"I smell monsters," Tasha said. "They're close."
Cade drew Sunclaw. The blade hissed. He looked around but saw nothing.
Suddenly Tasha shrieked. "Snakes!"
Cade started. A great hiss rose, and suddenly red snakes swarmed across the ground. Their eyes burned with flames.
"The snakes of Kar!" Starlight said. "Spies of Phobetor. We must hunt them all; they have seen us."
Panting, Tasha hid in Cade's pocket. The snakes covered the ground, dozens of them. Grimacing, Cade began to stomp on the snakes, crushing them under his boots. They hissed and swarmed, and when he stepped on them, they squished and spurted malodorous black blood. The pegacats flew from here to there, hunting the snakes, crushing their necks with sharp teeth.
The snakes began to flee, and Cade and the pegacats gave chase.
"Don't let them report this to Nightmare!" Starlight said.
They chased the snakes across the burnt earth, when suddenly the snakes turned to face them, eyes burning, tongues darting. Cade froze. They're up to something.
The snakes rose onto the tips of their tails, hissing, then suddenly rushed toward each other and bundled up into a writhing ball. Cade grimaced in disgust as the ball of snakes twisted and stretched, forming an elongated shape.
"What are they doing?" he cried over their deafening hissing.
The mass of snakes formed into the shape of a man, with limbs made of writhing snakes and no head.
"A supersnake!" Harmony screamed. "Run!"
Cade felt Sunclaw tingle in his hand. Run? No. I can't let this snake fill the dreams of sleepers. He tightened his lips and raised his sword. The supersnake darted toward him.
Cade swung his Dreamblade, slicing into the creature. Black blood splashed and the snakes writhed and hissed with fury. Sunclaw hummed and Cade grunted as the blood burned against his skin. A cut appeared in the body of snakes, but they regrouped, closing it, and lunged at Cade again.
He swung Sunclaw and chopped the supersnake in half. The snakes comprising the creature flew to all sides. A bunch landed around Starlight and she yelped and flew into the air. More snakes landed on Harmony, covering her, writhing over her. Harmony screamed in pain and shook them off.
"One bit me," she cried. "It burns."
The snakes began to regroup again, and Cade lunged forward and hacked with his Dreamblade again and again, slicing the snakes. Bits of snake fell to the ground, oozing and steaming. The surviving snakes scurried under boulders.
"Don't let them escape!" Starlight shouted.
Harmony cried in pain.
Cade rushed from boulder to boulder, tilting them over, but the snakes had disappeared into holes in the earth. Cade tried digging into the ground, but the holes seemed endless.
He looked at Starlight. "I killed most of them. A few escaped."
Starlight kept digging in the ground for the snakes. "They will bring news of this to Phobetor," she said. "He will soon know that there is a new being in Dream who wields a Dreamblade, though I hope he does not guess your purpose."
"Starlight!" Harmony cried, voice torn.
Cade and Starlight hurried toward the white pegacat. Harmony lay on the ground, an ugly red bite on her leg. Her eyes were cloudy.
"It burns, but it's so cold...," Harmony whispered, her face drawn.
Cade examined the bite. He looked at Starlight, who was patting Harmony's head.
"Her leg is swelling," Cade said. "That snake was venomous."
Starlight gazed at the bite, her eyes heavy with worry. "Maninav, the goddess of flowers, is a healer," she said. "We must see her."
* * * * *
The red snakes squirmed over the bloodred tiles, moving toward his throne. Columns of fire burned in the distance between the stone pillars of his hall, reflecting against the snakes' scales, glittering like a million firegems. Phobetor sat on his throne, his clawed hands hanging limply over the armrests, watching the spies approach.
"Welcome home, pets," he said, beckoning to them. The snakes crawled up his legs and rested lovingly in his lap. Some coiled around his shoulders and others nested on his head. "Do you bring me news from Dream?"
One of the snakes in his lap rustled. "We do, kind master," it hissed, eyes like rubies glinting in the firelight.
Eliven, his demon wife of fire and clay, lay on her side at the foot of the throne, lazily coiling a lock of her flaming hair around her finger. "Why do you let snakes lie on you?" she asked, gazing up at the creatures. Her bat wings creaked. "Snakes belong in my belly, not on a god's lap."
