Forsaken Dreamscape (Nevermor) (57 page)

“Remember
duality,” Toss muttered then.  “What if someone had said it on accident?”

“What
sort of respectable pirate uses a big word like ‘duality’?” Finn returned to
him.

3

Mach
rose up and touched the aching side of his face.  It was blistered and swollen,
and perhaps he would be scarred, but the pain would fade away with time.  If he
could have made one wish then, it was that he’d been strong enough to say the
words to end his brother’s misbegotten life.  At the same time though, he was
glad he hadn’t.  He looked over at his twin’s body – like watching his own body
burn.

“We
should go back,” Toss said to Finn. “Sly and Calico are alone out there.”

Mach
sat still on the ground over Mech’s body, staring blankly.  He understood that
he had not killed himself, but he couldn’t help but feel that part of him was
gone.  Had he truly never become whole without Mech?  If that was so, could he
ever achieve completion?  Somehow, he was aware of Finn’s approach.

“I
didn’t want any of this to happen,” Mach said quietly – very much unlike
himself.  Mech had never taken to that blubbering very well.  It was not how
Mach was supposed to act, and it was not how
any of them
should be
acting
now
.

“Hey!”

Mach’s
eyes were blurry, but he somehow managed to focus on Finn’s face.  Solid hands
clamped his shoulders, urging him to get a hold on himself.

“He
wasn’t your brother – wasn’t
our
brother anymore.  He died a long time
ago, and you know it.  We are
not finished yet
!”

The
reminder was laid down firmly, and Mach finally got it through his head.  They
had only accomplished one thing in a huge line of things to be done.  He could
not allow himself to stop for an old heartache.

Without
anyone’s help, Mach pulled himself to his feet, retrieving his gun to settle it
against his palm, back where it belonged.

“Let’s
see to finishing it then,” he said resolutely.

4

The
air rushed around Rifter on all sides as he traveled in the wake of the demon’s
smoke.  He carried Nix’s limp body, unable to bring himself to let it drop,
even for Wren’s sake.  His guilt over what had happened to his brother – what
he had done to him – was much too strong for that.

But
his mind was too busy with other things to give much thought to penance.

 
Even if he could reach Wren, how could he stop the demon from taking her?  It
was only a question of
how
, because he could not fail.

He
reached the cliff easily enough, putting down Nix’s mangled body carefully onto
the ground, even though he could not bear to look at his face any longer.  The
demon had aged Nix – more than abused him – but Rifter could not deal with this
now.

I
have to find Wren.

He
could not see for the amount of smoke curling around the trees, thick and
black.  Where was she!  He had told her not to leave this spot, but he secretly
prayed that she had not listened to him.  He crouched lower to the ground to
get beneath the smoke – but before he could see clearly, something hit against
him, knocking him back.

Rifter
staggered back, reaching for weapons he no longer had, and when he could
finally see again, he found that it was Wren herself who had smashed into him. 
The arms around him were clinging for dear life – not attacking him, and he
drew his arms around her tightly.

“Oh
Rifter!” she cried. “I was so afraid!”

He
managed to urge her back from him so that he could look at her face.  When she
loosened her grip on him, he found himself looking into terrified blue eyes that
were very familiar.

“I
was after Whisper,” she confessed.  “She got away from me.”

Rifter
could not speak.  Certainly, it would have been appropriate to console her, but
he could not make himself do so.

“Where’s
the demon?” she asked, looking frightened.

When
he did not answer, a smile began to form across her face, and her lovely eyes
grew sinister.  Her voice dropped from its worried pitch and down to a taunting
calm.

“Where’s
the demon, Rifter?”

No…
  He shook his
head in protest, but he could not change what had happened.

Sharp
amber eyes peered back at him, and Rifter pushed her away.  She stared at him
with satisfaction and contempt, as if she wanted to spit in his face.

Not
Wren.  Anyone but Wren.

It
had been much too easy for the demon to reach her, and now how would he deal
with this?  He needed to force the demon out of her, but he wasn’t sure he
could do that without causing her harm.  She was still inside there somewhere
after all, for the demon seemed to desire a living body.  Rifter had been
through so much in the years of his life, but this was the worst thing he had
ever been confronted with.

He
saw the demon’s new face twist in discomfort – an expression he did not like to
see on Wren – and instinct took over.  Rifter shot forward and grabbed her
shoulders in concern, feeling the sweltering temperature of her skin.

“What’s
wrong?” Wren’s voice asked sweetly.  She stepped toward him, holding out her
arms.  “Come to me.  Let me hold you.”

Rifter
backed away, shaking his head in disbelief.  He was wounded by this, and his
hatred for the demon could not override his sorrow.  Finally, the demon gave
up.

“Ah
well, I tried.  Still, it does hurt a girl’s feelings.”

With
unexpected swiftness, Wren shot toward him, hitting him so hard that they flew
up into the air, over the edge of the cliff to glean over the battle raging
below.

“You
want me back?” Rifter asked, growing desperate now.  “Let her go and take me
instead!”

“I
couldn’t if I wanted to,” the demon mocked.  “You covered yourself in runes! 
If only you’d thought to do the same to her, then it might have never worked
out for me.  I’m so appreciative of your neglect!”

Rifter
was kicking himself inwardly, punching and beating and torturing himself
inside.

“Do
you still want to kill me?  Do it then, if you think you can,” the Wren-demon
hissed into his face.  “I know you
won’t
.”

Instead
of trying to push away, the demon in Wren’s body pressed closer to him, holding
them face to face in the air.  It used her beautiful eyes to gaze at him, and
it softened her expression.

