The Dream Sanctum: Beyond The End (10 page)

K
ai had never experienced a
sensation this strange before, not even in the dream world. One moment the ship
was tilting forward over the edge of the silent waterfall, and the next they
were accelerating rapidly as gravity took its toll… though their fall didn’t
stop there. The ship continued to tilt until they were upside down, as though
they were on a roller coaster; however, instead of falling against the ceiling
like Kai would have expected, he found gravity still pulling him toward the
floor of the ship.

All was silent for a few moments as Kai and the others regained their
bearings. As Kai looked out the glass doors, he could see a vast stretch of
ocean before them again, calm and smooth, and a cloudless sky overhead.

Kwin was the first to step forward cautiously out onto the deck, still
looking slightly dizzy. Elvia followed her, then Alastor. Finally, his
curiosity overwhelming the sick feeling in his stomach, Kai walked out the
doors as well, beckoning Lindsay to come with him.

If it weren’t for the fact that Kai had just seen it happen, he wouldn’t
have guessed they had just fallen off the world. It was only when they looked
behind them did they see that they were now sailing
away
from the waterfall. They really had fallen off the edge and
had gone as far as the world would let them – but where they were now was
another mystery.

“Well, this is unusual. It looks like we’re back where we started,”
Alastor said, a puzzled look on his face.

“We are below where we started,” Elvia clarified. At Kai’s look of
confusion, she continued, “We did not fall; the world is indeed flat, and we
are now on the other side if it.”

“I guess this means ‘The End’ is a silly name, doesn’t it?” Lindsay said.
“There must be all sorts of new things down here! Or up here, I’m not sure.”

“The possibility definitely exists!” Alastor replied excitedly.

“Alastor, what does the map say about where we are?” Kwin asked. Alastor
jogged up to the top deck and checked his instruments.

“Well, it’s still showing our original map, but because of the direction
we’re going, it’s saying we’re moving back toward the mainland. I think we’re
pretty much on our own out here.”

“I really hope it isn’t all just ocean down here,” Lindsay sighed,
already looking bored. “And then even once we get to where we’re going, we
still have to make the trip back!”

“Sometimes exploring takes a little patience,” Alastor replied, not
unsympathetically. “But it took us less than a week to reach the edge. If we
sail straight and find the other side, we’ll be able to make a loose estimate
as to the size of the whole Sanctum. I know some people who’d love to get their
hands on that kind of info.”

Alastor hurried back inside to grab some papers and a pen to start
creating his new map. Kai had his eyes fixed on the horizon, but he couldn’t
see anything but water in every direction. The waterfall behind them had
already nearly faded from view.

“I must admit, in contrast to the Creators’ usual fondness for flair and the
unusual, this is just rather strange and somewhat boring,” Kwin lamented. “I
can’t help but think that perhaps we aren’t meant to explore here, that perhaps
the waterfall was meant to scare people away from seeing what lies beyond.”

“Well, if that were true, why are we still here? Surely a waterfall that
flips us upside down wouldn’t be the best the Creators could come up with,” Kai
said, and Kwin shook her head.

“I don’t know. Perhaps it is nothing. However, something does not feel
right.”

“Maybe this is just a test,” Lindsay suggested. “You know, to see how
many people are brave enough to go over the edge and explore what’s beyond it.
Maybe even better things are down here!”

“That is possible. However, there is still the matter of the adventurers
before us who never returned. I believe we should be cautious.”

“We may get the opportunity to explore sooner than we think,” Elvia said,
now standing at their side.

Kai glanced at her before following her gaze as she stared into the
distance in the direction they were headed. He couldn’t see anything but water,
but he trusted her eyes.

“What are you looking at?”

“We are still a day’s distance from it, but we are approaching a large
mass of land. It stretches across the horizon as far as I can see. We should
all be able to see it soon, though I cannot make out anything more than that.”

Kwin raised her hand, and another dove appeared out of thin air, flying
swiftly off in the direction Elvia had indicated. Lindsay was standing on
tip-toe next to him, straining to find it, but she didn’t look like she was
having any luck either.

“It will take some time for my scout to reach land,” Kwin said, then
glanced up almost impatiently at the sails, which were starting to fall limp in
the dying breeze. “For now, we could do with some more speed.”

“I’ll try!” Lindsay exclaimed, and after a few moments of concentration,
a much more powerful breeze filled the sails, causing the ship to surge
forward.

“Do you think you could perhaps focus the wind more on the sails than on us?”
Kwin said, attempting to keep her hair from blowing into her face.

“Sorry!” Lindsay apologized quickly, and the wind on the deck soon died
down, though the sails remained full.

As they sailed on, Kai began to discern the dark silhouette of land in
the distance. At first he thought it might be distant, dark fog, but its form
was more definite now. He wasn’t able to make out anything specific, such as
buildings, plant life or animals, but his imagination was already running wild
with the possibilities: it could be inhabited by other people, or perhaps it
was simply a mysterious place that had never been explored before. He put the
thought of the other adventurers out of his mind for the time being. With
Alastor, Elvia and Kwin on his side, there wasn’t a problem they couldn’t
solve.

Lindsay looked deep in thought, and Kai saw her attention shifting
repeatedly between Elvia, the distant land, and back again. Kai knew what she
was thinking, and suddenly he felt quite anxious. He had forgotten all about
that after the excitement with the waterfall.

“Hey, Kwin,” Lindsay started, “do you think that this is the island that
the journal mentioned? You know, where they said that they lost their–”

“Lost their way? Perhaps,” Kwin interrupted, throwing Lindsay a sharp look.
“But we don’t know what happened, as that was their last entry. We can explore
once we get there, and until then, let’s keep our theories to ourselves.”

