The Gods of Dream: An Epic Fantasy

by Daniel Arenson

  "Phobetor is growing stronger every day," Cade said. "We can't afford to spend weeks walking around the wall. If Phobetor conquers Dream, the bottle will lose its magic, and Nightmare will be unstoppable. There's no time to spare. We must cross through Ral Badar."

  "But how?" Harmony cried, clinging to Cade's leg. "You saw that thing! It was horrible." The white pegacat shuddered and buried her face against Cade's clothes. Tasha too shivered and clung to Cade's neck, her mousey limbs embracing him.

  Cade gazed at a fallen tree by the cave. He pursed his lips and nodded slowly. The tree's roots were large, heavy, and intricate, almost like a cage. The root structure spread for ten feet across. The treetop was much thinner and lighter.

  Cade stepped toward the fallen tree. While the roots were huge and heavy, he could lift the treetop if he strained.

  "If I could lift the heavy roots too," Cade said, "we can lure the monster out, then crush him."

  "You'll never lift those roots," Harmony said. "The treetop you lifted is thin, but the roots are huge and must weigh as much as an elephant."

  Cade tapped his chin. "I have an idea."

  In a nearby patch of flame-of-the-woods leaves, he located a round mossy boulder. He pushed against it. It nudged. Straining, he rolled the boulder toward the fallen tree, lifted the treetop, and placed the trunk over the boulder.

  "A lever," he said. "One of the Six Simple Machines. You can lift anything with them. Archimedes said about the lever, "Give me the place to stand, and I shall move the earth.'"

  "Archi-who?" Harmony asked.

  "The philosopher... from Earth," Starlight said. "From a couple thousand years ago. Remember? You used to like visiting his dreams."

  "Ah yes!" Harmony said, eyes widening in delight. "He had a fluffy beard."

  After moments of adjusting the boulder and trunk, Cade managed to pull down on the treetop and lift the heavy roots above the cave's opening. It took all his strength to hold it up. He turned to Tasha. "Tash, dearest sister. Now go in there and lure the beast out."

  Tasha sighed. "Why do I always get these jobs?"

  The mouse scurried into the cave. A moment later, she came racing out. "It's behind me!"

  Cade let go of the lever. Cuanbet, the One-Eyed, emerged from the cave, roaring, shark teeth bared. The heavy roots fell.

  Cade held his breath as he watched. The roots slammed against the Incubus with a great thud. The beast howled, buried under the roots, its blood spurting. It screamed and spat and struggled, but could not free itself. Hideous thing, Cade thought, shuddering at the sight of its evil eye and shark maw.

  "Yee-haw!" Harmony cried. "Take that!"

  "Into the cave!" Cade said, excitement burning through him. "Quick, before it frees itself."

  They raced into the passageway. They hurried through the darkness. A hundred yards into the tunnel, Cade saw piles of bones. Among them glittered a decorative axe, the size of a hammer, gilded and encrusted with emeralds. It wasn't much of a weapon, but Cade decided to take it.

  Soon they saw sunlight ahead, and Cade breathed in relief. They raced toward the light and emerged from the cliffs into a forest of sweet mist and green pines.

  Harmony leapt onto Cade and hugged him. "Now I can draw an elephant on this side of the wall too!"

  Cade breathed deeply, fingers tingling with adrenaline, the image of Cuanbet still howling in his mind. I've seen another Incubus, and lived... barely. How many more lay along his path? As Harmony laughed and drew upon the cliff, Cade looked into the west, the breeze tousling his hair. Though the sun was bright and the breeze pleasant, he shivered.

  * * * * *

  They traveled through the forest until nightfall. With the moon shining, they found a meadow of soft grass and lay down to sleep. The air was sweet-scented, the stars shone bright, and the beech trees swayed in the breeze.

  They took turns watching, not wishing to chance a monster arriving as they slept. Cade took the last watch, sitting on a fallen log and watching the stars and comets. Harmony slept curled up in his lap; since the passageway, she did not leave his side. Nothing disturbed the night and finally milky dawn spread across the sky and flowers bloomed. Dream is beautiful, but how can I enjoy this peace and beauty when Nightmare's beings crawl across the land?

  Harmony stirred in his lap, eyes shut, clinging to Cade. She licked his fingers. "Na ley ta," she murmured in her sleep. "Na ley ta, Cade."

