Dream a Little Dream (20 page)

“Who calls me?” inquired a sultry voice.

Mich nerved himself and responded, “King Michael Edward!”

“You mean the prince who dwells in the Forest of Imagination? The human prince? Are you now a king?”

“Yes. Until I find out what happened to my father.”

“What do you want of me?”

“Kafka is in peril. The king is unable to act, so I must speak for him. As king, I must save Kafka at any cost.”

“Then, for you, I will show myself.”

The fog above them swirled around somewhat as a pair of dainty feet showed. The woman moved slowly down through the fog, revealing herself from the base up, as if descending through an invisible hole in a cloud. Her legs were slender, long and firm, yet very dark skinned. As she descended, Mich noticed something strange. She had a pair of huge silvery wings.

The Volant was a winged woman with dark brown skin, flowing black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a tight white gown that flared widely at the knees, so that when a breeze whipped it up, it exposed her shapely calves. She was slender, stately and beautiful. Nola was just a little jealous. Well, maybe a lot jealous.

On her left shoulder was a huge hummingbird. It seemed to be three feet long from beak to tail tip. Mich wondered what flower that bird would pollinate.

On her right shoulder were two tiny hummingbirds. They seemed to be of all colors, but mostly red and green, and their feathers sparkled like morning dew.

As her feet touched gently on the black ash, she folded her wings behind her back and looked at the group. She noted Snort and reached out a lovely brown hand to pat his hot head. Then her expression shifted from wan smile to scowl as she saw the two unisi. “How dare you give that incantation to a human! I thought I expelled you two.”

Spirit and Heat both bent a foreleg and arched their necks in a half-bow.

We know that we are not welcome in your presence, Mistress Volant,
Spirit thought.
But we have done nothing to harm you or the sky. We are sorry that we could not be apart of your rainbow, but we cannot help the colors we were born with. You of all people should be sympathetic. Please, do not let our presence here affect my friend’s situation. We have great need of your assistance.

“You are a noble animal to speak to me thusly,” she said, impressed. “I have never harbored resentment toward you. It is my job to design the rainbow with colors chosen by God, and your colors were not selected. I know how you must feel. There are some who say a Volant should not be so—well tanned,” she concluded, casting a glance at her arm. “I will listen to your friends.”

Thank you.

She turned to face Mich. “You called me. Now, what is it you wish?”

“I wish information,” he said a little nervously.

“I am the goddess of the sky, not a muse of information!”

“Yes,” he said, clearing his dry throat. “I was told you would give help, for those willing to pay.”

She approached him and looked him in the eye with an icy stare. It was all Mich could do to keep from backing away and making a break for it. Her face was chiseled and serious. Then she seemed to become thoughtful. Finally, she retreated again.

“Yes, this is true,” she said, her gown sweeping out as she turned to face them. “I sometimes take payment, if the cause is worthy. Is your cause worthy?” The Volant gave him such a hard look that Mich almost choked. He looked away and tried to cough.

Nola stepped up and took his hand. “This will work,” she whispered reassuringly.

He started to explain about the Fren.

The Volant held up a hand to silence him. “I know of this. I don’t care.”

How could she say she didn’t care? The life of his friends as well as his own were at stake here, not to mention planet Earth. How could she be so callous? “But if you don’t help us, you’ll die too!”

The Volant laughed sweetly. “Young man, this is not so! I am not of Kafka. I am of the skies of the universe, a goddess! What is one world lost? That’s just less work for me to do.”

Nola couldn’t stand it anymore. “Look, if you don’t help us, I’ll—” But she couldn’t kill the woman, because goddesses were eternal. “I’ll capture you!” she said, thinking of throwing a net. She felt silly after saying it.

The Volant seemed unconcerned. “And who are you?”

“I am Nola Rollins of
Earth.”

“Ah, a Creator. I’m afraid that capturing me would not be possible, but you could complicate things for me and possibly delay me. I am on a to-the-second schedule, you know. Let me consider.”

The woman walked through the fog wall. No one tried to follow.

There was no telling what would happen if they did. They might lose each other in the fog. So they waited, and waited and waited.

Half an hour later, she returned. “I have decided to help. What have you to pay me with?”

