Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series)

by Nicole Knight

"Yeah, magic use and physical activity at the same time is exhausting," I told him.

  "That's probably true," Wisdom responded like he knew anything about my world.

  "What happened?" Axel interrupted.

  Now that it was clear I was safe, he started to relax a tad. I was still lying on the ground, and he still had his hands on my face. He was rubbing little circles on my cheeks with his thumbs. I liked the gentleness in which he did it.

  It could have put me to sleep.

  "I don't know how to explain it, I got invited to my first party, and I went. Some guy tried to get me to sleep with him."

  I could feel my face turn red, but I needed to continue my story.

  I'd feel better once I finished.

  "It is not sleeping together like what you and I do," I said looking at Axel, "but like a 'let's make babies kind of sleep.' Anyways, I told him no. When he didn't leave me alone, I flipped him like you taught me. I had no intention of doing it, but I lost control, and it just kind of happened. He didn't like that, and he and his friends chased me through the woods when I tried to leave. I had to use magic to protect myself."

  "Oh. That's a terrible situation," Wisdom responded.

  Axel just shook his head like he didn't know what to say.

  "What happened to me here?" I asked them.

  "You almost died again," Axel said, with such a severe tone, it struck me to my core.

  There was no way he could be making it up. Does he really care about me that much? We have known each other for days.

  "Wisdom tried to keep you alive by keeping your heart moving and sending magic to your brain."

  I looked to Wisdom, "Thank you."

  "Don't thank me, it's not necessary. It was a long shot not guaranteed to work, but it was worth a try. Take out the gem. I need to figure out how to make it stronger," Wisdom ordered me.

  I reached down to my belly button and removed it. The area was still really sore and red. I was sure I wasn't supposed to remove the stud, but I did so under the magic worker's scrutiny.

  It was awkward since I was wearing a dress, but neither man seemed interested in looking at anything below my belly. What a relief. I still turned around to try to stay modest. I pulled the dress back down after I was done.

  Axel reached for my stomach and lifted my dress back up.

  "What's this?" he asked.

  He was looking at the bruise on my stomach.

  "It's from when I tripped in the woods. I'm okay; it will heal," I answered.

  Axel let out a huge sigh of relief.

  He must have thought one of the guys did this to me. I imagine today must have been stressful. It was hard for everyone for different reasons. I was in danger in two worlds. How complicated could my life be?

  Wisdom took the gem and walked away.

  "I hate to waste today, but I don't feel very strong," I said.

  I didn't want to push myself too far.

  "It doesn't have to be a waste. We could make today strategy day. You can't just expect to walk up to the castle and expect them to let you in. It's going to take some planning," he said carefully.

  "Okay, what do you have planned?" I asked.

  Axel stood up and walked out of the room and came back a moment later with a big rolled-up sheet of parchment.

  He told me to scoot over, so I made room for him on the bed. He rolled out the parchment.

  His sketch was very detailed; he had put a lot of time and effort into this.

  There were several pieces to the giant mystery that is the castle. There was an outer wall that blocked the castle from the rest of the landscape. The occasional knight patrolled this area to make sure no one scaled the walls.

  Behind that wall are the main walls of the castle. The castle's blueprint shows that it is designed kind of like a maze. The grand hall was the entrance; it was the only way to get in and out. Once standing in the great room, there were three directions you could travel; either forward left or right. Left was the way we wanted to go apparently.

  Axel had marked out the path we would take to get to the king. It was long and complicated. Some places had been circled along the way.

  "Alright Axel, explain this to me," I said.

  I was curious now.

  "This is the layout of the castle. There are many things we are going to have to watch out for. The first is the knights stationed in a perimeter about a mile away from the castle. The grasses are high there, though, so I think we could get away with belly-crawling through the grass to get by. It will be a long way to crawl. But once we get to the moat, it should go a little smoother.

  The moat is a water pit. It is designed to look more dangerous than it is. There aren't any dangerous animals in it, but the water flow is controlled by the magic worker the King keeps in the castle. We mustn't alert them that we are there, or else the magic worker will strengthen the currents.

