Clockwork Twist : Waking (16 page)

“Twist!” Jonas's voice called, pulling Twist into consciousness.

“Jonas...” Twist tried to say, but his voice barely made it out of him as he struggled to open his eyes.  Somewhere close, rain was falling gently on stone.

“Come back to us,” said another voice—maybe Arabel's.  It was cold now, out of that white light.  Tiny, chilly, drops fell on his face and hands.  It took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in the palace, but outside in the gentle rain.  Figures circled him, but he could feel Jonas very near him.  He could feel himself slipping into the soothing darkness of sleep, but he fought to hold on.

“Jonas...” Twist said again, more loudly this time, and he reached out as the electrical buzzing sensation grew.

“Careful,” Jonas's voice said in the foggy, indistinct rain, and the buzz calmed.

“No, he's reaching for you,” said Aazzi's voice. “Look at him.”

“But last time...” Jonas said hesitantly.

“Just do it!” Aazzi said sharply.

Jonas made a reluctant tone, but the buzz grew again, bathing Twist's dull senses in warm, sparkling, energy.  Twist snapped his eyes closed before he could find Jonas's eyes, and pulled on the sensation of his gaze as hard as he could, letting it run through him.  His mind cleared quickly.  He pushed himself up to sit on the wet stones and blinked to clear his vision.  His breath came more strongly, and his skin prickled in the chill.

“We're not alone,” he said, forcing his voice out as strongly as he could.

“What?” Arabel asked, kneeling beside him.

“There's another airship,” Twist said, feeling like he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Here?” Aazzi asked, standing close by.  She looked around through the mist.

“The bluff behind the palace hall,” Twist said, fighting to remember the dream. “They are hiding behind it.”

“Whoa!” Jonas gasped, turning away sharply as he stood quickly.  He threw his hands up to cover his eyes.  The buzz in Twist's neck all but died, but he hung on to what little was left as unconsciousness drifted alluringly at the edges of his mind.

“What?” Arabel asked instantly. “What's wrong?”

“I see it!” Jonas said. “I think...” he paused, lowering his hands to revel an astonished expression. “I think I just saw what he was thinking.”

“I don't sense anything,” Aazzi said with a sigh. “Twist, are you sure?”

“Yeah, he's sure,” Jonas answered, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. “The princess was trying to warn us, but we couldn't hear her.  They've been there all day, hiding behind that mountain top,” he added, pointing. “She just took over his Sight so that she could tell him.  And...” his voice drifted off as he turned his unseeing gaze to Twist. “She wanted him to stay in the dream.  Twist, she wanted to kill you.”

“She didn't want to hurt me,” Twist said, shaking his head. “She doesn't understand.”

“How do you know?” Jonas asked instantly. “I'd bet that ghost knows exactly what she just asked of you.  She has to be perfectly aware that she's dead.”  Twist stared back at him skeptically, wholly unable to imagine it.

“Disturbing as that may be,” Arabel said, “if there really is someone else up here with us, we need to know who they are and what they want.”

“They may be using a spell to block my senses,” Aazzi said softly, still staring out into the rain and mist.

“Who would know to do that?” Arabel asked.

“Let's get him back on board the
Vimana
,” Aazzi said, gesturing to Twist.

“Can you walk?” Arabel asked him.

“I don't know,” Twist said.  His limbs felt weak and heavy, but he tried to get himself back onto his feet.  It proved difficult indeed.  A hand gripped the cloth of his coat, behind his neck, and pulled him up to his feet.  Twist held still, afraid to move into a solid touch.  The grip released him, and Twist swayed for a moment on his feet before catching his balance.

“I think I can make it,” he said, trying a few steps.

He took them one at a time.  The others stayed close to him, but thankfully no one reached out to help him.  Jonas was silent, but the buzz in Twist's neck remained strong.  Twist held to it as much as he did the walls and banisters that he passed.

Once finally back in his cabin, Twist collapsed against the wall and let his weak legs go limp under him as he slid to the floor.  The effort of walking back to the ship had left him so fatigued that he felt he could easily sleep for a week.  Arabel had left him, as soon as his feet had touched the deck, to tell the others of Myra's warning, but Jonas and Aazzi had followed him.  Jonas watched silently from beyond the doorway as Aazzi looked Twist over critically.  Twist felt Jonas's gaze dance at the edges of his own perception.

“I'm going to get Philippe,” Aazzi said finally, turning to leave.  Jonas moved aside to let her pass, but he remained in the hallway outside.

“Jonas?” Twist called, his voice still just loud enough to be heard.

“Yeah?” Jonas responded, not moving.

“Can you come closer?” Twist asked, finding it almost impossible to keep his heavy eyelids open at all.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Jonas asked, drifting only one step closer.

“I can't afford to sleep for another day,” Twist said, forcing his lips to cooperate as his words struggled to form themselves. “Not now.  If I can feel … well,
you
, it helps.”