“It
doesn’t have to change much,” the demon said.  “I’ll still let you do things to
her.  She’s too delicate by herself after all.  I can take so much more abuse –
and
pleasure
.”

“Don’t
make me do this,” Rifter said through clenched, bloody teeth, but the demon
only smiled.

“You
won’t,” Wren’s voice whispered with certainty. “Your love makes you weak.”

Those
pretty lips came forward to touch his, tasting the blood on his mouth, but
Rifter had already made his decision.  It was not an easy choice, but it was
the
right
choice; he was sure of it.  He felt the demon’s kiss, and he
accepted it, only for the time it took to get the dagger from his leg strap
into his fingers.

I’m
so sorry, Wren.

Taking
care, Rifter drew back his knife and plunged it into Wren’s side.

The
demon winced as the blood began to flow, and her eyes looked at him with
contempt.  The demon had thought he wouldn’t harm Wren’s body, but he hoped it
wouldn’t have enough time to see his bluff.  He drew the knife back again, but
had no intention of another blow if he could keep from it.  If the demon wanted
Wren’s body, it would let her go to fight him before it could claim her shell
again.  It had to!  Then, he would scoop her up and carry her some place safe.

“You
bastard
!” the demon made Wren scream at him.  “Why couldn’t you just let
me have what I have earned?  But if you wish for it to be this way – for you
and your friends and this place –
so be it
!”

Just
as Rifter had seen before with Nix’s body – and just as he had seen when he’d
released the demon from inside himself – black smoke began to billow out from
Wren’s mouth as the demon exited her body.  It passed up into the sky above
them, and immediately Rifter moved away from it.

The
last tendrils of darkness passed out of her, and he cradled her head with one
hand so that he could look into her eyes.  It was only Wren looking back at him
then; he was sure of it.  She was there, safe in his arms.  She would heal
slowly, but he had not damaged her beyond repair.  She would live.

“Rifter,”
she gasped in confusion, tears running down her face for the pain she felt.

He
wanted to apologize to her for what he’d had to do.  He wanted to assure her
that she would be alright.  But he didn’t get a chance.  Sharp pain took that opportunity
away from him.

He
was hit by something large and heavy, and there were great, jagged ridges all
around him, breaking into his flesh and crushing one of his arms.  When he
managed to raise his head, he looked into the gleaming yellow eye of a black-scaled
monster.  It was larger than any creature Nevermor had seen – even greater than
the Ren.  Its eyes alone were each bigger than Rifter’s head, and the slit in
one of them narrowed as it focused on him.

The
demon had shown its true face, and it was just as Rifter remembered.  Through
the pain, he understood.  He was clenched within the demon’s teeth, dripping
blood as the beast tore through the air.

And
Wren was gone, plummeting down through the sky, away from him.

1

Wren
was falling.  It was not the first time the Pack had watched her fall.  Years
ago, the Scourge had thrown her into the volcano when the High Mountain had
erupted, but they had never doubted that Rifter would deliver her from that
fate.  Now, there was only to count the seconds before she hit the ground. 
There was nothing that they could do.

“
Wren
!”
Finn yelled, more to alert the others than to draw the girl’s attention.

He’d
glimpsed her upon reentering the clearing, and had been baffled to see her in
the air, struggling with Rifter.  He’d seen Rifter thrust a weapon into her;
had watched billows of black smoke rushing out of her body.  The smoke had
become a large mass in the sky that had turned into the biggest creature Finn
had ever seen – far greater than any nightmare that even the Scourge could have
summoned.

Finn
had faltered in his step when he’d seen it.  The beast was black and sleek – a
flying serpent, if such a thing existed.  It had emerged from nothing but a
grainy cloud in a matter of moments.  Somehow, it had been able to focus on
Rifter as he was trying to fly away with Wren, but the nightmare demon – as he
could only assume the beast was – was quick to come back on him.

Then,
Finn had watched her fall.  Rifter was attacked by the demon, and there was no
one to help the poor, unfortunate girl.

As
battle allowed, the other boys caught sight of this atrocity, and they rushed
toward her if they could, as if any one of them could have caught her to much
merit at the speed she was dropping.

If
only they could fly.  But alas, they could not.

Was
Wren coherent as she fell?  Could she see the demon gnawing on her lover, or
feel his blood splattering on her face as the drops fell from the sky?  Could
she feel the air around her, and was she aware of the limpness of her own
body?  Or was it simple bliss without complications?  No one knew other than
Wren herself, and it was over so quickly that she could not think deeply on it.

Her
body hit the ground before any one of the boys reached the spot where she was
destined to fall, and the only thing that could be heard was a sickening crunch
as her bones broke.

Finn
and Mach were the first to arrive at the edge of the circle that would
eventually form around her.  The girl’s body was twisted, one of her shoulders,
crushed.  Blood pooled out around her, soaking her stained gown.  Her eyes were
open, and the expression on her face was not of horror, but confusion, as if
she could not possibly understand that she was dead.

Dead.

Finn,
Mach, and Toss stood around her, staring down at her body in disbelief.  Not
one of them said a word, completely unaware of each other.  This had not been
meant to happen.  It wasn’t safe to stand around as they were, but they could
not break away.  Wren – their elected reason for fighting – had died in front
of them, and they had not been able to stop it.  They had failed.

The
monsters advanced around them – hideous, smoldering things that had once been
men – and without hesitation or caution, the boys turned and began to fight.  There
was hardly any calculation or skill in their attacks, only rage.  What sort of
guardians were they?  They had let Wren die – the one that each of them would
have laid down his life for, even before Rifter.