Dreamer's Melody

by J E Mueller

  We are trapped in artifacts and you’re wondering if they could have a clever way to keep us trapped? Emmyth scoffed. I doubt it was all their planning, likely the trapped and desperate demons and angels highly influenced it.

  Do you think they could have known Marella still had a connection to them and tricked her into thinking she was stuck flying? That would also be an excellent trick. Have one flying that wasn’t her, but still make her think she was.

  Oh, that’s even better, Lee approved.

  That just might be it, Emmyth agreed.

  I cleared my throat. “I think we might have a new idea.”

  “Go for it.” Asher motioned for me to talk.

  “Marella has a connection to the demons, that is how she was able to figure so much out.” Everyone nodded their understanding, so I continued. “I think they might have figured out that connection and probably worked to trick her. If they figured a way to make it seem like she was constantly flying, she would lead us in the right direction for one, but not for herself, keeping us on this wild chase.”

  Asher chuckled. “Now that is something I would expect from a demon. So what should we do next then?”

  I hesitated. “I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, wouldn’t Marella’s artifact but hung up somewhere with a fairly constant breeze?”

  “The lake.” Several people groaned loudly.

  Asher nodded. “The lake would also be my guess, but we don’t go there at night. It is a death sentence even to the best of us.”

  “Oh…” that sounded ominous. “Should we prepare, then? It can’t be much better in the day.”

  “Correct.” Asher let out a slight whistle and the group dispersed, only a small part of us heading back.

  Chapter 28

  Our plan come morning wasn’t really much of a plan. It was more filling us in with as many details of the creatures of the area as possible. The lake was considered to be near the center of the forest, which is where the worst of the creatures lived. At night, everything was active in massive amounts. There was no winning simply because there weren’t enough of us to take on that many different things.

  The lake itself was filled with several terrible water creatures. Getting near the water was ill-advised since many a thing would try to pull you in. The ebony water was impossible to see under, making those slight ripples the only way to tell if something was moving near the surface.

  Most things at the lake were easier to incapacitate rather than to kill. Several things would die only if you completely removed their heads, and of course, their necks were thick enough that a single sword swipe wasn’t likely to do just that.

  “This is turning out to be more than what I expected,” I confessed to Benz as we crossed the clearing.

  Asher led the small group of us, including Katherine and Brant from his team. Melly was just a step in front of me.

  “What were you expecting? Just find the one artifact and be done?” It was a fair question.

  I nodded. “Would have been nice. There’s plenty more inside the house, so I was really hoping everything else would still be inside.”

  Benz gave a small laugh. “Well, the gauntlet you have came from outside, and the coin I left with Gretta came from the gardens, so it would seem a fair amount had to be outside.”

  “Of course,” I grumbled, concentrating on not tripping over things as we entered the forest.

  “It’s not bad out here.” Asher joined the conversation. “Just know your enemy and know your strengths. Sometimes you must flee, but there’s nothing wrong with regrouping.”

  I nodded and followed silently.

  It took almost an hour to reach the lake. It was nestled downhill from where we were coming, giving us a great view of it. The still waters looked like a sheet of black iron, absorbing the sunlight and only reflecting back enough to give it a slight shine. As we got closer, I noticed the lake had a little island.

  “No way…” It came out softly, barely above a whisper.

  Everyone saw exactly what I saw. A broken rowboat at the tiny island. Just a foot in front of it was a stake in the ground with what looked like a small chain tied around it, gently blowing in the breeze.

  “That is going to be it, isn’t it?” Asher asked rhetorically.

  “I have no doubt about it.” Benz nodded, looking as concerned as I felt.

  This was a place the Watch refused to mess with. They only took on the stray creatures that came far enough inland. Dread filled the pit of my stomach. I tried to keep my expression emotionless as my stomach curled in on itself.

  “Is there anything we can do to make this not be our deaths?” I hardly realized the thought came out of my mouth. It was a vague question that everyone seemed to shrug off. It was unlikely whoever put that there actually survived.

  “Maybe…” Katherine thought aloud. “If we find some good vines, we can string them up to either side of the lake. The lake is longer than it is wide so it could possibly work, and the little island is almost in the center. Someone could cross that way, but of course I’m certain the creatures would be waiting for someone to get on the island before attacking. It’s not big, and getting back up to the vines would be problematic.”

  “We should have brought more people.” Brent sighed. “But if we plan right we can do this well enough.”

  Asher nodded at the two of them. “Okay Katherine it’s your plan, how do you think it should be staged?”

  Katherine thought for a moment. “I think I’ve got it. Remi has the bow that can get the vines from one side to another. I’ve got a shield and ice magic. So we can be positioned near the vines to make sure nothing gets at them. Brent has a shield that can help keep Remi safe, and a sword. Asher you have a sword and healing…” She stared at him for a second. “And that supersonic hearing, right?”

  “Correct.” Asher nodded. I didn’t realize he had three gifts. I was fairly certain someone mentioned that to me before.

  Katherine motioned to the group. “Anything gift wise I’m missing so far?”