  Starlight rose from sleep and padded toward him. She smiled at her sleeping sister. "It means 'I love you' in the ancient, holy language of Eloria. We speak it in only the most solemn times." Starlight looked upon her sister, eyes warm yet sad. "She still fears the creature she saw in Ral Badar. She is a gentle soul. She used to fear Yor himself, until one day he visited the Waterfall and spoke to her, and walked with her for many miles, and they became friends. She calls him Twig Eater since and loves him." She leaned forward and kissed Harmony awake. "Gala neeya, Harmony. Good morning."

  The morning tasted sweet, like spring grass and flowers. Bluebells swayed across the meadow in a purple carpet, chiming like real bells. Sheeplike clouds rolled across the sky while the forest rustled around them, fresh with the chirping of birds. The breeze was so gentle, the air so fresh and the flowers so sweet, that Cade wished he could just lay on his back and watch the skies all day. Yet the memory of Ral Badar roused him to his feet.

  "How far are we from the Crystal Caves?" he asked Starlight.

  "Three days," the pegacat replied, "as Windwhisper flies."

  Cade nodded. "Lead the way."

  It took some coaxing to get Harmony to her feet, but soon they were marching west over undulating grasslands. For three days they walked, across plains of golden-green grass, and through forests of many fruits, and fields of boulders and young oaks.

  On the third day, they reached a mountain covered with countless purple cyclamens. The flowers flowed over the mountainsides like a blanket, their leaves dark green and veiny. Miles ahead, upon the mountains, Cade could see a glint like a beacon embedded into the mountainside. It shone like a small sun, and when evening fell, the sunset burned against it in red and gold.

  "There are the Crystal Caves," Starlight said. "They shine for miles, calling us home."

  They slept upon the flowers under the stars, and continued their climb in morning. They saw, several miles ahead, a precipice of pink, blue, and purple crystals that shone bright. The Crystal Caves. As they drew nearer, Cade felt a tranquil and holy air descend upon the mountains. It felt like he was walking toward a temple of great peace and goodness, where forever joy and beauty dwelled.

  Harmony sighed peacefully. "I like Tam's home. Caves make the best homes, don't you think, Starlight?"

  "That's why we live in one," Starlight said.

  As they stepped closer to the caves, violet crystals grew from the earth between patches of white ladies'-tresses whose blossoms nodded in the wind. Soon they stood at the entrance to the cave. Patches of ivory bugleweed grew there, and a glow came from inside.

  From the cave floated a deep, melodious voice. "Enter, friends. I have seen you climb the mountain."

  Harmony darted into the cave, and Cade heard her squeal "Tam!", followed by the deep laugh of a man. Starlight at his heel, Tasha on his shoulder, Cade stepped into the numinous cave.

  The crystals grew tall inside, white and blue and violet. Some crystals were carved into the likeness of people and animals. Delicate sketches of landscapes, people, and nature scenes were engraved into other crystals. White apple blossoms covered the floor.

  A man stood among the carved crystals, clad in white. He seemed neither young nor old, but carried an ageless, immortal aura. His eyes were two glittering sapphires, and his hair seemed made of flowing water that did not spill.

  "Hello, Starlight," the man said, his voice like music. "Hello, Cade."

  Cade nodded. "Tam. Hello, and thank you for inviting us into your home."

  Tam showed them deeper into the cave, to a c
lear fountain where the travelers washed themselves. They then retired into a chamber of white crystals, the walls painted with murals of landscapes. They sat upon cushions woven of blossoms, and Tam served them breads, nuts, fruits, and bowls of steaming soup. For the pegacats, Tam brought bowls of gems, their favorite food. They drank chilly white wine from jeweled horns.

  "Tam is Yor's grandson," Starlight whispered to Cade as he ate. "The goddess Niv, Yor's daughter, bathed in the Enchanted Waterfall. The water sparkled around her, placing Tam in her womb."

  "Our waterfall!" Harmony whispered, crunching gems in her mouth.

  Cade sipped his wine and gazed at Tam, this god with hair of flowing water. "Galgev told me to see you," he said. "He said you will make me a Dreamblade." He wondered how useful a blade would be in his hands; he was no warrior, and a sword would not turn him into a hero.