The snakes hissed and glared at her, and Phobetor stroked them. "Never mind the Queen," he said. "Tell me, my pets, have you found these Cade and Tasha?
"We have, My lord," whispered a snake on his shoulder. "The human bears a new Dreamblade, one which we've never seen."
Phobetor frowned, tapping his claws against the armrests of his throne. He looked past the stone columns of his hall, gazing into the fiery distances where black mountains rose from storming red ash. So Tam has carved a new Dreamblade. The humans are important, as I suspected. What is the elk up to?
"I will eat the humans too," Eliven said. She coyly rose to her feet, snarling, showing her fangs. Her eyes burned like lit coals, and her great black wings outstretched. The flames of her hair burned bright, and the heat of her clay body singed the snakes black. They hissed and cowered behind Phobetor's back.
"Not until we've learned more about them," Phobetor said. "The elk must be mad, or desperate, to give a Dreamblade to a mortal. What kind of quest has he sent these twins, these Talon and Sunflower, on? I wonder."
Eliven shot out her hand, snatched a snake from behind Phobetor's back, and pulled it to her mouth. She bit off the snake's head, covering her mouth with blood. She sucked up its body like a noodle, then tossed its head aside to roll, bloody, across the floor.
"Really, Eliven," Phobetor said. "We have plates, you know."
She hissed and showed her bloody fangs, her leather wings flapping. "Demons need no plates, only raw, wriggling flesh and hot blood."
"I will give you wriggling flesh and hot blood tonight in bed," he countered. "For now, do not molest my spies. Not when they have news from Dream."
The Queen of Nightmare sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and licked his cheek. "Give me your hot flesh now, my lord. Make love to me here, on your throne."
He let her claws caress his neck, and did not flinch even when, in her passion, she scratched his back, drawing black blood. The snakes fled down the throne, across the floor, and behind the stone columns.
"What do you make of this, my love?" he asked her. "Two mortals, taken from Earth into Dream, given a Dreamblade, given a compass. What is the elk planning?"
She shrugged, crossing her legs on his lap, the flames of her hair crackling. "He is desperate. What troops does he have left? Tam? The boy dares not leave his caves. Those pathetic winged kittens? They are barely adequate to hunt a mouse. Galgev? The woodsman would never kill his own son. Would he, my lord?"
Phobetor sighed. "Eliven, please, leave my father out of this. You know that he would not harm me."
Eliven nibbled his ear. "There you go, oh mighty Lord of Nightmare." She laughed, a sound like hissing.
Phobetor pushed her off his lap and rose to his feet. He paced across the hall. "And yet... and yet, Eliven, they've gotten past Feesrog. They have done that."
She laughed again, standing by the throne, one hand on her hip. "Feesrog! Please. That shaggy gorilla couldn't catch a fish in a barrel. He couldn't catch leprosy in a leper colony. Send the Mother and Father to them, if you are concerned."
Phobetor spun around and stared at her. "The Mother and Father? I thought you weren't worried about them."
She shrugged. "I am not. Why should I be? But if you'd like their skulls as trophies, and don't want to wait, send the pair out. I'll let you keep the skulls, if you let me eat the flesh." She licked her full lips, hunger in her coal eyes.
&
nbsp; Phobetor sighed. "Eliven, how did you ever get such an endless appetite? Surely I did not create you this way."
She flapped her great wings, leapt in the air, and landed before him. She brushed against him, like a cat against its owner's leg. "My appetites are for more than food, my king."
He kissed her neck. "And that is how I like you, my demon wife."
She pulled back. "So why do you still desire that Dream princess of yours?"
He clutched her face, pulled her lips to his, and kissed her forcefully. "You must learn to share, sweetness," he said. He licked the snake blood off her chin and cheeks. "I will send out the Mother and Father. But when you eat the mortals, Eliven, please, for my sake, do not make such a bloody mess."
Chapter Twelve
Loor's Curse
They ran through fields of waist-high clover, the purple flowers swaying in the breeze. Cade's eyes were narrowed with worry. He held Harmony in his arms. She twisted and groaned in pain, her bite swelling, her eyes clouded over. Starlight flew at his side, butterfly wings flapping.
"Soon we'll see Maninav," Cade said to Harmony. He tried to sound soothing, but she seemed to barely hear him. She only nodded weakly. Her fur was pale and flat.
