Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (23 page)

1

Finn
saw that they were all treated hospitably.  There was not a lot of conversation
from the tree-dwellers, but the meal was delicious and filling.  They were
served meat from some strange bird Wren had never heard of, but she didn’t
complain.  Afterward, she was given the opportunity to clean up and was offered
a furry robe so that her gown could be washed and patched.  The pelt was heavy
but warm, and it was strangely comfortable to her.

When
she came out of the small hut where she’d changed, Nix and Finn were waiting
outside for her.

“Well,
look at you,” Finn said with a smile, his eyes lighting when he saw her.  “You
wear that fur much better than the beast that was born with it, that’s
certain.”

Wren
smiled back at him, but Nix did not seem amused at the exchange.  Finn noticed
it.

“It
seems we have much to talk about,” Finn offered, changing the subject.

“Yes,”
Wren agreed.  “The sooner the better, if you don’t mind.”

“She’s
been made Rifter’s ambassador,” Nix said snidely.  “She has the story you want
to hear.”

“Let’s
have it then,” Finn said, but Wren had a different sort of idea.  She needed to
hear what he knew about the state of the world and events of the past, and she
believed there was only one way to assure that he was being completely honest
with her.

“There
is quite a bit I’d like to hear from you as well – and I’d like it if we could
speak alone,” she said toward Nix, begging for permission with her eyes.  “If
that’s alright.”

“I’m
not sure that it is,” Nix was quick to say, and Wren had a mind to chastise
him.  Hadn’t he just recently told her that she should make her own decisions? 
Yet he wanted to monitor her talks?

“It’s
been a long time,” he went on, excusing himself of his hostility.  “Why not be
a bit cautious?”

A
short laugh escaped Finn’s throat as he looked on at his estranged brother, but
Wren kept quiet.  Perhaps this was something best dealt with between them.

“Why
are you so suspicious of me?”

“I’m
suspicious of everyone,” Nix admitted, and there was no note of apology.

“It’s
true,” Wren confirmed.  He hadn’t even believed that she was genuine.

“And
you only tried to kill us, is all,” Nix added.

At
that, Finn’s laughing smile gave way to a sigh.

“Point
taken,” he relented.  “I could have had my people kill you, but I didn’t.  I
welcomed you here.  I swear, I have no evil intent against any of you.  If Wren
would rather speak to me alone, I say we have to give her that.”

Nix
didn’t say anything else, but Wren could tell by the look on his face that he
didn’t like it.  She almost got angry with him – until she wondered if he was
only being difficult because he was not quite willing to let her out of his
sight, as he’d promised.  But this was something that she needed to share with
Finn alone in order to hear his private opinion on the matter.  She had to make
Nix understand that.

“You
can wait for me,” she told him.  “I’ll find you as soon as it’s over.”

It
took Nix another long moment of staring into Finn’s lamp-like eyes before he
nodded his consent.  At that, Finn smiled.

“I
knew you could find it in your heart to trust me,” he said pleasantly.  “And
don’t worry: I’ll keep her safe for Rifter.”

Wren
followed Finn as he led her off, and Nix said nothing else, but she could feel
his gaze burning into her back as she walked away.

2

Through
the quiet dark, Finn led her along the path.  Wren could not see much for the
lack of light, relying on him to guide her with the aid of his glowing eyes and
goggles.  They had little need for torches here, but there were luminous stones
mounted on posts which almost looked to be flickering with flame deep inside.

Everything
was peaceful in the treetop village, which made sure it was undisturbed. The
dwellers did not use their voices, but had learned to communicate using eye
movements and hand motions.  It was interesting, but Wren would much rather
settle for an old-fashioned wordy conversation.  As much as Finn had liked to
talk in his youth, she simply couldn’t imagine him accepting spoken word as a
lost art.

It
wasn’t long afterward that they reached Finn’s hut.

This
one was larger than the rest, proving that he was chief among his peers. 
Lifting the curtain of leaves over the door, he led the way inside.  Within,
the hut was lit by several of the large, glowing stones which stood on
pedestals at the corners.  By that, she could see that the arrangement of
furniture was neat and orderly, showing her very well that things had changed
since she had picked-up after this boy.

So
he has matured in another fashion as well.

There
were rugs on the floor made of animal pelts and a hearth was assembled in the
center.  As if to tie the room together, there were benches covered with a wide
variety of gears, tools and unfamiliar things, but everything had its place.

The
hut was only one room, but it seemed like a decent place for living.  Wren
found it quite exotic to be in the treetops, like her dream of the house her
father would never let her build in the back yard.

“Please,”
Finn said welcomingly, removing his goggles and outer covering of fur.  “Have a
seat anywhere.”

Wren
sat down on a stool of stretched hide, and he flashed her another of his
smiles, fanged tooth shining.  She had noticed many of his traits since coming
here, comparing them with what she remembered in former days.  Fortunately, the
simple absence of his hair did not reduce his character.  He was as charming
and personable as ever.  His voice was a bit scratchy, as if to indicate the
infrequency of use, but there was a pleasant, casual manner to it that made her
feel comfortable.  His strange, glowing eyes encased by long lashes completed his
face, giving him a very handsome appearance.

He
must have no trouble with women
, Wren thought to herself, and found
that it was something she should be proud of him for, but he had always been
mischievous, into everything, and by the subtle flash of excitement in his
eyes, she knew he hadn’t changed in that respect.

“This
is some place you have here, Finn,” she commented to him.

At
that, he drew breath through his teeth as his eyes and nose crinkled.  She
recognized that expression.  He was biting back on the truth.