  Tam smiled a small smile. "I already have."

  The god stepped toward two great crystals and sang to them. As his voice flowed, the crystals began to part, and between them shone a beam of light. Glittering in the light floated a sword with a crystal blade. Cade caught his breath at the beauty.

  The pommel was wrought of silver shaped as the head of a hawk. It looks like Windwhisper, guardian of Dream. The golden handguards were shaped as antlers, covered with silver chasings. Yes... they carry the strength of Yor the elk. The blade was crystal, transparent and glittering. The word "Sunclaw" was filigreed into the handle between carvings of apple blossoms.

  "Behold the Sunclaw of Eloria," Tam whispered.

  Cade reached into the glittering light and took the sword. It was light, yet he felt its power and deadliness flow through him. He had never felt such power. The pegacats gazed in awe.

  "May it protect you against the beasts of Kar," Tam whispered. "A crystal of Dream will cut hides that no other blade can notch."

  Starlight nodded. "Dreamblades are the only weapon that can kill a god," she said, gazing at Cade. "Phobetor creates them from black crystals deep in the soil of Nightmare, but in Dream, we have our own crystals, and our Dreamblades are just as strong."

  Cade shuddered. Facing monsters here in Dream had been bad enough. He did not relish entering their kingdom. Tasha too shivered on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "Cade, I don't like this... I don't want us to fight."

  "Me neither," Cade whispered back, suddenly feeling cold, "but I'm not sure we have a choice, Tash."

  Tam handed him a strap woven of silver thread and a scabbard of silver. Cade sheathed Sunclaw and hung the sword over his back.

  "Now we must continue," Starlight said. "The compass points west, and Nightmare grows stronger every day."

  Cade knelt by the black pegacat. "'We', Starlight? You showed me to the Crystal Caves and kept your promise. Why not return to your waterfall now, instead of following me into danger?"

  Harmony placed a paw on his knee. "We're not afraid!" she said. She tried to growl, but her growl turned into a squeak. "Well, maybe a little. But you need Starlight and me to take care of you, and teach you more about Dream."

  "And no place is truly safe anymore," Starlight added. "Not even our waterfall. Not if the Incubi roam through Dream."

  Cade looked at the pegacats, and gratitude filled him. He realized that he had come to love the pair, and felt relief that he wouldn't have to part with them.

  "Wise and truthful companions you have found, Cade of Earth!" Tam said, smiling. "Mischievous they are, and no strawberries are safe around them, but I can think of no finer guides."

  The god walked with them back to the cave's opening, stood among the bugleweed, and watched as the company headed down the mountain. For miles, Cade could see the god of music standing by the Crystal Caves, watching them. Finally, as they reached the feet of the mountains, Tam disappeared into the shine of crystals and mist.

  Chapter Eleven

  Snakes

  For a long time: emptiness, darkness, dizziness.

  Did he lie in a bed? The world seemed to swim around him, as if he lay upon a raft floating through an endless sea. He tried to open his eyes, but could not. Whenever he tried to claw himself awake, slumber pulled him back in.

  Emptiness. Darkness. Dizziness.

  "Too ripe...," he rasped. Speaking hurt. "Tasha won't--"

  Slumber. Pain. His bed moving like a raft over waves.

  Where am I?

  Finally, a hand clutching his. Tasha, his twin, sat beside him, weeping, her hair disheveled. Cade blinked, but the world was blurry, crusty. He heard beeping and saw nurses, machines. A hospital.

  "Tash, what happened?"

  She clutched his hand, her tears falling, and then he slept again.

  Emptiness. Darkness. Dizziness.

  He slept forever, it seemed, through dreams of darkness and light, walking through the paintings of his sister, those landscapes that hung upon their walls. The strawberries, he tried to say, anguished. Too ripe....

  Then one day, he realized that he was talking to somebody. A doctor.

  "Well, that's good, Cade. I'm glad you're hearing better now."

  What had he just said? Cade blinked feebly.

  "How long has it been?" he asked.

  Somebody clutched his left hand, and Cade realized that his sister sat at his other side. Still her hair was draggled.

  "Long enough," she whispered. She leaned down and hugged him. "Thank God you're awake."