Lindsay’s face turned slightly pink as she realized what she had almost
said in front of Elvia and Alastor. However, the two of them seemed oblivious
to this near mishap.

“By the time we get there it will be nearly time for us to wake up, so I
suggest we–” Kwin broke off, looking as though she might faint. Lindsay took a
step forward to catch her, but Kwin shook her head encouragingly. “My
apologies. I suddenly felt slightly sick. Now, as I was saying, I suggest we
anchor the ship some distance from land, then call it a night.”

“Could we not find a place to stay near the shore?” Kai inquired.

“We could, but if there is anything or anyone living there, I don’t want
to give them access to our ship while we’re gone. It’s our only way home, sans
a very long flight.”

Kai nodded and turned his gaze back to the horizon, but Kwin nudged him
and beckoned him to follow her back indoors. Lindsay followed, still looking
concerned.

Kwin waited until the doors closed, then locked them for good measure
before turning to face the others.

“I apologize for cutting you off, but it would appear you were correct,”
Kwin explained, looking at Lindsay. “My dove vanished unexpectedly, and it was
an unpleasant experience; it was like it hit a wall where it ceased to exist.
It seems our powers will disappear once we reach that point.”

“So it’s true…” Kai murmured. “Any powers of imagination are completely
useless as we get closer to the island.”

“Yes, and this presents us with two issues,” Kwin continued. “One, I
don’t favor the idea of exploring a completely foreign landscape in a normal
ten-year-old girl’s body. Two, this is where we will definitely discover the
truth behind Elvia’s identity.”

“So once we get there and lose our powers, do you think either of them
will worry we suspect them?” Lindsay asked quietly.

“No, and if we keep calm, it will stay that way. But we will know for
sure tonight. I intend to stop the ship past the point where my dove vanished,
so we will have our answer before we depart.”

“That’s fair,” Kai replied, then glanced out the doors at Elvia who stood
quietly on the deck, her eyes still fixated on the fast-approaching shore.
“That’s going to be hard. I wonder how Alastor is going to react if she stays.
He hasn’t said a word about this, so he’ll have to say something then.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Kwin admitted to Kai’s surprise. “I think the
three of us should wake up as soon as we drop anchor so we can talk about it in
private if necessary.”

Lindsay sighed from beside them, and they both turned to her. She
appeared disappointed and sad, and her eyes kept darting between Elvia and
Kwin.

“I just wish we could just ask her. I mean, we aren’t the first people to
wonder about this!”

“No, but I believe we may be the first to suspect that she might have
family ties to Alastor,” Kwin reasoned. “We are closer to Alastor than most
are, so this is important.”

“There’s one thing that gets me,” Kai said thoughtfully. “Let’s say she
really is Alastor’s older sister. What would get her to do something like this,
to pretend to be a figment of Alastor’s imagination and to be at his beck and
call?”

“I cannot answer that, nor could I even guess. That will have to come
later. The first step is figuring out whether she is real or not.”

The room fell silent as the three friends contemplated what was about to
happen. Despite the speed at which they were moving, Kai almost felt like they
were standing still. He almost wished he had never turned over the portrait on
the wall. Going on adventures and exploring new lands would be much easier
without worrying about trouble from within their own tight-knit group.

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. Lindsay and Elvia chatted
comfortably as usual, and Kai had to marvel at her ability to keep her
curiosity to herself. Kwin kept her attention on the ship, as well as Alastor
and his new map. Kai, unable to distract himself so readily, paced back and
forth as he waited for them to reach the island.

By now he could make out many of its features, and he was able to see
forests and mountains in the distance. Waves thrashed violently against the
rocky cliffs, and there didn’t appear to be any place they could safely reach
land from. However, this also meant that it was equally unlikely anything could
reach their ship from land.

Suddenly, Kai felt a wave of weakness through his whole body. He barely
managed to prevent himself from falling to the deck, but as quickly as it had
come, it was gone. He stood up unsteadily, then took a deep breath.

“Is everyone all right?” Kwin asked. She and Lindsay looked
uncomfortable, but Alastor and Elvia appeared completely unaffected.

“Was that…?” Kai asked quietly, and Kwin nodded.

“Our powers are gone.”

The ship slowed as they prepared to drop anchor, and Kai’s heart beat
faster in his chest. Lindsay and Kwin stood beside him, completely silent. The
coast was all but ignored as everyone attempted to focus their discreet
attention on Elvia, who stood still, watching the cliffs with piercing eyes.

Their moment of truth came when the sails on the ship retracted and the
anchor began to sink. Alastor walked down to them from the control panel,
stretching and trying to stifle a yawn.

“Well that does it!” he said. “Tomorrow night we can explore to our
heart’s content. I’m actually thinking we leave the ship here and just fly up
the cliffs. That would save us some work.”

Kai looked at the others uncertainly. For Alastor to suggest that they
could fly would mean that he was yet completely unaware of their inability to
use their imagination in the area.

Further, as Kai glanced back at the rest of the ship for what seemed like
the hundredth time, he could see that Elvia was still there.

“That sounds fine,” Kwin replied, sounding slightly anxious. “That said,
I am going to wake up now. I would like to be well-prepared for the night
ahead.”

She turned to walk back inside, and as Alastor and Elvia vanished
simultaneously on the deck after a departing wave, the other two followed her.

“I want you two to meet me at my house after you wake up,” Kwin said, a
dark expression on her face. “Come around nine. Evidently we have our answer.”

“Are you completely sure?” Kai pressed. “Could what have happened before
been a mistake? Alastor doesn’t seem to notice at all.”