  If we make it successfully to that point, we are going to swim the moat. We will have to do it slowly and gently. If we are too sudden, we will alert them we are there. Once we come out the other side, we will scale the wall and drop down fast. We will take out two knights, steal their armor, and then walk into the castle-like we belong there."

  "This already sounds complicated," I said.

  Axel wasn't even closed to being through with the plans.

  "How can we just walk in there like we belong. We are going to get caught," I told him.

  "It is, let me finish," he said in a frustrated tone.

  "Sorry."

  ugh.

  I guess I did interrupt him while he was trying to explain.

  "It's okay, Princess; I am sorry. Sometimes I forget who I am talking to. Once we walk into the castle, we will follow this path I have marked. These circled areas are good places to hide if our cover is blown. You won't be able to use magic in the castle until after the magic worker already knows we are there. He will probably be near the King and alert him of our presence. You will have to take on the magic worker, and I will distract the King for you until you are done.

  "How am I supposed to do that?" I asked.

  "Outwit him. Only use weak magic at first, so he underestimates you. Then out of nowhere, pull out your best attack and take him out. Don't give him a chance to counter your attack," he said.

  Axel's voice rose a little like he was watching the action in his head.

  "So I need to hustle him. That is easier said than done," I said, sounding hopeless.

  "What is hustle?" Axel asked.

  "Hustle is our term for your plan," I said.

  Axel nodded his head in understanding.

  "Do you have any other questions?" he asked.

  "What happens after I've killed the King? How will everyone react? They wouldn't just bow down in front of me, would they? Who would just do that to their King's murder?" I asked him.

  It had been worrying me for a while. That's not how things work back home.

  "I'm not sure how things are back where you are from. Here, if you kill the King, you become the new Queen. If someone would assassinate you, then they become the new ruler," he said.

  That didn't make me feel any better. Someone could take me out right after I kill him.

  Axel must have sensed my uneasiness.

  "Don't forget, the King has made many enemies, most of the Kingdom wants to see his death," Axel added.

  "Can you leave this with me? I want to study it," I asked him, refering to the blueprints.

  I don't want to give away my insecurities regarding this whole plan. In my head, heroes or leaders of nations don't show weakness. If I am to rule the Morthlands, I should start practicing that now.

  "Yes, of course," he answered, allowing me to steer the conversation.

  "Also, help me up, please? I want to see what our friendly neighborhood wizard is up to," I told him.

  "Don't let him hear that," he said with a grin.

  We both let out a giggle.

  Axel hopped off the bed and hel
ped me stand up. I strolled out to the kitchen area of the house. It was a slow process.

  I really was drained of most of my energy. Using magic in my world wasn't worth this by a long shot. I wouldn't do it again unless it is life or death like it was today. I don't care what Wisdom says about what he does to the crystal to improve it. I don't trust it.

  After Axel had helped me sit down at the table kitchen, I looked around. My eyes found Wisdom as he was soaking the crystal in some kind of purple liquid. He made eye contact with me, and guilt crossed his face. He walked over in front of me and took a knee.

  "My Princess, I am terribly sorry. I didn't continue my research as far as I should have. If I did, I would have soaked this crystal in purifying water that would allow it to filter magic. My mistake almost cost you your life," he said in a voice so small, I could barely hear it.

  His chin was pointed down to his feet. He was afraid to make eye contact.

  I was actually touched by this display. I hated seeing an old man like him looking remorseful. Also, seeing his slender frame struggle to get onto the ground made me feel even worse for him.

  I reached my hand out and tilted it so that he was looking at me. Reaching out to touch someone like this was foreign to me. I've never had someone beg me for their forgiveness. No one has begged me for anything before. I didn't want one of my only allies to feel alienated.

  This man taught me how to use magic, how to harness my specialness. He made a mistake; God knows I've made plenty. I chose my words carefully. I needed to act like the Queen I was to become.

  "Wisdom, you do not need to beg me for forgiveness, you were already forgiven the moment you tried to spare my life. Stand up, you don't need to kneel before me. All I ask is that you continue to help me develop my control over my magic. Teach me all kinds of things I don't currently know is possible. If we are successful, you will be given the great honor of teaching magic across the Kingdom if you so choose to accept. You will be my official scholar of magic, I sincerely hope you accept."

