The Dream Catcher's Daughter (16 page)

He remembered his mom, and he remembered
the lullaby that went with tune Len played:

Train man,

train
man,

ring
your bells.

Let your whistle blow.

Train man,

train
man,

I hear the wheels,

so
let’s go, go, go.

Darlene smiled and looked at Len, but her
smile faded. Len’s eyes had garnered a watery sheen. With one blink, rivers
streaked down the sides of her broad face. She wrenched her eyes shut, which
only squeezed more tears out. Once finished, Len set the flute in her lap. The
tears streamed faster down her face. Darlene reached up and gripped Len’s
shoulder. Len peeked at Darlene through her gray bangs, her bottom lip
quivering. She closed her eyes again. Darlene didn’t say anything else.
Instead, she pulled Len into a hug. Len sobbed warm stains into Darlene’s
hoody; Darlene smoothed Len’s wild gray locks down the length of her back.
Behind them Jason stirred. Darlene turned to look at him, but stopped halfway.

Just down the hall, rushing through a
crowd of half-naked, screaming teens, Leech scrambled to a halt. It growled,
and Jason snapped his head in the beast’s direction.

“We have to get
outta
here,” said Darlene. “C’mon, Len.
Gettup
, time to go.
Jason, help me—”

Jason stood, and faced Leech down. The
crimson hound growled louder, its voice reverberating off the tile. Darlene
stared with wide eyes. Len still sobbed into her chest.

Jason raised a hand and pointed a finger
at the hound. “I’ve seen you before. I remember now.”

Leech stomped its front paws and barked.

“Jason, what’re you doing?” said Darlene.
“Let’s go!”

Jason stepped toward Leech. “No, Darlene.
You don’t get it. You weren’t around. Not then. But…years ago, there was an
earthquake. And on that night I saw Leech and Talshe.”

Darlene opened her mouth to reply, but no
words came. Leech’s nails clicked against the tile as it pushed off and jetted
forward, mouth agape. Its shark-teeth whirred inside its body like a blender.
With only a couple yards separating them, the hound lunged at Jason, who lifted
his arm.

“Jason, stop!” called Len, finally aware
of the situation.

The dog toppled Jason, and together they
rolled. Arm still inside the dog, Jason grasped for the charm around his neck.
Jason had it in his hand when the hound scraped one of its claws across arm.
The charm fell and was crushed under one of the hound’s hind paws. Blood
dribbling down his arm, Jason looked up into Leech’s featureless face. It
grunted and straddled him, his right arm wedged deep inside the monster’s
throat. At any moment, those razor-sharp teeth would start spinning. The flesh
would tear from muscle and sinew. Then tendon from bone. Jason would probably
pass out from pain and
bloodloss
before the hound
even finished.

Leech adjusted again, then let out a
rumbling gurgle. A few moments passed.

Then a burst of light erupted from within
Leech. Jason wrenched his eyes shut, but could still see the light through his
eyelids. After a moment, the light faded. Jason opened his eyes to see a cloud
of golden dust that settled upon him like ash, then seeped into his flesh, into
his soul. Leech was gone; Jason had absorbed it. He sat up, staring at his
right arm in amazement. The wounds and blood were gone, and he felt more alive
somehow. He felt healthier, happier,
hungrier
. He
closed his eyes, and Jason clearly saw the night, nearly ten years ago, when
Leech first leapt from his body and, along with Talshe and the twins,
terrorized Sheriffsburg.

Darlene hugged him from behind, thanking
God that Jason was alive and all right. He turned even further and saw Len
leaning against the wall, tucking her flute away. She looked at him, and he
felt guilty. He wanted to say something, but Len placed a finger to her lips.

The building shook. Yelps and screams went
up from the nearby students. But the loudest commotion came from just above
Jason, Len, and Darlene. The roof flew away from the building and in its place,
Talshe appeared, her glimmering teeth revealed in a triumphant smile.

They darted for the door, just avoiding
Talshe’s
hooked fingers. The giant’s voice rumbled through
his bones: “Jason McKinney! You will melt inside me!”

Outside, Len led them across the street
toward a crowd of tall apartment buildings. It eerily reminded Jason of the
abandoned industrial district below the bridge.
Talshe’s
footfall thundered behind them, and Jason told himself not to look back. A
faint sense of remembrance rose from the bottom of his chest.

This happened before, when Talshe and the
others attacked Sheriffsburg.

Len and Darlene ducked into an alleyway,
but just before Jason could follow, the road bucked beneath him and
skyrocketed. He flattened against the pavement and hoped no drivers would
squish him. The road jerked to a stop, tossing Jason into the air. He thudded
on the edge of the road. Any farther and he would’ve plummeted to his death. He
scrambled away from the edge, not stopping until he was in the center. His
chest heaved as he glanced around. No one else was on the road with him; not a
soul flew above him. Beside his heart, he heard only one thing:
hngh
,
huuh
,
hngh
,
huuh
. In, out, in, out.

Jason wheeled around and ducked, barely
missing a swipe from
Talshe’s
gargantuan hand. The
road was level with
Talshe’s
chest, but to Jason, Talshe
still towered above him by two stories. He could almost feel her heartbeat.

