Dream a Little Dream (21 page)

“That sounds okay to me! I want that whip over there, and—”

“No weapons,” he interrupted. “It wouldn’t have any effect on them.”

“It sure would affect ‘em if I whip them in the crotch!”

Mich shook his head. “It won’t affect them. They heal instantly. Weapons would just encumber us.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, where’s my room? I’m beat.”

“Go upstairs; you can pick any room you want. After all, there’s no one here to complain.”

The friends dispersed and went upstairs to their selected rooms. Snort found his old basket in the foyer and curled up. Mich and Nola went to Mich’s old room. It was huge and ornate.

“You lived here in this created castle all your life?” she asked, running her hand down a gold-framed mirror.

“Yes. Nice, isn’t it?”

“It’s a little extravagant, don’t you think? I mean, isn’t it boring here?” Nola had created a room she had thought worthy of a prince, but now realized how worthless it could be without love.

“I never thought of this place as boring, but I guess compared to my time with you, I’ve been barely living. I used to think all this stuff and all of the attention from maids and such was the best life I could have. But, when that demon got you, I was afraid you’d Forget me and it really woke me up. You are more important to me than any of these things.” Mich held her close. “It’s as if I had this emptiness inside that I never knew was there, until you came; then it wasn’t empty anymore.”

Nola felt so much love in his tender arms that she knew she'd never want to leave him. Their love was a sweet one that neither time nor distance could tarnish. But she suspected she would have to leave him. When all this was over, if she still lived, she would have to return home, and he could not accompany her. That hurt her beyond words.

Nola looked at him and tried to say what her heart was feeling, but she couldn’t find the words. There was nothing she could think to say that could describe her feelings of joy and sadness.

Mich gently held her face and brushed her lips with his own. They kissed more deeply and fell on the bed together. They spent the entire evening holding each other closely. They both knew that if they stuck together, things would work out fine.

The two of them rested quietly most of the night. Though they were not fully asleep, their senses were numbed somewhat, due to the lack of motion and good circulation. They were tired. And the matter of sex had no importance; that wasn’t what had drawn them to each other. So Nola’s main fear had disappeared the moment her love was realized.

Yet despite this, it wasn’t perfect. Normally a long night of rest did Nola a world of good. But for some reason, tonight was different.
She lay still with her eyes closed, trying to think of all the things that could happen to mess up her efforts. With the realization of her power had come also the realization of her responsibility, and that was an awesome burden to adjust to.

Just before dawn, the next morning, Nola felt a sharp little prick on the side of her throat. Her hand shot up and smacked it, thinking that it was probably a bug.

She brought her hand before her eyes. As the bleariness cleared, she saw red blood on her fingers. As her sight cleared further, she saw what stood at the foot of the bed. It was Reility.

He stood there staring, black eyes glinting evilly. In one hand was a razor jag, and the other grasped a strap of leather that had been cut. Her cross dangled and turned at its end. Its pallid dreamstone sparkled as it caught the early morning light.

Nola’s voice was caught in her throat. She couldn’t move or even breathe as she stared back at him. She wished Mich would wake up, but he rested silently beside her, not stirring. There was probably a spell keeping him unaware.

She watched the evil creature as he moved to her side of the bed. He leaned his hideous face next to hers until his gross lips were moving against her ear. He spoke in such a low whisper that she could barely hear his words.

“Fool! Did you really think you’d win? This world will die. Your world will die. Your friends will die. You will die.”

Not saying another word, he turned and disappeared. The Fren traveled so quickly that they were simply a blur, then nothing.

She sat in the growing light, unable to grasp the severity of the situation. Soon, her lungs could take no more and her breath pushed past her lips in a rush.

At that moment, Spirit’s demanding whinny sounded shrill in her ears as it floated through the open window from below. Spirit had felt her sudden anguish as if it were his own.

Mich bolted upright, looking wildly around. He saw Nola’s throat and the scratch that still oozed blood. Then he saw her face and eyes. What he read there sent chills up his spine. “Nola?” He touched her shoulder.

She turned and looked at him, tears filling her eyes. “I—I—I lost it. Oh, my God, I
lost it!”
she cried, throwing her arms around him.

“What’s going on?” Tina asked, stepping through the door. “I heard those damn horses screaming like they’d gone crazy!”