The air blew against his face, and the mountains in the distance rose and fell as he ran. The clover flapped against him and the distance seemed endless. As he ran, Starlight sang from the Dreamsong.
Queen Alandria, sylvan wife of Yor
gazed upon Galgev
and thought for many days
and finally created him a companion
Alandria collected flowers from the Enchanted Garden
and wove petal and leaf
forming the shape of a woman
She breathed life into the form
and named her Maninav
goddess of all things good and growing
She granted Maninav dominion in the Tropical Canopy
Under a canopy of vines and leafy boughs
a small stream runs over colorful stones
and parrots live among the leafs
singing in the soft rain
This realm Alandria granted to Maninav
Maninav, goddess of flowers
filled Dream with her beauty
and became wife to Galgev
Cade breathed heavily. He could not run much longer. How farther away was Maninav? With every step, Harmony seemed paler and weaker.
After a few more minutes, Cade had to slow to a walk. He could run no further, and his breath ached in his chest. Just until I can catch my breath.
Riding on his shoulder, Tasha whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry that I cowered during the fight." The mouse lowered her head. "I just can't stand snakes. I did grab this, though."
She showed Cade an iron ring studded with red stones. Flames danced inside the gems. "The snake that bit Harmony wore this as a collar," Tasha said. "Didn't the Crunge's crown have the same gems? I'll hold onto this ring; it might be useful. It smells like black magic."
Starlight gazed at the ring, eyes worried. "Those are firegems," the pegacat said. "They are found only in the deepest holes of Nightmare, and carry great power. Beware this ring, dear mouse."
Soon Cade could run again, and they left the field of clover for a land of boulders that towered several times his height, covered with vines. With every step forward, more and more vines grew, and soon they were racing through a thick forest of twisting trees. Lichen hung heavy from the boughs. Moss coated the trees and boulders. Only a dim light shone through the canopy.
Soon rivulets and pools covered the land, and the ground became treacherous. The streams ran everywhere, and many fallen logs and tangles of vines covered the earth. The trees grew so densely, Cade could barely find a way through. A soft rain fell, and parrots flew from tree to tree, chirping.
"Tropical Canopy," Tasha whispered. One of their favorite places to visit in their sleep.
Starlight nodded. "Maninav's domain."
Parakeets and toucans flew among the branches, filling the rainforest with music. Vines hung between the trees, drooping with curtains of lichen. Gnarly roots grew everywhere, some rising so high, they towered over Cade. The trees soared, and Cade could not see the tops of them. The jungle was loud with the birds, dripping rain, and bubbly streams. Orange fish swam in rivulets and a mist hung in the air.
"Harmony, are you all right?" Cade asked. "We're almost there."
Harmony groaned in response, panting in pain. Her bite had swollen to the size of an apricot. "It hurts," she moaned. Snake scales were growing around the bite. Cade winced.
Suddenly the deep beautiful voice of a woman came from ahead. Cade froze. The voice was both enchanting and dangerously powerful, and it filled him with dread and wonder. The rainforest reverberated with it.
"I sense an evil entering this place. Stand still." Each word echoed as an entity of holiness.
Cade looked ahead but saw no one. He narrowed his eyes.
"Who spoke?" he whispered.
Then he saw her, and he gasped. A hundred yards before him stood a woman woven of leaf and petal. Her limbs were made of vines. Her hair was grass and leaves. Her eyes were bluebells, and her body was woven of gerberas, jasmines, hyacinths, and many other flowers.
Maninav. Galgev's wife. The goddess of flowers.
"You bring an unholy presence into this garden," the woman of flowers and leaves said.
Cade held Harmony out in his arms. "Maninav!" he said. "Here is Harmony the pegacat. The evil you sense is the bite on her leg. A snake of Nightmare infected her with its venom."
Harmony whimpered. The scales were growing on her leg and her eyes were bloodshot and teary.
Maninav flowed toward them. Soon she stood before Cade. She smelled of flowers and fresh leaves. Roses bloomed around her neck. The goddess took Harmony into her hands, hands made of roots and vines.
"What did the snake look like?" the goddess asked.
"A red snake," Starlight said urgently, "with eyes of fire."
Tasha showed Maninav the ring. "The snake that bit her wore this as a collar."
