Dreamscape: Saving Alex (10 page)

“Wait, back up buddy. I don’t know you. I’m not
going anywhere with you,” I said, holding up my hands in protest.

Disappointment flashed in his eyes before he
lifted his hands. “You misunderstood, my lady. I mean you no harm. I’ve been
looking for you. Everyone’s been looking for you. I’m just glad I found you
first so I can lead you to safety. I’m not understating the dangers of staying
here.”

“Why should I take your word?” I asked.

“My word’s all I have. That’ll have to be enough.”

He waited for me to respond. I looked him over carefully,
deliberating. How could I know who to believe here? If armed jugglers were my
friends and old seamstresses despised me, where did a handsome and rugged giant
fighter fit in? He looked sincere, and if he had wanted to hurt me, he could’ve
done it already. I had given him more than enough chances. Then again, I gave
Brian the benefit of the doubt too and sorely overestimated his feelings.

The silence between us grew awkward. How long
could we just look at each other? Okay, who was I fooling? I could look at him
all day.

“I don’t…I…wait!” I exclaimed as he lifted his arm
to brush his hair away from his eyes. He stopped mid-sweep, and I grabbed at
his wrist to look closer. “You…you’re part of them.”

Arrow chuckled. “Yes, I suppose you could say
that. You know about our cause?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure…save the queen, destroy the evil
empire…” I rambled, reciting the mission of the video game. I traced the tree
on the inside of his wrist. It was the same emblem sewn into Pipes’ and
Deakon’s costumes, yet here, tattooed on his skin, the ink made it seem more
significant. More personal.

“You don’t seem concerned about the dangers
involved. I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed with you. Your talents are exactly
what the rebellion needs to win. We really need to be going though.” He glanced
meaningfully down the path behind me.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a healing potion on
you, would you?” I asked with sudden inspiration.

“A healing potion? I didn’t think the giant hit
you.”

“He didn’t, but I ran into a few problems at the
market, and if we’re going to be walking very far, I really need to get
something for these,” I said, pointing to my bruised arms and legs.

His eyes darkened as he looked at my arms and torn
leggings. “Who did this?” he asked, his fingers drifting towards his sword.

His concern sent a shot of heat through my belly.
I reached out for his arm and pushed his sword back in its sheath. “No one did
this to me. Well, not directly. I just made a few wrong moves and trusted some
people I shouldn’t have.”

“I bet they got a surprise when they realized they
messed with the wrong person.” His laugh broke through his tight-lipped
concern. “Who were they? I won’t let anyone hurt our hero.”

My head shot up. “Hero?”

Arrow nodded. “Of course. News about you has been
spreading throughout the kingdom.”

“O-oh?” I asked, swallowing hard. “W-what kind of
news?”

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s just say you’ve
caused quite the commotion since you’ve been here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You stand out in a crowd. People have taken
notice and spread the word. With everything going on, your appearance changes
things. Surely you know that?”

“How can you be so sure? I mean that they’re
talking about me?” I asked, feeling my insides tighten like a spring.

“Are you serious? Any doubts I had disappeared the
moment you leapt through the air towards the giant. Only our hero would be that
brave and reckless. You’re the one we’ve been looking for, I’m certain.
Besides, look at your hair.”

He was back to obsessing over my hair again. I ran
my fingers through my hair a final time, pulling out the last few stuck
branches and tying it in a ponytail.

“What’s wrong with my hair?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it.”

“Then why do you keep bringing it up?”

“What can I say?
It’s distracting.”

“And you’re
infuriating,” I shot back. His serious expression cracked with a smile.

“Have you noticed
anyone else with hair spun from gold?”

His words gave me
pause, and as I thought back to everyone I had met, I realized he was right.
Everyone here had dark hair except for me.

“You’re special.
Now, what I want to know, Goldy, is who did this to you.” He motioned to my
bruises again.

“I already told you, most of this was my fault. Of
course, I was set up,” I admitted. “But the rest is just from the clumsiness of
my escape.”

“Who dared do such a thing?”

“Auntie Quinn,” I said, the name souring my
tongue.

He grimaced. “Auntie Quinn’s a danger to us all.
She was one of the first to turn. Let me look.” He dropped to his knees and
traced the welts and bruises. His fingers were softer than I’d imagined, and
when he leaned in, his scent curled my toes.

