Dreamscape: Saving Alex (26 page)

Arrow struggled to climb to the top of the hay
bales. Hands from the crowd reached out towards him as they clamored for
answers. When he reached the peak, he raised his hands, signaling for silence.

“I will answer each and every question you have,
but first, let me speak. I know your minds are troubled with thoughts about
Berkos, battle, and what that means for us. Let me assure you, every concern or
doubt you feel, the person next to you feels, and I feel. Years of hardship and
sacrifice have ingrained those anxieties into us. But stronger than that fear
is a desire for freedom, to reclaim the joy and prosperity we once knew.

“When King Helio and Queen Elin were captured, the
purity of our people darkened. For the last five years, an evil ruler has tried
to bend us to his will, taking away our lives, loved ones, and property. We
were made witness to a depth of suffering and atrocity beyond our worst
nightmares, and we rebelled. We refused to give in, even to temptations of
bribery and royal favor, knowing that allegiance to the dark king would cost us
more.

“We now stand at a precipice, and our actions will
determine whether we succeed or fail. My hope for the future, for all of us, is
that our reclaimed joy will overshadow the sacrifices we’ve made.

“These dark years haven’t been for naught. Our
ingenuity has prospered, and even under the dark regime, our light has not
dulled. In every dark period, there is a shining light.” He met my eyes. “And
we have our Golden Hero to lead us through this. I vow to you, no sacrifice
will be forgotten. We will remember these losses and build upon their memories
to ensure that Lockhorn will not falter again. Let us regain the joy of the
past. Are you with me?”

Not one dry eye remained. Tears streamed down
their faces as the painful memories of the past melded with the adrenaline of
this last chance for freedom. The crowd burst into cheers, meeting his
declaration with their sworn allegiance. Arrow jumped down from the bales,
disappearing for a moment under the throng of people as his generals swooped in
from the sides and barked out orders.

The crowd thinned out, everyone moving with
purpose. The controlled chaos made it abundantly clear that a plan had been set
in motion. Once the initial shock wore off, the years of preparation kicked in.
I could see the acceptance in their eyes as they dispersed, sharing snippets of
stories with each other. Nothing that Arrow had said had come as a surprise.
Since the beginning of the rebellion, battle had been unavoidable.

I didn’t know what role Arrow wanted me to play. I
had knowledge of the castle, but I hadn’t prepared for a battle. What did I do
now?

Arrow cut his way through the few stragglers in
the crowd to reach me. His smile was tight, and a pit began to open in my
stomach. Heaviness weighed on him, and he didn’t want to share it with me. I
could see it in his eyes, in the way he avoided my gaze.

“That was quite the declaration,” I said, trying
to relax him with my smile. It almost worked.

“Thanks,” he said, sitting by my side, leaning
forward to rest his head in his hands. “You know, I’ve been rehearsing that
speech for years, knowing it was inevitable, but actually saying the words
makes it different. A little surreal. Did it sound sincere?”

“I don’t think you ever have to worry about
sincerity. You’d do anything for them and they know it.” I rubbed his back and
stared up at the sky. The faded lines of the fireworks had disappeared, leaving
a map of twinkling stars. “They’d follow you anywhere.”

“I just hope it’s the right move,” he said,
glancing up at the sky with me. “There are so many variables.”

“And I’m sure you’ve thought them all out. Don’t
start second-guessing yourself now. You’ve been planning this for years.”

“Sure.” He brushed his hand through his hair,
resting his head to look at me. “But now it’s real. There’s no going back.”

“Would you want to?”

“No, that’s a good point. We’re done hiding in the
shadows of the forest. One way or the other, this is the end.”

“I hope it’s a good end,” I said.

He leaned against my shoulder. “Do you remember
when I told you that adventure is just learning to accept what life throws at
you? Well, this is it, our next adventure.”

“Our next adventure?” I shook my head with a small
snort.

“It’s one way to look at it.”

“I could also call it crazy,” I said, knocking my
body into his side.

“Ah, Alex, I think you enjoy this more than you
let on.”

“Maybe,” I said with a small smile.

“But what?” he asked, sensing my hesitation.

I shrugged as I tried to find the right words.
“What happens when this is all done and decided? It’ll be different. Are you
ready for that?”

He tilted my chin up, searching my face. “Not all
change is bad.”

“Not bad, just scary sometimes.”

“That doesn’t mean we stop though,” he said. “When
we’re afraid, those are the moments we need to press forward even more.”

“How do you do that? With everything going on, you
always seem strong while I get stuck on the fear.”

