Dreamscape: Saving Alex (14 page)

What was taking Arrow so long? I looked at my
wrist out of habit, but my watch wasn’t there. It didn’t matter. I didn’t need
it to tell me what I already knew from counting the beats of my heart. Too much
time had passed. Something must have happened.

I tiptoed closer to the next room and held my
breath. Even the whisper of my breathing seemed to echo. As I breached the
doorway, a flash of light blinded me. I covered my mouth and screamed as the
knife’s edge flashed in the candlelight.

“No!” I yelled, stopping Arrow before he plunged
his blade into the baron’s chest.

Arrow glared at me as the baron stirred in his
bed. Despite my protests, he raised his knife again.

“You can’t kill him,” I said, grabbing Arrow’s
free arm and pulling him towards me.

Baron Marix’s eyes flew open, and as he sat
upright, he pulled his sheets up to his chin.

“Didn’t you just go through that manor?” Arrow
said, clipping each word, shifting his gaze between me and the baron. “Didn’t
you see the faces of the men?”

I stared at him. He was right. The man deserved to
die. There was no justification for anything he’d done. The stamps on the back
of his guards’ armor showed the atrocities he allowed.

Arrow’s hand shook as he held the knife high. It
wasn’t that I didn’t want the baron to die. But I didn’t want it to haunt
Arrow. I didn’t have time to explain, though. While we locked eyes, the baron
pressed an emergency alarm, and a bell sounded throughout the room.

“We have to go, now!” I shouted, pulling him away
from the bed.

I ignored the ‘I told you so’ glare Arrow shot at
me and ran down the steps. The ringing of the bell followed us. An invisible
threat tightened around my heart. Our time ran short.

Behind us, the baron’s incoherent shouts almost
drowned out the increasing rumble in front of us—the rhythmic marching of the
guards.

“We’re stuck,” Arrow said.

Obviously.

I pressed my body against the far wall. My hands
slid against the stone, stopping against something warm. I looked down at
Arrow’s hand under mine and met his expectant gaze.

“What now?” he asked.

My eyes widened. I had never had to find a way
out, just a way to win. The levels usually ended once I got the token. “I don’t
know. Did you get the papers you needed?”

“I have them.” He nodded and patted his vest
pocket, where I could see the rough edges of worn parchment.

I nodded and looked past him up the stairs. That
wasn’t an option. I had already stopped Arrow from killing the baron once. The
echoes of the armor alerted me to the guards. They moved more quickly than I
remembered.

They raised their swords as they approached.
Moonlight flashed off their smooth helmets, and an idea hit me. It was a long
shot, but it seemed like the only chance we had.

“Do you still have a packet of vines?” I asked
Arrow, keeping my eyes on the glinting helmets, counting down their approach.

“Yes…”

“Enough for the both of us?”

He tightened his lips and nodded.

“Then follow me, and whatever you do, don’t stop!”

I ran back up the stairway about ten steps and
turned around, facing the entrance. Energy pumped through me. Just as the first
guard crossed the threshold, I jumped, flinging myself forward. My feet
connected with the smooth helmet of the first guard, knocking him backwards
into the guards behind him. I jumped again before he collapsed to the floor and
catapulted off the next guard’s shoulders, leaping from one person to the next.

Before they could raise their swords to attack, I
was already where I needed to be. With the last of my strength, I grabbed the
velvet drapes and swung through the open window, waiting for the openness below
me. Letting go, I dropped two stories to the ground.

My legs jammed and buckled underneath me as I
landed. The ground shook when Arrow landed next to me, and I realized that I
couldn’t move. Breathing took all my energy. I knew that the moment I shifted,
I would regret it.

“Did we really just jump over Marix’s guards?” he
wheezed, scrambling through his bag.

“I told you not to worry.” I struggled to get the
words out, wincing. I was right about regretting  movement. “Vines?” I rasped,
grimacing.

“Almost,” he said. “I will never underestimate you
again.” And then he gave me that smile. The kind that made me weak from the
inside out.

I blinked my eyes to keep the tears from falling
and looked up as a firework burst across the sky.
“Look at that. It’s beautiful.”