“All of this on such a small girl,” he murmured.

“I’m not a small girl,” I said, pulling my arms
back. The insult stung coming from him. I didn’t want his pity. “I’ve taken care
of myself just fine, even before you came along.”

“It doesn’t look that way.”

“Oh no,” I said, blood rushing to my cheeks. “I
made it out of the market and dealt with a giant without your help.”

“It was a child.”

“A giant child,” I hissed.

“It doesn’t matter. You still need healing.”

“Anyone would after dealing with what I’ve faced,”
I retorted. “And you’re no older than me, so don’t give me that crap. I can
make my own decisions just fine, thanks.”

He bit his lower lip and glared at me before
masking his face in cool politeness. “You’re right, my lady,” he replied
tensely. “I apologize for any insult I’ve caused. It wasn’t my intention. I
just want to get us to safety. We mustn’t stay any longer.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, chastised by his tone. “It’s
been a long couple of days, I didn’t mean—”

“No need to apologize, my lady. Your feelings came
across clearly. I’ll keep my concerns to myself. I shouldn’t second-guess our
hero.”

“That’s not—”

“It’s fine, my lady. Like you said, before we
continue, we’ll need to heal those wounds. The paths ahead hold more danger
than young giants, no matter how brave you are.”

I cringed. The amusement and warmth from earlier
had disappeared. I had ruined any sort of friendship before it even had a
chance to begin.

“That’s all I was asking for,” I said. “Do you
have a potion or know where the nearest marketplace or healer is?”

He unsheathed his sword and came towards me.

I fell behind the rock, fumbling to release the
dagger from my belt in a sudden panic. Was he going to hurt me? He turned to
the right, giving me his back for one moment. By the time he spun back around,
I had the dagger pointed at his throat.

“Stop there!” I cried.

“What?” he asked with wide eyes and a face
contorted in confusion. “Here,” he said, throwing a handful of cut vines at my
feet. “Tighten those around your wounds. They’ll heal in a few hours.”

“What are you talking about?” I whispered.

It was silent—agonizingly silent—and then I heard
his loud sigh. “The vines. You wanted a healing potion.”

I closed my eyes and wished the embarrassment
away. The pile of vines curled around my feet. “Oh,” I said. “I see. I don’t—”

“The way I see it, Goldy, you have two choices.
You can listen to me and take my advice, or you can continue to fight me for no
reason. Either way, make your choice. We can’t stay here much longer. And when
I say to hide your hair—hide your hair. This isn’t a game. If you don’t want to
wind up in Berkos’ dungeon or dead, you’d better start listening.
Do you want my help, Goldy?”

My eyes stung as
I
unsuccessfully tried to blink away the collecting tears to no avail. Within
moments, ugly sobs racked my body. I
could
n’t
take it anymore. I
felt
broken. This had
to be the worst first impression ever, and now, I had to ask for help.

“Yes, please help me,” I whispered, tugging at the
tangled vines, afraid to meet his eyes.

He knelt beside me, patiently spreading and
slicing the vine so it splayed evenly. Where it made contact, the red interior
of the plant cooled my injured skin. I choked back a combination of tears and
laughter. The healing potion had been hanging in front of me all this time.

I twisted my hair, turning the ponytail into a bun
and tucking it up under my hat.

“So what did you mean about my hair?” I asked,
trying to break the ice that had frozen between us while he continued winding
the vines up my legs. “I mean, it’s unique here, I guess, but why is it
dangerous to wear it down?”

“It’s nothing,” he said. “It just sends the wrong
message to some people. If you want to save yourself more trouble, keep it
hidden.”

When he finished binding my legs, he worked on my
arms in the same fashion. The crisscrossing vines relieved my sore limbs in a
healing salve. I hated to admit that I already felt better.

His hand gripped mine and pulled me to my feet.
Unprepared for his strength, I stumbled into his arms. The warmth of his body
surprised me as I stalled against the soft leather vest. The tips of his lips
lifted when I pushed off him.

This was a video game; he wasn’t real. But no
matter how much my mind tried to convince me, his arms seemed substantial
enough. Did it matter if he was real? This was a danger I had not anticipated.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To rescue the queen,” he said, pressing my hands
down to my side before heading down the trail.