“The road brought you to me!” she said.
“Only thing missing is the silver platter.”

She lifted both her hands and swept them
across the road in a pincer-like motion. With a hand on either side of him,
Jason could only stand there as the walls of flesh closed in on him. He shut
his eyes and hoped the pain would be swift. But the hands never touched him. He
never even felt their flesh close around him. What he felt was the piercing
rattle of
Talshe’s
scream.

Jason ripped open his eyes and stared in
disbelief as Talshe cradled her gigantic hands to her chest. Blood oozed
between the gray fingers and down the backs of her hands.

“You all right?”

The blindfolded woman from the train—E.
Simply E—stood next to him. In her left hand she held a blade smeared with
Talshe’s
blood. Jason then noticed two other women standing
just behind E. Each of them wielded a sword. Talshe clenched her fists, then
slowly raised her head, glaring down upon the road. She lifted her hands into
the air and locked them together into a club.
E
turned to one of her partners: Bandages covered every inch of her body, leaving
holes only for her eyes, mouth, and nose.

“Bring us down, F!” said E. “Quickly!”

F dropped to one knee and pressed her
palms against the pavement. Her arms glowed, and it felt as though a current
hummed beneath them. Up above, Talshe cocked her hands back, then threw them
down. When her hands were about halfway, the road jerked, flicking Jason onto
his ass. He’d nearly flown off when the road shook and froze, having rejoined
with the ground. E and the third sword-girl hoisted Jason to his feet, and the
four of them took off. The earth beneath them quaked with
Talshe’s
footfall.

“Where are we going?” said Jason.

“I know a few places to hide. We can wait
for the giant to leave.”

“No, she’s after me! She’ll never leave as
long as I’m around.”

E
stared at
Jason—at least he thought she did—but said nothing. They threaded through buildings
and down narrow side-streets. Eventually they ended up at what looked like an
abandoned seaside warehouse with crumbling white and green paint. The warehouse
was much bigger on the inside, filled with stacks of moldy crates. Large
pillars suspended the roof far above them. Jason stared up one of these poles,
frowning. If Talshe found them, she would easily squish them;
this warehouse
is puny compared to her,
he thought.

He turned, and found E’s sword pointed at
his throat. F and the third girl also lifted their swords, pointing them
directly at Jason. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced from one to the next until
his gaze finally settled upon E.

“What’s going on?”

“You know something. About that beast.”

“Talshe? Yeah. She’s my dream. Or
nightmare, I guess.”

“Yours? As in you summoned her?” said F.
“Around here, dream calling warrants the death penalty.”

“No! I didn’t summon her. Well, someone
did, but...”

“You’re not making a lot of sense.” F
turned to E. “I say we take him to the queen and she decides what to do with
him. We have to find a way to get rid of that giant.”

“The giant won’t be a problem without this
boy,” said E. “I’m more worried about that shadow. The one that keeps sneaking
into the palace.”

F rolled her eyes. “You’re still worrying
about that?”

“It’s been stalking the queen’s chamber.
Those red eyes...So accusing. So hateful. That thing is nothing but malicious,
and—”

“Shadow? With red eyes?” said Jason. “You
mean Shades?”

F and E slowly turned their heads toward Jason.
The grip on their swords tightened. Only now did Jason think keeping his mouth
shut would’ve been a good idea.

“Shades? Is it another of your dreams?”

“Um...Nightmare, I think. Please, I didn’t
summon it. If you want someone to blame, blame the Dream Caller! She’s still
alive, according to the Guardian. You know the Guardian, don’t you?”

By their blank stares, Jason could tell
that was a no. His eyes flickered to the swords pointed at his chest. He
noticed that one was missing. His gaze flicked to his right, to the third
swordswoman. She wore a heavy helmet that covered all of her head, save her
eyes, which were hidden behind a single black slit across the helm.

“The name is familiar,” she said. F and E
jerked their gazes toward her.

“No it isn’t,” said F. “You’re just making
that up, D.”

E
held up a hand.
“Let her speak. She might have a better idea than either of us.”

D glanced at them and nodded at their
swords. F and E lowered their blades and backed away from Jason. D turned back
to him, her eyes scanning his face.

“Now, tell me, who is the Guardian?”

“He’s the
Magis
Supremis
. A powerful mage, I guess. He’s also the oldest.
He sealed my dreams because I...couldn’t handle them.”

“Handle them?”

No one needed to know about Tara. Even he
didn’t need to know, yet he did. And as a result, the pressure in the back of
his head squeezed, the liquid stone to trickling into his arms.

“A bad thing happened a year ago. I’d
rather not talk about it.”

F looked as though she might force him,
but D held up a hand. “You’re laden with burden. I can hear it in your voice.
Still, that doesn’t explain anything about the giant or the shadow...Shades, if
you will.”

“Talshe was one of my childhood dreams. I
remember. She kept chasing me, trying to swallow me. Then, ten years ago, she
came into my hometown and tried to destroy everything. Just to get to me.”

“And continues to do so, it seems.”

