Dreamscape: Saving Alex (19 page)

“Had.”

“Had? I’m so
sorry.” I folded my fingers between his.

He looked
down
. “I meant what I said back at the tavern. I
won’t
let any of their lives go to waste.”

“I won’t either.
Look, I can’t promise that I’ll be the hero you’ve been waiting for, but I can
promise you that I’ll do my best.”

“That’s all I ever
wanted, even if I went about it in the wrong way. When you arrived, all I could
think about was freeing Lockhorn and bringing back the way things were before.
I wasn’t thinking about you, and I’m sorry. Our freedom won’t mean anything if
it comes at the cost of yours. Help us, and I promise to help you.”

“You have my word.”

He squeezed my hand
and pointed to the next firework. I turned away but not before I saw him wipe
tears from his eyes.

We sat there in
silence, content to watch the fireworks race across the sky. Blues, greens, and
reds streamed in perfect succession, each chasing the next across the horizon.
When the last firework faded into darkness, Arrow slipped a package into my
hand.

I looked at the
glittering lights rolling around my palm and the soft shadows lighting Arrow’s
face. I licked my lips, waiting for courage to surface, to grab the moment.

“It’s time to go,”
he said, breaking my thoughts.

Darkness hid our steps as we drifted through the
wetlands and then back into the forest. Arrow and his men blended in,
seamlessly mimicking the rustling of reeds as we traveled. Naturally, my
stumbles overrode their stealth.

What I couldn’t do covertly in the daytime became
even more obvious at night. I trampled bushes, got stuck in branches, and
tripped over every large rock or dip in the trail. The luminance powder didn’t
seem to help either; it just broadcast my clumsiness to the group. The darkness
concealed my embarrassment and their glares. That was all right. In the night, their
silence didn’t seem as insulting.

My legs hurt, again. Even walking more slowly
through the night, the distance wore on me. It didn’t surprise me that when the
sun rose over the horizon I could barely keep my eyes open or my legs moving
straight. If I’d had any doubts before, this journey solidified the fact that
heroism did not actually suit me.

The sun rose over the horizon, and the isolation
of night diminished. I shook the few grains of luminance that had stuck to my
sweaty palms into the dirt below and caught up with the group, which had
stopped in a small clearing in the woods quite a bit ahead of me. They sat
together, tracing designs in the ground. Now was my chance to ease back into
the band.

They stared at me with unhidden contempt as I
entered their circle. Any inclusion the darkness of night offered disappeared
with their first look at me. Dark circles sunk their faces, amplifying their
bloodshot eyes. Their matted and tangled beards overflowed with forgotten
branches and displaced leaves. Each face hid a different expression, ranging
from weariness to annoyance. As I looked from man to man, I recognized a common
theme—they didn’t trust me. Betrayal had a way of pulling the heart down, and I
saw its sting.

I looked for Arrow, but he wasn’t with the men. I
thought about asking for him, but dismissed the idea. He couldn’t be my
solution. I made this mess on my own, and I would fix it. If only I knew how.

“Phew,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “You
guys are quick.” Hunched over, I got a good look at the designs they had traced
in the dirt.

They turned their gaze from me back to the ground
where someone had drawn a hasty map. Lines intersected systematically on the
ground in front of them, but I ignored them. What caught my attention were the
two large crosses marked in the forefront of a castle.

I combed through my hair, pulling out a few thorns
before I spoke. “So… when do we stop for breakfast?”

Arrow ran back to the circle and laughed at my
question. “Is it always time to eat for you?”

“I have to keep my energy up!” I felt relieved to
see his warm smile.

He tossed me a roll and jerky and pulled some out
for the men. “I guess this is a good enough time to make our arrangements.”

I dropped my bag to the ground and took my first
bite. Its soft warmth had disappeared, but it still quieted my growling
stomach. I waited until the other men had gotten their food and looked more
closely at the map. It resembled the one I had scratched on the river’s edge,
but had more details.

“So this is all of Lockhorn?” I asked Arrow,
taking a quick bite.

“Most of it,” he said, leaning over and nodding.
“Some of the smaller villages aren’t there.”

I saw Flourin marked with a star, the river that
had taken me away from Lindle, and several estates similar in size to Baron
Marix’s. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed. I knew this place from
deep in my core. Lockhorn finally made sense.

“So where are we going?” I asked, grabbing for
another roll from the pile near the map.

