Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (49 page)

“One
day, when we were all headed out to hunt down and kill a large monster that had
invaded the woods, Nix approached me.  Apparently the need for confrontation
had been festering inside him for quite a time.  He told me that, out of
decency, I should be the one to leave and just be done with them.  I should
exile myself because of the demon – let them deal with the darkness.  He was
right, but I was insulted.  Perhaps it was the demon inside, whispering violent
things to me, but whatever the case, I drew my blade on him – my own brother –
and I know that I meant to kill him.  We fought like enemies.  He took my
eye.”  He ran a finger down the scar on his face. “I cut his shoulder to the
bone – and then I must have awoken inside myself.  I remember throwing down my
weapon.  I went to the ground.  I surrendered before him, just because I did
not wish to go further, and as if he’d had his own demon, he fled from me.

“Shortly
after that, before the others had returned, I went away to look for Nix, but I
really had no intention of coming back.  I was doing what I should have done
from the beginning.  I left them alone and removed myself from them.  I went
into the wilds of the island to lose myself – to forget everything.  I wanted
to be alone, but I did not get far before Calico joined me.  She was concerned
over Nix, but after a while I managed to drive her away.  I just wanted my
solitude, but the truth of the matter is that I
did
find Nix eventually,
even though I wasn’t looking for him.  When I found him, he was already dead.”

Wren
had never gotten along with Nix – not Nix as he’d truly been – but she would
never have wished him dead.  She knew that he and Rifter had been close.  She’d
been insisting upon that as she’d tried to convince him to come here.  She knew
the blow of his death must have been a heavy one.

“Pirates
had gotten to him,” Rifter went on.  “Maybe crazed savages.  He was against a
tree, cut open straight down the middle from neck to gut.  I had not meant for
anything like that to happen to him.  I felt it was my fault.  But while I was
taken by grief and hatred toward myself, the demon inside me became excited. 
It implored me to let it have the remains of Nix’s body.  I tried to resist,
but couldn’t handle the death of one of my own.  It weakened me, as it always
has.  The demon nagged me so that I broke down and I let it be released into
Nix’s remains.

“I
don’t know what I expected to happen at that point, but I know it’s not what I
got.  The demon healed that body before my eyes and took it for itself.  It
pulled itself down from that tree – smiling widely with my brother’s mouth –
and stepped up to me.  The demon told me I was a disgrace.  It told me that I
had no right to call myself the protector of this world.  Just a couple of
years had changed me so much that I was a discredit to every story that was
ever told about me.  I wasn’t a hero.  My Pack did not even respect me anymore. 
I knew it was the demon speaking, but coming from Nix’s mouth, it seemed so
true.  The demon walked away from me then, and I decided that it was right.”

It
was a sad story.  Wren wasn’t sure how he wasn’t crying, for she certainly felt
like continuing.

“You
can think what you want about me for this, Wren – for being weak – but I felt
so horribly about Nix’s death and I was so beaten down that I pulled myself
away.  I believed what the demon said and I
became
Nix as penance.  I
adopted his habits and stopped my own.  We were already similar in nature and
appearance and so it wasn’t very difficult.  I lived in solitude for a long
time until, I think, I nearly forgot who I had once been myself.  I smoked his
pipe; I hunted all day.  I learned to use guns and gave up the sword.  I had my
body tattooed with ancient symbols to keep the demon away.  I stopped flying
until I forgot how.  I couldn’t even hear the words of the fairy language.  Everything
to erase myself.  Nix deserved to live and the Rifter didn’t.  That was all I
knew.

“Others
came along.  Calico found me again.  I was Nix to her.  She hated me, but she
kept coming back, trying to urge me back on the path.  Still, I kept my role. 
No one ever tricked me out of it, but the knowledge of the truth never quite
left me – not like in the past.

“I
stopped thinking of the demon and didn’t consider what it might do with its new
body.  I certainly never dreamed that it would take my old identity.  I had no
idea that it had gone back to the boys in Nix’s distorted body, posing as me. 
All I’d ever heard about
Rifter
throughout the years was that everyone
thought he was dead.  That was perfectly fine with me.  I didn’t need that
past.  I even think I began to forget
you
.  I at least consoled myself
with thinking that, wherever you were, you were better off.  I hardly saw a
need to remember that promise I made to you that day, about coming back for
you.  Maybe it was out of pain that I wanted to forget you.  Because I could
never bring you into this.  It was dangerous, and I could never have you like I
wanted.

