Dreamscape: Saving Alex (30 page)

A rattle of coins sounded as I placed it back on
the edge of the branch and carefully added a layer of snow on top. A smile grew
as I looked back and saw it camouflaged. No one but the person it was intended
for would know it was here. My fingers strayed, taking time to trace their way
back to the branch, and as my gaze lifted, I noticed a change in the forest
along the horizon.

Arrow was right. We had reached the foothills. The
leveling out of the trees and the way the white faded back to green made it
impossible to ignore. And even though Arrow had already warned me, the transformation
of the landscape made it real. Seeing the end of our journey saddened me.

I looked back down at the base of the tree and saw
Arrow swinging a pair of birds by their talons.

Securing the bow and arrow, I climbed down the
trunk, straddling the branches as I went.

“Looks like you got some. Good job. No luck for me
this time,” I said, putting my gear back on my horse.

“That’s not a problem. I had enough for the both
of us,” he said with a smile that stretched from one side of his face to the
other.

I reached to hold his hand, but changed my mind at
the last moment and stretched forward for a full embrace, knocking him to the
ground. Warmth filled the space between our bodies.

I liked the thought of what he’d said: together
only one of us had to be lucky for us to succeed. But I also had an inkling
that together, we’d have more than enough of everything. As his arm encircled
me, I realized that “together” came with a lot of perks.

The slow pops of the fire woke me. Glowing embers
flew around Arrow’s face as he poked the half-burned logs with a long stick.

“What are you doing up so early?” I asked, pulling
my cloak up under my chin.

He gave me a sad smile and poked at the fire
again.

“Arrow, what is it?” I asked, propping myself up
onto my elbows.

“I was just thinking about how peaceful you look
when you sleep. I was trying to memorize your face.”

“Oh,” I said, lying back down. “I thought it was
something serious.”

“It is serious. We’ll be there either tonight or
tomorrow, and I don’t want to forget what you look like.”

I sighed. This was not how I’d intended to wake
up. But I recognized the worry rising within him. I felt it too. Ever since we
passed through Shadow Alley, I’d known I only had one last challenge to face.

I sat up and wrapped the cloak around me before
resting my arms over my knees. “If it makes you feel better, I feel the same
way.”

“Really?”

“This may come as a shock, but this hero thing is
not my normal job.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“You seem pretty good at it to me.”

“Well, that’s because I have skills.” I laughed.
“Really though, you might see a calm exterior, but inside, I’m shaking. I’m
ready, but I’m not.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m ready to save the queen… but I
don’t know if I’m ready to leave Lockhorn yet. I know I’ve spent so much time
here trying to leave…but that was before…”

“Before?”

“Before you.”

He smiled and reached over to pull me into a hug.
“It’s a good thing I’m going with you then.”

“Stop it! Seriously though, this is too much, too
early. We’re going to have to face all this later. I just want to have
breakfast in peace.”

“That, I can do,” he said, jumping up to put
another log on the fire. “Leftover snowbird?” he asked, holding out the
skewered remains.

“Sounds perfect,” I said and adjusted my stick
over the fire. Arrow hadn’t lied about the flavor of the bird. The meat melted
in my mouth, and, even reheated, it surpassed all the other meals I’d had here.

“Arrow, I just wanted to say thank you,” I said
after I devoured the leftovers.

He raised an eyebrow and poked the fire, breaking
the logs apart. “For breakfast? Anytime.”

“Not for breakfast.” I rolled my eyes and started
rolling up our bags and putting the supplies away. “For everything else. As
much as I was determined to do this on my own at the beginning, I couldn’t have
done any of it without you.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted you to.” He grabbed my
hand. “But speaking of…”

“I know. It’s time to go,” I said, brushing off
the dirt from my leggings as I stood. “Lead the way.”

“No, before we go, there’s something I want to
do.”

I cocked my head.

“It’s for luck,” he said. “My brother and I used
to have a tradition before he went off hunting.”

I sat back down and turned to face him, wrapping
my arms around my knees, giving him my full attention. “What do we do?”

He squinted at me like he’d expected me to
protest, but when I didn’t falter, a boyish enthusiasm overcame him. His eyes
lit up. “Stay here.” He left my side and ruffled through the horses’ packs.
“Don’t laugh,” he said, coming up beside me.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know that’s just asking
me…oh, wow.”

“I asked you not to laugh,” he said, hiding the
item behind his back.

“You’re right,” I agreed, tightening my lips.
“What do I do?”

He pulled it out slowly. “You promise?”