Mich glanced at her through Nola’s hair. “Something happened to Nola. Something awful.”

Nola’s mind whirled as she tried to explain, through her sobs, what had occurred. She had tried so hard, and now they were all going to die. It was all her fault. She should have known better than to display her cross to everyone. It should have been as well guarded as the Kahh.

“So he took your cross, huh?” Tina asked. “That bites! Whad’re we gonna do now?” She threw her hands in the air and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry, guys, but I figured we’d be safe here,” Nola sniffed.

Tina patted her arm. “It’s okay, girlie. This is as new to you as it is to me. We just dunno what to expect.”

Mich nodded his agreement. He released Nola and dried her tears. “You know, we are not going to be safe anywhere we go. Reility obviously knows what our plans are and he will do anything he can to stop us. I feel lucky that he didn’t try to kill you.”

“Why should he?” Nola asked. “He has my cross. I’m no threat to him now.”

“That’s not true!” Tina said. “We are a smart group and if we organize ourselves right, I’m sure we can take it back. My grandpa always said, ‘Never say never!’ and he wuz right!”

“Take it back? Are you crazy? What if he kills us? All hope will be lost.”

“Tina’s right,” Mich said, sitting a bit straighter. “There’s got to be a way, somehow. This world is based on faith. If we lose ours . . .”

“I get the point.” Nola stood and looked out the window. The sun was almost visible over the treeline. From up here, she could see a great deal of the land around the castle. Most of the forest remained, yet the mountains seemed smaller and blacker. Their once snow-covered peaks loomed blunt and dark.

“I suppose we don’t really have a choice, then, do we?” she asked, turning back to face Mich and Tina.

That morning the group circled the grounds in search of forage. Both Nola and Tina were too stressed to conjure any proper food. They spent much time in the armory, while Nola perfected the armor as well as she could. Without the cross to make the armor magically strong, they would be taking chances.

Nola clothed herself in mail armor of steel scales down to her feet. Tina preferred to wear mail over a leather vest and leather trousers. She also wore a solid-steel gorget. Nola thought she looked like a wild warrior woman, with her blond hair all tangled. Mich clad himself in leathers, a mail gorget and a pair of thick leather gauntlets. He preferred the freedom of movement.

Nola could agree with that. The armor was extremely heavy. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to run very well in steel pants. She disbelieved her armored trousers. Tina liked hers, so was welcome to them. Nola was sure Tina could handle the mail trousers, so left it at that.

“Now we need a plan,” Mich said, leading the way to the drawing room.

They sat throwing ideas at one another and eating luberries. None of their ideas seemed viable.

They finally decided the only way was to search out Reility at the Fren Cliffs. Mich knew that they were left unguarded during the day,
but that was because the Fren would surely be busy there, converting hapless creatures into their own kind. He decided that their best bet was to try to sneak in at night.

“But why can’t we try it during the day?” Nola asked. “Last time we were there, we passed through unmolested.”

“I don’t think that the Fren knew your nature then. Besides, there were a lot fewer of them. The Fren must now outnumber the Kafkians by a hundred to one. So I think it’s better to tackle them when fewer are alert, though that still won’t make it easy. I’m sure the cliffs will be guarded at night, while the Fren rest. What I’m not sure of is how we will get past them.”

“Can’t you transport us directly there?” Tina asked Nola.

“I can’t. That requires magic and I can’t do that without the cross.”

“Oh, yeah.” Tina sighed. “I wish there was some other way, but I guess Mich is right. We should take our chances tonight.”

So it was decided. The group would start traveling within the hour. With luck, they would be at the cliffs in three days, providing they didn’t run afoul of any Fren on the way.

Nola rode Spirit while Tina rode behind Mich. Snort stayed to guard the deserted castle. He was proud to do his part and would surely make a good guard.

The trip was grueling and painful. After six hours of riding at a quick, trotting pace, Nola’s buttocks and thighs ached with every bounce. They slowed to a gentle walk in the late afternoon and finally made camp well into the night.

Their first day behind them, Nola realized that they had made surprising progress. They were in sight of the once prosperous Welton Town. Now there was nothing but an empty blackened field.

Nola lay close to Mich, next to the glowing embers of the fire. The night, as always, smelled sweet, despite the ruined land around them.

