Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (19 page)

He
gripped the hilt of his sword tighter in his fist and a smile rose up on his
face.  No matter the circumstances, he would always have a taste for violence,
and he had no care for the source.  Without any doubt as to whether he was man
enough to destroy them, he shot up into the air.

Rifter
cleared the hill in seconds, diving in to attack, but the sentinels, with their
many eyes set in darkness, became aware of him immediately.  They lifted their
spears, fleshy arms filled with bulging purple veins, and tried to cut him
down.  He dodged accurately, spinning in the air to gain momentum for his own
blade before he sliced down, taking the grotesque head off one before it even
realized that it had missed him.

The
titans did not bleed, being creatures of darkness.  The mammoth beast slumped
forward and crumbled to ash before him, leaving a decaying mess on the
hillside.  Rifter smiled to himself, marveling at his handiwork – but was not
aware enough to prevent the second sentinel’s spear from breaking his guard. 
He raised his sword again but did not place it as accurately as he’d liked, and
then...

Pain
shot through his body as he was flung to the ground, hitting hard.  His side
was pouring blood – dark blood that he could not hope to replenish.  He was
made weak by it, but he could not let this wound be the end of him.

Wren… 
I have to get back to Wren!

Rifter
flipped himself up as the titan’s massive foot came down to crush him.  He
could not allow the pain of his mortal body to interfere.  This wound would not
affect what he needed to accomplish.

The
titan opened up the large singular eye in the center of its chest, focusing on
him.  The guardian was strong, but it was slow.  Rifter had only to time
himself, shooting beyond the reach of the spear, his sword ready, and stab the
sentinel in the large eye.  Like its brother, it fell swiftly, crumbling to
ash, and all was quiet once again in the Shadow Downs.

Rifter
put his sword away, touching lightly at his side.  The pain had grown dull now,
and he had ceased to bleed, but he could not stop to examine it.  It was a
wound like so many others, merely adding to his scars.  He could not let it
stop him.

His
heart was pounding and his chest ached, shooting stars of pain from his core,
but he did not stop to favor it.  Rifter stepped forward, wrestled past the chains
and flung open the gate.

The
forgotten memories reached for him like tendrils of smoke.  He saw many things,
and while some of it stung him, he did not care for most of those ancient
scenes.  There was only one thing he cared to see, and finally, after a long
line of past feelings that meant nothing to him, he saw it.

He
saw a man, not so old, but not quite young.  The man had long black hair, and
in his single blue eye was a savagery – a cold cruelty – that could not be
matched, even by demon eyes.  He wore a smile when he killed and he felt no
remorse.

Rifter
studied the dark man’s movements, his mannerisms; the way he fought and the way
he killed.  He listened to the sound of his voice.  Every detail was
important.  He needed to retain the memory of this man – the one they had
called
the Scourge of Nevermor
, who had struck fear in the hearts of them
all.  He needed everything there was to remember.

The
twin swords he used…  The blackness of his heart…  That snide, vicious grin…

Once
he felt confident that he knew all there was to know, Rifter closed the door on
those memories and turned away with a smile.  He was beginning to feel drained
again, his body weak after the fight and blood loss, but he would press on. 
There was more to do.

Just
a bit more
,
he reassured himself. 
Just a bit more, and I will be with them.

He
could hardly wait to show them what he had planned.

1

Calico
was surefooted as she led them on.  Nix had forced her into the front and had
taken the rear to keep careful watch on both girls at once.  Between them, Wren
felt like a captive.  These two, though they seemed to have different
intentions, had taken her prisoner.

But
I must stay with them.  To flee would be worse.

Wren
did not like the intensity of the conflict between Calico and Nix, but they
were all silent as they walked along.  She was thankful for the civility, even
if it was forced, and hoped that it would endure.  It would be a much more
pleasant journey without them fighting, though any advice on how she might keep
steady on the terrain would be welcome.

Wren
had been watching Calico’s feet, wondering how they moved so easily over the
ground, just when her own foot snagged a root.  Nix was near enough that he
caught her arm, and she was able to steady herself on him, looking up with an
apologetic smile.

“Sorry,”
she muttered.  She wondered if he would scowl at her and shove her along, but
saw only a look of mild disapproval.

“Have
you always been so clumsy?” he asked. “I forget.”

Wren
was forced to think back on so many times that she’d suffered misfortune –
seemingly with no effort on her own part.  There were many.  Had it been
because she was clumsy?

I’m
unlucky.

“I’m
certainly prone to accidents,” she said with a nervous laugh.

It
was a sad truth, but for some reason it made her laugh pitifully.  Nix seemed
to share in her amusement.  His smirk became more like a smile for just a
moment, but quickly faded away.  A voice had interrupted.

“Perhaps
I would be a better guide if you would tell me where it is I should lead you.”

Calico
was looking toward them disapprovingly, arms crossed and chin up.  Wren felt
her face flush beneath that scrutiny, but smiling had felt good, even if it was
inappropriate.  She hesitated on Calico’s words, but she had not quite decided
on a proper answer before Nix spoke up in her stead.

“How
about this: you tell us about the world beyond this forest, and we’ll tell you
which way we want to go.”

“No,”
Calico said firmly.  She was denying them the information that she had, and
Wren felt she knew why.  It was leverage – her only reason to stay close and be
sure that they wouldn’t go far without her.  “Seems we’re at an impasse.”

“
No
,”
Nix corrected smartly.  “I already told you how it will go.”

