Dreamscape: Saving Alex (33 page)

Dread settled over me the moment the words left my
lips. The hair on the back of my neck stood on edge, my stomach tightened, and
my hands lost their grip. Everything popped with heightened sensitivity.

I jumped when Arrow tapped my shoulder. “Don’t do
that,” I said, catching my breath.

He raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean
to startle you. I just wanted to stay by your side. In case…” He let the
thought trail off.

I looked at him, daring him to continue. “In case
you needed to be saved again?” I offered.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” He smiled.
“Do we have a plan?”

“Just the same as it’s always been: Find a way
through this maze of a castle, and then you can take care of the king.”

“That easy?”

“I never said it would be easy.” I gave him a hard
look. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this?”

He patted his ribs. “I’m as good as new, thanks to
our overabundant supply of vines.”

“Who would have thought my clumsiness would come
in handy?”

He winked at me. “There you go, underestimating
your worth.”

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s just hope our luck holds
out. We’ve used the last one.” I ran my hands over my bruised ribs, hiding the
intense pain. “Get prepared. There should be a pile of guards around this
corner. I don’t know if they’ll still be knocked out or not.” I lowered my
voice to a whisper and wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my dagger as we
turned the corner. “They’re gone,” I said, surprised.

“What?”

“The guards. I must have stunned at least three or
four of them before I took the wrong turn.”

“Or right turn, depending on who you ask.”

“You’re right.” I smiled back at him. “I just
thought they would still be here.”

“That’s good though, that means you didn’t kill
them.”

“I guess you’re right.” I kept my hand on the
dagger.

I counted the doors and took us down the right
hallways until we entered a larger corridor. From the outside, it seemed the
same as the others—dark, dismal, and bare. But to me, it was different. I knew
that the true darkness waited at the other end, behind the last red door.

That door became my
sole focus, and the rest of the hall faded as I examined every inch of it.
Unlike the others around the castle, this door glimmered in perfection. Its red
paint glistened, and the polished golden knob reflected the wavering torchlight
framing it on both sides. Light pulsed at the bottom,
like
a quiet siren.

The dagger slipped
in my sweaty hand as we walked closer.

“This is it,” I
said, reaching
down
, making
sure
the
whip stayed coiled at my side. The words
seemed
to carry a different message to Arrow than they did
to me. As I assessed my weapons, he gave me a sad smile.

He grabbed my left
hand and pressed it to his lips. “Alex, whatever happens in there, I want to
thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.” His gaze deepened.

I couldn’t find the
right words to say before he turned and strode through the door. What did he
think
he was doing? I ran after him, skidding to a stop as
I turned the corner.
Déjà
vu
.

The throne room was
an exact replica of the final scene from the game. My eyes skimmed the sterile
white walls, bare except for the red drapes that seemed to bleed around the
windows. Marble pillars lined the expansive room and curved behind the golden
throne. Vases of dragon weed fluttered on either side of the garish seat.

King Berkos drummed
his fingers along the edge of his throne. Fear constricted my breath. “Arrow,
wait!” I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice. I wanted to run to Arrow’s
side, but my feet refused to listen to me.

The two men, poised
on opposite sides of the throne room, mimicked the setup for the final battle.
I shook my head and dismissed the thought. This wasn’t a game.

“It’s about time, dear boy. I’ve been waiting all
day.” Berkos’ deep voice echoed off the marble walls. “I hope you’ve found the
accommodations to your liking.”

“Hello, Berkos,” Arrow responded with a steady
voice.

Berkos tsked. “Ah, so formal. Is that any way to
greet your uncle?”

“Any familial ties between us were severed long
ago,” he said. He unsheathed the sword from his side and stepped closer.

A deep laugh broke the tension. “That’s the
spirit. I hoped these last few years had toughened you up a bit.”

“You know nothing about me. You never did.”

“I knew enough to see a spoiled child running
about the castle, playing at being prince—as if you had any inclination or
ability to lead the kingdom.” He sneered. “Even your dear brother lacked a
backbone when it came down to it.”