“To
be honest, I haven’t been here for quite as long as you might think,” he
admitted.  “I’m certainly not the reason for what these people have here.  They
had already built a home for themselves in the treetops – many of them had
already lost their voices.  It was not quite a year ago that they captured me
within their woods much like we took you.”

Wren’s
eyes widened in surprise.  “Why did they spare you?”

“I’m
a fast talker,” he said with a grin. “You might think that it wouldn’t do me
much good, but while they may not talk, they can listen.  I offered them
information that they couldn’t refuse.  I showed them how they could improve
the quality of their lives with weapons and a gear or two.  In return, they
shared their secrets with me.  They began to look to me for guidance in all
things.  Within no time at all, I had become their chieftain.  Amazing, isn’t
it?  I never thought I’d be the leader of anything.”

She
had to admit, it was a bit unusual to imagine the clumsy boy she had once known
to be a leader.  Rifter certainly wouldn’t have believed it.  Though his
sovereignty had come about by chance, he had clearly grown into this role.

Just
as Nix said.  They’ve grown; they’ve changed
.

“So
do you simply kill all intruders that come into the woods?” Wren asked.

Finn
laughed nervously, and in it, Wren heard that there could not have possibly
been anything wrong.

“Let’s
not talk about that, love.”

She
looked at him with uncertainty, wondering if this could possibly be the same
boy who had once been so afraid of Rifter’s disapproving eye that he would
admit to anything, whether he had done it or not.

“I
want to hear it from you, Wren,” he began, cutting out the small talk as he sat
down across from her.  “Have you
seen
Rifter?”

Wren
had to make a snap decision on whether or not she would answer.  In that
moment, she decided to trust him, even if Nix did not.

“Yes. 
He came for me.”

Finn
nodded but did not comment, and Wren saw a look on his face that allowed her to
read his thoughts:
So, he is alive.

“You
thought he was dead,” she guessed abruptly.

Finn
looked up, amazed.  He laughed.  “Oh no, I did not think he was dead, darling. 
I thought he was
changed
.  I thought he’d lost his mind.”

He
said this as if it were pleasant humor, but it made Wren uncomfortable.  She
felt no need to tell him that she knew a thing or two about madness.  Did he
really think she would appreciate it?  Even though she did not like it, his
charm made her want to forget it quickly.

“You
are against Rifter?” she asked, fearful of his answer.

“I
simply exist in this world,” he said with a shrug.  “I’ll be honest: I haven’t
given much thought to Rifter in a long while.  I assumed that chapter of my
life was over.  I’ve roamed over the island to my heart’s content and now I’ve
settled here.  I care about these people.  We may be a group of misfits, but we
are safe, and we protect each other from whatever the danger is that crosses
us.  I have replaced my brothers with them, and I have put Rifter away from me.”

Wren
was saddened to hear that.  He had given up?  He had no interest in reuniting
with Rifter?

“Actually,
I hardly even remember what he looks like,” Finn went on thoughtfully.  “I
guess that’s the way of it.  This realm takes your memories after a while.  Nix
and Calico – they’ve both changed so much!  And honestly, I never expected to
see you again, Wren.”

His
expression then was one she understood well, even without words.  He gazed at
her with a longing for former days and a distant memory of how things had been.

“But
here you are – and Nix is with you.  That’s a change from how things used to
be.  In fact, the two of you and Calico are probably the least likely group I
might have imagined – unless of course you were keeping company with the
Scourge.”

“I’ll
admit, it is strange for me as well,” she admitted, “but Finn, may I speak very
openly with you?”

“Of
course,” he bade.  “I have no secrets from you, love.”

“Could
you tell me what happened back then?” she asked.  “What happened when you left
Rifter?”

Finn
lowered his radiant eyes, but nodded in understanding.

“When
I left him, it was only Toss and I.  The rest had already gone.  I wasn’t fit
to stand on my own back then.  I suppose I thought it would all just go away
eventually – like the Scourge.  If I held out just a bit longer, it would be
over.  It didn’t work out that way.

“Rifter
was in and out, leaving for days at a time before coming back, claiming he had
no knowledge of where he had been, smelling like blood and death.  I stayed,
believing that eventually the others would come back, but one day I realized
that they weren’t going to.  It was like I woke up.  I knew I had to go, as the
others had done.  I wanted Toss to come with me, but he wouldn’t leave Rifter,
and so I left him there.”

Finn
paused, shrugging.  “It’s a shame our brotherhood had to end that way, but it
did.  We outgrew each other.  And I didn’t leave to search for answers.  I’d
decided that there were none.  It wasn’t anything more profound than that.”

Finn
stopped, smiling apologetically. 
He didn’t even mention the demon
, she
noticed.  Perhaps that detail had not been important to Finn.  He’d simply seen
Rifter change, whatever the reason, and his family was dismantled.

When
she didn’t speak, Finn went on.  “So now it is your turn.  Tell me everything.”

Wren
did as he asked.  She recounted how Rifter had finally come for her after so
many years.  She told him of her surprise at his appearance, to see how
Nevermor had changed, and to learn that the Pack was no longer with him.

“Rifter
asked me if I would help him.  What he wanted me to do was find all of you and
bring you to meet him.  He did not tell me exactly why, but apparently he wants
to explain some things to all of us.  He says he has a plan to save this place,
but he needs our help.”

Finn
tilted his head, looking at her with interest as she spoke, and after she had
finished, he remained quiet.

“That’s
interesting,” Finn uttered, but said no more.  He rose up then, pacing around
the room.  Wren was unsure whether she should stay quiet, speak further, or
change the subject.