“You have my word,” I vowed, lifting my fingers up
in a scout’s signal.

“All right, so I told you about my pet
horned-bit.” He raised an eyebrow as I stifled a giggle. “Well, even though it
didn’t last long, my brother was amused by my determination and rounded it up
after it impaled me. This is its foot. It’s supposed to be a reminder to never
give up. You know, for luck.” He rubbed his hand over the fur and handed it
over to me.

I petted the lucky horned-bit’s foot and handed it
back to Arrow. “I like traditions,” I said. “Thank you for sharing that with
me.”

“We can use all the luck we can get. Thank you.”
He tucked the treasure back into the bag and nodded for me to join him.

Arrow was unusually quiet and pensive, careful of
the terrain’s new threats. Severe changes dotted the landscape when we
descended from the mountains into the foothills. The frequency of trees
increased, choking off the great expanse of sky. Crumbling leaves replaced the
crunch of snow as we rode, similar sounds that provoked infinitely different
feelings. I pulled my cloak tighter as we rode deeper in the forest, but the
chill remained.

I hadn’t noticed how long we’d ridden until we
crested the last hilltop and the moon lit our path. On the horizon, melting
into the approaching twilight, a dark castle wavered like a mirage. I didn’t
realize how comforting the cover of the trees had been until I couldn’t avoid
the view of Berkos’ castle.

A familiar beat hammered in my chest. It was time
to play the game again.

Everything changed when we started down the final
hillside. The crowded forest stifled me, and the trail darkened into shadows.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge as the birds stalked our
movements.

My gaze drifted to
Arrow, who ducked under branches and stepped around the withered brush with
ease. But even his movements slowed as the brambles tangled our legs. The
shadows accentuated the heaviness in his eyes and the deep lines carved in his
forehead. Worry pulled him down.

“We need to stop,” I said, yelping when the
branches snagged my hair. “It’s getting too dark.”

He sighed. “These woods aren’t the best place,
though.”

“I don’t think we’re going to find a good spot
from here on in,” I said.

He started to argue, but one look at me stopped
him. I could almost picture the disappointment that painted my face. I’d spent
weeks trying to forget my mission; the moment we crested that hillside and saw
the castle, reality hit me. The pressure of rescuing the queen, the awareness
that I might be going home soon...a bittersweet sadness filled me. I never
thought I would feel that way about going home.

“You’re right; there aren’t a lot of places. We
can stay here, but we’ll need to break camp early,” he said, jumping off his
horse to help me dismount. The wind pushed me into his arms.

“I understand. I want to get out of here too. Not
that I’m looking forward to where we’re going, but I definitely won’t miss this
place.”

“You certainly haven’t seen the best parts of our
world.”

“I saw the Grove,” I said.

“Yes, but not for long enough,” he said, giving me
a warm smile. “Maybe another time.”

A rush of heat rolled over me, and I bit my cheek
to stop the tears from collecting in my eyes. There wouldn’t be another time,
and we both knew that. I turned away and focused on setting up camp, unrolling
the blankets and preparing a small feast of jerky, dried fruit, and rolls.

I focused on each task, knowing it was for the
last time. Assuming our journey went as planned, tomorrow everything would be
different. For Arrow and for me. I couldn’t deny it now.

“Alex! You have to come see this,” he yelled from
behind me. The excitement in his voice startled me.

“What is it?” I asked, dropping a roll to run to
his side.

“Look at this.” He jumped ahead and pulled down a
charred paper that had been nailed to the tree. He shook it and handed it to me
. “We’re doing it.”

I shook my head in
confusion. “What do you mean? We haven’t done anything yet.”

“Not us. The rest
of the rebellion. Look at this…and this,” he said, running ahead and pulling
papers from the next few trees.

He came back and
handed me a pile of worn parchment. Blowing off the withered moss and dirt, I
saw crudely drawn pictures of Arrow’s generals and other men I recognized from
camp.

“I don’t
understand. These are wanted posters. How is this a good sign?”

“Don’t you see?
Berkos didn’t know of these men before. If General Tanner is wanted for
treason, he has succeeded in his part of the plan. We’re making him take
notice.”

“That’s great,” I
muttered.

“It is! I’ve been
worrying about that for a while now,” he said, riffling through the paper.
“When we decided to take the shortcut, I knew we’d be cutting down time but
also losing communication. News may travel fast here, but nothing makes it
through these mountains. These posters put me at ease.”

