Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (14 page)

“Are
you so certain of his intentions?” he asked.  “Even after what I’ve said to
you, can you trust him unquestioningly?  Do you think you love him that much?”

There
was no waver of doubt on his face as he looked down at her.  He wanted her to
answer, but she did not have to think about it, and she needed him to see her
determination.  She had to give Rifter the benefit of the doubt.

“I
have to at least give him a chance to make things right,” she said.

Nix
considered, examining her resolute expression.  “I suppose Rifter did not
exclude any of us to be brought?  He did say to bring us all with you?”

Wren
didn’t quite understand, but she nodded.  “Why would it be any different?  It
will take all of you working together to be complete. He needs to know you
support him.”

Nix
had to think about this, looking around at the walls of the old den and at all
the weapons he housed here.  She hoped that he was considering which he would
take with him, though he might have been remembering the past.  How clear was
his memory?

“He
must have known your face would lure us in,” Nix said finally, “but I’m not so
sure that I can play his game, especially without knowing what it is.”

She
made no response, even though she thought he expected one.  She was, however,
beginning to feel disappointed.  Would he continue to refuse?

Eventually,
he relented with a short grunt as if he was disappointed with himself for
giving in.  He peered down at her with a stare that was not so cold as it had
been.  Somewhere inside, he had melted for her.

“I’ll
go with you,” he agreed.  “We’ll look for the others together.  But I will go
for you, and for
them
.  I make no promises whether I will meet Rifter or
not.”

 He
would go for her sake?  That, over all things, was not something that she had
expected him to say.

“You
don’t need to be alone out there,” he said to cover his tracks – no doubt
seeing the way she was stunned.  “I’ll come along for a while, at least until
we’ve found someone else who can look after you, and then the decision will be
my own.”

She
was surprised that such a response had come from his mouth.  Was this the same
boy who had once preferred that she be dead rather than be a burden to the
group?  He had once looked her directly in the eyes and told her that he would
not go out of his way to protect her, and now that was the basis of his reasoning?

“I… 
Thank you,” she said sincerely, unable to wrap her mind around any other
words.  She was too dazed to smile, but a smirk came up on his own mouth as he
saw how she gaped at him.

“For
now, you should get some rest,” he said.  “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Nix
moved back toward the fire, and though Wren believed that she would not sleep,
she felt more at ease for the first time since being left on her own.  Perhaps
it was only luck, but she hoped that it held.  She still had a long way to go. 
Hopefully the rest of the Pack could also be found and convinced, and there
would be time for Nix to change his mind about meeting Rifter, but as long as
she had convinced him to go with her, she counted this as a success.

Wren
leaned back into the hammock, staring up toward the ceiling where the roots had
crept in like tentacles.  She had learned many things and there was certainly
more that she wanted to know.  Some questions, she was almost afraid to ask,
but there was a distance to go yet.  There would be time.

3

Cutting
through the sky, Rifter put his sword away, dirtied with Valkyrie blood.  He
had managed to lure the flying nightmares away from Wren, and once he had
gotten them in the air, he was able to kill them at his own leisure.  They had
not been so hard to deal with, and he had been left to his own devices once
again, undisturbed as he soared over the land.

He
looked down at Nevermor, noting the land’s scars that had been left in the wake
of so many earthquakes and fires.  The island had shifted, rearranged itself
and broken apart, but despite its state, he still desired it.  He would soon
have control over the chaos.  He was certain of that, for now all the pieces
were falling into place.  Finally, after all this time, he had found Wren. 
With her here, he could set himself to work.

He
almost hated to leave her, but he knew that it had to be this way.  She needed
to be alone when she met with the boys.  She would be able to sway them.  They
would trust her.

She
will be safe
,
he told himself. 
She will make this happen
.

He
pushed Wren to the back of his mind now, knowing he had to in order to focus on
his next task.  He had quite a job ahead of him, and it needed his full
concentration.

After
flying for miles, which was no great stretch for him, he finally saw what he
was looking for.

He
had found it previously, years ago, and still it was untouched.  He’d dared not
disturb it until all was ready, but now it was time.  Taking himself down, he
landed beneath the thick fog, believing that he would be shielded here.  It
would not do for any nightmares to interfere with him now.

This
was the ruined ground where the last battle with the Scourge had taken place
years ago – where the mountains had erupted and destroyed much of the
landscape.  The ground here was like black glass, covered by layers of hardened
lava.  Most would not dare to walk here, but he was not afraid.

He
stepped boldly, moving on to the place where he had seen it, finally stopping
when he saw that it was still there.  Rifter stretched out his hand – but a
sharp pain in his chest made him jerk back.  He winced, but held on until the
ache began to fade, grinding his teeth.

Be
steady
,
he coached himself. 
Just make it through this.  It won’t be much longer
.

He
reached for a bag tied at his belt, opening it to spill a bit of glittering ash
into his hand.  He drew his sword and rubbed the fairy remains down both sides
of the blade, giving it a golden sheen.  That done to his satisfaction, he
raised the sword and stabbed the air where the fog was thickest, and was not
shocked when the blade met resistance there.

He
pulled back with all his strength, slicing through the weakness in the veil. 
He was cutting the fabric of the universe, rending the barrier between this
world and the one nearest to it on the other side.  He had business there. 
Despite a new flare of pain that arose as he worked, he did not stop until he’d
managed to rip it open with a satisfying sigh from the air itself.  Within, he
saw precisely what he’d expected.