“But
suddenly, it happened.  I was out hunting that fiery bear, and what more
confusing thing do I find but you!  I didn’t understand that it was you at
first; even after you’d looked right at me, spoken to me,
touched
me. 
Just like I hadn’t expected the demon to take my place, I
never
expected
him to go after you.  But when I did understand it, I don’t know if I felt more
shocked or angry.  I had lost myself so much that you didn’t recognize me, and
you told me yourself that he’d brought you here.  Now, knowing what you do, you
must be able to imagine my curiosity, but I had little desire to see that demon
or even any of the others.  I would have been fine to leave it alone
completely.  Unfortunately, there was you.”

Rifter
paused in his confession, looking freely at her face in a way he’d avoided
while he’d been playing Nix.  Now that Wren knew his secret, he’d deemed it
alright to look at her, and she realized it always had been.  He touched her
face, his caress inciting emotions deep within.  She held his hand there,
desperate for his closeness that she’d missed so much.

“I
knew you were going off to danger,” he said, “and so I could not let you go
alone, as much as I wanted to be free of all this.  There was no other choice
but to be your protector.  I admit; I was frustrated because of you.  You
refused to know me, and while you should have been mine, you belonged to
someone else.  It was difficult to want you so much.”

His
thumb ran across her lips, and her heart began to pound, but he caught
himself.  She knew as well as he did that there was no time to give in to
desires.  Perhaps there never would be.  He smiled painfully at her.

“That
is why I tried to encourage you to think deeper on what you’ve been told, but
it didn’t work the way I’d hoped.  You were much too devoted.  In that way, I
suppose I should be flattered.”

She
smiled at him, and she was glad to feel that it wasn’t forced.  He stroked her
hair, unable to help himself.  He put his forehead against hers, just as he’d
done so many years ago.

“For
my lies,” he said. “I am sorry.”

She
admired his face.  It was the one she had been looking for and yet had been
unable to find – and she knew it belonged to the one she loved.  She wanted him
to kiss her, but the darkness was bearing in on them from all sides, and there
was no time.

“I
forgive you,
Rifter
.”

It
was wonderful, the way she was able to say his name.  She smiled, almost as if
she had already forgotten all the bad things.  She was just happy to be there
with him again.  Sitting there, they hardly noticed the rain.

“What
are we to do now?” she asked.

Sounds
behind her pulled their attention, and she turned to see the others rising over
the hill and into the old camp.  Perhaps they had heard the yelling, or perhaps
they’d just assumed that she had been alone with Rifter long enough.  But now
was the time.  He had to face them.  They would certainly not be so forgiving. 
Wren looked at his face – saw that he knew it.

She
gripped his hand.  He looked back at her and squeezed hers in return, knowing
that he needed her with him at this moment.  She was the only one who
was
with him.

Wren
looked back to the emerging figures – those who had once been family.  It was
time for him to be truthful, to bear any stone they would toss, but he would
not do it without her at his side.

1

The
group gathered around Rifter to hear the story as a mist of rain showered
them.  They sat on ragged tree stumps, the ground, and one stood restlessly. 
It was then that Rifter told them his story.

He
told them what they didn’t know – about his intention to leave and never come
back, about finding Nix dead and putting the demon into his corpse, and how
he’d never suspected the nightmare demon would take on his identity.  They
listened without protests, but he watched their faces carefully, wondering if
they believed him or if they could forgive him.  All the while, Wren remained
attentive at his side, holding his hand.  Perhaps that showed the others
something. 
Wren
, at least, believed him.

They
all listened, their body language giving off mild notions of what they thought
of it all.  Rifter could see their thoughts as if the words were written on
their foreheads.

Anger,
doubt, disappointment
…

Finn
kept his arms crossed, listening with a slight tilt of his head.  Toss passed
his gaze between Rifter and Wren the entire time, occasionally giving a nod of
understanding.  Mach was quiet, but there was an outburst welling inside him. 
He continually searched Rifter’s face for truth and lies.  Sly was folded upon
a stump, arms wrapped around his knees.  Occasionally, his ear would twist up
or one of his tails would twitch, but he remained silent on all matters. 
Calico stood shiftily behind Sly.  When she heard something she didn’t like,
she paced about, but finally near the end, she had made herself to stand still
and attentive by keeping her hands on Sly’s shoulders.

After
Rifter had told them all there was to tell, he repented of his deceit.  For
several moments, none of them spoke.

“I
feel awful about Nix,” Toss finally uttered with a shake of his head.

“And
you did not kill him yourself, Rifter?” Finn picked up.  “Swear to me.  Swear
on Wren.”

Rifter
looked at him squarely.  “I swear on Wren that he was dead when I found him.”

Finn
looked down and unfolded his arms.  Then he glanced toward Sly.  As if feeling
the gaze, the animal-boy nodded his head.