I frowned. I had
been so preoccupied with my own internal struggles that I hadn’t even thought
about how the generals were faring.
I coughed to get some fresh air.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yeah…no,” I said. “I’m not all right. It’s
finally hitting me. All the plans and preparations are coming together like you
hoped.”

“That’s a good thing. The more it comes together,
the fewer people will get hurt.”

“I know. It’s just like I said, things are real
now.” I frowned again.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Seeing the men described this way,
it makes me sad.” I grabbed the stack of papers and flipped through them again.
“General Tanner—traitor, General Amos—traitor, Boris, Cale. They’re all
traitors.”

“Don’t take it too seriously,” Arrow said.

“But these rewards are sizeable. I hate to think
of the danger they’re—” I stopped when I flipped to the last poster and saw a
familiar face smile back at me. “Oh no!”

“What is it?” Arrow peeked over my shoulder. “Do
you know him?”

“This is Pipes. He’s one of the first people I met
in Lockhorn. He helped me through the marketplace. Without him or Deakon…I
don’t know what would’ve happened.”

He furrowed his brow and squinted. “What does it
say?”

“Pipes—traitor, rogue performer, dissident. Wanted
for crimes against the crown, espionage, and aiding the escape of a known
enemy. Do you think that means me?” I asked.

“Could be,” Arrow said. “You are Berkos’ biggest
threat right now, and he did help you.”

“I didn’t know they were risking their lives by
helping me.”

“They did,” Arrow said, tightening his lips. He
settled on a portrait of a woman I had not seen before.

“Is that her?” I asked.

Arrow nodded. “Queen Elin, although this picture
doesn’t do her justice.”

I grabbed
the worn parchment, taking care not to
damage the edges that had crumbled off into ash, and stared at an image of the
queen. The portrait, hastily drawn, pulled at me. Under a mop of curls, sharp
cheek bones contradicted the softness in her eyes. They glistened with pain and
sorrow, feelings I couldn’t perceive when playing the game at home. The
charcoal smudged my fingers when I traced the image. I wiped my hands on my
leggings and focused on the page. She was a stark contrast to the pixelated
pink princess I had saved so many times. Regardless of the burned paper she was
drawn on, I saw why everyone fought to free her. She was more than just a
queen; she was the hope of a kingdom. She had to be saved.

“Thank you. This is exactly what I needed.” I
wiped a tear off my cheek and leaned into his arms.

“Wake up Alex,”
Arrow said, gently kissing my forehead and grabbing my cloak so I couldn’t pull
it up over my head.

“It’s too early!” I
rubbed my eyes. “The sun’s not even up yet.” I propped myself onto my elbows
and looked
down
the hill to the darkened
valley.

“That’s what makes
this the perfect time to go, before they start watching for us.” He gave me
another kiss and started packing up camp. “There’s no good coverage going down
the hill, and I wanted us to get as close as possible before the sun rose.”

I huffed and leaned
back down. “You should have told me that was what you were thinking. I could
have given you a couple more hours of rest. We don’t have to worry about cover
because we’re not going in through the main entrance. We’re sneaking in through
the graveyard on the other side of the castle.”

He stopped packing
for a moment. “We have to go through the graveyard? No one goes through the
graveyard.”

“And no one goes
through Shadow Alley either, but we did.” I yawned.

“
And you
almost became one of them
…”

“Arrow, one of us
has almost been killed every step of the way, and yet we’re still here. Nothing
about this rebellion has ever been safe. Toss me a roll?” I stretched, resigned
to the fact that I was awake. “Anyway, the fact that no one goes there is kind
of the point. No one will
think
to
look
for us there.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s the only way
I know.” I nodded as I bit into the roll. The last level started in the
graveyard.

Arrow nodded, put
the last of the blankets and supplies in the bags, and leaned them against the
tree where the horses waited. I grabbed an extra roll before handing him my bag
and kissing his cheek.

“Are you ready?” I
asked. “I mean,
really
ready? This is it.
There’s no going back from here.”

When he looked me
in the eyes, a range of emotions hit me, but behind them
all
, I recognized honesty. “I can’t go back, regardless,
but with you guiding me? We have a chance. I’m ready.”

I hesitated, then
threw my arms around his shoulders, stifling the tears I wanted to shed. He might
be ready, but a shiver of dread shot through me. If something went wrong, it
would
n’t just be game over. It might very well be the end
of the rebellion, me, and my only chance to get home.

He pulled back and
smiled. “You should trust yourself too. Didn’t you say you beat this castle
over a hundred times?”