Mich spread his hands. “I have nothing but the crown.”

“What would I want with kingship?” She nodded to the two small hummingbirds perched on her shoulder. The birds immediately flew toward the group.

One landed on Tina’s purse and removed the pistol. Tina was amazed that the bird could lift the gun, which was twice its size. It carried the gun to the woman and hovered before her, turning this way and that, showing her the gun. The woman shook her head, her thick hair tumbling slowly. The tiny bird took the gun back to Tina’s purse, then flew back to its mistress’s shoulder.

The other bird flitted among the group looking in pockets and in socks. It flew to Nola and hovered for a moment. Then it made a bee-line for her halter top. It perched on the fabric and stuck its long bill inside.

Mich glanced over and saw the bird on Nola’s chest. It looked as if it were sucking nectar from her bosom. Nola had a surprised look on her face and was reaching up to shoo it away. Her hair was tangled and wild and her blue eyes were wide with amazement. The bird pulled free before her hand reached it, and it flew back to the woman with the Kahh in its bill.

Nola reached after it but missed. What would happen now? She knew the woman would surely take the Kahh as payment! But what good would it do to pay her when she would just use the Kahh to destroy Kafka anyway?

“Excuse me, Volant, but we cannot pay with that,” Mich said.

The woman looked up from the Kahh in her hand. For a fleeting moment, the woman had an expression of mischief on her face, but it was replaced with a sweet smile.

“My name is Ventus, Prince; call me Ventus.” She gestured to him. “Come, sit. I think we can deal. You too,” she said, pointing to the others.

Nola sat down next to the woman. Ventus Volant; that was a nice name. “You have a pretty name, Ventus. That’s Latin for ‘wind,’ isn’t it?”

“You compliment me.” She blushed, which was hard to do, considering her dark skin. “Thank you. Yes, it is.”

“And Volant, that has something to do with flight.”

“You’re a smart girl. Perhaps my information will, after all, be useful to you. I will tell you all you need to know.”

“But the Kahh—” Mich began.

Snort jetted flame into the air. Guarding the Kahh was his job!

Peace, friend,
Heat thought.
She will not use the Kahh on an evil creature. We have no fear from that, and she will keep it safe. We will have two problems solved.

“Let’s see, how do I begin,” Ventus said. “Have you discovered the way to convert the Fren into the creatures they once were?”

“I think so,” Nola said. “Tina is a Creator too, and we tested ourselves. We started with five Fren and were able to turn two of them back, but not the other three. Why?”

“You see, you cannot fight the Fren alone. You must have the help of the other Creators. There are a few more on your planet, perhaps ten or so. You must help them come. They may know what is happening, but they cannot stop it. They are all like you, Tina and Nola: they’ve lost faith. Their dreams have been destroyed but most of them have not yet Forgotten their dreams, and there is still hope.”

“But how do I get them here?” she asked.

“You can bring them, my dear; you are the gifted one. You are the one who can imagine magic, the only Creator who can do anything with magic Creations, and with that talisman you wear.”

Nola fingered the cross around her neck. “You mean, all other
Creators can Create new dreams and re-Create old ones, but I’m the only one who can Create magic dreams, like spells and stuff?”

“Yes, and magic is needed to destroy the dam. You can Create magic dreams that work on other worlds as well. You can bring the Dreamers here.”

“You mean with a bed spell?”

“Yes, or something like that. You can give them all one, and those who wish to come, will.”

“But what do I do once they get here?”

“You must simply join hands and cast your minds across Kafka. Once the damn is destroyed, the Fren cannot reproduce. Every Fren must be contained until the dam is destroyed; otherwise, they will kill you. You, being human, can be killed. Only you have the ability to destroy that dam. All will be restored if you make haste.”

“How do I find the others? There are billions of people on Earth.”

“With magic. Use your imagination.”

“You say there are only a few Creators left on Earth. Why is that?”

“You silly girl,” the Volant laughed, “do you not know the nature of the very world in which you were born? Nearly all on Earth are simply passive dreamers. They see the things and creatures of Kafka, yet do not take them for more than a mere dream. They do not believe. So you see, only the ones who truly believe are keeping this world alive. If much more time passes, there will be only you two to keep this world from dying, making you an easy target for the Fren. They will never let you leave now. They will be watching.”