They
stared at each other fiercely, and Wren shifted uncomfortably, only wishing it
would end.

“We’ll
let Wren decide,” Nix said finally.  “The information has been privileged to
her, after all.”

Wren
looked up at him, worried that she wasn’t fit to make the decision on her own,
but after only a moment, she realized that he was right.  She looked toward
Calico, who was observing her with a haughty look that was all too familiar. 
Wren was not sure whether Nix had earned her trust over this girl – no doubt
the past had some bearing on that – but for now, Wren considered this to be business
between Rifter and his Pack.  Calico was not included.

“We’re
looking for the other boys,” she said.  “If you have any information on where
they might be, it would be appreciated.”

That
was all she would say.  Calico, likewise, was a stolid as ever.

“I’m
afraid I don’t,” she said after a moment’s pause, leaving Wren to wonder if she
was telling the truth, “but I will oblige you about the land – for now.  From
this point, there are a couple of choices for which way to go, since you are
simply meandering across the world.

“The
swamp lies in that direction,” she said, pointing to the east.  “It is
impassable.  Too many monsters and not enough solid ground.  I highly doubt any
could make a home there.  Otherwise, it is to go toward the coast, which is
always treacherous–”

“We
won’t be doing that,” Nix said quickly. “Too much of a risk.”

“Then
there is only to carry on the way we’re headed and into the Silent Woods.”

Silent
Woods?
Wren had to ask.

“What
is so different from the woods we are in now?”

“It
is so quiet in there that you can hear the silence,” Calico explained.  “It’s
been said that there is no life there, even though it is green and lush. 
I
say it’s because no one has lived through it to say otherwise.”

Wren
was not anxious to walk into more danger, but this ominous location seemed to
be the only choice they had.  She’d already been denied two others.

“Very
well then,” she agreed.  “It seems like the only way.”

Calico
nodded, eyeing Nix one last time before she turned.

“After
you,” Nix said, and Wren fell into step, between them once again.  She was
quietly wondering what they would find in the Silent Woods, if anything, and
consoled herself with a thought: if they were approached by danger, at least
they would hear it coming.

2

The
island had once been a continuous web of landscapes, much like a patchwork
quilt where one square would end and another – with a very different design –
would begin.  Wren guessed that this was because each part of the world was an
individual dream that Rifter had decided to make a place for.  Perhaps there had
never been a pattern to it.

Though
everything seemed to be in disarray, and dead, Wren was still able to notice
that the land was similar to the way it was before.  Where one territory ended,
another began.

Wren
saw the edge of the Silent Woods before they reached it – a stretch of trees
that was thick and green and covered in moss.  Considering this, it should have
been full of life, but as soon as she stepped foot there, Wren would have sworn
she’d gone deaf.  There was not a sound – not a bird or even a whisper of wind
– but only the soft tromp of the footfalls they brought with them.

How
strange…

Wren
wanted to voice her feeling, but was afraid to disturb the silence.  What if
the sound of her voice brought evil down on them?  Nix and Calico remained
quiet and so Wren kept her peace as well until, while hacking through a tangle
of vines, Calico finally opened her mouth.

“You
spoke to the Rifter, didn’t you?”  Her voice resonated here, seeming far too
loud, even though it was at a normal tone.

Wren
found herself looking to Nix for approval, but she could tell by the way he
glanced back at her that he would not tell her what she should do.

It’s
my choice.  I have to decide.

“I…”
Wren started, testing the sound of her own voice.  “I spoke to him, yes.”

“And
he told you he was ready to act?”

Rifter
hadn’t revealed the details of his plan, but he had promised change.

“Yes,”
she answered, and she saw Calico nod.

“Then
it is good enough,” the huntress said.  Her words gave Wren a bit more
confidence.  Despite their differences, at least she knew there was one other
who believed, unlike Nix’s negative view.

After
that, the three of them were in silence again, just as the woods was.  They
carried on as the day began to fade, and nothing at all happened, except that
the silence was almost maddening.  It reminded Wren of solitary conditions in
the asylum, and it would not do to transport herself back there.  After a
while, she had taken to humming, and neither of her companions protested until
finally it was decided that they would stop for the night.

After
a bit of work finding dry wood amidst the moss, Wren’s face was lit by the
flickering light of a controlled, comfortable campfire.  After the ever-burning
woods, she hadn’t thought she’d want to see fire again so soon, but she had to
admit it was particularly satisfying in the damp air of the living forest.

She
had not been sure if it was a good idea to have an open fire, considering what
creatures might have been lurking, but Nix had not seemed overly concerned and
Calico had welcomed a few moments of warmth, so Wren had given in.

She
had to admit, the effect of the flames – no matter how many she had seen
recently – was pleasant.  It felt like old times.  It gave her a feeling of
safety.

Calico
had curled herself upon Nix’s coat, sleeping soundly now after her ordeal. 
Meanwhile, Nix had wandered off.  Wren could hear his footsteps, however,
knowing he had not gone far.  The savage maiden had previously found Nix to be
a threat, though clearly not enough that she couldn’t sleep in his presence,
and Wren was not sure what she thought about him herself.  She had stopped
trying for now.  Sighing, she leaned gently back against a tree.

After
a moment, she heard the sound of Nix coming forth from the woods, leaves
crunching and crisp twigs snapping.  He entered the area and stopped beside the
fire, holding a skin of water.  His features were lit up before her in the
firelight, his pipe stuck in his mouth.

“Are
you done with this?” he asked of the fire, his speech muffled.