She let her mind search out Spirit’s. He was dozing, head down, ears lolling, on the opposite side of the camp. He opened his eyes.
Yes, friend?

“I just wanted to apologize for all that’s happened.”

You have no need to be sorry. You are doing well.

“But I’m
not
doing well! I lost my power through sheer stupidity. What good am I now? I know I should have faith, but it’s so hard. The main reason Reility didn’t even try to harm me is that he knows I’m impotent now without my cross, so he can just let me squirm. I know we are walking into disaster. I don’t think we'll even get as far as the Fren Cliffs before we are found and killed.”

I, above all others, know what you are feeling, Nola. But, my dear friend, you must press on if we are to have a single chance. Reility is strong, but I feel once we have released his people from his grip and return them to their original states, he will become weaker. He may, in fact, die. When the good outnumber the evil, the evil is driven off. I believe in our endeavor. We will find your cross and you will summon the other Creators to your side, and together we will turn the tide.

“But without real magic—”

Reility is surely overconfident now, so perhaps careless. We are doing what he least anticipates: attacking him in his stronghold. The element of surprise gives us a better chance.

“Thank you, Esprit. I can always count on you for an encouraging word.”

“
Of course you can. Remember, we all love you and are here to help. We each have our own reasons for helping; however, we all have Kafka in common. Now get some rest; we will be riding long tomorrow. Heat and I hope to carry you to the worm tunnels by tomorrow night.

Nola was grateful for Spirit’s ever-present advice. He seemed always to know best. He was a good friend and there was no way she would let him die. In order to save him, she must save herself. Spirit was right; she had to have faith in her own efforts if she was to have
any hope of succeeding. She blew a kiss to him and curled up as well as she could in her leather and armor clothing.

The next morning, Nola found some burned bushes and squatted behind them. Mich gathered oranges from the small tree that Nola believed into existence. She knew it would not live long in the ashy soil, but it served its purpose. Tina was busy disbelieving their camp, making sure that even their footprints were gone. She left no trace of their passing, in case they were being followed.

They ate their oranges in haste and left their camp as empty and desolate as they found it.

They traveled through Welton Town. Technically, it could no longer be called a town. There were no ruined buildings to mark its borders, only a pale, dusty road going through the center of the dark, ash-covered ground.

The sun had been joined in the late afternoon by twin moons, one large full and one smaller gibbous. The group was becoming exhausted.

They came to a halt, knee-deep in the muck. They had been traveling close to the badly shrunken River of Thought in order not to lose sight of it. They dismounted to study the landscape.

Nola’s ankle turned slightly in the thick mud, causing her to tumble into it with a splat. She rose, covered in disgusting mud. “ Yech!” Tina remarked for her. Her ankle was a bit sore, but was okay.

The water had been absorbed by the ash and all around them was mud, as black as coal. The river still flowed, telling them that all hope was not lost, but compared with its former glory, the river was now a mere trickle. If there were any worms left in the tunnels, they had surely drowned.

“How should we go about setting up camp?” Mich asked.

“Maybe I can make a thick stage of wood and sit it atop pontoons. That way, we stay dry and we won’t sink.”

I smell
— came Heat’s desperate thought.

Nola glanced at him. His nostrils were flaring wide and his silver orbs rolled back.

Then the attack came. The entire group was surrounded by Fren. At least seventy of the noxious creatures closed in on them, jags flashing in the twin moonlight. A few of them carried heavy cudgels. They formed a ring around the travelers.

“Wait a schecond!” said one of them as he prevented the ring from closing further. He seemed to be in charge of them and he spoke with a strange accent. “Ischn’t that one there the one Reility warned usch about?”

Another Fren stepped forward. “No, these are nothing. Look at her, she is as black as we are, and that other, she could never be so simpleminded as to weight herself down with armor!”

Nola was thankful that she had fallen in the muck, which covered her from head to foot, hiding her face.

“You are right. Reility would not be afraid of shuch nothingsch asch thesche.”

They began closing in again. “I think that they should be strong enough for a week’s worth of work before we recast them.”

“Yesch. And look at those fine creaturesch,” he said, advancing on Heat and Spirit.

Four more Fren rushed forward with ropes. Heat spread his wings and tried to lift into the air, but he was too slow. Ropes of seemingly infinite length were lashed across his withers and over his wings, pulling them tight to his body.