“Of course,” I mumbled, sighing, and followed him
into the overgrown brush.

Silence comes in three sizes—comfortable, pointed,
and bitterly intolerable.

The first two, I wore easily enough for the first
hours of our journey together, but the third didn
’
t settle
right. I wanted to apologize for earlier, but his dagger-sharp glances told me
he didn
’
t want to hear my excuses. The growing hush
suffocated me. I only liked solitude when I chose to maintain it.

I struggled to keep pace with him, trampling
bushes and flushing out animals on the bramble-crowded trail. Every step I took
seemed to announce our location. Arrow glared with annoyance as he motioned for
quiet.

“The whole point of taking this trail is to remain
hidden,” he snapped, disappearing into the lush vegetation. “Keep the noise
down.”

“I’m trying,” I hissed.

“Try harder,” I heard from ahead.

I scowled as I stepped over a fallen log blocking
the path. He acted as if I was making noise on purpose. Keeping pace with him
was hard enough; doing it quietly was impossible. What he called a trail was
little more than a worn path winding between bushes and thorns. I certainly did
not fit in the small clearance. Sharp brambles grabbed my legs with each step,
threatening to pull the healing vines off me.

Branches swung in the distance as he ran ahead. I
couldn’t figure him out. He puzzled me in the most frustrating way. One minute
he’s kissing my hand and I melt under his charm, and the next he acts as if I
am nothing more than a nuisance. Even looking back to the video game was no
help. I could place the jugglers, even the market merchants, but not Arrow. He
didn’t match up to any of the characters I knew.

He had every right to be upset with me. I did
almost attack him with my dagger. But in the middle of the woods—after beating
up giants, for heaven’s sake—how did he expect me to counteract his sudden
movement? How could I not be wary of a stranger in an even stranger world? Help
was the last thing I expected.

“Stop,” he commanded, lifting his arm.

I dutifully followed his request. I could do that
much, at least. But when I looked past him, to where the forest opened to a
small clearing, I faltered. Tall grass rippled in the wind, with no signs of
danger. After hours of trampling through close vines and brambles, I wanted to
run through it and enjoy the open space. Why couldn’t I? There was no one here
to stop me.

“Arrow, this is wonderful!” I cried, moving past
him to twirl into the warm meadow. He reached for me as I bounded forward, but
his hand slipped off my wrist.

“Goldy,” he said, then stopped with an amused
grin. He leaned against the nearest tree as I spun in circle after circle.
“When are you going to start listening to me?”

“When are you going to start listening to me?” I
countered playfully, my arms extended to the sky. “This is amazing. You have to
come out here. I can’t tell you how good the sun feels.”

“I’m good right here,” he said. “You might not
want to—”

“Seriously, can’t you just enjoy a moment of fun?”

“Do you think we’re here for fun?” he asked, one
of his eyebrows shooting up.

“Everything can be fun if you want it to be,” I
said. “You get to make the choice, right? Just like I do. And I’m choosing to
have fun.”

“I’m fine right here,” he said with a smirk. “You
go have fun.”

“Suit yourself,” I said carelessly, advancing
further into the sun-filled meadow, “but I’m not missing out.”

Arrow’s eyes lingered on me as I went, watching me
enjoy the silky grass blades on my palm and the sun on my face. Too soon,
however, my movements slowed as the ground softened to mud.

“Just my luck,” I muttered, trying to step back to
no avail. The sludge trapped my boots, pulling me deeper into the goop with
each step. It slid over the edge of my boot, warming my shin as it slid down my
leg.

“Arrow! What
’
s
happening?
” I cried, grabbing my shin and attempting to pull my foot up.
The warm slime clung to my leather boots. Every bid at escape forced the sludge
higher, until it covered my calves, and my feet were cemented in the ground.
Arrow’s deep laughter interrupted my rising panic.

“Ah, Goldy,” he chuckled. “You’re right.
Everything can be fun. I had no idea this trek would prove so entertaining.”

“Stop laughing,” I snapped, struggling to hold
back my own smile.

“Sorry, my lady. It’s just that I haven’t seen
someone try to traverse these pits since my youth.”

“The pits?” I asked.

