into the floor. Drops of fresh blood dripped from his
face. Jason screamed at Sirin to stop, but the paladin walked straight through
Jason, to Mr. McKinney. The hook-nosed paladin stooped next to him and grinned.

“His eighteenth birthday has come and
gone, and Jason McKinney failed to perform any magic. Despite his absence,
Jason is now classified as human. And killing humans is strictly against the
law.” Sirin’s eyes flicked to Len. “Punishable by death, even. No matter whose
apprentice you happen to be.” His eyes dropped back to Mr. McKinney. “Or were.”

Mr. McKinney tried to struggle, gasping,
more and more blood dripping onto the floor. Sirin gripped his chin and jerked
it up. Their eyes met, though Mr. McKinney’s were lazy and unfocused. Sirin’s
eyes were sharp, calculating. Jason hated those eyes with every fiber of his
being. He would give up his life to be able to break that long-ass nose of
Sirin’s. Sirin squeezed Mr. McKinney’s face, fingernails digging into his
cheeks.

“You will die before her, McKinney,” he
said. “For aiding a long-wanted fugitive—the Dream Caller.” And he smiled.
“Your wife.”

***

Jason ripped his eyes open. He was back in
the torture chamber. Jason’s brow was damp with sweat and his heart was
stampeding.

“How was your trip to the store, dear?”
said the fish-Thing.

Jason wrenched his eyes shut. “My
mother...is the Dream Caller.”

“I believe we had an agreement.”

“Yes. I won’t say...that word. Around you.”
A pause, and Jason opened his eyes, staring directly at the fish. “Why does
that word bother you?”

“That’s none of your business. But what is
your business has been kept from you since you can remember—your true
identity.”

“My true identity?”

“Your mother’s the Dream Caller! What does
that make you? Why, nothing short of a Dream Caller!”

Jason couldn’t think of what to say. Him?
The Dream Caller? It made no sense. He couldn’t summon dreams. He couldn’t even
use a simple spell to change his hair color or make plants grow faster—spells
Darlene and other magi have known since their elementary school days. Yet, a
part of him couldn’t deny his mother. “I remember,” he said, “my mother
creating playmates for me as a kid. They were dreams, weren’t they?”

“You bet.”

Then, a thought struck Jason. Hard. “Did
I
summon Talshe? Leech? The twins? Did I call them into Caindom?”

“No. Not even close.” The fish sighed.
“Your mother did it. She used your own dreams against you.”

“That’s stupid. My mother is dead.”

The fish-thing didn’t smile. Its eyes
drifted upward, toward the top of the torture chamber. “You know, your mother
stole my power. She left me here, helpless. I only came after you because you
could help. You probably think I’m your dream. I’m not, but I
do
know
where we can find your mother.” The smile cracked across its lips again. “If
you follow the train tracks to its end, you’ll find your mother. Still alive.”

Jason slowly shook his head. “I don’t
believe you.”

“Of course you don’t. But I’ll tell you
why you should: You were chosen to destroy the Dream Caller. You were chosen to
end her terrible existence. And I’m not lying.”

“Why should I believe anything you say?”

Again, the fish-Thing didn’t respond. It
sat there, a frown upon its face. Its eyes flicked to the top of the torture
chamber again.

“What are you looking at?” said Jason.

“No one would recognize me now. I’m barely
half of what I used to be. Worst yet, I’ve been so corrupted by this dark place,
by the sorry state your mother left me in. Is this truly any way to treat a
king and his guards?” Its eyes flicked back to Jason. “The King of Dreams?”

Jason could only stare, his mouth agape.
This Thing was Gelen’s husband? The great, missing king of Visonia? Jason
didn’t believe it. Yet what proof did he have against it? Hadn’t the fish
already been correct about Jason’s mother? He remembered the vision from
before—the man in the suit and the sniffling orb...Could that man be the
pathetic creature before him?

“Okay. Let’s say you
are
the king.
Why should I go to the end of the tracks? Why should I find my mother?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She has not only my
power, but your power, the Dream Caller’s power! If you absorb the magic she’s
been keeping from you all these years, you’ll finally be able to use magic. You
won’t have to lose your memory. Yes, I know about that, too. And trust me, it
was all part of the plan. Your mother and father waited all these years to void
your mind. That way your mother could pass from this world into your body and
recover her full abilities. And if you don’t believe me, remember the day Tara
Engel died.”

Jason didn’t want to. Not in the least
bit. If he did, the stone would start flowing. And since he made a deal with
the fish-Thing to not say ‘forth’...

“The day she died, I broke your mother’s
spell. The spell that stopped me from talking to you. I tried to help you
through your dreams. But your mother twisted them and made me into something
horrendous. Even then, she didn’t want me anywhere near you, so she separated
your dreams from you. Little did she know that I had enough power to bring them
into this
world.
Talshe sought you out because of me.
I made it seem to her that you knew where I was. I’m asking your help. We
need
you.
I
need you. Please. Find your mother and absorb her power. End this
nightmare.”

Jason didn’t want to trust the fish-Thing,
but he couldn’t find a reason not to. After all, his father had been growing
more and more distant ever since Jason’s mom died. Especially in the last year,
when the Guardian sealed his dreams. Did the Guardian know about his mother?
About the King of Visonia?