This overbalanced him and caused him to fall. He had the bad fortune of falling on one of the Fren. When he stood again, the flattened Fren filled out before their eyes, like a cartoon figure recovering from an encounter with a steamroller. He struck Heat’s cheek with his club, cursing at him in some strange language.

Nola figured it would be best for all if they surrendered, as the Fren weren’t actually trying to kill them. “We'll have a better chance
if they think we're of no account. Maybe we can catch them when they’re off guard.”

The others agreed. Surely they would be taken to the cliffs, which was where they wanted to go anyway.

But it wasn’t comfortable. Heat and Spirit were hobbled and haltered with the ropes. The rest of them had their hands tied tightly, and their feet were hobbled as well to keep them from running away. They were forced to move out with the points of jags in their backs. The two unisi were whipped mercilessly with ropes, even though they were cooperating with their captors.

They were pushed, prodded and poked along over the swampy ground. Many of the Fren seemed to quiet down during the journey, as if speaking was against some unwritten law. There were several “Shhh!"s passed between the creatures. All was quiet by evening, when the head Fren shouted for them to halt.

At this point, it was obvious that they were to make camp. The head Fren shouted orders and the others milled about, searching for fodder. When the scant available firewood and food were gathered, the Fren sat around in a circle, with Nola and her friends inside, close to the fire.

The Fren tore apart live animals before them. Their still-screaming bodies were passed from one to another as each took his share. Evidently some sort of magic prevented the animals from dying immediately, despite dismemberment. Trust the Fren to find a way to make eating fun!

At one point, a still-twitching leg was thrown in Nola’s direction. She shoved it away with her foot. Another Fren rushed up and snatched the leg. “Don’t waste our food on them! They won’t live much longer anyway!”

“Perhaps she'd like the head?” another said as a rodent head was thrown into her lap. Nola shrieked and quickly lifted her leg, causing the severed head to fly into the air and land in the fire. But a
Fren quickly fished it out, relishing its toasted quality. Burned fur seemed to be a delicacy to these creatures.

The Fren gave them each a drink of water, but no other food. They teased the group, often throwing things at them, laughing and taunting them endlessly. One of the Fren went so far as to touch Spirit’s hide with a flaming stick.

Spirit bucked, and his linked hind feet hit the Fren dead between the eyes with a sickening crack. The thing flew outside the circle and landed in the river.

Every creature went silent and all eyes turned to the river. The river’s murky waters began to shine brightly in the moonlight, yet the water was still as if it had simply swallowed him. Then there was a loud gurgle and a bubble floated to the surface. It did not burst. It kept growing.

Inside the bubble was the Fren. Its mouth worked open and closed and his fists clenched. He had such a pained look that Nola was forced to turn her head away.

As the Fren struggled inside the multicolored bubble, something started to happen to him. His body went from opaque to translucent. He was turning into gray smoke that swirled within the bubble. After a moment the bubble burst, spewing smoke into the night sky. It mingled with the smoke from the fire and was gone.

The Fren immediately went back to their business as if nothing had happened. In fact, one of them grabbed the dead Fren’s supper and gleefully gorged himself. Nola wondered why they did not lash out at Spirit.

Spirit’s mind came to Nola’s.
They are creatures of pure evil. They care no more for their own kind than they do for us. They do not attack me because they feel I am too valuable as a work animal to harm.

“But the river—what happened?”

The Fren are not Kafkians nor are they humans. They cannot lie in the river. The river works only for humans and their dreams.
Spirit closed
his eyes, and for a moment Nola felt his sadness.
I wish I hadn’t lashed out that way.

“But he hurt you! I’m glad you did. We should push them all in the river!”

You don’t understand,
he thought, lowering his huge head to look at her.
We need to keep them alive. These evil creatures have a Kafkian seed deep inside them. They are tortured and they need our help. If we destroy them, there is no hope for Kafka’s survival. And no hope for your world.

Nola bit her lip. He was right. Her purpose was not to destroy them, but to restore them. She had to make sure she kept that in mind. It was just that whenever she met these creatures, they radiated evil and malice. Her reflex action was to hurt or kill them. It was as if they evoked evil that was in her. She had to fight that evil, rather than the creatures who were already its victims.