“That’s normal. Fear gets the best of all of us
sometimes. When you don’t have control, you cling to the things you’ve always
known. When we first left the cities for the Grove, we lived in a constant
state of anxiety. We could hardly get anything done.”

I thought back to my room, the overflowing
bookshelves and covered walls. He didn’t know how true his words were.

“So how’d it change?” I asked.

“We had to step out of the fear and change our
perspective, focusing on what we could change. And we did. But what we did back
then seems small in comparison to this.” He motioned to the crowds already busy
stacking items. “Ever since you arrived, the control has shifted back in our
favor. You control our destiny.”

“I control it?” I swallowed hard.

“I think you always have.”

I looked down at my hands, covered in scars from
dragon weed blisters and scratches I’d gotten in the forest. I had the control,
I just hadn’t used it the right way. Until now.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

“Right now, I’m going to finalize plans with the
generals and prepare the battle team leaders. You need to get some sleep. If
there is one thing I have learned about you, it’s that, hero or not, you need
your sleep and food.”

I gave him a crooked smile. “Seriously? You can’t
think I’d be able to sleep right now. Look around, everyone’s doing something.”
I pointed to the crowd gathering supplies and the generals hunched over maps.
“Where do I fit in?”

“Besides the obvious?”

“I guess I just want some specifics.”

“You
really
want to go over this now?”

“Better now than in front of Berkos’ castle,” I
said. “We’re rescuing the queen, not stealing a few papers. You may have a
plan, but I need time to digest it. Believe it or not, I don’t always do well
under pressure.”

“That’s fair.” He picked up a piece of hay from
the ground and drew a large circle. “This is Lockhorn.”

I nodded for him to continue.

He made a few marks across the realm. “This is
Berkos’ castle, and these are networks of his other supporters. You can see
most are here in the center around Lindle, with just a few scattered down south
and in the north. Thanks to the papers we retrieved, their identities are no
longer secret.”

“We’ll be sending small contingencies to contain
the threats in the south, while the majority of our people will move north.
They’ll strategically engage his army, pulling the defenses away from the
castle, where we’ll be.” He drew a line far beyond, where the attacks would
take place. “We’ll make it to the castle once everyone is gone and free the
queen.”

I started to argue, but he stopped me. “The plan’s
been made; we just need you to execute it. Can you do it?”

I looked over the map at the web of lines he’d
made and thought back to his fight with General Amos the day we’d arrived. “Is
that what all the arguing was about the other day?”

“Yes,” he looked down sheepishly. “I didn’t
realize you saw.”

“I think everyone saw.”

“Well, yes, we had to decide how you fit in. They
wanted you to be a figurehead, leading the main battle. I knew that wouldn’t
work. You’re more of a spy than a warrior.”

“You think I’m like a spy?” I asked, amused.

“Maybe ‘spy’ isn’t the right word. Reconnaissance
expert, perhaps?” he offered. “I need you with me at the castle, guiding me
through the traps.”

“Okay, I’ll take that,” I said. At least I
wouldn’t have to fight in a battle. “Do you really think this will work?” I
asked, twirling my finger at his drawing. “It seems like you’re spreading our
resources thin. Can we defeat his army with small attacks?”

“The attacks aren’t meant to defeat him. They’re
just distractions.”

My head jerked up. “Distractions from what?”

“They’ll give us a chance to breech the castle and
rescue the queen. Once she is free and Berkos is dead, the rest will fall into
place.”

“So all their lives are at risk so we can sneak in
and meet minimal resistance?” I demanded, feeling the full brunt of pressure
choke me. There was more at stake than I had realized.

“Yes,” he said solemnly.

“So this is the plan. And all the generals agree?”
The hesitation in my voice bothered me. I wanted to be the strong and confident
hero he needed. Or at least look like it.

“To some degree,” he said, sighing. I saw his
patience running thin. “This isn’t going to be a battle decided by our fists.
If it were, we wouldn’t need you. The winner here is the one who underestimates
the other the least. These,” he pointed to the X’s he’d drawn to indicate
skirmishes. “They’ll provide some distraction, but I don’t doubt for a moment
that Berkos has his own ruses planned.”

“So it’s just a game of deception?”

“Parts of it are,” he admitted.

“And we’ll win by not being deceived by him?”

“Or by not deceiving ourselves,” he said. “We
can’t afford to think, even for a moment, that we have the upper hand.”

I sighed and threw my hands up in defeat. “I trust
you. All this,” I said, pointing to the map, “sounds complicated. I’m just
going to stay focused on what I can do to save the queen.”

