"Welcome to Dream," Windwhisper said, fluttering from a palm tree to land on Cade's arm. "No dawn can wake you now, for you live in our world."
"Seashell Shore," Cade said softly. "Tasha and I would visit this place in our sleep. She loves it here. It's one of her favorite places." He watched the waves lap against the mossy boulder where Sunflower would stand, gazing upon the sea, her bronze-tipped spear kindled with sunlight. The goddess of salt and sand.
Windwhisper nodded. "It is the eastern shore of Dream. I've brought you here because it's safest, the farthest place from Phobetor and his spies. Anywhere closer, and he might have detected the portal."
Cade looked around at the seashells, the whispering water, the rustling palm trees, but the beauty brought him no peace today, only sadness. I'm in Dream during waking hours. Our place. The wilderness of Talon and Sunflower.
"Tell Tasha where I am," Cade said, feeling close to tears, a lump filling his throat. "Tell her I had to go, had to leave, but that I'll be back soon." He clutched the compass that hung around his neck on its golden chain, feeling the jewels dig into his palms, the palms of Talon, unscarred by war and memories. "I'll follow this compass, and I'll touch this bottle to Phobetor, and then I'll be back. I promise you, Windwhisper." He could say no more, too overcome by fear and sadness, his throat tightened into silence.
Windwhisper nodded, the hint of a sad smile in his eyes. "I will tell your sister. But now I must fly! Spies fill this land, and the skies need my eyes."
The hawk took off, soared over the palm trees, and disappeared into the distance. Silence fell, and the only sounds were the waves lapping the sand, the seashells chinking, and the breeze rustling the palm trees. Cade suddenly felt very alone, more alone than he had ever been. This place is beautiful, one of our favorite places, but now I feel so scared here. The fear lay at the bottom of his stomach, aching and tingling. He remembered the Crunge, their beast of haunting; it could be anywhere here, or a million other creatures of Nightmare. Cade lowered his head. Our haven. Dying.
A small voice, barely heard, spoke into his left ear. "I'm glad Windwhisper is gone. I'm not sure I can trust birds of prey anymore. They eat mice."
Cade started and turned around. Nobody was there.
"Who said that?" he asked shakily. Could Nightmare's spies be here already?
"Here, dear brother. On your shoulder."
Cade picked a soft brown mouse off his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes, gasping. "Tash? Is that you?"
The mouse nodded, whiskers twitching. "Your very own twin, in mousy form." She shrugged. "I wasn't sure Windwhisper would like me here, so I came in disguise. Remember what Windwhisper said when he first showed us Dream? We can be anything here, gods or animals, so, well... here I am, a little mouse, to help you on your quest. You need me to help you, Talon."
Cade shook his head with a smile. "A mouse of all creatures, Tash?" He placed his sister back on his shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh, as crazy and terrifying as things were. "It was worth coming here just to see you with fur and a tail."
Cade took a deep breath, taking in the scent of seawater and sand and palm trees, and faintly beneath them the smell of seaweed. It was a healthy smell. A smell of goodness. Dream. He held the compass, its emeralds and garnets twinkling in the sun. It pointed north along the shore.
"Phobetor is that way," he said. "We should start walking. Windwhisper seemed anxious about time pressing." Cade paused, then turned his head to look at Tasha, who sat perched on his shoulder. He smiled. "I'm glad you came along, Tash."
Tasha shrugged again. "You need me to look after you. You really thought I'd let you save Dream without me? Windwhisper might think I'm too messed up to help, but he doesn't know me. Remember, Cade, Dream is our special place. And we're going to save it together."
Cade took a determined breath. "Well, Tash... even a quest of ten thousand miles begins with one step. Let's take that first step."
* * * * *
Cade spent the morning walking along Seashell Shore, following the compass. On the way, he collected some of the seashells--a few Alphabet Cones with smooth piebald surfaces, some purple Rose Petals, Jingles that shone like diamonds in the sun, and handfuls of others he could not name. Tasha found herself a Horse Conch large enough that she could fit into. She made Cade carry it. "It can be a home to me," she explained.