I choked back a
laugh. “At least, if not more.” I wiped the tears away with the back of my
hand.

“Then stop
worrying. We’ll take this one step at a time.”

“One step at a
time,” I said.

“And, apparently,
our first step is into the graveyard. Not what I
would
have chosen, but you’re the hero…” He beckoned me
forward with his hand. I appreciated his attempts at joviality. It would be a
hard day. Grabbing his outstretched hand, I climbed onto my horse. We wouldn’t
be able to take the horses all the way down, but they could carry us a couple
miles closer before we were on our own.

Twisted branches
interlocked with other trees, hiding the sun in their struggle for dominance.
Empty limbs hung low, grabbing at our clothes and bags as we passed by, slowing
our descent. The forest seemed dead; no animals scurried out of our way, no
birds chirped from above. The ground remained as dark and empty as the branches
above. Nothing grew along the sun-starved trail. The only green I saw came from
the moss clinging to the crumbling bark.

I shook my head and
reached out for Arrow’s shoulder as he ducked beneath the nearest branch. “Be
careful of the moss here,” I said. “Actually, just don’t touch anything white
or light green, even the branches. It’s
all
poisoned.” I pointed at a dark ring of burnt ashes and feathers on the ground
at the base of a nearby tree. “Berkos doesn’t want
anything
in these woods to live,” I whispered.

He brought his
hands closer to his body and nodded.

“We’ll have to
leave the horses soon,” I said. “We don’t want them to be noticed by any guards
wandering these hills. Do you think they’ll be able to find their way back to
the Grove if we let them go?”

“You want to let
them go?” he asked incredulously.

“I think it’s for
the best. There’s poison here; we can’t tie them to the trees, and I don’t know
how long we’ll be. I thought I’d be in and out of Lockhorn in a couple of
hours.”

“I, for one, am
glad you stayed longer,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. He pulled the
reins towards himself and tightened his hands around my waist, hugging me
close. “Would you stay if you could?”

“Don’t ask me that.
You know it’s not possible.” I bit my lip as my heart sped up. The truth was, I
didn’t know how to answer that question anymore.

“You’re right,” he
said, helping me down. “I’m sorry. We should focus.”

“Besides, you don’t
have to worry. We still have a long way to go together, and I plan on making
every moment count,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

I pulled away, but
he resisted, tightening his grip on me and pressing me against the tree. His
lips teased mine as he held me captive. My legs grew weak, his kisses becoming
more demanding.

“Arrow,” I said,
gently pushing him away.

“Mmmm,” he mumbled,
nibbling on my lower lip.

“You have to let me
go, or I’ll never want to go save the queen,” I said.

“If I must.” But
his hands remained interlocked behind my back.

“Stop!” I laughed.
“We still need to organize our supplies.” I nodded to the bags at our feet. “We
won’t be able to take all this stuff. Will you help me?”

He sighed loudly,
finally releasing his grip. “What do we need?” he asked, emptying the supplies
on the ground.

I rubbed my
forehead and scrutinized the items strewn in front of me. I knelt by his side
and emptied my own bag next to his. “Geez, you weren’t joking
about
packing a bag of bread!”

He took a bite of
one roll and handed me another. “I knew we’d have to keep our energy up.”

I shook my head and
bit into the bread as I sorted the other items into categories.

“We can leave the
food here. We won’t need it on the inside.”

“What
about
when we’re done?” he asked, stopping mid-bite.

“If we need to, I’m
sure we can raid the kitchen.” I stuck my tongue out at him, afraid to give
voice to the thoughts running through my head. One way or another, I
would
be gone by then.

“What
about
the rest of this stuff?” Arrow asked, holding up his
bundle of vines and the whip.

“
Bring
it, as much as we can carry. We’ll need it
all
.” I
secured
my
dagger and reached for the broadsword, deciding at the last moment that it was
too big. I hesitated before attaching the electric whip to my right leg and
strapping a quiver and bow to my back. I stuffed my pockets with packages of
luminance powder and double-checked the necklaces of weed pollen and oil. I
felt
more like
Renaissance Rambo than the little hero
from the game.

I looked at Arrow
and took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

“I’m about as ready
as I’ll be.”

Adrenaline surged
through me,
amping
up my steps as we
bounded
down
the hill in the darkness.
The hillside flattened into the valley, then
melted into the dark and
desolate lowlands, hidden under a layer of haze.

When we reached the
graveyard, light crested the horizon.

I wiped my forehead
with the back of my hand. Thick, hot plumes of steam jutted up through hidden
vents in the ground, obscuring my view.