Jonas paused for another moment, but then he entered the room.  He knelt down on the floor, just beside Twist.  Twist took in a deep breath as the electric warmth flooded down his spine, and he closed his eyes to savor the feeling.  Jonas's eyes were covered, but Twist could still feel them from behind the black lenses, gazing at him blindly.

“Last time, I thought I pushed you over the edge,” Jonas said, his voice quiet.

“I wasn't ready then,” Twist said, his voice finally steady now. “If you hadn't been there this time, I never would have stayed awake long enough to warn anyone.  I followed you out of the dream.”

“Is it just me, or is that buzz a lot more pleasant than it was before?” Jonas asked.

Twist gave a tone and a nod in response. “We're growing accustomed to it.”  His hands itched to reach out to Jonas, and for an instant, he had a wild desire to take Jonas's goggles off and look into his eyes.

“It's still bloody strange, though,” Jonas said, dropping his sightless vision to the floor and taking a calming breath.  One hand was clenched tightly on his knee.  Staring at it, Twist couldn't stop himself from wondering how warm Jonas's skin would be to touch.  Myra's was always ice cold in his dreams.  But Jonas...

Footsteps in the hallway drew them both out of their private thoughts.  Dr. Rodés appeared with Aazzi and looked down at the two of them skeptically.

“Should you be that close?” he asked Jonas.

“It helps,” Twist said. “I'm feeling better already.”  Jonas stayed put, not moving at all.

“Last time—“ the doctor began.

“This time is different,” Twist said, cutting him off.  “Can you give me something to help me to stay awake?”

“I could,” Dr. Rodés said slowly. “But I won't do anything until I've had a look at you.”

Twist stared back up at him silently for a moment. “Are you finished now?”

The beginning of a choked off laugh escaped Jonas.  The doctor's jaw tightened but he said nothing.  He knelt down on the floor before Twist and reached out to his neck. Twist jerked away from his advance, wide eyed.

“Are you mad?” Twist gasped. “I don't care if you’re a doctor, don't touch me!”

“Let me do my job,” Dr. Rodés said, his voice flat and calm. “It'll only be an instant.”

“But—!” Twist yelped, watching the doctor's fingers reach for him again.  He was faster this time, though, and Twist's back was already against the wall.  Twist turned his face aside and snapped his eyes closed at the doctor's cool fingertips pressed against his throat, just below his right ear.

Twist felt the vision come, felt it burn across his perception like fire.  Without thinking, his attention retreated to the heat at the back of his neck—to the electric rush of Jonas, so close beside him now—and his mind remained there.  Brilliant, startling chaos raged behind his closed eyes, but Twist wrapped the warmth of Jonas around his mind until the vision from the doctor's touch became muffled and dim.

Twist took in a smooth breath as the pressure of Dr. Rodés's touch pulled away, leaving his mind empty save for the still, constant, pulse down his spine.  He blinked his eyes clear, finding a bitter tightness and concern on Jonas's face.  The doctor was peering at Twist's eyes carefully, like he was inspecting an insect under glass.

“What just...” Twist breathed, his eyes flying between the doctor and Jonas.

“Is something wrong?” Jonas asked quickly. “Was the vision too strong for you?”

“No, it...” Twist said, searching for the right words. “It never came.  Not really.  I held it back.”  Jonas's eyebrows lifted.

“How?”

“I haven't a clue.”

“Do you mean that your Sight didn't work?” Jonas asked, fear sharpening his voice.

“No, it worked like always,” Twist said, shaking his head. “I just held the vision back.  I didn't look at it.” In his confusion, Twist almost gave in to the urge to pull closer to Jonas for comfort.  The notion was so foreign to him that he wondered if it had been his thought at all.

“Well,” Dr. Rodés began.  Both Jonas and Twist looked to him sharply as if they had forgotten that he was there at all. “Your heart is beating quickly, but it's steady.  You don't feel warm either, as you did last time.  How do you feel, exactly?”

“Tired,” Twist answered. “Like I could fall asleep any second.  Jonas is all that's keeping me awake.”  Aazzi and the doctor both glanced at Jonas, and then back to Twist.

“It's nothing,” Jonas muttered to them.

“I can give you a stimulant,” the doctor said, standing as he looked down at Twist. “But I'm not sure if I should.  You may very well need to rest.”

“We could be attacked any minute,” Twist said, shaking his head. “Myra—I mean, the princes, told me that they are talking about stealing her body and then killing us.  How do you expect me to rest at a time like this?”  Twist's anger and impatience surprised him.  It didn't feel like his own.

“Just give him something, Phil,” Jonas said tersely.

Dr. Rodés muttered something to himself in French as he left the room.  He returned quickly with a small cup of strange smelling tea for Twist.  Not ten minutes after drinking it, Twist felt just energetic enough to stand again.

Try as she might, Aazzi could catch no sign of the intruders on the chilly, thin air.  She and the rest of the crew armed themselves anyway.  Not wanting to arise suspicion in anyone who might be watching, however, they re-took casual positions around the ship.  The rain lightened into a fine mist while Arabel busied herself in the high rigging near the balloon, which happened to give her a wonderful view of the surrounding mountain tops.  Zayle and Capt. Davis took a stroll around the edges of the open deck, seeming to talk pleasantly about the weather as they watched the sky.  After a small rest, Jonas, Aazzi, and Twist returned to the palace hall.  Both Jonas and Aazzi kept their weapons concealed.