“Yes,”
Sly said. “I see how it all fits now.  It is the way that he has put it before
us.  So it is that our enemy is not the Scourge
or
the Rifter, but yet
both all the same.  Perhaps that has
always
been true.”

“So,
I suppose you expect us to forgive you now and follow your plan without
question?” Mach inquired.  “How the hell can you just expect us to forgive
you?  And not just for lying.  For
everything else
!”

Rifter
looked at him and shook his head.

“I
don’t.”  He could see that this answer surprised them all.  “
I
have no
plan.  You came all this way with the intention of hearing Rifter’s plan of salvation,
but that wasn’t me.  What we need to establish is not what I would have of you,
but what you would have of
me
.  If you want to fight, I will follow you,
but if you would have me leave you, I will leave.  You don’t have to forgive me
at all.”

He
could sense Wren staring at him, wanting him to go back on his words, but he
would not look at her.  She was important to him, but this was not her choice. 
They each looked at the faces around them, considering what the other was thinking. 
Then Mach spoke again.

“I
was going to be perfectly glad to stay back in the caves, but I left all that
and came with you – risked my life – because I
expected
some result.  I
got something more than that, finding that Rifter was only masquerading and had
not become some terrible demon after all.  So now I can’t simply
stop
. 
I say we go on,” he said, looking over the rest of them. “I say we fight!”

“I
agree,” said Sly.  That was all he would offer.

Beside
Sly, Finn examined Rifter with an eye of mild disgust.

“You’re
full of shit, mate,” he said with a shake of his head.  “You’ve been leading us
this whole time – herding us like cattle; you’re not going to stop now.  Aside
from that, you know we need you.  If I didn’t feel so strongly about this place
I
swear
I’d turn around and leave you now!  But we’re not boys anymore. 
We have to stand up for what’s ours, and I’m willing to do that.  You know how
this works as well as I do, Rifter.  You tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“Here
as well,” Toss seconded.

There
were so few of them now, but they were in agreement.  Hearing this touched
Rifter’s heart in a way that he hadn’t known it could.  He’d been alone for far
too long.

“Do
you believe that anything can truly be done?” Finn asked him directly, desirous
of a straight answer.

“I
don’t know,” Rifter answered sincerely.  As he’d told them, he had no plan.  He
hadn’t even considered the state of the world in a long time.

“But
that is not the right question,” Sly chimed in.  “The question of it is: Is it
worth fighting for?  No, we cannot have our youth back, but if perhaps we are
successful, we can stop the progress.  We can stop things from worsening and
force the darkness to retreat.  I have a feeling that things are about to go on
the decline if we do nothing.”

Rifter
looked over them, each one looking anxiously back at him.  Already, they were
awaiting his first word of action.  This was his demon after all.  Surely he
knew it better than anyone.

“Alright
then,” he said.  Though he hadn’t expected this response, it was good to have
them believe in him again.  “We fight.”

“We
leave
him
to you,” said Finn.  The others rested in silent agreement.

It
was very much like the old days, this promise.  But this was not the old days,
and this promise had a very different meaning.  Once, Rifter had made them all
swear that if they’d ever met the Scourge out in the open, they were not
allowed to face him.  Only Rifter had that privilege.  The boys had all
respected his wishes at that time, but now, they were simply handing off the
big game.  The demon was Rifter’s fault, it was Rifter’s problem, and while the
Pack would fight, they had every intention of letting Rifter be the one to deal
with this directly. 
He
would give his life for this.  He could
understand it, knowing that he had to stop running and stand up.  Even if it
meant death, he had to make things right.

“Very
well,” Rifter said with resolve in his eye. “Leave the imposter to me.”

2

The
white-haired demon in human skin flew in through the open window of the Bloody
Mary’s cabin.  Being a mere imposter, he’d not been able to summon up an
important element – the dark ship Desdemona, which had disappeared into the
volcano years ago – but he had explained his way around that obstacle.  He had
done such a good job with the aid of Rifter’s forgotten memories that no one
had seemed to notice his ruse.  But many were so bloodthirsty that they were
willing to follow him even if the pieces did not all fit.

The
war was coming, and there was not a tongue that didn’t salivate for it.

The
demon needed to be swift now.  It had left its former costume and now needed to
assemble a new one, for it was time to bring this war about.  Once
the
Scourge
appeared before his followers to announce that Rifter was alive and
assembling his own, his plans would come to fruition, and even the slight
discrepancies as to how it played out would not amount to much.  While the
demon enjoyed the constant conflict, it needed one thing greater:
comfort
. 
Even before this war began, the demon knew how it would end.  A wicked smile
formed at the thought.