  Benz nodded. “I’m not sure if you’ve got mine, but I have a sword, illusion magic, and extra strength. Remi can also see creatures with her special vision and… something else I can’t remember.”

  “Breathe underwater.” I filled in, realizing that I really did not want to use that here.

  Katherine’s eyes lit up. “I was going to suggest Benz climb the vine since he has all that going on for him, but it might be better if you did.”

  “No, she can breathe underwater but she can’t fight everything.” Benz shook his head. “I have a better chance of injuring or killing the creatures that might get on the island.”

  Katherine nodded, conceding her idea. “Probably for the best. Remi can point out where things are to us.”

  Nodding, I glanced at the lake and let my vision flip over. The lake itself wasn’t overly huge, but there were channels that led out, and seemed to stretch to other waterways. The tunnels had several creatures; the lake itself had over thirty.

  “The creatures are fairly spread out, but yeah, the numbers are not in our favor.” I shook my head. I did not like this at all. Was this where the polycoys came from? I wondered if Marella had actually managed to take on a water form because of her indirect connection to the lake.

  “Think they can hear us?” Brent asked curiously.

  “If they’re near enough to the surface they can,” Benz replied easily.

  “A few are out near the surface, so they’ll know we’re here once we start moving,” I agreed. “Think we can find enough vines for this?”

  “That part isn’t a problem at all,” Katherine nodded leading the way back into a more forested area. I remembered the furniture fixed with or just about made from vines. Of course, someone would know where they are.

  “What about me?” Melly asked Katherine as we followed her.

  Katherine glanced back at her for a brief moment. “I think we should give you a high point. Those triple arr
ows might throw them off enough and we really don’t need another shield.”

  “You also didn’t give me a spot.” Asher pointed out lightly, “But I’m guessing the opposite side Melly is on to balance things out will be fine.”

  “Sound like a plan.” Katharine used her ice magic to make what appeared to be a dagger and started to look through the vines and figuring out lengths.

  After what felt like forever, we had enough vines to get across the lake twice and had a vine that would help Benz get back up once he grabbed the artifact.

  “Do you think this will work?” Melly asked me as we headed back to the lake.

  “I can only hope. It’s a really difficult plan.” I shrugged, not entirely sure how I felt about the situation at hand.

  “Well, good news,” Melly stated off handedly.

  “And what’s that?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

  “When this goes terribly wrong and your need to self-sacrifice kicks in there’s a chance you won’t end up dead dead.” Melly smirked.

  “Being called out by my own sister,” I grumbled as I heard Benz laughing just behind us.

  “Please don’t sacrifice yourself again,” he pleaded, still laughing slightly.

  “I don’t think I’m allowed to make those sorts of promises anymore.” I sighed.

  Asher gave a small laugh. “At least you have some Dreamer status working for you, though with every death it will make you less stable in the physical world.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” I nodded.

  “That is how I ended up here. I didn’t learn so much about the Watch because there was a great group. We became a great group with my many Dreamer mistakes,” Asher stated, giving no more details.

  I wasn’t sure how to react to that, or to feel. It was likely he didn’t make that sacrifice on purpose. At first, he might have learned a lot as a Dreamer, like several of us did, but then being trapped here with that lingering status… I needed to try and be careful.

  At the lake we split in two. On my side, I tied the large vine to my arrow, hoping it would glide across just fine. I hadn’t done this before, so I wasn’t sure how high or even where to aim.

  Taking a breath, I aimed high, guessing the vine would pull the arrow down quicker than I liked. As I let loose I saw it was much quicker than I expected, but still was enough to get it across and firmly into the tree. The other group worked to get it into a better position as I tied the next one.

  In no time, the setup was done and we all got into position. Benz looked mildly worried as he gazed into the lake ten feet away from us.

  “This might be an adventure,” he mumbled.

  “There’s nothing immediately close to us or the island, if it helps.” I tried to smile at him in a way I hoped was reassuring.

  Benz shrugged. “We all know how that goes.” With that, he ascended the tree.

  It took several minutes for him to make his way across the vines. The swaying was grating on my nerves but never once did he look bothered. I kept a sharp eye on the water and sure enough, as soon as he was over the island something was there, waiting just under the surface.

  I shot an arrow into its head. It surfaced to screech. Its face I could best describe as fishlike. Some of its features were almost human, forming in a neck with gills, and signs of a body below. The arms it flailed had fins along the elbows, and long sharp nails on the ends of its hands. Melly didn’t hesitate to shoot at it, two arrows lodging in its face. Katherine sent a wave of ice magic at its face, silencing its scream.

  “Do we have their attention?” Benz called over.

  “Of course,” I replied. No use lying to him. “They’ll keep their distance or be shot in the face.” I hoped again I sounded reassuring. That was fully my plan.

  Benz carefully slid down the vine and tried to reach for the chain without touching land. As he stretched, I shot an arrow at a creature getting far too close. It was an exact repeat of before. Benz continued trying to reach the pole while ignoring us as best he could. He tried to swing the vine, but still it was just out of reach. In the end he had to give in to touching land.