  "Where are mom and dad?" he asked, throat raspy, lips dry. Bandages covered his hands and legs.

  Tasha only sobbed. Her hair covered her eyes. Cade slept again.

  Walking through the fields of Dream, Cade sighed. Don't remember. Just forget. Memories are pain.

  He looked around him. Fields of lilac and jasmines stretched for miles toward distant purple mountains, the skies pure blue above. The smell of flowers and grass filled the air. Dream. Our place of forgetting. Cade reached over his back and touched Sunclaw.

  They slept in the fields that night, then spent two days walking through a forest of pines and maples, bluebells carpeting the floor and faeries gliding through the air like pollen. On the third day, the trees gave way to grassy hills speckled with mint bushes. Below them to the north, Cade could see blue water.

  "Another sea?" he asked.

  Starlight nodded. "It is Beluga Beach you see, and the blue waters of the Nayan Sea, a warm sea rich with coral and many fish."

  They reached the beach next morning. Grassy swards spread away from the sand, and the water was deep blue. As they walked west along the sand, herds of giraffes ran along the grass to their left, so graceful their feet made no patter. To their right, belugas leapt in the waters, singing.

  "Hello, travelers!" the giraffes called.

  "Have a day of salt and seaweed!" called the belugas.

  Reefs of coral grew in the distant water, and the air smelled of sea and grass. The water was calm, glistening in the sun.

  "I like this place," Tasha said. "I wish we had time for a swim." She thought for a moment. "I wonder if mice can swim."

  Cade took off his boots and let the sand caress his feet. The sand was soft like powder and soothed his soles. When the sun began to set, her light glistened like beads upon the tranquil waters. Cade noticed two figures standing ahead in the sea, the water up to their waists. They held a net between them, which they pulled back and forth.

  "Could they be fishing?" Cade wondered. He had never seen anything hunt in Dream before, not in this land where animals could speak.

  The fishermen were short, barely as tall as Cade's shoulder, with huge pointy ears and red bulbous noses. Their long hair and beards seemed made of dry leaves, and wicker hats sat upon their heads.

  "Gala nota fan ta!" they called out, dragging their net over the twinkling water. Cade knew enough Elorian already to understand. Good evening to you.

  "Gala nota fan ta lom," he said. "Catch anything?"

  One of the gnomes whistled softly. "Oh, a few things."

  They pull
ed their net up from the water, and Cade's eyes widened. Inside the net, they had caught beads of light which had, just a moment before, glistened upon the water. With leathery hands, the fishermen collected the beads of light and placed them into sacks. Cade saw piles of lights inside.

  "A great evening for fishing for stars!" said the second man, and they dropped their net back into the water.

  Cade stepped into the water, leaned down, and tried to catch a bead of light, but the water slipped from between his fingers.

  The fishermen laughed. "Here," one said and tossed him a star. "Take one of ours. May it bring light and beauty to you, wherever you go."

  Cade thanked them, placed the star in his backpack, and the company continued walking, leaving the two fishermen behind.

  "I wonder if those stars are tasty," Harmony said, eyeing Cade's backpack.

  "If we finish the journey safely," Cade said, "I'll let you taste it, maybe. Until then, I'd rather keep it handy. Who knows if we might need it?"

  Next morning, the compass pointed them away from the sea, and they walked across grassy fields where towering boulders stood like buildings. Thin trees and bushes speckled the land, heavy with fruit and birds. In the early afternoon, however, the land changed. The grass disappeared, and the earth lay bare and grayish brown. The trees seemed burnt, reaching out naked black branches.

  "This land used to be green," Starlight said. "The evil god Loor must have walked here. Wherever Loor walks, the land wilts."

  Loor. Cade remembered hearing that name in the Dreamsong. Niv had been sad about Loor.

  "Are we close to Nightmare?" Tasha asked, standing on Cade's shoulder, looking around at the gray soil and bleak sky.

  Starlight shook her head. "No, Nightmare still lies many leagues away, but Phobetor has been claiming pockets all across Dream." The black pegacat hissed.

  They continued walking across the scorched earth. Jagged spirals were smeared onto the boulders with deep purple paint. They looked to Cade like the bloody stains of crushed worms. The symbols made him shiver. The trees seemed twisted by disease, the air smelled like fire, and the sun hung yellow and low.