After pausing for a lunch of coconuts, they continued walking along the shore, the seashells and water glimmering. Gradually, mossy stones began to litter the shore, cradling pools of water. Colorful fish and crabs lived in the pools, and salt coated the edges of stones like sea-swept margaritas. At one point, looking west to the hills, Cade thought he glimpsed a deer or elk standing upon a boulder, watching them... but when he narrowed his eyes to take another look, the animal was gone.
The land was beautiful, but Cade could not enjoy it, not when journeying toward Nightmare. Once we reach Nightmare, what will we do? The compass would guide him toward Phobetor, but when facing the God of Nightmare, would he even live long enough to use the bottle? Touch this bottle to Phobetor, and he will be imprisoned, Windwhisper had said. Easier said than done, Cade thought and shivered. He looked at his sister, who sat on his shoulder, and knew that he could not let her down, could not let Dream die, for her sake if for no other reason. Dream is the only thing that brings her peace.
In the afternoon, the jeweled compass finally pointed away from the beach. "Time for some change of scenery," Cade said as he walked toward the palm trees, leaving the water behind. He walked between the palms until earth replaced sand, and the land became hilly. Twisted pines, mint bushes, and oaks sprouted among boulders, ant nests, and patches of cyclamens. When Cade crested the higher hills, he could see the sea behind. Patches of green and dark blue lay like watercolor stains upon the water, and white clouds hovered over the horizon.
Finally, in late afternoon, Cade reached a canyon.
The canyon gaped fifty feet wide. Firs grew along its edges, tilting over the crack in the earth. The canyon seemed bottomless. Cade dropped a heavy stone into it. The stone disappeared without a sound.
"The compass points across the canyon," he said, gazing into the darkness below. "Somehow we have to cross. Tash, can you climb onto that tree and see how long the canyon is?"
Tasha scurried up the tallest pine, then returned a moment later. "It stretches into the horizons on both sides. I could see no end to it. But there's a bridge about a mile that way. I saw something standing on the bridge. I'm not sure if it's a friend or foe. It's too far to see."
Cade tucked the compass back into his shirt. "We'll find out soon."
He walked between the oaks and pines along the edge of the canyon. The depth made him dizzy. A mile along the canyon, they came to the bridge Tasha had scouted. It was a simple rope bridge, merely slats of wood set between two ropes.
In the middle of the bridge stood the Crunge.
Chapter Five
Feesrog
Cade recognized the monster at once. The same creature that had attacked them that day, the last time they visited Dream, it stood eight feet tall, covered with oily brown fur. Its three eyes, red and cruel, stared at him mockingly. Its fangs and claws glinted.
A creature from Nightmare.
The Crunge smiled toothily. Spit dripped down its fangs. Cade tightened his lips and prepared to flee, but the monster did not move, only stared, eyes narrowed, the wolflike smile stretched across its maw. Its stench, like rotting fruit and dirty fur, wafted across the canyon. Our beast of haunting.
"Hello again, Talon," the Crunge said, voice gravelly. "Where is your sister? I miss her, Talon. I do miss my sweet goddess Sunflower." The creature licked its chops, its tongue long and thick as a human arm. Gobs of its spit landed against the bridge, burning holes into the wood. "Will you tell her to come visit me?"
Struggling against the fear and disgust that spun his head, Cade clutched the bottle in his pocket. "Don't be afraid," he whispered to Tasha. "
He's been ordered to guard the bridge, I think. He won't move." Indeed the Crunge stood still, grinning lecherously.
"We'll have to find another way," Tasha whispered back, voice trembling. "Maybe if we walk far enough, we'll find another bridge."
Cade shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from the creature's dripping maw and flicking tongue. "You hadn't seen one for miles, and we're pressed for time. Remember what Windwhisper said?"
The Crunge's smile widened, revealing more rows of teeth, like the teeth of a shark. "What are you whispering, Talon? Come and whisper to me. Your sister might be sweeter, but I find you sweet too. Do you like me too, sweet Talon?" Its voice was so guttural and mean, trees wilted alongside the canyon and fell, gray and shriveled, into the darkness. The sunlight itself dimmed as if cowed by the evil of the Crunge. "Yes, Talon. We can have some fun before my master destroys Dream."
Disgust rose in Cade. The creature's stench was so horrid, he held a hand to his mouth and nearly gagged. For a moment he could only force himself to breathe and fight down his nausea.