“Leave my brother out of it.” Arrow clenched his
jaw and tightened his grip around his sword.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. He’s been
long since forgotten. The moment I killed him, he became meaningless.”

Arrow’s face matched the pallor of his knuckles.
“What’s the point of this?”

“Oh, there’s no point, just some idle chit-chat
while I wait for your gift to be ready,” he said, looking behind us towards the
back door.

“Gift?” Arrow asked, following his uncle’s gaze.

“I wouldn’t be able to call myself a host if I
didn’t present you with an offering.”

My stomach flipped at his choice of words. “Arrow,
I don’t like the sound of this,” I whispered, walking to his side. “It’s some
sort of trap.”

“We don’t have much choice. We’re not leaving
without the queen.”

“Ah, such a sweet sentiment,” said Berkos, “I’m
sure she’d appreciate it if she knew. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get out much
these days. And I have an inkling you won’t be joining her.” He paused as Arrow
lurched forward. “And about the gift, I must insist. It’s been prepared
especially for you.”

“Don’t let him get to you,” I said, pulling him
back. “He’s just trying to goad you.”

“The hero speaks such words of wisdom,” he said,
turning his attention to me. “It’s hard to imagine that someone as tiny as you
could have created this uproar.” His calm words and demeanor contradicted the
burning hatred in his eyes. Heat rose to my face as I tried to maintain eye
contact.

“Leave her out of this,” Arrow said, stepping in
front of me.

“It’s hard to ignore such a creature. You seem to
have that problem as well. Tell me, how is it, working with this thing?” He
pointed at me.

I looked at the ground, trying to stay out of it.
My blood boiled, but I needed to keep my cool. We were too close to the end to
lose it now. I reached for Arrow’s arm and shook my head.

“She’s not a thing,” he said.

“What is she, then? She’s not one of us. That much
is certain.”

“Her name’s Alex,” he said, brandishing his sword.
“And she’s here to save the queen.”

Oh boy. I lifted my gaze, hoping I looked braver
than I felt.

“This is priceless. I wish more people could
witness this.” Berkos stood, the black velvet robe unfurling behind him as he
descended the stairs. Slow, deliberate steps echoed through the hall.

My face paled and I gripped the knife tighter. I
knew I couldn’t beat him by traditional force. He was an obvious threat even
without a weapon. I hoped my fear didn’t show. If it did, no one noticed. Arrow
and Berkos locked in on each other.

“There’s nothing you can do to stop us now.” Arrow
said, pointing the tip of his sword at his uncle.

“Surely you’re not going to harm me when I come
bearing gifts.” He snapped his fingers, and one of his guards entered from the
back. “What has it been? Five years? I thought one per year would be
sufficient. If it’s not, though, let me know. I have plenty more I can give
you.” His chuckle reverberated in the chamber.

The guard kneeled and presented an oddly shaped
bag.

“Ah, perfect.” He waved off the guard and peeked
inside. “I love that smell—fresh, cloying, and definite.”

“Arrow, don’t take it,” I urged. I pointed the
dagger at the king.

“Don’t listen to her. It’s just a little gift,
just something to show you how I feel about your little game of rebellion.
Please, go ahead and open it.”

Arrow glanced between me and the king. I saw it in
his eyes, anger and desperation. If he opened it, nothing would stay the same.

“No!” I yelled, knocking the bag from his hands as
he reached for it.

I screamed as head after head rolled out, staring
at me with their blank eyes. Even in death, their faces constricted in pain,
their final screams frozen. Behind the empty stares, I saw young faces, void of
scars and wrinkles, guilty of nothing. I thought back to the boy in Flourin, so
eager to fight for freedom. And then I saw the familiar face of Pipes, and my
heart went cold. I sheathed my dagger and grabbed the whip, my grip now
surprisingly steady.

“You sick, deranged—” I snarled, jumping for him.
Arrow grabbed my arms, pulling me back to his side.

“Flattery gets you nowhere with me, my dear. Trust
me, you would have to do a lot more to impress me.”