Nola felt her heart go cold. “Thank you, Ventus,” she said tightly. “One more thing, though. Is King Edward still alive?”

“He has not been Forgotten, yet. Now, you must act quickly, but you must prepare. Go to the castle and arm yourselves. You will not be able to capture all of them in nets. The ones that slip through will
try to destroy you. When all the Fren are captured, you will face Reility. Beware of him; he is strong.” The Volant smiled, somewhat distantly. “Good-bye, mortals, and I wish you luck.”

Mich felt a great relief to know that his father was still alive. He also realized that Nola must care greatly for him. He would not have thought to ask the Volant about his father. He cast a glance and a smile at Nola, who returned it in a deeper fashion.

As they sat there, the woman opened her wings and lifted into the sky, carrying the fog behind her. The sun shone down once again, although it was now lower in the sky.

Spirit and Heat stepped forward to nuzzle Nola. Tina gave her a hug, Snort rubbed his body on her legs like a cat and Mich kissed her uncertainly. They were all, it seemed, proud of her. She just hoped that their faith was well placed, knowing that it was not over yet. They wanted her to know that they would stand by her, no matter what came to pass.

“What is the best route to the castle?” she asked.

“The safest way to get there would be for you to conjure us there. Why don’t you try it?” Mich asked, smiling.

“Hmmm.” She considered, realizing that the notion had merit. “Now, there’s an idea.”

She thought about conjuring. If she could Create a magic spell, would it matter how she went about it? “Maybe we should mount up and join hands,” she suggested.

They tried it. Snort sat in Mich’s lap. The two unisi had to squeeze together because their barrels were so large that Mich and Nola had to lean over to reach each other.

Nola asked Mich to describe the castle to her so that she could picture it in her mind. She knew what the castle looked like, of course, having Created it, but she found it easier to picture when he spoke to her. Once she had it fixed, she began to concentrate. She pictured the dreamstone castle with its tall battlements, ramparts and parapets
with high flying pennants, its tall outer wall an imposing barrier to its enemies, in its own section of the Forest of Imagination. This part of the forest seemed untouched. The trees rose majestically, opening their arms to the sun.

When she opened her eyes, they were there. Castle Edward stood before them as huge as ever. Every brick gleamed as if it had just been polished yesterday.

The drawbridge was down. Mich called out, but of course no one responded.

“It looks empty,” Tina said. “Let’s go in.”

Mich took a step onto the drawbridge—and fell through it, into the moat. He coughed and gasped with surprise as he scrambled onto the bank and stood there dripping.

“What the hell happened?” Tina asked as she felt the drawbridge with a hand. “There ain’t nuthin’ there! It’s fake!”

Mich looked at it. The drawbridge was opaque and he could even see the splinters of wood that had flaked off from use. It looked perfectly real, until he reached down and his hand passed through. “She’s right. It’s illusion.”

“But how can it be?” Nola asked, stunned. “I conjured us to the real castle, not a pretend one. This is another kind of magic.”

Mich thought for a moment. “You must be Forgetting it.”

“I haven’t forgotten it!” Nola said indignantly. “Why would I try to conjure us to a place I didn’t remember?”

“Forgetting isn’t a matter of awareness,” Mich explained. “It’s a magical state. On some level you are losing your power over the castle. Maybe because of the distraction of this adventure.”

“We’d better get inside, then, before it disappears,” Tina said.

“It’s too late. Look,” Nola said, pointing to a high parapet. The parapet had disappeared and adjacent ones were blinking out as if they had never existed. Then the keep went, and the outer wall.

“But that’s dreamstone! That’s your castle,” Mich said, reconsidering. “You created that, Nola; how can that happen?”

Nola looked stricken. Her face twisted as if she were about to throw a fit. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know what to do.”

“Better figure it out pretty quick,” Tina advised her grimly. “This looks to be getting worse.”

“An ongoing process,” Mich agreed.

