Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (11 page)

“You
said there was no time to waste now that I’m here,” she reminded him, hoping to
escape further talk of the kiss.  “We are to find the boys?”

“There
is one more thing that I didn’t make clear, I’m afraid.”

She
was silent, still waiting for the terrible burning sensation to fade.

“Wren,
we can’t stay together.”

Her
chest clenched with fear and confusion, worse than the burning.  She had been
alone in this world before – before it had changed – and it had never gone well
for her.  How could he expect her to survive by herself?

“You
expect me to carry on alone?” she gasped.

“When
you find the others, they will protect you.”  He seemed very sure of it, but
she wasn’t so confident.

“What
if I
don’t
find them?”

“Wren,
it’s not
safe
for us to be together,” he insisted, resting his hands on
her shoulders.  She almost backed away, but forced herself to stay near him. 
“I told you, the world has turned against me.  The nightmares seek me out –
You’ve seen it yourself already! – but I can draw them away and
you
can
cross the land undetected.”

She
was still shaking her head, and he lost his patience.

“Wren!”
he said forcefully, “I can barely keep myself alive.”  He paused to look in her
eyes, and she saw that he wasn’t going to change his mind.  “I
can’t
protect you.”

It
was a harsh pill to swallow, but Wren knew she could not argue.  He was set and
believed it was the only way.  An argument would only waste time.  After a
brief pause, she nodded her agreement.  Once he saw that, he was ready to move
on.  He took her back to the mouth of the cave, hesitating just inside.

“Here;
I want you to take this.”  He placed a dagger in her hand and closed her fingers
around it.  This was not the first time he had given her a knife, and it had
not gone well for her then, either.  Wren stared at it, saddened.  The blade
gleamed up at her.  She had seen Rifter kill, many times, and it had always
disturbed her.  She had seen the broken bodies of children smashed onto the
street.  No, she could never kill anyone.  This was not how she wanted to live
her life.

“Wren,”
Rifter said firmly, clearly sensing her doubts.  “If you don’t learn to fight
back, then you’ll be killed.  There’s no sweet way to say it; it’s as simple as
that.  Please don’t refuse this.  I don’t know what I’d do…”

She
stared into his tired eyes.  Though the color disturbed her, she could see the
sadness in them.  She began to nod slowly in understanding.  Perhaps he was
right.  She drew the dagger closer to her, wrapping it in her gown at the
waistband.

Was
this the end of their reunion?  Already, this was goodbye?

“What
is it that you will be doing?” she asked.

“I
must keep that to myself for now,” he told her.  “You understand.”

Wren
wasn’t sure if she did, but she accepted it.

“Make
your way towards the old Tribal camp on the cliff-side,” he instructed her. 
She knew of it; she had been there before.  “No one is there anymore, but there
will be much to do along the way.  I need you to take the Pack there.  I will
be there to meet you in a few days.”

“You’re
sure this is the best way?” she tried again.  “For us to be separated?”

Her
eyes pleaded for something with less danger, but taking chances was always in
Rifter’s nature.

“I’ve
thought this through and there is no other way now.  This is how I can keep you
safe.  I don’t want anyone to know you are here, and if we are seen together,
it will be worse for us.”

Wren
knew she had to accept this – knew what had to be done.  She nodded her
agreement.

“Thank
you,” he muttered.  “I know it’s been hell for you, but this place has been
through it, too.  The land doesn’t deserve this punishment.  Now, to get to the
ruined Tribal encampment, you have to pass through the woods and the plains. 
It will take a while for you to get there on foot.  By that time, hopefully I
will have found what I am after as well.  Round up the boys as you go.  They
will help you because you are special to them.  And please be careful.”

Wren
took a deep breath.  She wasn’t sure if what she had received was a warm
welcome, but she would try to accept it, for him and for this place.  There was
no other option if she wanted to get the world back to the way it had been – to
salvage a life.

Above
them, a sharp cry echoed through the trees, and they both jerked their heads
toward it.

“They’re
coming for me,” Rifter said hurriedly.  “I’ll lead them away.  They won’t
notice you.”

“Rifter…” 
She caught his arm, and even after what he had told her – and with the sounds
of the creatures coming on – she could not quite let him go.

“Wren,
this is important, and you are the only one who can help me.  It won’t be for
long, and then we’ll be together again; I promise.  Just find the Pack.  I have
to go.”

Without
any more than that, Wren released him and he shot up into the air.  He had just
cleared the trees when several dark shadows swooped up after him, leaving the
area quiet and still.

1

After
Rifter had left her, Wren stood at the mouth of the cave, listening to the
sounds of the withered forest.  She waited, shifting her gaze this way and that
before bringing it back toward the sky, as if at any moment she might be
delivered.

As
if Rifter would change his mind and come back.

You’re
on your own now
,
she decided sternly, and that acceptance freed her.  She forgot about lurking
horrors and was brave enough to leave the vicinity of the cave, moving in the
direction opposite the way Rifter had brought her into the woods.

Strange
noises came at her through the trees, and she often jerked her head toward
rustling sounds in the thorny brush, but the most she ever saw were a few stony
hawks staring down at her, rigid and absorbed.  Wren kept quiet, holding her
arms around herself for comfort.

Nothing
good had ever come about while she was walking through the woods alone.

As
she traveled, her eyes drifted downward to seek out her shadow, but she was not
quite surprised to find that it wasn’t there.  She was, however, shocked at
herself for being sad about it.  Though she had not liked it when the shapeless
imp had first chosen her, she had been warned that she would miss her mimic if
it ever fled, and she believed that now.  She felt as though she was missing a
part of herself.