“Myra?” Twist asked gently of the dusty air.  As the sun began to fall, the shadows seemed to fill the palace hall to bursting.  Something stirred in the air in response to Twist's voice. “Thank you for your warning,” he said, keeping his voice low enough that only he and his companions could hear.

A soft murmur, almost too low to hear at all, rippled out from the shadows.  Though none of them could pick out a word, the distant voice sounded pleasant.

“My dear, we may have to move your body, to keep you safe,” Twist said. “But I'm not sure you will be able to return to it if your spirit remains here.”

Jonas shifted nervously beside Twist, while Aazzi muttered something under her breath.

“What is it?” Twist asked them quickly.

“She's moving,” Aazzi said.

“I think she's trying to appear to us again,” Jonas said, his uncovered eyes peering into the seemingly empty air before them.

“My dear,” Twist said to the air, “I have a plan, but I need you to trust me again.”  The air chilled sharply around them, sending a shiver down Twist's spine, despite the warm buzz of Jonas's presence in his neck.

“There she is...” Jonas toned, staring at nothing Twist could see, with glowing eyes.  Aazzi made a gesture over herself with another soft murmur. “She's staring at you, Twist.”

“I need you to return to the crystal, now,” Twist said.  The coldness in the air took a sharper, more biting turn.

“Oh, she doesn't like that...” Jonas said. “She looks angry.”

“I know,” Twist said to the air. “You won't be able to move.  You'll be trapped.  But it's the only way I can protect you.  Please, trust me.”

“She's still angry,” Aazzi muttered.

“She's crossing her arms and glaring at you,” Jonas said to Twist.  Twist took a moment to reorder his thoughts.

“You said you wanted me to stay with you,” he said finally. “Did you mean it?”

“She nodded,” Jonas said. “But she still doesn't look happy.”

“I'm asking you to stay with me,” Twist said gently. “I don't want to be without you.”

“She's coming closer,” Jonas said quickly, stepping in front of Twist as Aazzi did the same.

“No, it's okay,” Twist said, reaching out a hand to hold them back.  They both stilled before he had to touch them.  A frigid breath wafted between them, to Twist, and he held his hand out to it.

The cold licked at the tips of his fingers, and his Sight burned to light.  A dim, translucent image appeared in the air before him, building like smoke into the shape of the princess.  This time, however, nothing else changed and Twist was still completely aware of Jonas and Aazzi as they watched beside him.  Myra's tiny hand rested lightly in his as she stared into his eyes.

“They said you were dying,” she said, her voice half whisper, half echo, to his ears. “They said I was killing you when I touched you before.”  Her childlike face darkened with confusion as she spoke. “Why do you keep coming back?  Why do you trust me?” she asked, looking to the hand she held ever so lightly.

Twist smiled when she looked back to him. “Because I don't care what happens to me, as long as you are safe and happy.”

Her eyes opened wide, but her little mouth took on a smile. “Oh,” she said softly, as if only to herself.

“Twist...” Aazzi said, her tone warning. “Your heart is slowing down.”

Myra looked to her quickly and snatched her hand away from Twist.  The moment she did, his vision of her wafted away to nothing, and he suddenly found it incredibly difficult to stand.  He fell to one knee, breathing hard, and his eyes drifted closed.

“You have really got to start caring about yourself, Twist,” Jonas hissed, as Twist felt his gaze pour over him.  Twist let the feeling flood through him, wrapping the warmth around his mind again.

“The princess,” Twist said, keeping his eyes closed. “What is she doing now?”

The warmth of Jonas's attention chilled for an instant. “She looks very scared.”

“I'm all right,” Twist said, looking up to where her apparition had been. “Don't worry.  But please, will you do what I ask?”  He and the others all waited for what felt like a long moment, in silence.

“Yes,” Jonas said, a relieved smile on his face. “She's nodding.”

“Thank you,” Twist said, smiling in her direction as well.

The darkening dusk outside, blurred with thick mists, had slowly stolen the last of the daylight away.  Nevertheless, the shadows inside the palace seemed to lighten and draw back.  Jonas stepped forward, toward the clockwork puppet, and the others followed after him.  Aazzi watched the shadows recede around them, her eyes sharp as starlight.  Twist knelt down beside the puppet and placed a hand on the cracked crystal heart.  As the biting chill in the air faded away, he felt the crystal chill instead.  A peaceful, gentle, sleep filled the crystal in his Sight, and it began to vibrate ever so softly under his hand.

“That had to be the strangest thing I've ever seen,” Jonas said, staring down at the crystal as well.

Aazzi turned slowly, peering into every shadow that was left behind. “This air is empty,” she said, “She's gone.”

“She's asleep,” Twist clarified, drawing his hand away.  “She'll be safe now, no matter what happens.”