Nola had had her doubts through this whole adventure and suddenly they were coming back to haunt her. The only reality she had ever known was her little apartment, John and her cat back home. She wasn’t sure if she remembered how she got here. She wasn’t even sure if she was dreaming. She had thought she wasn’t, but now she was uncertain. Oh, why did she have to break down now?

She started sobbing. “It’s me,” she said. “I want to believe . . .” She trailed off, too upset to continue. She sat down and put her face in her hands.

Tina bent down and shook her sternly. “Nola, you can’t do this! Not now, not when we are so close! Snap out of it!”

Nola just sat and sobbed. She knew it was silly of her to do this, yet she also knew that she was dreaming. No matter what happened here, she knew it wasn’t real. Something nagged at her mind and her head started to ache. Nola threw Tina’s arm away and stood up.

“Look,” she sobbed. “I can’t help you! I’m just a suicidal girl from a stinking city. I’m not a Creator, I’m just a silly, self-destructive girl with nothing better to do than live in a dream world. I’ve gotta get out of here.” The reality of the words she spoke cut her deeply.

With that, she took off running. Spirit tried to gallop after her, but disbelieving as she was, she spelled him so that he could not follow.

She ran into the trees and let the forest surround her. There was no sound except for the crunching leaves and her breath as she ran. The farther out she went, the less trapped she felt. After a while,
when she felt she was safely away, she sat on a rock for a rest, panting heavily.

“What is wrong with me?” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t be acting this way.” She took a hank of her hair and pulled on it in frustration. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but then replaced them. She knew this place wasn’t real. She should just let it fall from her mind and keep her feet on the ground, just as her parents and teachers always told her. What a fool she was being! She felt as if she was no longer thinking rationally, but she had no control over it.

She covered her face and cried, silently. After a moment, she heard the sound of footsteps coming through the forest. She peered through the trees but couldn’t see anything. Though she was confused and tired, she got up and lumbered, once more, into a run.

The footsteps did not fade. Instead they grew louder and closer. Whatever it was, was following her and was intent on catching her. She was just as intent on losing it. She dodged around trees and hopped over low roots. She spied a rocky cliff ahead and went for it, hoping that there would be someplace to hide over the edge.

Her head pounding, she shifted into high gear and ran as fast as she could. Suddenly, her foot snagged on a tree stump and she came crashing down. She tried to stand, but the wind had been knocked out of her. She listened and heard the footsteps coming closer. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It turned her over.

“Are you okay? Why are you acting this way?” Mich asked, with tears on his face. “Kafka needs you. I need you. I don’t want you to Forget me. I love you.”

At that second, Nola felt a sharp pinch on her head. She closed her eyes and bashed it with her hand. She looked at her hand and saw a flea. In her mind’s eye, she glimpsed a red, barbed tail. Then she knew the flea was a demon. It had hidden in her hair to get close enough to take her mind.

She sat up, her eyes wide. “Get out!” she screamed.

The tiny red flea sprang from her hand. It grew larger and larger and assumed the form of a demon, clasping his head as if suffering from a migraine headache.

Nola herself was unsteady only a moment. She slapped her hand to her head, uttered a strained “Ouch!” and turned on the demon.

Mich watched as Nola’s eyes lit up like flames. She looked so angry that he was afraid she might shoot fire out of her mouth. She ripped her cross from her neck and held it in her hand. “Sword!” she said, forcing her concentration.

The cross formed the hilt of a lightweight broadsword. She immediately beheaded the squirming demon and butchered his face. She slashed it over and over again. “Die! Die!” she screamed.

Mich finally pulled her away. She dropped the sword and fell into his embrace.

“I’m glad you’re on my side!” he laughed.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I should have known better; I’m so sorry.” He squeezed her tightly and she looked up at him. “Did you mean what you said? I know you told me before, but did you mean it? Do you love me?”

He laughed, somewhat bitterly. “Of course I love you! How could I not? You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever known.”

“Then why did you never try to touch me, when you had all those chances?” she demanded before she thought.

“You’re my Creator! I wouldn’t presume—if you had been an ordinary woman—oh, the times I’ve wished you were! But I have to treat you with utmost respect, so you won’t be annoyed. I wouldn’t even dare suggest—” He broke off, flushing.