“We don’t have much time. The baron’s men will be
out searching for us soon,” Arrow said, slicing the vines open.

I nodded and refocused on the sky, watching the
fireworks blur under my tears. Relief overcame me as the first vine took
effect, and I closed my eyes.

I nuzzled into the warmth of a wool cloak,
enjoying a moment of comfort. I refused to open my eyes, no matter how intense
the sunlight was on my lids or how pervasive the sweet song of the birds. Sweet
song? When had the oppressive chirping ended? My eyes shot open.

Arrow stilled my scream with a smile. “Good
morning, Alex.”

Good morning? Oh no. How long had he been carrying
me? “Good morning,” I mumbled, hiding my face in his chest.

His warm laugh doubled my mortification. What if I
had talked in my sleep, or worse, drooled on him? Ugh.

“Hey, hey, just relax, Alex,” he said, tightening
his grip as I shuffled in his arms. “I’m carrying you for a little bit.” The
tone in his voice told me not to bother arguing. He had made up his mind.

He sped through the trails of the forest, twisting
around low branches and high-stepping fallen logs, clearly in his element.
Above us, the birds circled, following us with their melody as we moved out of
the thick woods into lush meadows. Pockets of honey flowers and dragon weed
intermixed in the field. Long ombré blades of grass gave way in the wind,
moving in gentle waves.

Nothing seemed to slow him, not even carrying a
damsel in his arms. I cringed at the thought. The years of Mom’s lectures about
being strong and independent came back to me. Surely saving his life kept me
out of that classification. I hoped.

I sighed and melted into his arms. I won’t lie. It
felt good. His warmth, the way his muscles hugged me, and the steady beat of
his heart, all put me at ease. I had never felt this way before. It confused
me, even more than the whole ‘not being real’ thing.

Doubts rose to the surface, unsettling me. I
couldn’t shake them. No matter how much I tried to fade them out or pretend
this was all an illusion, I found myself in the same predicament. To survive, I
had to be part of the game instead of simply playing it. I looked up at Arrow
and noticed the slight smile that rested on the edge of his lips, the dark hair
swooping over his eyes. Being part of the game was more dangerous than I wanted
to admit.

A contented sigh escaped my lips, and even though
he kept his face forward, I saw the corners of his lips rise even more.

“I can walk now,” I offered halfheartedly.

“Are you sure?” Arrow asked, his brow furrowed.

“I’m much better,” I said, kicking my feet to show
him, feeling for the first time the vines spiraling up my legs. I reached down
to touch them out and frowned. When had he tied them? So much of last night
melted into a fog, except the moments I wished I could forget.

He let me down gently, but kept his arms around my
waist, looking at my downcast face.

“Alex?” he asked, tilting my head up to meet him.
“What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head, the
thoughts twisting me up. “So… about last night…” My voice trailed off.

“Last night?” he asked, tightening his grip around
my waist, swinging me around. “You were incredible!”

I brushed the stray blonde wisps out of my mouth
and met his gaze. “What?” He obviously remembered something different than I
did.

“Last night. The way you led us through the
estate. I’ve never seen anyone be so brave or innovative.”

I let out a low chuckle. “I suppose you could call
it that. I was thinking more along the lines of crazy.”

“Well, that too,” he said. “But worth it.” He
pulled out a packet of rolled parchment.

“Are those what you were looking for?” I asked,
staring at the yellowed scroll.

He nodded. “Thanks to you, we got them. Thank
you.”

“Can I take a look?” I asked, curious to see what
had almost cost us our lives.

“Sure, just be careful.”

I took the papers and scanned them quickly. “These
are just names,” I said, disappointed.

“They’re more than just names,” he said, pointing
to the first on the list. “Paulin Jons is a butcher from the south. Larson,” he
pointed to another name down the list. “He’s an innkeeper in Lindle. And…no,”
he sighed deeply. “Perkins was an old friend.”

“I still don’t understand. Who are they?”

“Berkos’ spies. We’ve lost a lot of men in recent
ambushes. Now we know why. Anyone on this list is an enemy of the rebellion.”
He shook his head. “This changes the game for us. We now know who we can trust
and who we can manipulate to our advantage. You have given us this. I don’t
think I can thank you enough,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Well, maybe you can thank me with some food. I’m
starving.” On cue, my stomach grumbled.