“I’m going to kill you, you monster.” I lunged at
him with a guttural yell. The king deftly twirled to the side, dodging my first
strike. I nearly dropped the whip as it chipped a chunk of marble off the
pillar.

I raised the whip and refocused, ignoring the pain
vibrating through my palms. A smirk grew on his face as he stared at me. “The
little girl wants to fight! How precious. I thought I had seen it all from the
queen, but apparently this new generation doesn’t do docility. A blessing and a
curse.”

“I’ll show you a curse,” I said and blew a strand
of hair out of my eyes as I ran towards him, sliding across the smooth floor,
swinging at his ankles.

The blue flames from the whip singed the black
velvet of the king’s robe. His smile faded when he glanced back at the scorched
garment. “This is your last chance to save yourself, little girl. None of this
pertains to you. If you leave now, I will spare you.”

“You’re wrong, Berkos,” I said, walking to Arrow’s
side, clipping the whip to my belt. “This does involve me. More than I ever
thought possible.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He unclasped his
robe, the velvet dropping in a heap around his feet. A quick snap of his
fingers and a team of guards marched in, tossing him a black sword and shield.

“Attack!” The ground shook with the guards’
approach.

Fear flashed in my eyes as I looked at Arrow, but
his gaze had already hardened with an intensity of focus. I turned in time to
see the closest line of guards running towards me. I ran to the outer edge of
the room, searching for a plan. I saw the drapes and thought about swinging,
but I didn’t know what that would accomplish. Swinging out the window wouldn’t
work here. My heart raced as their feet came closer. I had used the last of the
dragon weed on Pounder, and the luminance powder would do nothing for me here.
My mind drew a blank, and my chest burned from running. I had to come up with
something quick.

“Flowers, use the flowers!” I heard Arrow yell.

What was he talking about? I had already used up
the dragon weed. My mind raced until I saw the fresh flowers fluttering by the
window.

I looked back in time to see him engage two of the
guards, the red stamps on the back of the first disappearing under a stream of
blood. The next second he turned and swung at the other, slicing off an arm at
the elbow.

Behind me, I heard swords unsheathe, and my
hesitation disappeared.

With a burst of energy, I ran towards the windows
and grabbed the vase, careful to keep the pollen from hitting me. That flower
had burned me enough. I twisted the red drapes around my wrist and forearm and
jumped, pushing off the wall, turning in mid-air above them. I yanked the
flowers from the vase and scattered them, watching the golden pollen fall into
their eyes and between the plates of their armor. While they screeched and
scratched at their faces, I pounded the vase against their heads, knocking them
to the ground.

I wiped off the scattered pieces of pollen and
looked around for Berkos. He sat back in his throne, watching Arrow fight with
casual indifference. The calm stroking of his mustache enraged me. I tightened
my grip around the handle of the whip, feeling my temper rise.

Arrow’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“And now, Berkos, it is your turn.” He faced the
king, his sword dripping with the guards’ blood as he walked forward.

“At last,” the king chuckled. “It’s time to put an
end to you and your pesky followers. I’ve been dreaming of this day.”

“Then it’s time to wake up. Your days of ruling
are over.”

“And who do you expect to take over after me?
You?”

“No,” Arrow said, adjusting his sword. “Lockhorn
will continue to be ruled by the true monarch, Queen Elin.”

Berkos sneered. “You think a shrew trapped in a
dungeon can rule a kingdom better than me?”

“Anyone with a heart could rule this kingdom
better than you. You’re a disgrace. True leaders don’t need to rule through
fear and bribery.”

“That, my dear boy, is why you were never king and
never will be. Weakness cannot hold a kingdom together.”

“Who is weaker? The man who opens his heart to
help others or the one who only cares about himself?”

“I’ve had enough of this bickering.” Berkos stood
and reached for his sword.

Something shimmered against his thigh. I narrowed
my gaze and gasped—the keys. I needed to get those without being noticed. I
tiptoed along the outer edge of the wall, fading into the shadows.