Nola was overwhelmed. This time she did not balk. “Annoy me,” she murmured. Then she gave him the sweetest kiss she could manage, holding him all the while. She touched his face, which was rough with stubble, but it was the most handsome face she'd ever seen and she never wanted to touch anyone else’s.

Mich shivered in her arms. Their kiss held such force that his head was spinning. He had wished so long for a kiss like this, and until now thought he’d never know what it was like. He had been with girls before, but he had never loved them. It was different, he discovered, to kiss the one he loved. The emotion that was lacking before, he found with Nola, and it was fantastic.

After a short eternity, they broke. “I—I love you too,” she whispered. “My God! I never thought I’d say that again to anyone.”

Mich’s heart leapt. They held each other awhile longer, unable to speak. Then Nola recovered her cross, which had reverted to its natural state. They made their way quickly back to the castle, which was now a huge clearing in the forest.

Mich stared at the empty spot with his jaw dropped open. “We’re too late.”

“Oh, no, we aren’t,” Nola said. This time, she felt daring and did not bother to close her eyes.

“Castle!” she yelled, holding the cross out, clenched in her fist.

The castle started to reappear, beginning with the outer wall, then the battlement. Bricks began popping into place. Nola could glimpse furnishings appearing, then disappearing as the new walls covered the rooms. The castle was soon complete, ending with a waving red and gold pennant.

Nola took a deep breath. “I did it! Last time I tried to make a house, I could only make a shack. I guess I just needed the strength of faith. I have that now,” she said, looking into Mich’s sea-green eyes. “Maybe having an existing pattern, that of the former castle, helped too. Certainly I don’t really know how to build a castle, I mean with the foundations and support structures and all. Maybe re-Creation is easier than Creation. Anyway, it worked.”

Tina came over to her and patted her shoulder. “That’s great, girlie, but what happened to ya? You have a breakdown or somethin’?”

“It was another demon,” Mich informed her. Mich had been surprised by that; he had assumed that they had all been turned into Fren.

“I have a confession to make,” Tina said soberly. “The demons—they’re mine.”

All eyes turned to her. “What?” Nola and Mich asked together.

Both Heat and Spirit crowded in to make certain they were hearing right, and Snort snorted at her. Could this be possible?

“The demons are mine. I invented them. They come around whenever I’m scared. They always hurt me and make me do things I would never do. But I noticed that they don’t bother me here cuz I think they are scared of me, but I’m more scared of them. Maybe they know I care about you all and they hurt you to get at me.”

“If that is true, can’t you just get rid of them? I mean, Forget them or something?” Mich asked.

“Uh-uh, I don’t think that’d be a good idea. The demons are supposed to prey on people who got warped minds. Everybody dreams and sometimes someone creates an ax murderer. Their weak minds are easy to control.”

“But won’t that just make them more evil?”

“The demons make a creature the opposite of what they are. Like, if you have faith,” she glanced at Nola, “then you have no faith when the demon takes over. So if a demon controls the mind of a murderer, then that person will probably value life above all else.”

“I hate to admit it, but I guess we really do need the demons,” Mich said, looking as if he'd just tasted dragon dung.

The group went into the castle.

Nola and Tina were in awe. Neither had ever been in a castle before. There was the warm smell of burned wood and dust. Their footsteps echoed as they walked beneath the arched ceilings. Huge tapestries hung on the walls. One was a picture of a maiden sitting on
the ground. In her lap was a unisus that had been speared. All around her were dogs and hunters on horseback. Nola was impressed and Tina dawdled, trying to look at everything. Snort skidded on the polished floors, his long claws making clicking noises as they struck.

“This had to be re-Creation,” Nola murmured. “I didn’t actually know about any of this. Maybe the whole castle was there, just too thin to be seen, and I just restored substance to the outline. Like pouring cement into a mold.”

Mich didn’t give them enough time to take it all in. He led them through a door. Behind the door was a dark staircase that descended into a room filled with all sorts of weapons, from cat-o’-nine-tails to catapults. There was armor for horses and men; shields and garments of mail.

“There’s so much here!” Tina said as she donned a mail hood.

Mich suggested that they all spend the night in the castle, and in the morning, they would choose their armor.