by Sophia Sharp
That was the wrong way to proceed. Why would she change the method that had gotten her here already? Need was what brought her here, and need would be what let her cross the final distance. She closed her eyes and focused. Need.
Swish.
She opened her eyes, expecting to find herself out of the darkness…and was surprised when she was not. The cluster of stars that she had been by earlier were nowhere to be found. Alarm started to grip her. Had she messed up her chance? Had she done something wrong? She closed her eyes and focused with all her might. NEED!
Swish.
The darkness around her shifted, changing into something…softer. Less menacing. She looked around, but couldn’t find the cluster anywhere. Despite that, she felt oddly at ease. She was comfortable where she was. The stars around here were few and far between, but none were close enough to distinguish themselves. Curiosity got the better of her. Where was the torrial taking her? She would find out soon. Need.
Swish.
She came face-to-face with a peculiar star. It was larger than the others, much heavier, but at the same time, its glow was much gentler. She could feel its pull tugging at her. Surely this was not one of the elders’ stars? No, of course not – she would not feel this way if it were. From this one came all sorts of happy emotions. Love and caring, compassion and companionship. This was not the star of a regular Vassiz, much less the corrupt leaders that led the entire race. Something tickled the back of Nora’s mind. It was as if she should be able to recognize the star. Looking at it, she did notice it was familiar, in a way. But what that way was, and how it was connected to her, she could not place.
She closed her eyes again. Need.
Swish.
She was back in the denser area of stars, back where she had come from. Why was she taken to that strange, larger star in the first place? Then she noticed a pull from behind her, and looked there. The heavy, peculiar star was right behind her – it had followed her here! While that alone should have alarmed her, she felt no threat from it. In fact, Nora thought that it afforded her protection, somehow. She closed her eyes again. Need.
Swish.
She arrived smack in the middle of the elders’ cluster of decaying stars. Their light pulsed sickeningly, waxing and waning like something rotten. She looked to either side, around and behind her, and realized the larger star had followed her here as well. She had not seen any of the other stars move like that. Why was it trailing her? What was it – whose was it? She had to find out before entering the elders’ dreams. Need.
Swish.
Nora came back face-to-face with the larger star again. She did not move far this time, as there was no need. The star had followed her all this way. She felt the good emotions flowing out from it. She had to find out what it was. But, how? Could she peer inside somehow? Need.
This time, there was no swish. The star simply opened up to her. She did not get closer, nor did the star get any bigger, but somehow what she saw now took up her entire field of vision. She was skimming on the surface of the light, looking down into the aura of the being who existed there.
She saw trees. Thick, dense, trees in a green forest. Looming evergreens and mountainous ranges extended as far as her eye could see. It reminded her of the forest back home. She did a double take. It was the forest from back home! The one that she and Hunter had traveled across. But she was sure this wasn’t Hunter’s star.
The earth below her zoomed closer, so she could see the ground through the trees. She spotted a group of men moving through the forest. They picked their way forth carefully, but aside from their movement, Nora could not see them very well. They were…blurry. She could not tell who they were.
Suddenly, a loud gunshot blast shattered the silence. The earth sped one way. When it stopped, Nora was directly above the source of the blast. A cry of pain rang out. A tortured, wailing cry of pure agony. It was coming from right below her.
The earth shifted even closer and she was looking down from the top of the trees. She saw another blurry shape below. She could tell it was a man, big and wide. Before him lay the still-breathing body of an enormous bear. Her fur was matted with blood, and her breathing was labored. Every once in a while another cry of pain escaped her throat, each one weaker than the last.
But that was not what held her attention. Behind the bear, off to the side and almost invisible in the canopy, was a tiny cub with splotchy silver fur. It stared up at her with big, scared eyes. She would have recognized the cub anywhere. It was Gray!
At that thought the whole image below her blurred. The colors streaked away, and the lines that made up the shapes dissipated into nothingness. The colors and lines fled to the edge of her vision, leaving a dark gaping hole in the middle. And then, ever so slowly, like the painting of a master work of art, the colors and shapes began to stream back. But they were streaming back to form different shapes. Nora watched, entranced by the entire process. Slowly, she saw the formation of a large, furry leg, and then another one, and another, and another. The legs connected to the bottom of an enormous body, and it was unmistakable whose it was. Gray’s.
The remainder of his body formed slowly, built up by the colors and lines that came in from the edge of Nora’s vision. As the process occurred, Nora found herself amazed at how much Gray had changed. Even since she had left him in the woods three weeks ago, he had grown. He was so much larger now, so much more mature. Finally, when the entirety of his body was formed, a light zoomed in from the side to give life to his eyes. He opened them and looked at her.
Nora couldn’t help but gasp. There was such knowledge in those eyes. Gray moved forward, unrestrained now, and tilted his head toward her. Nora reached out, but just as her hand was about to touch his forehead, it went right through, as if moving through mist. Nora nearly staggered forward. She yearned to form the connection with Gray, the mind-link they shared thanks to her unique Vassiz ability. But he was not really here – or perhaps, she was not. It was an illusion created by the torrial. She was not really inside his dream, but looking in from behind a barrier.