The
dark portal looped and swayed before him.  He could not see beyond into the
depths of where it led, and yet he knew where the rift would take him.

It’s
now or never
,
he told himself.

Rifter
took a deep breath and dove head-first into the realm of shadows.

1

Wren
spent the night in the underground home, just like in former days, but she did
not sleep.  Nix was restful, however; slumped in the chair by the fire that had
eventually died down to embers.

She’d
watched him for a while, marveling at how much he’d changed in just a few
years.  He’d matured to a point that she hardly recognized him anymore, though
she had to consider that her own memory of him had faded.  She observed how he
had grown, traced the tattoos on his arms and the scar on his face that had
taken his eye.  What had happened to it?  She pondered this for a while, and
once she had exhausted herself with silent possibilities, she’d turned away
from him and rested there, staring at the ceiling, letting old ghosts keep her
awake.

This
was home once.  I’d wanted to stay here forever.

She
kept thinking that at any moment, Whisper was going to dash in, signaling
Rifter’s return, and all of the boys would come out from their rooms within the
tunnels, unchanged, to meet him.  He would tell them that they were going to
hunt, and they would follow him without complaint.  He would smile at her and
tell her that he would be back before night…

Wren
smiled sadly at those memories.  The den did not even look as it once had.  The
tunnel where their rooms had been was blocked off now, either by Nix or some
natural force that had swallowed them up in rock and earth.  For all her time wishing
that she was back here, this ruin was what she had come home to.

Rifter
said it can be fixed.  I have to believe him.

At
that, Wren tried to let her mind go blank.  Though she believed that she did
not sleep, she knew she must have drifted in and out that night, for at one
point, she opened her eyes to see that Nix was gone from the chair, and the
next time she opened her eyes, he was standing over her.

She
was shocked by his sudden appearance.  For a split-second, she was back in the
asylum where men were scarce.  Her heart had pulsed, believing that he was
Rifter who had come to take her away, but then she remembered the day before
and knew that she was wrong.

It’s
Nix
,
she remembered. 
Rifter left me alone
.

His
hair was wet and she guessed that he’d just come from bathing, but he wasn’t
quite prepared for travel.  Though he was wearing his armored vest and dark
pants, he seemed almost naked without the coat and weapons from yesterday.

“You
still want to do this?” Nix asked, peering down at her.

She
could tell that he wasn’t anxious to set out, even now, but her answer was
still the same.  She fixated on his one blue eye, and she could do nothing
except nod.

He
lingered there, examining her a moment, perhaps seeking her resolve.  Finally,
he backed away, but Wren thought she’d caught a hint of disappointment on his
face.

“Get
yourself ready then,” he said.

Wren
began to lean up on the hammock, suddenly aware of a cool, soothing sensation
on her forearm.  She looked down and saw what Nix had done – the reason he had
been standing over her.

The
gash on her arm where the shadow had slashed her: he had bandaged it.

2

It
did not take Nix long to decide what he would take along with him.  He worked
hastily, and Wren watched as he put many items – coated with fairy ash – into a
satchel made out of hide.  She tried to note everything that he put into it,
but he moved so swiftly that this was a difficult task.

She
saw a pair of knives go into it, several bags of ammunition, a whetstone, a
hatchet, a pouch that she supposed contained tobacco for his pipe, some
bandages, wraps of what appeared to be dried meat, but everything else was lost
to her.  When he was done, he pulled the satchel across his chest, fixed a
quiver onto his back, holstered some gun with a sawed-off barrel on one hip and
attached a sword to the other.  Finally, he made sure there was a dagger
strapped to his leg.

So
many weapons
… 
Observing this, she wasn't sure how she could have expected otherwise.  Nix had
always been fond of armaments.

Wren
had watched in silence, and while she was anxious to be moving on, she couldn’t
help admiring the decisive way he assembled himself.  It was a fine quality for
a man, she thought, though was careful not to voice her opinion.  She guessed
her comments would mean nothing to him.

Wren
felt a bit useless, watching him.  The only thing she did to prepare was tie
her hair back.

After
he’d finished with his own things, he’d surprised her by giving her a smaller
satchel to carry and a sheath for the dagger Rifter had given her.  Despite her
aversion to the weapon, she belted it promptly around her waist and thanked him
absently.

“I
also want you to have this, just in case.”  He offered a small drawstring bag,
and she did not have to guess what was inside.  It was a portion of the
shimmering ashes he had gathered up before, and while she still felt
uncomfortable at the thought of using them, she could not deny that they might
aid her in a time of danger.

She
held out her arm and allowed him to tie the bag around her wrist.  At that,
they were ready to depart.

Once
he had gone out first to assure safety, he summoned her to join him.  The first
thing she noticed upon reentering the forest was that there was no fire.  The
treetops had been ablaze the day before, and now there was nothing but ash and
a calm wind to greet them.

“The
fire went out,” she said, marveling, looking into the treetops.

“The
forest burns every day,” he informed her.  “We’re out early, but it’ll get
started soon.  It burns through most of the night and gradually fades out. 
Happens the same way every time.  This part of the island is confused.  It’s
stuck in a time loop or something.”

The
world must be remembering that night the Scourge bombed the forest
, she thought. 
That had been one of the most terrible nights of her life.