“Ah, Goldy, I wish I could, but we finished it all
yesterday. We’ll have to head into town to get something. Are you up for that?”

“I think so. My legs are better,” I said,
stretching them. I reached around for my dagger and floundered at the empty
slot where it normally rested. My stomach growled again. “Do you know where my
dagger went?”

“It’s here. I had to take it to carry you.” He
pulled it out of his bag and handed it back to me. “I wanted to get as far away
from there as possible before he sent his men out. We surprised him, but I
don’t think he’ll forget about us anytime soon.” He chuckled and brushed the
hair out of his eyes. “I still can’t believe it. I don’t think I’ve ever had
quite so much fun fighting anyone.”

Fun? We had very different ideas of fun. I
straightened my tunic and felt unusual ripples constricting my ribs. Peering
beneath my shirt, I saw the vines crisscrossing my stomach. I blushed.

He’d had his hands around my ribs, and I couldn’t
remember.

“And then the way you jumped over the guards...”
His voice continued in the background.

His hands were all over my stomach, and I couldn’t
remember.

“The way you...”

How could I forget that?

“What?” I cut in, not having paid much attention
to anything he’d said.

“Last night. I just can’t get over it,” he said,
coming closer to me.

My version of it didn’t seem quite as heroic as
his when I replayed the events in my mind. I remembered a lot more fear and
fumbling.

I unwrapped the vines around my waist and felt his
hand stop on top of mine.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to cross any
boundaries,” he said, nodding towards the vines.

My skin flushed. “Don’t apologize for healing me.
If you haven’t figured it out, I seem to attract a little danger.”

“Is that all you think you attract?” he asked,
shrinking the distance between us.

“It seems everything here comes with some danger,”
I said, my heart threatening to leap out of my chest.

“Then I’ll just have to make sure I stay close,”
he whispered, taking my hand in his.

“I thought I was supposed to be the hero,” I said,
looking down at our entwined hands. A blush warmed my face.

“Even a hero needs saving sometimes.” He tilted my
chin up to meet his gaze.

How was I supposed to respond to that? My stomach
fluttered and my knees buckled. We stared at each other, the moment stretching
into silence. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. I did the only thing I
could think of, and looked away.

“Don’t do that,” he
said.

“You don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand.” He raised my chin,
searching my face for answers.

“I can’t...” I protested, lowering my gaze.
Looking at him was too difficult.

“Can’t or won’t?”

I twisted away. Tears stung the edges of my eyes.

“Alex, you’re everything I’ve ever hoped for,” he
said softly.

“You mean the rebellion—”

“No,” he said, turning me back to face him. “I
mean me.”

“Don’t do this. I…I can’t,” I said, trembling. I
was losing the game of tug-of-war between my heart and mind.

“Why not? There’s nothing you can say that could
deter me.”

I stared at him for a moment. “Nothing?”

“Nothing. Whatever’s in your past, is just
that...your past. You’re here now, with me. I hope,” he said, lifting my hand
to his lips.

“Arrow, it’s not that easy.” But I was melting.

“It can be. Let the
rest go.”

I wanted to. I wanted to fall into his arms, feel
his embrace and the beat of his heart that matched mine. I wanted to
believe...but I couldn’t. How could I forget who I was or pretend that this
fantasy was real? I couldn’t lose myself here when I needed to get home.

“No,” I said, silencing the battle within.

Arrow stepped back, his face fallen. “What?”

“I can’t be what you want me to be,” I said more
evenly.

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either. But I can’t. I’m not from here,”
I said after a deep breath.

“It doesn’t matter to me where you’re from. We
could make it work,” he said.

“Not this far.” I
bit my lip. “Arrow—”

“Don’t,” he said, quieting my protests with his
finger on my lips. “We’ll make it work.”

“Please, Arrow, you don’t understand. I don’t want
to hurt you.”

His eyes flickered between confusion and hurt,
finally settling on disappointment. He let my hand go. “It’s fine, Goldy. If
you’re truly not interested, I understand. You don’t need to worry. I just
thought I saw something back there between us,” he said.