“We’re going here.” Arrow pointed with a stick to
a tree symbol below the mountains. “This is the Grove, where we’ll meet up with
the rest of the rebellion.” Arrow dragged the stick from the first ‘X’ to the
tree. “This is our route. We should be there by this evening as long as we
don’t run into any other problems.”

I nodded and looked around at the other men. They
seemed distracted, either looking at the map or the forest. Their gazes seemed
to always skip over me. I sighed and took another bite.

“I haven’t noticed any signs of the army. They
must be on a different trail,” Boris said, pointing to one of the marked paths
on the makeshift map.

“That’s good, right?” I piped in, my mouth full of
bread

“As far we can tell. We should be able to get to
camp without any more issues,” he said, refusing to meet my eyes.

“The only issue we have is already with us,” Cale
muttered.

I jerked my head towards the surly man as he
puffed a ring of smoke at my face. I waved the smoke away and glanced at Arrow.

Arrow took a quick bite of his jerky and smacked
Cale on his shoulder. “There’s no need for that this morning.”

Cale grumbled something under his breath and blew
another ring.

“Stop that!” I coughed, swatting at the rings of
smoke.

“Is it too much for you, little girl?” he snarled
back. “Do you want to run away again?”

“Cale,” Arrow said, moving between the two of us.
“This isn’t helping anything.”

“No, Arrow, it’s fine,” I said, stepping around
him. “He obviously has something he wants to say. We might as well get it out
now. I’m tired of seeing the glares. From everyone,” I added, moving forward.
“So what is it Cale? What’s your issue with me?”

“Alex,” Arrow said, grabbing my arm. “I don’t know
if—”

“I have to know what his problem is with me. I
came back. I’m here. Either he accepts that, or I don’t know what.” I brushed
Arrow’s fingers off my wrist. I didn’t want my hand held; I wanted to fight.

Cale choked on his smoke, but still managed to
exhale a perfect circle. “Fine, girly, you want to know why I don’t like you?
It’s simple. You’re like spoiled cheese—only parts of you seem good.”

“Spoiled cheese?” I put my hands on my hips.
“That’s the best you can come up with?”

“I don’t need to come up with anything. It’s the
truth. I’m just not afraid to tell you.”

I looked around at the other men, noticing how they
looked away. “Is this how you all feel?” Heaviness sank my heart. I hadn’t
imagined they’d all agree. One or two or five, maybe, but not all of them.

Arrow stepped in and pulled me away from the
group. “This isn’t helping anything. It’s been a long night, and we have a full
day ahead. Just give them some time to come around. You’re back. That’s what
matters.”

“Too little, too
late,” Cale said under his breath. The familiar words stung. “Let me spell it
out for you, Goldy.
You only came back for Arrow. You know it, and we
know it. You don’t care about the rebellion or our lives. Do you?” He blew
another ring at me, waiting for my response.

Had I really been that obvious? I looked away and
tore into the strip of jerky before I said something I might regret.

“You must be getting senile in your old age,”
Arrow said with a tense laugh. “Like it or not, Alex’s one of us. She came back
to warn us about the army. We should be grateful. We owe her our lives.”

“I still wonder. If it had been just us in
trouble, would she have come?” Cale asked, blowing a final ring before turning
his back on me.

“I could still leave you behind, don’t forget
that. I don’t have to take this,” I snarled, throwing my bag over one shoulder.

Arrow grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here. I need some air. I’ll meet you
at your camp,” I said, starting to walk away.

Arrow tightened his hold on my wrist and pulled me
back gently. He raised an eyebrow high. I met his gaze and clenched my jaw. He
must have seen my determination, because he nodded.

“Don’t get too far ahead. These woods are teeming
with bandits and other creatures. It’s not safe to travel alone.”

“It doesn’t seem all that safe here right now
either.”

“I’ll give you that. If you’re going to go ahead,
follow this path, but promise me you’ll stay within sight.” He didn’t release
my arm until I nodded.

“I’ll see you in a little while,” I said, turning
away.

“Alex,” he whispered.

I turned and gave him a questioning look.

“I’m glad you’re back.” He brushed his floppy hair
away from his eyes.

“Me too,” I said with a small smile. I didn’t want
him to worry about me again. “I’ll meet up with you soon. A little space will
be good for all of us.” I looked behind him to the other men. The months of
fighting with my mom reassured me that after a little break, the awkwardness
would be gone. I wasn’t going anywhere, and once they recognized that, the rift
would heal. I hoped.

His hand lingered on mine as I twisted away. The
chill that hit me when he removed his hand surprised me. I covered my wrist as
I walked away, and then I burst into a run. I knew I wouldn’t get too far
ahead. With my short legs and questionable coordination, the rest of the team
would catch up when I hit my first obstacle.