Gray turned around in a tight circle, showing off his matured body. He really was stunning. His fur was luscious and thick, and the heavy muscles of his back and legs danced as he moved. The eloquent grace that he had before had been enhanced even further, so every move he made looked as if it were perfectly choreographed. Nora had been sure he’d been done growing when they said goodbye, but that certainty was now being proven wrong.
Gray tilted his head to one side, looking at her. It was a peculiar, questioning gaze – but one that Nora had seen from him many times before. Unfortunately, without being able to form the link, there was no way for her to know exactly what he wanted.
He moved toward her, and Nora started to shake her head, to remind him that they could not physically reach each other. Then she realized that was not what he was doing. He came by her and sat at her side. Then he turned his head and looked at her expectantly. He wanted to communicate something. That he was there for her?
At that thought, everything around her began to swirl. She felt affirmation come in from all directions. Was that confirmation of what Gray wanted to say? The colors and lines that made him up swirled and mashed together, leaving nothing in their wake.
Swish.
Suddenly, Nora was back inside the dark matrix of the globe torrial. Gray’s star shone brightly before her. She could not see into it anymore. She turned and saw the elders’ stars shimmering sickly there. The torrial operated on need, and it had brought her to Gray before bringing her to the elders. Or maybe Gray had called out to her somehow. Either way, they had been reunited. No wonder she felt all those emotions coming from the larger star. She and Gray were linked by an unassailable bond, and nothing would ever sever it.
She could not waste any more time. Now, with Gray beside her, she was ready to face the elders. There were eight of their stars visible in total. Nora did not know which one she should attack. But then again, it w
as not like she had a choice. Every time she tried to move by herself the balance between the darkness and the stars shifted. The torrial itself would decide which elder’s star she would enter. She closed her eyes and focused intensely on what she had to do. Need.
Swish.
Chapter Twelve
~A Twisted Land~
Nora opened her eyes, and found herself in a barren world. She looked down at herself. Her body had formed again. A dull ache echoed from her heel, where the shadow had cut her. Gabrielle’s healing had removed the pain completely before she entered the torrial, but now it was back, though not quite as bad as before. She wondered if it meant her body in the human world was succumbing to the poison. If so, it meant time was not on her side. She had to hurry.
She looked around. She was standing in a gray, dusty valley situated before an enormous mountain. The mountain’s peak reached high past the clouds above. It was the only thing that stood out in an otherwise flat land. The shadow it made extended far into the distance, and Nora could not see where it ended.
The earth around her was harsh and bare. There was not a single sign of life anywhere. Nothing green grew here, and no living beings would call this place home. It was eerily devoid of life. Even in the desert, she had seen cacti and other resilient plants grow. Here, there was nothing but rock.
Nora looked at the mountain. There, solidified rivers of lava ran down its side, long since crusted over into an unforgiving black. The mountain had erupted once, very long ago, and since that time the earth had not recovered.
“NORA.”
Nora jerked around. She heard the voice in her head. Gabrielle was speaking to her. But, how? Could he reach her when she was inside the dreams of an elder?
“NORA.” It sounded like Gabrielle was shouting, straining to be heard over a great distance. “NORA, YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN THE DREAM. HEED MY WORDS, FOR THEY MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.” His voice echoed strangely, creating an uncomfortable dissonance in her head. “EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS FALSE. NOTHING CAN BE TRUSTED. REMEMBER THAT, AND YOU WILL BE SAFE. SAFE…”
His voice trailed off, dying away to silence. Nora was sure speaking to her here took a lot out of him. She fingered the figurines inside her pocket. Everything she saw was false? She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she didn’t have to think twice about the other thing Gabrielle said. She wouldn’t trust anything here if her life depended on it.
She looked around again. The land was eerily quiet. Not only was there no life here, other than her, but there was also no movement. She couldn’t feel the wind on her face, nor the sun’s warmth on her skin. The whole thing was like being in a sealed vacuum. It just didn’t feel right.
Now that she was here, though, what was she to do? Find the elder whose dream this was, of course, but how? She had no idea where she was, or where he would be. When the torrial brought her into his dream, it transported him here as well. Of course, he would know somebody was coming. Even so, it was only her and him in this barren land. And, thanks to the torrial, she had the upper hand. She set out to search.
The only landmark visible was the mountain. Surely, if the torrial brought her to this exact location, there was reason for it. It was painfully obvious the mountain was where she needed to go. She turned toward it and ran.
She ran over the hard earth as fast as her Vassiz-enhanced speed would take her. Every time her left heel struck the ground, a dull wave of pain shot up through her leg. She ignored it. Now was not the time for self-pity. Now was the time for action and haste. Every second that ticked away was a second lost.
She ran toward the mountain at full speed, but it did not seem to get any closer. In fact, the distance to it appeared to stretch out before her, lengthening the harder she ran. She picked up speed, going faster, and the mountain moved even farther away. She stopped. What she was doing was like a dog trying to catch its own tail. She could not get to the mountain this way.