I tucked an ear
device in and marveled as the rush of steam confused everything else. Quick
pulsating bursts of static threw me off balance. I yelped as I tripped over the
broken stones, scraping my shin. I pulled the device from my ear and shook my
head at Arrow. He
would
have to listen
for us while I kept my eye on finding the secret entrance.

Stone markers
outlined the graveyard, even and symmetrical, except for the occasional
scattered stone. I weaved through them, trying to find something familiar to
pinpoint where to start.

Letters and symbols
stained each slab, but I could discern no order or pattern. I traced the
stones, surprised when a viscous substance stuck to my fingers. It was like the
putrid muck from the pits all over again. I cleared my hands of the slime in
the dirt and moved to the next marker. More lettering greeted me, but nothing
made sense.

I started
shivering—from nerves more than cold—but pressed on. Arrow and the rebellion
were counting on me. The entrance had to be here somewhere. I just had to
navigate the differences between the game and the real world.

A pebble hit me in
the back as I traversed the third row of grave markers. I turned and saw Arrow
tapping his ear. I threw the ear device back in and heard a strange new sound.
A steady beat thumped behind the rush of steam. I dropped behind the nearest pillar,
watching as Arrow ducked behind a gravestone. I held my breath, hearing the
rhythmic
thump
collide with the staccato beats of my heart.

We waited, casting
glances in
all
directions, watching for
an intruder. The thumps grew louder, and then stopped abruptly before scurrying
off. I turned and saw tail feathers ruffle in the wind. My exhale sounded like
a storm. I took the ear device out and rested my head in my hands. This was
only the beginning, and I was already teetering off the edge. I needed to keep
my head in the game.

Tension grew across my forehead, and I rubbed the
pressure points at my temples. I didn’t expect it to take this long to find the
marker. Arrow’s hands rested on my shoulders, and then he helped me up.
Deserted graveyard or not, I didn’t want to risk being out here too long.

I skipped forward, running past the stationary
markers into a darker region of the cemetery that hid in shadows, larger
statues and mausoleums blocking out the sun.
Walking around statues of fallen angels, stepping over their broken wings and
fallen scepters, I felt hidden, more at ease. The cool marble slid under my
hands as I caressed its edges.

The garden of tombs
stretched out of view. Flustered, I turned around to find Arrow, only to see
two grotesque gargoyles flanking a granite archway. Beyond the arch, mausoleums
lined up on either side of a pathway. Their open doors haunted me, until a
moment of
déjà
vu
hit. Of course! I knew one of them marked our
entrance.

A rock thumped
ahead of me, and then another hit me in the back. I turned to glare at Arrow
and tripped over a marker. Bits of gravel dug into my palms and knees, leaving
impressions and dots of blood.
T
he
hearing device dangled next to my ear. I listened, waiting for a thump of
footsteps, and then heard something else, something constant beneath the bursts
of static. My head shot up as Arrow approached me.

“Is that what I
think
it is?” I asked, feeling something like hope.

He pulled the
hearing device out of his ear. “It sounds
like
water to me. Is that what we’re looking for?”

I nodded and put
the device back in. The smooth gurgle was undeniable. I pulled it out again and
smiled. “That’s our way in. Help me up! I know where we have to go now.”

I ran back to the
stone archway and counted off the mausoleums, stopping in front of the third
one on the right side. The stone tomb terrified me. The morbid symbolism of
gaining entrance to the king’s castle through death’s chamber…well, it was
unnerving, to say the least.

I jumped when
Arrow’s voice sounded behind me. “Is this it?”

Without removing my
eyes from the dark building, I nodded. Ten stairs led up to a half-open door
where columns held up decrepit angels. I swallowed hard and grabbed Arrow’s
hand.

“I can’t go in
there alone,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to
face any of this alone,” he said, squeezing my hand as we started up the
stairs.

At the top of the
stairs, a green rectangular box lay on the ground like a welcome mat. I
shrugged at Arrow and knelt, examining the marker. I brushed off the top of the
metal, revealing spiral etchings at each corner. Spiderwebs and dirt stuck to
my palm.

It was reminiscent
of the money boxes in the forest. A familiar feeling ran through me as I traced
the designs. I had found something special.

My fingers ran over
hidden bumps along the outer edge, identifying a set of hinges.

“This has to be
it,” I said, gripping with my nails around the edge. Sweat dripped down my
forehead as I pulled, but nothing budged. Arrow knelt beside me, but even our
combined strength didn’t help.