The cold air stretched my face, tightening my
skin. I ran, jumping over bushes, flushing out droves of puff birds and
horned-bits. They squawked in protest. I smiled and sped up. My cheeks began to
relax as warmth pulsed through my body.

The path narrowed the further I went, branches
crowding in, scratching at my arms and back when I ducked low. The slower pace
allowed my mind to wander. Distracting thoughts surfaced.

When was I going to realize that my stubbornness
only led to exhaustion? I had lived in a state of defensiveness for so long, and
what had it gotten me? My stubbornness hadn’t changed anything that I didn’t
control. It just destroyed my ability to enjoy the moment. Even here in
Lockhorn, so much of the joy I remembered from the game fell victim to my
attempts to leave.

That had to stop.

I paused and rested my head against a tree. My
fingers shook as I gripped onto the small grooves in the bark. Small patches of
moss cooled my skin, and sweat rolled down my temples. I wiped the hair off my
forehead with the back of my hand and took a deep breath, enjoying the silence.

Oh crap. Silence meant danger here.

It wasn’t completely quiet. The faint rustling of
the branches sounded above me, as did the infrequent caw of a bird. Not the
cheerful trilling that had followed us through the morning. The more I looked
around, the more dreadful things I found. Dragon weeds popped up around me,
burning through the underbrush with their bright petals, and dark, quiet birds
circled above, like silent stalkers.

They dove and
perched above me on spindly branches. Their beady red eyes bored into me.

Pushing myself off
the tree, I ran again. The need to evade their eyes pushed me forward. I ran
until my sides ached and my knees pounded with each step. They followed me.
When I looked back up, they mocked me with the rough fluttering of their wings.
I dropped to my knees and narrowed my eyes.

“Caw,” I squawked
under my breath. “Crap!” The birds snapped their beaks and launched off their
branch.

I’d made the wrong
move. They screeched through the air, tripling in size as they dove towards me,
their fully extended talons reaching for my head. I stumbled forward and took
off running, barely jumping out of the way as they snapped at my hair and then
disappeared in the tight branches above.

I didn’t stop. If I
did, I knew I wouldn’t start again. I ran until the small trail opened onto a
larger road.

The highway didn’t
impress me. Deep puddles and patches of rock covered most of the muddy road.
Only one good thing stood out to me—no overhanging trees for birds to lurk in.
I hunched over to catch my breath, pulling my ponytail tighter. Loose strands
stuck to my neck, matted from running.

I riffled through
my bag, looking for one of the rolls Arrow had packed. Most of them were gone,
but a few elusive morsels rolled around at the bottom. I reached for one and
hastily ducked when a blackbird dove at my shoulder, screeching as it
disappeared down the trail.

Shaking my head, I
shuffled my bag and brought it up for a closer look. The last roll hid behind
the sleeve of my cloak. I bit into it and relaxed as I heard stomping from
behind me. I was sure Arrow had more food.

“Arrow, do you have
any more rolls? I can’t find any. And, about the animals here, don’t you guys
have any that are nice? A bird just attacked me. No wonder you wanted a
horned-bit for a pet.”

“Not all animals
are bad. We value our pets,” a husky voice said behind me.

I stopped chewing,
and the roll slipped out of my grasp. My hair stood on edge. I could feel his
breath on my neck.

“Let me show you,”
the stranger’s voice rasped. His rough hands encircled my throat and pressed me
to the ground.

An involuntary gasp
escaped me as he tightened his grip to choke me. I twisted around and caught a
glimpse of his crazed eyes, half-hidden behind his greasy hair. My chest
hammered as I saw the sides of his mouth rise. He enjoyed this.

“Don’t fight it,
li’l one. Papa’ll take care of you and give you a new home.”

I fought against
him, but my nails slid off his skin.

“I take care of
all
my pets. Hush…just sleep.” He shook me until my
breath choked out in short gasps and my eyes closed. Blinding light flashed in
my head as he slammed me against the ground.
The ringing
in my ears deafened me. Everything
seemed
out of focus.

When the ringing
subsided, I heard laughter. I strained to see what made the noise and saw the
blurry outline of two large men. My pulse raced. Even at my best, I didn’t know
if I could subdue them. Sure, I had handled the thugs Auntie Quinn had
summoned, but I’d had a store full of impromptu weapons. Even when I fought the
giants with Arrow, rage bolstered my abilities. Here, I had none of those
advantages.