But how, then? And, why was the mountain behaving that way? She was the one who was supposed to have control over the world, not be subject to its whims. Running would get her nowhere. Maybe it was like back in the ethereal matrix – physically moving disturbed the balance holding everything in place. She had to take advantage of the properties of the dream, now, not fight against them. She closed her eyes, and willed the mountain to move closer to her.
She opened them. The mountain was in the same place, far in the distance, mocking her. Why didn’t it work? Before, in the dream realm, all she had to do was will something to happen and it did. But this was not the pure dream realm that she knew. Rather, it was some elemental piece of it that existed within an elder’s mind. Perhaps that made it behave differently.
Well, if she couldn’t move the mountain closer, perhaps she could prevent it from moving farther away. She focused her eyes onto it and seared the image in her mind. She took a step forward. The mountain did not move. She took another step. Again, the mountain did not move away. She took a series of steps, unable to run because of the focus required to keep the mountain in place. Thankfully, the landmark did not move away.
She relaxed a little, easing her focus, and instantly the mountain propelled itself farther. She growled irritably. Was the balance here so precarious she couldn’t lose focus, even for an instant?
Suddenly, she remembered the three torrial in her pocket. Alexander had said they afforded the user better control over this place. Control was what she needed.
She reached in and pulled the figurines out. She looked at them. She didn’t know how to use them, how to activate any of them. Perhaps simply holding them was enough? She tried, but could not see the blue light that was characteristic of torrial. Something else must trigger them.
She examined the three figurines. All were depictions of females dancing, but there was something more to them. The way the arms and legs extended on all of them, it looked as if the three were made to be linked. Nora squatted to the ground and laid them out. She picked up two, and brought them together so the arms touched. Immediately, they clicked into place, as if there were tiny but strong magnets within the extremities. The two figurines made up two-thirds of a circle. Nora took the third torrial and linked it to the others. It also clicked into place. As soon as that happened, an unearthly blue aura appeared around the shape.
Nora picked up the newly-formed circle. Its circumference was no larger than the palm of her hand, and the figurines blended seamlessly into one another. The aura it gave off shone with the light she was expecting.
She turned her attention back to the mountain before her. The jagged shape of the huge slab of rock reminded her somewhat of an upside down fang. She hadn’t notice it before, but there was a certain curve to the side of the mountain unlike any she had ever seen. The mountains that surrounded her old Washington home were all hard slopes and angles. This one, however, had that peculiar curve. She wondered why that was and if it meant anything.
It didn’t matter now. She had to reach that mountain, and fast. Time was ticking away. Feeding off the power emitted by the torrial, she cemented the image of the mountain in her mind. Then she imagined it staying in place, rooted to the ground that was linked to her. If the mountain moved, so would the earth she stood on. It would not be able to outrun her this time.
She took a few steps forward, and the mountain did not move away. That was to be expected – she had managed as much without the help of the torrial. The trickier bit was what came next. If she walked the entire way to the mountain, it might take her hours. If she ran, she would be there in mere minutes. But she could not focus on the mountain staying in place if she ran.
Slowly, tentatively, she relaxed her focus. She felt the power flowing outward from the torrial, enhancing whatever she did. Bit by bit, she eased her concentration and took a few steps toward the mountain. At the first hint of the giant slab of rock beginning to slip away, she stopped and refocused at the previous level.
She focused less and less, walking toward the mountain, until the
impression of it in her mind was almost an afterthought. Without the torrial, even a single lapse in her concentration would send the mountain jetting away. But with it, it seemed, she had exponentially more control. She barely even had to think about the mountain to keep it there.
She started to run. The concentration level required for her to keep the mountain still was miniscule. So much so, she did not even need to find the lower limit anymore. She could run toward it with the level she was currently at.
She picked up speed, feeling the torrial feeding her control from the palm of her hand. The mountain did not move away. She ran faster, skimming over the dark and desolate rocks of the plain. Not even boulders stood here, in the barren land surrounding the mountain. It was just dark, parched stone. Nora ran over it all, racing toward the mountain’s bottom.
As she got closer, the sheer size of the mountain began to dawn on her. For one, it was much farther than she expected, which meant that it was much taller than she’d thought. It looked like the part that extended past the clouds would be at least as tall as the part leading from the earth to the clouds. And for another, she was becoming less sure of how she was going to scale that rock.
From far away, she had assumed she would be able to simply climb up. The angle of the slope was steep, yes, but not so steep as to give her no way up. As she got closer, she began to realize the mountain was not made of angular slopes. Instead, it was a fortress of solid, vertical slabs of stone. Each one of them was as wide as a football field and at least three times as tall. There was no way she would be able to get up that.
She ran even faster. The only way she could think of was to follow the solidified rivers of lava up. Except, she could now see, the lava had not cut through any of the enormous slabs of stone. Instead, it had pooled to the edge and then fell right off, vertically like a waterfall. She hoped the tuff would be porous enough for her to scale.