"We'll have to find another way across," Tasha said, trembling.
The Crunge took a step along the bridge, moving closer to them. "Do you not find me sweet too, Talon?" it said, wagging its dripping tongue. "Come to me, Talon. Do not be a coward. I know you hurt. I know you still cry for the death of your parents. I have seen you, Talon, sipping your beer on the balcony, lying in bed at night, staring hopelessly at the ceiling. I have looked into your mind and seen your pain." Its grin widened, mocking. "Let me comfort you now, before my master tears you apart, limb from limb, just like the bombs tore your parents."
Cade looked at his sister, just a tiny mouse now, sitting on his shoulder. "No," he whispered, tightening his lips, narrowing his eyes. His fists clenched at his sides. He remembered that day the Crunge attacked them, how Tasha spent the night crying, how his own anguish swelled to see his sister's grief. "No, we're not going to run."
She nodded. He knew what she was thinking. They had to face him.
He stared at the Crunge between narrowed eyes, then whispered to Tasha. "Remember how you let my pet hamster loose once at home, and it nibbled through the rope holding the flower pots and they crashed to the floor?"
"Uh... yeah, sorry about that," Tasha said. "It also chewed through your jacket. You know how it loves chewing things."
"I know. And now you're a rodent too, with teeth just as sharp. See how the bridge is tied to our side of the canyon? Chew those ropes, leaving just a few lose strands so the bridge holds. I'll step onto the bridge. When I give the signal, join me, then bite the ropes so they snap."
Tasha looked at him suspiciously. "We'll fall to our deaths."
Cade shook his head. "Not us. We're going to hold on."
Tasha nodded and shivered, then began chewing the ropes, so small and silent the Crunge did not notice. Once the ropes were weakened, Cade filled his hands with dirt, said a silent prayer, and stepped onto the bridge.
"Yes, Talon. Come to me." The Crunge outreached its claws.
The bridge held beneath Cade, swinging, the wooden slats creaking. The bottomless canyon gaped beneath him, and Cade's head spun. I must be crazy, he thought. But he didn't care. Life is so crazy lately, I fit right in.
The monster who had terrorized them for so long stood before him, roaring, the lecherous grin never leaving its face. It came lolloping toward Cade, claws outstretched, the bridge swinging madly. Its stench filled Cade's nostrils, whirling his stomach and bringing tears to his eyes. "I will enjoy your raw flesh," it growled.
Heart hammering, Cade waited until the monster was close. Then he tossed the dirt into its face, blinding it. The Crunge brought its hands to its eyes.
"Now, Tash!"
Tasha bit in a fury, severed one rope, hopped to the second rope, and bit again.
With a creaking shower of dust and splinters, the bridge collapsed.
Cade and Tasha clutched the ropes, hanging on tightly, swinging across the pit. They slammed against the far side of the canyon, hitting the chalk wall with a thud. The Crunge, still rubbing its eyes, tumbled over Cade into the canyon. Its howls were lost in the depths.
Hearts thrashing, Cade and Tasha climbed the hanging rope bridge onto the far side of the canyon. Cade lay, face against the dirt, breathing heavily, heart hammering. We won't be dreaming of that guy anymore. He tried to raise his head to look at his sister, but felt too weak. He trembled. He heard Tasha let out a shaky sob. The Crunge. Gone. It felt like peeling off a lingering scab.
"You okay, Tash?" he said when he could speak again.
"I think I chewed my teeth down to the gums," she replied. Though she trembled and sobbed, Cade recognized something in his sister's voice. Excitement. She had not sounded this alive in a long time, not even during their nightly trips to Dream, when her happiness hid buried anguish.
Cade rolled onto his back. The stench, fangs, and mocking voice still filled his mind. The Crunge was gone, but who knew how many more horrors lay on the way to Nightmare?
* * * * *
Walking away from the bridge, they came upon a bowl of earth dug under a face of overhanging rock. Bones of deer, rabbits, and wild boars lay there, teeth marks covering them. The carcass of a half-eaten deer sat in the grass. Bits of fur and drool covered the place.
"The Crunge's lair," Cade said.
"Look, Cade," Tasha said, whiskers twitching. "What's that glinting?"