Who
knows where it might be now.

As
Wren was pondering these things, she fought her way through a curtain of ivy in
order to move ahead, and what she saw on the other side of it widened her eyes
and gave way to doubt.

A
heady cloud of smoke and burn hit her head-on.  The forest here was full of
charred trees, ashes spinning in the wind like snowflakes.  There was an orange
glow above her and she lifted her eyes to the tree tops, ablaze in the evening
air.  While the other half of the woods had already burned, this stretch seemed
to be going strong, but there was only to go forward.

Wren
had never seen a fire like this – seeing that it only kept high in the branches
as she passed beneath – but she did not like it here.  The heat didn’t seem to
bother her, but she did not want to breathe any smoke.

She
took in limited breaths of air as she trudged on, her hand against her gown
where she could feel the solidity of the dagger.  She had a terrible feeling
that this was to be a quest of ordeals, and that everywhere she went, she would
meet with new trouble.

Here,
the crackling of the branches above kept her on constant guard.  Was this a
relevant place to search for the members of the Wolf Pack?  If it was a safe
place to inhabit, why hadn't Rifter thought to live here?  No one would have
looked for him in this place, for who would be foolish enough to live in an
ever-burning wood?  But these were unimportant thoughts.  She dismissed them
and began to busy her mind with what she could remember of the boys she sought.

I
must think as they would if I want to find them
.

The
first that came into her head was Toss.  He’d never been the best at making his
own decisions, needing guidance, but he was definitely the kindest among them. 
He had always been a bit naive, and was the favorite for teasing by his
brothers, but Wren had thought highly of him.  He had been the first one of
them to stand up for her when she’d been in danger, and he had never been
anything but a perfect gentleman in her direction.  In appearance, he had been
a tall and hefty boy, and she imagined that he still was.  Some frames simply
couldn’t grow much thinner.

She
wondered if he was all alone in the world, and that thought saddened her.  He
and Finn had been close in the past.  Surely they hadn’t drifted so far apart?

Finn… 
He had always made her laugh.  He was naturally charming, but unfailingly
brought trouble on the group from his antics and daring-do.  Of course, he was
only a boy back then; Wren supposed all boys had their moments.  Despite what
the others thought of him, he’d always had brilliant ideas for making things – in
the home or in the field – and had a nose for scavenging.  She remembered his
grin and his amazing curly hair, which he’d never liked to brush.

Despite
Finn’s faults, the twins had always idolized him for his engineering feats.

The
twins, Mach and Mech – mischievous, secretive, naughty, with blazing red hair. 
They had never been easy to distinguish, even among those who knew them well,
but Wren had been especially keen to a slight variance in their personalities. 
It was fairly clear to anyone who paid attention that Mech was the dominant
one, whereas Mach was slightly more reserved.  He followed his brother.  Rifter
had never tried to tell them apart, content to treat them as the same person.

Wren
did remember one thing particularly well: the twins only liked to be the same
when it suited them.  They hated it when they spoke the same words or finished
each other’s sentences, but in ways they were each half a person without the
other.  Wren wondered if these two brothers – once so close – had drifted apart
in this corrupted world.  And could any of them survive without Sly to keep
them in line?

Sly
had been in Nevermor the longest, therefore was an elder among the immortals. 
He was also the smallest, but what he lacked in stature, he made up for in
mental acuity.  He was the most intelligent of the boys, though Wren thought
they were all brilliant in their own ways.  Sometimes silent in what he knew,
Sly would steer the rest of them onto the right path, often without them even
noticing.  Sly might have made more rational and logical decisions than Rifter,
but his respect was always greater, and he kept himself as an obedient
follower.

And
then there was Nix.

Wren
and Nix had never been friends, and yet she had never done anything against
him.  He had taken an immediate dislike to her, and that was the end of it. 
Over the past four years, she had considered their relationship, and yet she
had not quite decided on why he had been so hostile toward her.  He had told
her that it wasn’t personal – that it was actually Rifter he was angry with for
bringing her into the group – but yet they had never sorted out the problem.

Will
he be able to see past it for Rifter’s sake this time?

Putting
their differences aside, Wren would have to admit that Rifter had a loyal follower
in Nix.  He was the most skilled of the boys, and why shouldn’t he be?  He’d
spent much of his days practicing the art of battle.  Nix had a great finesse
with any weapon he put in his hands, but he often let his temper get the best
of him.  She’d always believed that he loved violence too much, yet the same
could have been said about Rifter, who was possibly the only one who could win
against Nix in a fight.  Nix was by far the most opinionated, and unlike Sly,
he was not afraid to tell Rifter so.  Even when defeated, he always held his
head high and looked down his nose at the rest of them – that was how she would
recognize him.

Will
any of them be the same as they were?
she wondered. 
Will they know me?

Had
all these boys grown older?  It was a bit hard to imagine, but Rifter had told
her that it was true.  He had also told her that some of the boys had seen the
Scourge’s side of things.  If she did indeed meet all of them, how would she be
able to tell which ones were on Rifter’s side and which were secretly against
him?

I’ll
have to take it as it comes
, she decided. 
It’s what I have to do to get
this world back in order.

Wren
was lifted from her thoughts when a flicker of light in the boughs caught her
eye.  Suspecting the shift of a flaming branch, she raised her head – and
stopped in her tracks.  Up in the treetops, untouched by the fire, there were
several bulbous nests made of leaves, mud, and shimmering fibers.  The glow she
had seen was not from a flame, but in fact a small creature hidden in a globe
of light, bright as a star.  Wren knew what it was, and a wave of panic rushed
over her.