“Let me introduce you to the Pits of Wonder.” He
spread his arms in introduction. “It’s one of the highlights of the Western
Woods.”

“Pits of Wonder? That’s a joke, right?”

“Ah, ‘tis no joke, my lady. You’ll find most of
these woods are riddled with mystery and danger.” His voice dropped in an
ominous tone. Only a small twitch at the side of his mouth gave away his sport.

“Stop it, Arrow. I’m seriously stuck. Help me out
of here.” I stopped flailing and matched his grin. Somehow I knew he would
rescue me.

“I was just having a bit of fun. Isn’t that what
you suggested earlier?” He couldn’t stop the twinkle in his eyes.

“Arrow,” I pleaded. “I really want to get out of
here,” and then I said in a smaller voice, “you were right. I should have
listened.”

“Did I hear you clearly? Did you say I was right?
Are you saying you need my help again?” He draped his hands behind his head. I
glared at him. He was enjoying my discomfort a bit too much.

“All right, I won’t make you ask. Stay there, I’ll
be right back.” He disappeared into the brush we’d just hiked through, snorting
to contain another laugh. After what seemed like hours, he emerged with an
armful of wooden debris. Vines draped over his shoulders, and a carefully
stacked pile of sticks and leaves teetered in his arms.

“Please hurry,” I said.

“Good things take time, Goldy,” he said, not
bothering to look at me, focusing instead on the pile of wood and vines he
dropped to the ground.

“As long as this good thing doesn’t sink to
death,” I muttered.

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to worry about
sinking. The pits are…uh…more of a trap than a sinkhole.”

“A trap?” I asked, glancing around.

“Yes. You see, there are reckless creatures that
tromp through the meadow without noticing the signs and find themselves stuck.”

“What happens to them?” I asked, feeling fear
clench my heart.

“I couldn
’
t really say. I
’
d imagine a variety of things. Some might escape, others may
starve to death, but the birds help themselves to the majority of them.”

He casually looked back at his pile and began
sorting the items. I frantically searched the sky.

“Then get me out of here!”

“Are you afraid of a few little birds, Goldy?”

“No,” I said. “But the idea of being pecked to
death isn’t exactly comforting.”

“I’m almost ready,” he said, tying together a few
vines. I stared in disbelief as he held up two ovals, cross-woven with vines,
their reinforced edges made from bent branches.

“How did you do that?” I asked, staring as he
slipped an oval over each of his feet.

“Let’s just say I’m good with my hands…and I may
have seen someone else do this before,” he admitted with a smile.

“Who?” I asked.

He cleared his throat and sat down to secure the
woven mats to the bottoms of his boots. “It’s not important, Goldy. What’s
important is that we get you out of there.”

I nodded and pressed my lips together to stifle my
laughter. No wonder he knew about the pits in this meadow.

Once the makeshift shoes were in place, he hobbled
over to the edge of the pit and made a move as if he were going to jump. I
closed my eyes in anticipation, but no splash followed.

“Don’t worry, Goldy, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
He winked.

“I’m not quite so sure!” I giggled at his antics.

“Really?” he asked, tilting his head. “It seems
there’s a lot you’re unsure about.”

I bit my lower lip. What did he mean? Hopefully he
wasn’t second-guessing my usefulness again. He didn’t seem to give it a second
thought as he stepped into the pits. Soft mud surged around his shoes, and I
held my breath as he came closer. Displaced mud rippled out from under his
steps. Thick muck sloshed over the top edge of my boots.

“Ugh, I think I’m going to get sick.” I gagged.

“Don’t do that, Goldy. I’m almost there.”

“Hurry!”

“Hmm, I don’t know anymore. I wouldn’t want to
interrupt all this fun,” he teased, lingering slightly out of reach.

“You want fun?” I asked. Narrowing my eyes at him,
I scooped up a handful of goop and tossed it at him. I missed, but it sent him
into fits of laughter. He was definitely enjoying this too much.

Now, in addition to the mud stuck to my boots,
dark slime dripped down my forearm. Slow, like syrup, and with an acidic smell
that burned. I hadn’t noticed it when I first walked in, but now the stench
overpowered me. “Why didn’t you warn me? This stinks.” I plugged my nose with
my clean hand while Arrow bent over to catch his breath.