Arrow kissed my hand. “I like your focus.”

“But I have one improvement to your plan,” I said,
grabbing a stick to mark up the ground.

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Show me.”

“Instead of walking all the way around these
areas, we cut straight through.” I pointed to a portion of the map empty of
lines and skirmish marks.

“You mean take a shortcut through the mountains,”
he said, considering my point. He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“For who, me? It may have taken me a while to get
to this point, but I meant it when I said I was all in. This isn’t about me, or
you, or any of these people individually. This is about saving the queen. It’ll
work if we go around like you’ve planned, but if we cut through, we’ll shave
off half the time. If we coordinate it right, we can make it there with minimal
loss of lives. I think that’s worth the extra risk. What about you?”

I hardened my face as he looked at me. If he
searched for a weakness, he wouldn’t find it there.

“If you’re sure, we’ll cut straight through the
mountains,” he said with a frown. He scratched out the long path and drew a
direct line through the center.

“I am.” I gave him a hug and rattled off the
things we’d need.

“Whoa, wait a second. We already have someone
packing our supplies.”

I cocked my head. “Yes, but we’ll need more than
the basics you’re thinking of to win.”

He let out a soft whistle when I finished rattling
off the list of every weapon and power-up I had ever used to win. “That’s a
lot.”

“We might not need it all, but I would rather have
too much than miss the one thing we needed.”

“I agree. Alex?” he asked, drawing me in.

“Yes?”

“You really do need to get some sleep. I promise,
everything will be ready when you wake in the morning. Do you trust me?” he
asked.

“With my life,” I said, my stomach flipping.

“And I you. Now get
some sleep, we’ll leave early.” He kissed my forehead and left me sitting
there, watching him disappear into the frenzied crowd.

“Good night,
Arrow.” I
knew
sleep
would
be a long time coming.

Sleep lingered like a layer of fog, light enough
to cover me but not deep enough to block out the commotion outside. I pulled
the covers up, hiding in the warmth for one more moment.

Arrow’s deep voice—not directed at me, but at the
men and women scurrying outside—brought me out of my cocoon. I groaned. I
should be helping. I threw off the covers and dressed, securing my dagger
before peeking out of the tent flap. The progress shocked me. Nothing that I
had heard prepared me for the lines of supplies and packed horses.

The sun, still partially hidden behind the trees,
bathed the boxes of food along the main street in orange highlights. An arsenal
of weapons lined the hay bales outside the training field. Barrels popped,
overloaded with spears, containers filled with swords and bows and arrows
flanking either side. Instead of targets and weapons, wagons filled the
training field. A few women moved from wagon to wagon, painting layers of green
and brown stain on the coverings, mimicking the forest. Every detail seemed
accounted for.

I stepped into the commotion, barely able to skip
out of the way as people passed me, arms loaded with goods. Moving to the side
of the road, I looked up and saw just as many people racing on the bridges
above. Leaves swirled around me, falling to the ground whenever a careless step
on a bridge displaced them. Even through the traffic of the crowd, I found
Arrow easily, hunched over his maps at the opening of his tent.

“Arrow,” I said, running towards him. “This is
crazy!”

“Good morning!” His smile belied the weariness on
his face. Dark circles sank his eyes, and dirt smudged his cheeks.

“Didn’t you sleep at all?” I asked, already
knowing the answer.

“There was too much to do,” he said with a shrug.
After a quick pause and a final look at his maps, he rolled them up and offered
me a slice of bread. “Let me show you what we’ve been doing.” He led me down
the center of the path, pointing out the supplies.

“How did this all happen in one night?”

“It’s like you said, we’ve been preparing this for
years, and when we heard about you we started putting the final pieces in
place. This here is just the start. They’ll continue once we’ve left,” he said,
biting into the bread.

“So all of this is for us? That seems a bit
overkill.”

“No,” he said, laughing. “This is all for the
first teams that are heading out. Our supplies are over here.” He led me back
to the quaint white cottage near the entrance to the Grove and opened the front
door. “I figured since we’d be leaving today, it’s better to have our things
out of the way. Our trip will take longer than some of theirs, and we want to
time it right.”

I barely heard his words as he droned on about
preparations. The worn cottage drew me in. Flecks of ivory paint fell beneath
my slight touch, revealing the dilapidated stonework beneath. Ivy cascaded down
from the roof, framing the darkened windows. Even when I cupped my hands to the
glass, I couldn’t see through it.