  His feet crunched on the gravel and he easily grabbed the chain. Suddenly, creatures were darting through the water to reach the island. I shot as fast as I could, the others trying to keep up with my movements, but one reached Benz as he pocketed away the chain.

  Without hesitating he drew out his sword, struck the emerging creature in the face, and jumped for the vine. As he ascended, several other creatures swam quickly, trying to reach land.

  “Here they come!” I called loudly, taking a defensive stance as I fired arrow after arrow.

  It was only a handful in total, and Benz was nearly back as Brent dove at one of the creatures that already had an arrow in its head. One creature cast some form of blue magic at me. While I could feel something cool try to latch on to me, the scarf tied tightly to my arm seemed to do its job.

  Mentally, I thanked Lee as I shot arrow after arrow at the creature.

  Benz finally dropped down to our side and another six creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Lunging at him, one grabbed his leg as he managed to push the other away.

  Turning to strike the one on him, another appeared out of the water, letting both successfully pull him into the water as I managed to shoot only one.

  Oh Marella, I do hope you’re connected to this place.

  I dived into the water and grabbed Benz’s arm while he kicked at the creature holding him. My second vision gave me the ability to see just well enough what I was doing.

  My my, this is not where I expected to end up. I could hear Marella’s voice.

  I prayed she knew a way out.

  Prayers are for angels, child. Demand a way out.

  Because that wasn’t exactly what demons lived for.

  Fine.

  I demand a way out. I demand a way away from this situation. I demand a way to bring all the Creators back to their true forms and solve this problem. I demand a way to forevermore be rid of those angels and demons.

  Now that is an excellent start. I don’t bargain for souls, but that desperation is just the kick I need.

  The water around us started to bubble heavily, making it impossible to see, magic or not. The creatures, confused, let Benz go and I pulled us to the surface. With a few kicks, we were back at the shore.

  The team from the other side were rushing over to us.

  “We need to get out of here,” Asher called.

  Benz nodded, standing on shaky legs. Blood was coming from tears in his pants. Holding my gauntleted hand over the injury, I could see a slight glow as the magic worked.

  “That’s good enough,” Benz assured me.

  “It will be when it’s fully healed,” I insisted.

  “We need to go,” His eyes pleaded but I shook my head.

  “Marella has got this,” I replied calmly, knowing she was likely having too much fun.

  Everyone had reached us now.

  “Why aren’t we fleeing?” Asher asked, more confused than worried.

  “Marella has got things under control. First we heal, then we flee,” I replied simply.

  Asher gave a sigh and crouched down to help with Benz’s legs. In another few moments, things were as good as new.

  “Hand me the chain,” I stated, trying not to be demanding to Benz. He did just put himself at great risk to complete this mission.

  “Might as well, she didn’t even try to communicate with me.” Benz handed it over and I put it around my neck.

  “What did she do?” Brent asked, confused by the whole situation.

  “I’m guessing that’s how you didn’t both die in the water.” Melly crossed her arms. “Was that really needed?”

  “Clearly.” I laughed, happy to start leading the way back. “I don’t know exactly what she did, but I asked for her help and they all decided to let go and leave us alone while a ton of bubbles surrounded us.”

  Benz and Melly quickly caug
ht up to either side of me. “We’re almost done, then?” Melly asked excitedly.

  “Not quite. There’s two more unaccounted for,” I tried to mentally remember where we currently stood.

  “But you have others inside still working, correct?” Asher asked.

  “We do,” I confirmed.

  “Then maybe they found the rest.” Asher’s statement made me want to hope, but it felt a little too optimistic to just return back and be almost done.

  “We can hope. We’ll have to see.” I let Asher take the lead. “Will you all join us to finish this or will you stay outside?”

  “That is a hard question, and one I cannot answer for everyone.” Asher shook his head, not even glancing my way. “Things can go over badly and quickly out here.”

  Tell him once we’re restored, we’ll set the slate clean, Emmyth’s voice chimed in. I would much rather this be resolved sooner than later.

  “Emmyth says he’ll wipe the slate clean once he’s able. Whatever that means,” I echoed the message.

  Asher slowed for a moment as he thought. “That certainly would help things, just reset it all. It would make it worth it. I still can’t speak for the others.”

  “And that is completely fine,” I agreed, hoping the others would decide to help as well. “I’m just glad there are options.”

  Back at the Watch, it was hardly a discussion. Several had never been inside the house, and every last one wanted this problem solved. The quicker the better, and the more involved, the less time it would take. In theory.

  We started down the path as afternoon turned into evening. Something felt off, and I could almost hear what sounded like the voices from the fog. There was the constant changing in tone and who was speaking, but I heard the same message over and over that steadily grew louder as we approached the tunnel. Free us. You have the power. Free us.

  They’re louder than normal today, Marella chimed in. I had almost forgotten they could all hear my thoughts. I wonder if the others can hear them…

  With the thought in my head, I couldn’t help but wonder as well. “Does anyone else hear them?”