“I tried Goldy, I tried. This is too good!” He
pretended to duck as I reached for more goop. “Okay, okay, here you go,” he
said, throwing the pile of branches and the extra pair of woven shoes to the
ground in front of me. “Line the shoes up, secure them with one of the
branches, and then tie them together. You’ll want to attach them to your legs,
like I did.”

I looked down at the sticks and vines and cursed
as my feet stayed in place. “I can’t move my feet.”

“Relax. We have to go step by step. If I started
swirling the mud before you knew how to tie the shoes, it would be pointless.”

I took a deep breath and tucked my lips together.
Relaxing was the last thing I wanted to do, but I tried. “Okay, I’m ready.
What’s next?”

“Now this may sound strange.” He stopped as I
stifled a chuckle. What wasn’t strange here?

“Sorry, go ahead,” I said.

He raised his eyebrows, but I remained silent. “To
get you unstuck, I need to alter the movement of the ground below. Don’t be
afraid,” he said, stopping my protests. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. You’ll
feel the ground soften around you first, and then you’ll be able to pull your
feet out.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked nervously.

“Stir up the ground.”

“Stir up the—no!” I yelled, then cursed under my
breath. There had to be a different way. A way that didn’t involve me tumbling
backwards into this goo.

Arrow winked and ignored my concerns, dropping a
large branch onto the ground. He swirled small circles first and then larger
ones closer to me. The ground trembled, and I dropped a couple inches. I
shifted my boots and recovered.

“It’s working,” I said.

He didn’t answer, continuing to stir in front of
me, and then to the side, and then around behind me. The mud softened, and when
my legs broke free, I almost fell backwards. What now? Arrow’s instructions
flew past my ears while I stared at the sinking pile of twigs and vines.

“And you better do it before everything sinks or
the ground solidifies around you. Are you sure you have it?”

“Uh-hmm,” I said, collecting the sticks. “Thank
you, I really mean it.”

“I’ll see you on the other side, Alex,” he said,
sliding by effortlessly.

I held my breath. My heart raced. My fingers refused
to listen to the simplest of instructions. He said my name. Alex. Not Goldy,
and not with a sneer. It slid off his tongue like honey, smooth and deep. I
liked it. He looked back at me still fumbling with the sticks and smiled. The
ice between us had finally thawed.

I followed his instructions, and before the sludge
covered my knees, I had the woven shoes attached to my boots. The first few
steps threatened to knock me back into the mud. I wobbled out of control and
then managed to trudge a lot less gracefully than Arrow across the quicksand
pit.

Luckily Arrow didn’t press me to keep going on the
trail. In the time it took me to maneuver over the wobbly ground, he had
started a small fire and prepared lunch.

The smell of warmed bread and oranges bowled me
over. I dropped to my knees, remembering that I hadn’t eaten since arriving. I
crawled across the dusty ground, ignoring the dirt that stuck to the residual
slime on my arms and legs.

“You made it,” Arrow said as I crawled past him.

Whatever had guarded his eyes before had
transformed into an amused twinkle. I pulled myself up with his help and
hobbled to the log where he sat, carefully pulling off my caked boots. It took
more effort to strip my arms of the slime, and when he offered a branch for
scraping, I accepted it.

“You can put your boots by the fire to warm. Once
the mud dries, it’ll flake off. No one will ever know. Except me, of course,”
he said with a sly wink.

I stared at him, my words frozen in my throat. Why
was talking to him so difficult?

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he said, offering
me a warmed slice of bread and an orange. His grip lingered for a moment before
he released the food, and our eyes connected, sending my heart spiraling out of
control.

“I’m not afraid,” I said, glancing away.

“What is it then?”

I shrugged. The feelings stirring inside me
weren’t fear, but something just as terrifying. Silence gave me the illusion of
control over my emotions.
I bit into the bread.

It melted in my mouth. I closed my eyes and let
the world disappear. At that moment, nothing mattered except the bread as each
piece fed my insatiable appetite. I took the second offered slice and leaned
back against the log, closing my eyes. The orange had a tang that I relished,
especially when the sweet citrus slid down my throat. Hunger made everything
taste better, and despite the two slices of bread and the fruit, my stomach
still grumbled.