The old wooden handle creaked as I pressed down on
it and walked into the dark room. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the
dim light coming in from the small openings in the ceiling. I walked further
into the building, crossing my arms for warmth and peeked over boxes and around
the back of the door. Everything I’d listed seemed accounted for.

“This is it?” I asked, hearing his footsteps
crunch in the leaves. The small collection surprised me.

“It’s everything you asked for, plus all the items
I could think of. Why? Do you see something missing?” He opened the tops of the
boxes, nodding as he counted items.

“No, I see everything I asked for, but it seems so
little in comparison.” I shrugged and blew warm breath into my hands.

“Anything would seem small in comparison to what
we’re preparing in the streets.”

“That’s just it. Will this be enough for our
team?”

Arrow smiled and rubbed his hands over mine. The
heat warmed me. “We’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m actually not sure if our horses
will be able to carry this entire load.”

I looked over at him, tilting my head. “We’ll be
fine? How many people are on this team?”

“You’re looking at it.”

“You’re kidding? Right?”

“We’ll be fine. Between my skills and your
knowledge, we’ll make it through anything.”

“But is that safe?” Even if everything went
according to plan, danger was guaranteed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He grinned and
squeezed my hand.

“Arrow, I’m serious.” I pulled my hand back and
walked around the supplies.

“I’m being serious too. What do you expect to
happen once we get to Berkos’ castle? Can a larger team make it through?”

I narrowed my gaze but thought about what he said.
“No, you’re right. It doesn’t make sense to have more men. They would either
get in our way or slow us down in the castle.”

“Yes, the fewer people with us, the smaller our
chance of getting caught.”

Or killed
, I wanted to add.

“So, it’s you and me…and a couple of horses,” he
said. “I have to run back to get them and give the final instructions to
General Amos and General Tanner. Is there anything else we might need?”

“No. As far as I can tell, we’re ready,” I said,
surprised that my voice remained so calm.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, stopping at the
threshold to look back at me. “It’s going to all work out.”

“Our next adventure,” I said, forcing a smile.

He grinned, then turned around and hurried back
into camp.

“Just me and you,” I said to myself, picking up a
roll from one of the leather bundles. Something strong nagged at me, something
more than the imminent danger we faced. I didn’t want to admit it, but the
thought of being alone with Arrow for a week scared me. Even after our night in
the trees, all of this was new. I didn’t want to ruin things.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against the
cottage. Dried paint sprinkled the ground as I nervously picked at the wall.
How long ago had it been since we walked through the hidden gate into the
Grove? Not as long as it felt.

“Hey, Alex!” an angry voice cried out. “What do
you think you’re doing?”

I turned at my name, confused. I hadn’t seen
anyone this morning, let alone done something wrong. Melody strutted towards
me, her dark eyes glaring beneath a wave of black locks. My heart fell. Maybe
that’s why she was mad.

“Melody,” I said, smiling, meeting her at the
trail. “I’m glad you found me. I looked for you but didn’t see you.” A little
white lie never hurt anybody.

Her face softened, and she winked. “That’s because
I was saying goodbye to General Tanner.”

“Ah, I understand,” I said, biting a nail as she
adjusted the fringe and feathers on her vest.

“But you wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye,
would you?” she asked.

“Never.” I shook my head and bit my lower lip.

“Then get over here and say goodbye properly,” she
said. “But no crying! Heroes don’t cry.”

I gave her a small smile. “Maybe not, but friends
do,” I tightened my grip around her.

“No more of that,” she said, pulling back and
glancing behind me. “Are you ready?”

“It looks like it,” I said. “Arrow certainly
packed enough for us.”

“Well, I hope there’s room for a couple more
things. I brought presents.” She dangled two items in front of me.

“What are those?” I leaned in, trying to grab
them.

“Not so fast,” she said, hiding them behind her
back. “Is he here?” she asked, peeking over my shoulder.

“Who? Arrow?”

“Yes, silly. Is he here?”

“No, he went back to grab the horses. Do you want
to wait for him?”

“No,” she said. “These are for you.”

“What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were taken care
of. He doesn’t always think of things the same way as we might. I wanted to
give you these.” She unpacked a roll of freshly cut vines and handed me two
necklaces.

“Aren’t these from the tables yesterday?” I asked,
pinching the leather string around the pouch etched with black flowers.

“I know you said you didn’t want anything to do
with dragon weed, but it’s one of our most powerful defenses, and I thought you
might need some. That’s the powder, and the vial is full of its essence. Make
sure none of that gets on your skin, though. It can burn through anything if it
sits there long enough.”