It seemed to Cade that Maninav paled--if it was possible for a woman of flowers to pale.
"This was Loor's ring," Maninav said, her voice alarmed. "The snake was a familiar of his. Everything in Dream wilts from Loor's touch. It is not the snake bite that is killing Harmony. It is the ring's touch."
Cade looked at Harmony, his heart aching to see her suffering. Foam was gathering at her mouth, and her eyes lolled back.
"So why am I unaffected?" Tasha said. "I touched the ring."
Maninav stared at her with bluebell eyes. "Because you are a creature of Earth, and Loor is not powerful enough yet to cause Earth-things to wilt... though he might be, soon."
Suddenly Harmony hissed evilly. Her fur was turning gray, and her eyes were mean. She spat and cursed with hatred.
"Can nothing heal her?" Starlight pleaded.
Maninav looked at Cade. Her flower gaze penetrated him. "There is a plant called laceleaf," she said, "which never wilted around Loor. It grows near Niv's home. If Harmony eats it, she will be cured."
"Where can we find this plant?" Cade asked. We're running out of time. Harmony writhed and howled.
"Niv can help you find it," Maninav said. "Now go! I cannot come with you. Not when Phobetor's spies roam the land."
As they turned to leave, Maninav handed Cade a silvery rope. "Take this," the goddess of flowers said. "It's the only gift I can give--a rope that can never tear. Now go, quickly!"
They ran.
* * * * *
Cade raced throughout the night, not stopping to sleep. His arms ached from holding Harmony. She was growing limp and barely had the strength to writhe. With dawn, he saw that her fur had turned a dank dark gray, and her eyes were swollen and black. Scales covered her leg, spreading onto her back. Her wings no longer looked like the wings of a butterfly, but the wings of some ugly insect, and rotting, serrated teeth filled her
mouth.
"What's happening to her?" he asked Starlight.
Tears filled Starlight's eyes. "She is becoming a creature of Nightmare."
They had left Tropical Canopy behind and were running across hills of foxtail. Birches grew around them and purple mountains soared in the distance. At noon, they spotted a verdant valley several miles away.
"Butterfly Valley," Starlight said. "Here is Niv's home."
Cade looked at Harmony in concern. Her eyes had lolled back and he could see only the white. Her tongue was swollen and black and hung from her mouth. But her chest still rose and fell. She lived.
A cloud of butterflies flew across him. Tall green grass, sweet scented and strewn with fallen leaves, rose around his feet. He was entering the sunny valley, where millions of flowers of all kind grew. He had never smelled anything sweeter. Myriads of butterflies lived here: Monarchs, Swallowtails, Skippers, Metalmarks, Spring Azures, and many Cade could not name. The scent of leaves and flowers filled his nose, while the sounds of breeze in the grass, crickets, and distant honking geese played in the air. Were he not so concerned about Harmony, the beauty would have taken Cade's breath away.
The sunlight fell upon Harmony's eyes, and she moaned.
"We're here, Harmony," Starlight said. "We'll find help for you soon."
Harmony's eyes burned with red fire, and words slipped through her mouth, her voice far too deep, like the voice of an echo. "But there will be no help for you," said the cursed pegacat, "for all in Dream shall fall, and the sunlight will never more burn me."
Cade felt himself blanch. He looked at Starlight, and her eyes were haunted.
A beam of sunlight fell upon a patch of dandelions ahead. Her back to him, a figure sat in the dandelions, light sparkling around her. A centaur! Cade thought, but no; her lower half was not that of a horse, but an elk, young and dainty. A feeling of holiness filled Cade. He stopped running and approached slowly, holding his breath.
My God.
The figure filled him with more awe than even Maninav and Tam. Light fur covered her elk body, and blond hair cascaded down her human back. She was humming softly, a song of such beauty that Cade could cry. Butterflies wove flowers into her hair, and more butterflies hovered around her, bearing flowers heavy with nectar. Cade took careful steps forward. The closer he got, the holier the woman seemed, the more beautiful her song. The woman turned her head slightly, and Cade saw her face in profile, and his heart skipped at her beauty. Nude she was, her cascading locks guarding her modesty. He realized that the butterflies were feeding her nectar and blessing her name.
The Gods of Dream: An Epic Fantasy Page 10