Jason crossed his arms. “She was the first
to appear. Then two other dreams—Bootelia and Amor. Then a crimson hound.” But
Jason realized his mistake. “Wait, Shades...It appeared earlier. Not ten years
ago, but here recently, when my dreams reemerged.”

“Didn’t you just say the dreams were
sealed?” said E.

“They were. But there’s a chip in the
seal, caused by the Dream Caller.”

D nodded. “I believe you. I do. Do you
know where the Dream Caller is?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

D glanced at F, and said, “Touch him.”

Without warning, F roughly grabbed Jason
by the wrist, as though feeling his pulse. They stood there for a few moments
before F dropped Jason’s wrist. Her scowl vanished.

“What’s wrong?” said E.

“I’m...not sure.”

“Is he the Caller?” said D.

F shook her head, then looked up at Jason.
“But you
must
see the queen. I won’t let you leave until then.”

D and E didn’t argue with her, but Jason said,
“I have two friends. They’re out there somewhere, and as long as
Talshe’s
around...”

“Don’t worry. We took care of them.”

Before Jason could say more, something
hard collided with the base of his neck. Like with the flick of a switch,
darkness enveloped Jason, and around him echoed the words: “Sleep and Forget.”

***

“Wake.”

His eyelids peeled away to reveal a room
filled with mahogany furnishings: the bedframe, the bed posts, the door to his left—which
was inscribed with floral patterns—the wardrobe in the corner—which rested next
to a window that stretched from floor to ceiling—and the window’s frame. Jason
sat up, his feet landing on sultry red carpet, then stood, walked to the
window, and pushed aside the silk curtains. Below lay the city of Visonia. From
here, it looked as though a translucent, rainbow-colored cloud hovered above
the city, almost like a desert mirage. His eyes flickered to the horizon, where
the ring surrounded the castle. There was the balcony jutting toward the city.

“You are awake.”

He turned, and the pressure at the back of
his head sparked to life. The liquid stone dripped down his arms, pooling in
his fingers as she strode toward him. Her step was poised, elegant. She dressed
all in white, yet the gown changed color as light and darkness bounced off its
fabric. The dress also changed style and shape when Jason blinked. One moment,
the gown resembled a red prom dress, the next it looked more like a green party
dress, and finally, more like a white wedding gown. Her eyes were green, set in
a round face with a strong chin. She smiled. Dimples indented the small space
at the corners of her mouth, and long brown hair pooled at the base of her
neck, flowing down her back to her rump. She stopped only feet from him. Their
eyes were exactly level. Like how they first met.

“Tara,” said Jason. He shook his head.
“I’m dreaming. Even here, I dream about you.”

She cocked a brow, her smile shrinking a
little. “I’m afraid I know not of this Tara. And you are not asleep.” She
glanced to the bed. Unmade and well-slept in. “But you
were
. This
troubles me.” She motioned past Jason, toward the great city outside the
window. “This is the city of dreams. People escape here after a long day. Anything
can happen here. It is only a matter of their imagination. For us, however, it
is slightly different.”

She turned back to him, her smile dropping
off her face. “Humans cannot sleep here. Not that anything bad would happen.
They would simply return to Caindom—their realm. Your realm. Like those two
girls.”

“Well, guess that’s not always true,”
mumbled Jason. Then he realized what she said. “Wait, what happened to Len and
Darlene?”

“They were put to sleep. They should be
back in your world right now. Though, the gray-haired one...She cast a spell
upon herself and the brown-skinned girl. I know not what it did, but I am
certain they arrived in Caindom safely.”

The girl’s eyes drifted up and down
Jason’s figure. She
did
look like Tara. The stone flooded his arms, and
he quickly muttered ‘forth’ beneath his breath to fend it off.

The girl narrowed her eyes at Jason. “What
did you say?”

“Um, forth? It’s my power word. It…well,
it keeps me sane. And alive.” She sighed, staring at Jason silently. After a
few moments, Jason dropped his gaze, his face reddening. “Is there something
wrong with my face?”

“Very much. I recognize it, but I can’t
quite place it. It’s not important, I suppose. Age does something to the mind.
And splitting myself between five people doesn’t help matters.” Jason had no
clue what she was saying, but didn’t bother to ask, for the girl moved toward a
small desk with two chairs. She took one and patted the other, inviting Jason
to join her. He did, although reluctantly.

“Now, you will tell me who you are,” she
said.

“Oh, okay. I’m Jason McKinney. I work at
Silver Moon Grocery as a delivery driver...”

The girl waved her hand. “Bah! What a
boring tale. Do you talk like that to all people?”

Jason only blinked at her, unsure of what
else to do. Her gown changed into something out of a Broadway musical—short
skirt and dark fabric. Much of her legs and upper thighs were exposed, and
Jason had to resist peeking.

“Let me tell you who I am. My name is
Gelen Rata, the Queen of Dreams. For millennia my husband and I have kept watch
over the Realm of Dreams from our city, Visonia.” The queen crossed her legs,
and Jason blinked. Now her dress resembled a yellow Victorian bustier and
skirt. “How did you come to be here? Humans have wandered in before, but they’ve
never been chased by giants. And they never shared striking similarities with
the Dream Caller.”