I bit the inside of my lip. That did not go how
I’d intended. “Arrow?”

“Forget about it. Please, just pretend I didn’t
bring it up. We still have a long way to go to get to town.”

I sighed deeply and nodded. Maybe some things were
better not discussed. “Which way is it?”

“It’s about a half-day walk over that ridge,
and...”

“And what?” I asked, following his gaze to the
dark plumes. “Oh no.” My stomach dropped.

Dark smoke spiraled over the horizon. Beneath each
spout of smoke, flames crowned the forest. In their wake, charred remains
darkened the trees.

“This has to be Berkos’ men. Marix couldn’t burn
the king’s territory without permission. I should have known they would
retaliate. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

“Retaliate? Against us?”

“It’s bigger than us. He’s retaliating against the
rebellion. We may have been the spark they were waiting for.”

“But how would he have even known? We just left
there last night.”

“He has ways of communicating quickly. He’s
probably been following you since you arrived. In fact, he’s probably tracking
us right now,” he said, pausing to look around. “I hate falling into someone
else’s plan.”

I reached for his hand, knowing that feeling all
too well. “What do we do?”

He shook my hand off, grabbed his bag and then
handed me mine. “We need to get more men,” he said, throwing his bag over his
shoulder.

“More men? Why?” I asked, dreading his answer.

“Because, Goldy, you’re going to lead us to
victory, and I assume you’ll want more men than just me behind you.” His voice
held an edge.

“Whoa, what?” I asked, feeling fear’s grip tighten
on my chest.

“You’re the Golden Hero. That’s why you’re here.”

Crap. I knew pretending would eventually come back
to haunt me. “I can’t do that,” I said.

“What do you mean?” he asked, exasperated.

“I mean, I’m not who you think I am,” I said. “I’m
not the hero you’re looking for.”

“We’ve already been over this. I’ve seen what you
can do and what you know about the places we need to go. If you’re worried,
don’t be. You’ll have plenty of people to support you.”

“No, Arrow, I mean I can’t do it. Leading you to
hidden papers was one thing, but I can’t lead a rebellion. That’s not why I’m
here.”

“Then why are you here?” he asked, shuffling his
bag to his other shoulder.

“I’m just looking for my way home.”

“To the north?” Arrow rolled his eyes and started
back on the trail.

“No
.” I
grabbed his forearm. “I lied before; I’m not from the north. I’m not even from
Lockhorn.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not from your world.”

He laughed.

“I’m serious,” I said.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face
me. “This isn’t the time to go over this. If you’re scared, that’s fine. Most
of us are, but we still do what’s required. I expect the same of you,” he said
with a tightened jaw.

“You’re not understanding what I’m saying. I’m not
from here.”

“You keep saying that as if it would mean
something to me. It doesn’t. Now let’s go. We can’t waste any more time on
these trivialities.”

“Trivialities?” The ease at which he brushed off
my concerns angered me. “Trust me, this isn’t a simple matter.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I don’t know how to explain it so you’ll
understand,” I said slowly.

“We have to get moving, so find a way quick.”

“Okay… I’m—I’m not from this world. Where I’m
from, Lockhorn is nothing more than a game.” I cringed, watching him absorb
what I was saying.

“A game?” he scoffed.

“Yeah, it’s just a game. We play it for fun,
traveling the forest, storming castles, saving the queen. All of it…all of
this, isn’t real.” I tried to keep my voice even and stop my feelings from
pouring out in my words. I watched anger and confusion collide on his face.

“So none of this is real to you? You don’t believe
in Lockhorn?” he asked again, this time with an equal measure of disappointment
and comprehension.

“No,” I said, biting my lower lip. I felt bad for
him, struggling to understand when I still hadn’t come to grips with it myself.

“Why are you here then? Why did they send you to
be our hero?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” I said. Part of me wished I didn’t
feel so relieved at telling the truth, when it meant crushing him. But I did.
“I just want to go home, and I think I can do that by rescuing the queen. I’ve
spent my entire life playing here, beating the king and saving the queen. In
theory, I understand everything about this world.”