“Perfect,” I said, cringing as I hung them around
my neck. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

“Of course I did. You’re a friend…and as a friend,
there’s just one more thing.” She hesitated. “It’s about Arrow.”

I arched an eyebrow.
“What about him?”

“I need you to promise that you’ll take care of him,”
she pleaded, reaching for my hands.

“Of course. You know I will.”

“Not just make sure he doesn’t get hurt. No matter
what happens out there, we need him back. I know he’s determined to save the
queen, but we can’t afford to lose him. Do you understand?” She tightened her
grip.

“I do, and I promise he’ll be fine,” I said.

“Take care of us, too,” she added, more softly.
“One thing this rebellion has taught us is that you never know how much time
you’ll have. There’s no time for games or hesitation. We live and love full.
So, even though we just met, I want to let you know that you’ll always have a
friend here.”

“I feel the same,” I said, feeling tears start to
well up again.

“
And Alex?
If you see my dad…” she said gravely.

“Uh-huh?”

“Make him pay.”

I nodded, feeling a lump rise in my chest. Unable
to speak, I watched her run back into the crowd, passing Arrow on her way.

Arrow gave her a curious look before turning back
to me. On each side, he led a horse, complete with saddles and pack bags.

“What’d Melody want?” he asked, tying the reins
around a branch.

“She just came to say goodbye,” I whispered.

Arrow nodded and disappeared into the house.

I walked over to one of the horses. Sharing my
breadcrumbs, I looked the steed in his eyes and wondered what we were getting
ourselves into. How did I go from playing a game to leading a rebellion? What
if I was wrong, what if things were different? I thought back to Marix’s manor,
and the small things that had tripped me up. A guarded castle held more danger
than a baron’s estate. I leaned against the horse, trying unsuccessfully to
push the negative thoughts from my mind.

“I think this is everything,” Arrow said, coming
out of the old house, arms loaded with boxes and bags.

I laughed and helped him load the horses. To my
surprise, everything fit.

“That’s the last of it. Are you ready?” he asked,
strapping the final bag to my horse.

I nodded, not wanting my voice or words to give
away my concerns.

He strode to my side and wrapped his arms around
my waist, looking into my eyes before lifting me on the horse.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “This will all be over
soon.”

What if that was my biggest worry?

“But before we go, it appears some people wanted
to say goodbye.” Arrow nodded behind me and turned his horse.

“What, who?” I asked, following Arrow’s nod.

I gripped the reins tightly. An unsettling feeling
burned in my chest. Everyone in the Grove had stopped their preparations to see
us out. A level of solemnity surrounded us, squeezing the breath from my chest.

In the front, General Amos and General Tanner
stood at attention, faces unreadable. Others knelt or bowed their heads. Cale
removed his hat and blew a final ring of smoke in our direction. Boris stood at
his side, eyes closed. Around him, some of the other men from Flourin followed
suit. I scanned the crowd, memorizing faces and the expectations painted on
them.

My gaze lingered on a small group of young girls.
They giggled behind their hands, tossing braided vines at us. Bracelets of red
scars marked their wrists. Their faces, now free of dirt and welts, wore
smiles, and their eyes held hope.

“What’s going to happen to them?” I asked.

“Thanks to you, they’ll have a chance at life.”

“It’s all worth it then. Let’s do this.” I
tightened my lips and let the memory of freeing them slip away. It no longer
stung.

Arrow clicked his horse forward, taking the lead.
The long braided vines and fabric at the entrance parted around us, revealing
the hidden trails of the forest. I turned around for one last look at the
Grove, but it camouflaged seamlessly into the rest of the forest. A sense of
loss I hadn’t expected hit me.

Arrow must have seen my face or heard me sigh. He
slowed his horse to my side and tightened the restraints across my legs. “Is
everything all right?” he asked.

I nodded and bit my lower lip. “I just realized
that I won’t see the Grove or its people again.”

He furrowed his brow and gave me a sad smile.
There was nothing he could say to diminish the truth. Melody’s warning came
back to haunt me. Leaving was going to be much harder than I ever imagined.

“Let’s ride. It’s a long way to the castle,
shortcut or not.” Arrow nudged his horse forward.

Content to follow his lead, I fell in line behind
him, winding through the narrow trails. The normalcy of the forest compared to
the Grove threw me off. The trees moaned with the wind, bending under its
force. Without the bridges holding them steady, they flailed against one
another, dropping leaves and branches without concern.

The burning in my chest subsided after we’d ridden
for a few minutes. Something about the fresh air brushing my hair back relaxed
me and replaced my nagging worry with pleasant thoughts. We rode all morning
without stopping.