Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (33 page)

“Squirm
like that and we
will
go over,” Finn teased.  “Just hold it right
there.  Don’t move.”

The
raft was not easy to steer.  A second paddle would have been useful, but they
had no such thing.  Finn had to row forward first on one side and then the
other in order to move them, and all the while, Wren tried to ignore the
thought of how deep the water was or how she was restricted on such a small
piece of board.  Glancing up, she decided to focus on the roof of the cavern
and the dim crystals there – the island’s life-force going dim.

The
rocks and dirt at the shore ground together as the raft pressed against them,
signaling their arrival on the mountain shore.  Nix was already there, working
to set a torch alight.  Wren stepped off as Finn set out to retrieve Calico. 
The way things were going, everyone would be safely to this side in no time,
though she was still unsure what would await them down the road.  Perhaps her
sigh of relief would be worthless.

The
torch flared up in Nix’s hand and she was glad for the light, but just as
quickly, he was passing away from her, going deeper.

“Where
are you going?”

“Ahead
a bit,” he said, but didn’t stop.  “I want to scout for obstacles.”

“I’m
coming with you,” she insisted.  Nix glanced at her but did not argue.

They
moved into a narrow passage, more of which seemed to appear with each step as
if materializing out of nothing.  Perhaps it was.  They had all warned her
about how the world was in chaos, shifting and bending at will.  Perhaps in
some instances, the landscape created itself as they moved through it.

She
focused on Nix’s tall outline as he led her on, parting the shadows for her. 
She could see her breath in front of her, and suspected the Tikilin kept her
believing the air was warmer than it was, but still she shivered.

“Do
you want my coat?” Nix asked.  He’d cast his eye back to her as he moved forward,
noticing her chill.

“No;
thank you,” she responded, but continued to hold herself.  She had lost her
chance, however; Nix turned away.

She
wondered briefly how the others would feel about them going ahead.  Not that
they were leaving them behind, but Calico at least was sure to have a fit about
she and Nix being alone together.  She still did not seem to trust him.

“There’s
light,” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She
could see it ahead, worry taking its baggage off her.  She was uplifted at the
sight of it, and soon afterward the passage opened up into another cavern.  A
ray of light was pouring in from above, and though she was not back to the
surface, she was glad to see that it still existed above them.

Wren
stood beneath the light, the brightness of it seeming unnatural against the
eternal night below.  She hoped to soon be back in it.  She’d had quite enough
of the underground.

“This
is far enough,” said Nix, finding a place along the wall to wedge the torch. 
“It looks like we’re alone down here.  That’s refreshing at least.”

Wren
examined her hands in the light, realizing how dirty she was.  When they got
out of here, she would be in definite need of a bath.  They all would be.  Nix
was also covered in dust, his hair turned from blond to brown with dirt.  The
coat of fur he wore was encrusted with clumps as well.  At the sight of him,
she hoped not to see what her own face looked like.

“Perhaps
the greater part of our journey is over,” Nix said conversationally.  He leaned
back against the wall to rest, and there was a distant look on his face, but
she could not interpret what that meant.

Could
what he said be true?  Since the beginning, she had been counting the steps
until she would reach the old camp – until she’d reach Rifter. 
Mountain
Caves, Canyon, Plains
– and then they would be there.  No doubt there would
be new dangers along the way, but as long as she was back out in the daylight
and open air she was sure she’d make it.  She couldn’t help but smile at the thought
of all this being over.

Finally,
I’ll have my answers.  We all will.

“What
will you do after you see Rifter?” Nix asked, looking her way.  She was drawn
back to him.

“He’ll
explain his plan,” she said easily.  “He’ll tell us how we can fix this world.”

“And
what will he want from you then?  Will he tell you to hide and wait for him to
be done?”

“I
intend to be there with him as I’m able, if that’s what you mean,” she said
defensively, crossing her arms.

“No
doubt,” he commented, but there was no emotion in his voice.

Nix
stared at her, and she could see that he was back on one of his tangents about
Rifter, of which she was growing excruciatingly tired.

“So
what do you think about it all?  Tell me honestly,” she blurted with a huff. 
“Stop being so cryptic and confess.”

He
continued to look at her, a strange aura radiating from him, a smirk on his
mouth.

“I
think taking the Pack to Rifter is a bad idea,” he said sternly, “and I don’t
think you should go either.  My gut is telling me that there’s something wrong
– that there will be more than a few surprises waiting.”

He
shook his head, sighing as if it were a better use of his breath.  “I know I’m
not going to change your mind.  You’ve come this far without turning back.”

“I
guess that means you’ve made your choice.  You aren’t planning to meet him with
us,” she said, crossing her arms.  She didn’t bother hiding her look of
sorrow.  She was truly disappointed.

Lifting
her head, Wren stepped closer to him, hoping that by cutting off his path, she
would corner him mentally.  She didn’t like the thought of losing him – didn’t
want to imagine the moment he walked away from her – but perhaps she couldn’t
stop it.  They had been through a lot together, a far-cry from the old days.

He
watched her carefully, but he did not bend or break.  Eventually she saw his
gaze drift from her eyes to her mouth.  Was there something there?  No – he was
looking at her the way Finn had once before.  It was the same as how Toss must
have been looking at her when he’d touched her face in the dark.  But there was
a difference with Nix.  She was looking
back at him
the same way.

Closer.
  She stopped
there, inches away.

“There’s
no changing your mind then?”

He
only sighed, but said nothing.  The sincerity of his concern had confused her,
and while she felt inclined to ask for his reasoning, she wondered if she truly
wanted to know.  Perhaps it would complicate things that did not need to be
complicated.