A
golden light rushed into the room behind the tanned boy who was riffling
through the captain’s drawers.  The wisp was going on about something –
something about not waiting for her before he’d left the ocean cave, he
expected, or about why he had let Wren escape.  He was in no mood to listen. 
She had not been present for the confrontation, and he was glad of that.  His
secret was safe for now.  Whisper was one element that he could not afford to
lose just yet.

The
false Rifter simply continued to dig through the drawers, tossing out
clothing.  He did not even turn to the wisp.

“I
don’t have time for your complaints,” he said dismissively.  “I need you to
help me get dressed.  Find some bandages.”

While
he hadn’t expected to fool this fairy companion of Rifter’s, he’d found that
she was more susceptible to the darkness than he’d imagined.  She had been
separated from Rifter, desperate for his approval and she had been drawn to him
naturally.  She had gone along with every one of his plans and still he had her
under his thumb.

When
the demon had spoken to her through the darkness so long ago, suggesting that
she should go into the other world and find Wren, the fairy had listened, but
she had misinterpreted the message.  She’d thought he’d meant for her to kill
the girl, but the demon had always had something else in mind for her.

Something
that will be nothing less than utter genius.

The
two worked on, disarranging the entire chamber in their rush, but in this
hurry, both failed to see the third figure that looked in on them.  As the
demon dressed its borrowed body, Whisper began to rapidly wind clean bandages
around his head – until a short clicking sound caused them to stop.

Glowing
eyes rose toward the sound, loose bandages hanging over his face.  He found
himself looking at a much shorter, stouter man with tattoos running down his
large arms – images of skulls and buxom mermaids.  The man was getting old, but
he could see well enough to know that the one who stood before him was
not
the Scourge.  In his shaky hands, he held a cocked pistol.

“I
seen you.  Ye’r the Rifter!  So this is your plan, is it?” the old pirate
grumbled.  “To masquerade as the captain and twist e’rything round?  Well it
ain’t gonna to be so simple!”

The
demon didn’t remember his name, and he doubted the infamous Scourge would have
either – judging by what he had seen in the memories behind the door, which
he’d used to learn everything he could about the man.

“What
is it, you old fool?” the demon asked in the deep voice of the Scourge.

“I
am not fooled by
you,
boy!” the man cried.

The
weathered pirate had not stopped to consider the truth behind what he had
stumbled upon.

The
one he had confused for Rifter – as so many others had done – seemed more
amused than angry now.  He gave up his search and turned fully toward the gun
barrel, a light chuckle on his lips.  Whisper hovered on the far side of the
room, giving him space.

“Listen
to me, old fool,” the demon threatened.  He could see the shadow of fear pass
over the pirate’s face as a wide smile passed across his own.  “You have no
idea what you are dealing with.  Can you imagine something worse than the
Scourge?  Well, I’m it.  But I will be reasonable.  You have one last chance to
be rational and put down that gun – before I rip out your throat.”

The
shorter man, very loyal to his captain, seemed to not know what to do.  He was
seeing the Rifter before him, yet he was unsure about holding the gun.  The
demon could read his thoughts.  What would the man choose?  The demon was
anxious to find out.

The
sound of the shot resounded, carrying across the sea outside the open window. 
The round bullet collided squarely with the white-haired boy’s forehead,
leaving a hole that passed through to the other side, but as before, there was
no blood.  This body had died long ago, and not even a head wound could stop
him.  The boy continued to stand there, and he continued to smile.

“
Mistake
,”
he emphasized.

The
demon was upon him before the pirate could turn to run, gripping his tuff of
hair and twisting up his throat.  The fanged teeth sank deep into that old
neck, splitting the flesh and crushing the windpipe before the other had a
chance to scream.  Then, like a rabid animal, the demon ripped the man’s throat
to shreds, just as he’d promised.  Thick red liquid poured over his mouth and
splashed down onto the floor.  He let the dying body fall, choking on the
boards below.

The
demon dabbed a finger at the small hole in its forehead, sighing disgustedly.  There
was no physical pleasure in being shot, only a brief satisfaction that it could
not be stopped in this manner, but soon that had gone away and the demon was
left with a dry wound.  Soon, however, it would not matter how many blows he
took.

The
false Rifter did not bother to wipe his mouth as he turned to Whisper.  She was
for once without words as she stared at him.  He shrugged his shoulders
nonchalantly, his face taken by a bloody grin.

“Let’s
get on with it,” he told her. “I have an address to make.”

Whether
it was good enough for her, one would never know, but she went about her
business of helping him dress as the Scourge, covering all the discrepancies in
his appearance so that no one would know.  He was quite late by now but within
minutes, he was assembled hastily in bandages, coat, wig and hat to hide the
obviousness of the costume.  Finally, he was prepared to move out amidst his
followers and speak of his plans.