Cade saw the glint between the bones and dirt. He stepped toward it, leaned down, and lifted a golden crown encrusted with gemstones. Inside each red gem burned a tiny flame, dancing. It looked worth a fortune. Back home, Cade could sell it for thousands of dollars.
"This is a beautiful thing," he said. "It must have belonged to the Crunge." He strung the crown through his belt.
He stepped away from the canyon back into the forest, and for a long time he walked in silence, Tasha on his shoulder. They walked through the hilly woods. Maples and birches rustled and anemones speckled the grassy earth. Sunbeams broke through the trees' canopy, casting dapples of light. Boulders stood large and mossy. Cade found a stream full of smooth stones that glowed with inner light. He walked along it between overhanging alders.
Mushrooms grew as large as barstools, and Cade spotted sparrows and squirrels feeding upon them. The twins added the mushrooms to their diet of coconuts and wild apples. They also found pine nuts and strawberries, which Cade stored in his pockets. They drank from rivulets that ran between the boulders, trickling and splashing upon leaves and stones.
Cade thought back to his life in the world, his apartment, his job, the subway, the cemetery, the city that stretched gray and smoggy around him. He shut his eyes as he walked. Tasha and I fled to a new country, fled the wars, but did we find peace? Only in Dream. Only in our place. Cade lowered his head. It seemed all he did was flee, but not this time. Cade tightened his lips. This time I walk into the darkness, and let me face it. For Dream. For Tasha. It's the only way to make everything good again.
He looked at Tasha, who sat perched on his shoulder. She looked back, eyes sad. He knew she was remembering that day, that day worse than any other, that day she relived every day. Cade looked at his hands, the hands of Talon, unscarred, no shrapnel inside them. Yet the memories whispered even here, in Dream.
He smiled at his twin. It'll be okay, he thought. He did not need to say anything. She knew what he was thinking, as she so often did, and she forced herself to smile back.
When twilight fell, Cade saw a glow ahead between the trees, and he heard a song as from harps. He stepped toward the light and sound, parted bushes and branches, and gasped.
Strange creatures moved ahead, glowing soft blue. They stood ten feet tall, all limbs and digits woven of light, like luminous stick insects or tangles of fiber optic cables. With long fingers of many joints, they collected mist from the air and earth, wove it into glowing orbs, and sent their creations to float into the sky. Inside those orbs, Cade
saw visions of Dream--rolling hills, flowery meadows, shaded forests.
"They're weaving dreams for humans back on Earth," Tasha whispered, watching from Cade's shoulder. "They are dreamloomers. Here is where dreams must come from."
Cade nodded. "Look at that one." He pointed.
One dreamloomer stood by the smoking footprints of the Crunge. As the dreamloomer collected strands of dream, a dark wisp of smoke rose from the footprints, invaded the orb, and entered the woven dream. The dreamloomer released the orb, and it floated into the sky, tainted.
"That one has a nightmare in it," Cade said. "I reckon that as monsters crawl this land, more humans back on Earth will have nightmares among their good dreams."
Tasha shuddered. "Windwhisper was right. If Dream falls, there will be nothing but nightmares for these creatures to weave."
With a shiver, they kept walking, leaving the dreamloomers to hum and move and craft their dreams. For a long time Cade and Tasha walked in silence. As evening fell, they climbed to a hilltop above a valley and lake. Cade could see no end to the forest; it rolled into the western horizon, shrouded in mist. Behind him, to the east, he could spot the canyon, only a thin line between the trees. Seashell Shore was already too far to see. He looked into the valley. Deer herded along the shores of the lake, and the hills on the far side sported facades of chalk, golden in the sunset.
"We've traveled for so long and seen no people," Cade said. "I wonder if all of Dream is like this, simply rolling hills and forests." They had never walked this much when visiting Dream in their sleep. Were there no towns here? No people? There must be some if a bridge was built.
They found a patch of soft grass overlooking the valley, and lay down for the night beneath the branches of a maple. Soon the stars shone, and a purple moon glowed between the treetops. Crickets chirped and the air smelled of leaves and sap. Instead of using her shell, Tasha curled up on Cade's chest. "The shell is a bit cold to sleep in," she explained, but Cade thought it had more to do with the Crunge. The monster had unnerved them both.
The Gods of Dream: An Epic Fantasy Page 4