Things
are already complicated enough.

They
watched each other, but neither gave in.  Wren did not even recognize the kiss
that rested there between them, ignored.  Instead, she wanted to ask him about
his convictions.  Why had he changed his mind about her?

She
opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a disturbance in the distant
water caused them both to jerk their heads.  The erupting splash was followed
by a cry of peril echoing inside the cavern, and they did not need more than
that to rush back the way they had come, back toward the larger cavern where
they had left the others.

Something
terrible has happened
,
she thought frantically.  She knew they were due.

“What
happened?” Nix yelled, drawing his gun long before he’d burst out of the
tunnel.  Behind him, Wren was searching for the others, waiting for them to
come into sight.

What
she saw instead was
the beast.

Nix
put his weight on his heels to stop and Wren crashed into him, lifting her eyes
toward the enormous nightmare creature that had emerged from the water before
them.  Its dark silhouette was set off by the red crystals above, but the
creature had quickly submerged itself again.  The torchlight did little to
reveal the beast, but Wren recognized it by the loud snapping of jaws.  It
twisted in the water, thrashing to fight the tension, and she knew what had to
come next.

They
will fight it – just as so many nightmares before.

“There’s
a cavern ahead,” Nix told them quickly.  “We don’t have to deal with this.”

“Toss
is still on the other side,” Finn insisted.  “He can’t cross with that thing in
the way!”

The
three warriors stood there, debating silently within themselves, but Wren did
not consider herself a part of their council.  She was no fighter but she knew
they would not vote to leave Toss behind.

“What’s
the rule, Nix?” Finn reminded him.  “We help our brothers!”

“Not
if it will put the rest of us in danger,” Nix was quick to remind him.

“What
is this beast compared to so many others?  We can take it down!”

Wren
and Calico observed the two of them, taking far too many moments to think it
over.  Finally, as the creature burst from the surface again, roaring and
thrashing, Nix relented.

“Still
feeling light on your feet?” he asked Finn, speaking of the enchanted ash he’d
used.

“I
think I’ve got a bit of pep left.”

“Great. 
You get to be the distraction then.  Draw it out of the water.  It’s a chance
for a strike.”

“I
can do that,” Finn said, nodding his agreement, but Nix had stopped listening. 
He had already assumed the words were binding and was pulling his bow off his
back.

“Can
you still use one of these?” Nix asked, handing off the weapon to Calico.

“Of
course you know that I can.”  She seemed insulted, but took it readily.

Nix
looked over at Wren but he didn’t have to say anything.  She knew what her role
was.

I’ll
keep out of the way.

“Stay
here,” he ordered.  Immediately, they moved toward the water, shouting their
plans over at Toss but Wren couldn’t pay attention.  All she could think about
was the sound of her blood pounding in her ears, pulsing like too many
heartbeats.  What if they rushed in and all got themselves killed?

Please
let them live
,
she prayed. 
Let them all be alive when the beast falls
.

5

Finn
was not an experienced flier, but he had a few tricks left.  One could not
survive in this world without them, and he had learned that even before the
darkness had come.

He
pulled back the coat of fur, revealing the glowing chunks of Tikilin infused in
his vest.  His goggles were on to magnify his eyes, setting two lamps in his
face that shone out like small suns.  He was to play a role that a certain
fairy wisp had served in the past, and he needed to be as flashy as possible to
draw the nightmare’s attention.

He
jumped up and let the enchantment from the fairy ash carry him to the cavern
wall where he latched on, proceeding to scale it like a determined insect. 
Finn had full confidence in his climbing skill, though he was not sure if he
trusted the strength of the blessing.  He had already been wearing the ash for
a while, and he was not sure how much was left on him.  Finn may have been a
bit reckless in the past, but he knew the value of taking precautions.

He
turned his head to see that the nightmare was submerged, but near the surface,
swimming docilely through the water, waiting for prey to come close.  It was
long and lean – fishlike perhaps, with a wide mouth.  Finn would draw it out.

This
would be fun – like the old days.  That, at least, was what he told himself.

Clinging
to the wall, he held out his arm, aiming for the ceiling.  With his thumb, he
released a lever at his wrist and squeezed it, and a long chain with a hook
shot out from the Tikilin suit beneath his clothes, attaching to the rock
above.  He hadn’t been confident enough to try this tool on the way across,
knowing it wouldn’t reach the ceiling without quite a boost, but with the ash
to guarantee that he wouldn’t fall into the monster’s jaws, it was worth the
risk now.

Making
sure that the chain was sturdy, he let go, swinging away from the wall.  His
body aglow, he dipped toward the surface of the water, and the nightmare lunged
upward to snap at him, just as he’d intended for it to.  He could almost feel
those sharp teeth cutting past him through the air, grazing the edges of his
clothes.  Even so, he was not caught, but he’d gotten a better look at the
beast.  He’d seen its gray fleshy skin, slick with water.  He’d looked into its
gelatinous eyes, round and clear.  They were locked, intent to make him a
meal.  It was only as he swung past that Finn noticed his calculation was
slightly off.  The mouth had come a bit closer to him than he’d intended.

I
won’t do that again.

Pulling
the lever, the hook released and he shot a second one from his other arm,
clearing himself of the beast’s jaws as Nix and Calico began to fill it with holes,
bullets and arrows in kind.  The nightmare took a few hits before retreating
into the water, and Finn moved back to the wall to steady himself.  He needed
to test his confidence in the blessing.