  I sounded so diplomatic; I almost didn't recognize my voice. I didn't know what exactly what I was going to say until it was leaving my mouth. But I knew it was the right thing to say. The look on his face was priceless.

  I was already making plans for the Kingdom I knew next to nothing about, but somehow I felt this was the right decision. Eduard has spent so much time trying to get rid of magic, while he has his own personal magic worker. I need to let people embrace their magic, as long as it doesn't harm someone.

  Wisdom bowed further before me.

  Again, the bowing was not necessary. I should do away with that entirely.

  "I choose to accept, thank you, my future Queen," he said.

  We both smiled. He picked up my hand and kissed it gently.

  "Thank you again. The amount of grace you have just shown proves that Morthsoul and Morthshadow have a bright future ahead. I can't wait to be a part of it," he added.

  I could feel my face turn red, and I had to try to hold back the tears I could feel forming.

  Do not cry, you big baby.

  Wisdom righted himself and went back to the work area. I presume he was continuing his work on my magic filter.

  I sat studying the map that Axel had laid out in front of me. I desperately tried to avoid eye contact with him. I know he wanted to say something about the exchange between Wisdom and I, but I didn't want to talk about it; I just want to let it blow over. So I refused to bring it up.

  We sat that way for a while, him trying to get my attention by burning a hole through my skull with his eyes, and me avoiding him.

  I was just being nice, I wish he'd stop trying to make it into something more.

  After what felt like hours of me staring at the castle blueprints, not taking anything in, I couldn't take it anymore and gave in.

  "Axel, I think I want to sit outside for a moment, could you help me?" I asked.

  "Of course, Princess," he answered.

  He quickly jumped to his feet like he had been waiting for me to ask that for days.

  He walked around the table and helped me stand. We slowly walked to the door and out onto the deck of the cabin. Once we were outside, and I was sitting down, dangling my feet over the edge, Axel chose to speak.

  "The way you just spoke back there, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought you had been training to be a Queen all of your life. I am very impressed. I'm so glad I was the one that found you, you will make an amazing Queen," he said.

  "Thank you, he made a mistake; that is all," I told him.

  I was honest and just didn't want to be praised for being kind. We should all be that way.

  The next thing I knew, Axel had his hand wrapped in my hair and was bringing his face to mine. Before I could even catch another breath, Axel's lips crashed to mine.

  His lips were so soft, I imagine this is what it would feel like to kiss a cloud. His hands were firm in my hair, and the pressure only added to the bliss of the moment.

  I kissed him back in response, hoping I was doing it right.

  I don't know if the first kiss is supposed to feel this amazing. I felt butterflies in my stomach, and my heart was pumping a million times a minute. It's ironic that only an hour ago, it had stopped completely.

  Axel's other hand wrapped around the other side of my waist and scooted me closer to him. Suddenly, I couldn't be close enough.

  My eyes were still closed when he pulled away, both of us were out of breath. I felt the absence of his lips immediately, and it left me feeling cold. I kept my eyes closed for a second longer than necessary.

  I wasn't too eager to deal with the awkwardness of my first kiss. It was passionate, and everything I wanted it to be. I was just afraid it wasn't as good for him.

  After all, it was my first kiss, and I was dying an hour earlier. Who knows how my breath tasted?

  I opened my eyes, and I'm not sure if I could ever formulate the words to describe the expression on his face.

  A megawatt smile was plastered there, and his eyes showed so much adoration, it made the butterflies in my stomach flutter harder.

  At that thought, a butterfly flew right through the air and landed on my nose. I let out a breath and a little laugh.

  The thing about unintentional magic is sometimes it had incredible timing.

  Axel set his finger on my nose, and the beautiful blue and purple butterfly crawled onto it. It flapped its wings a few times and took off into the air, it landed again on me; this time in my hair.

  I didn't bother trying to move it. This was a sign, I was sure of it.

  Sometimes the unknown didn't have to be fearful, sometimes it could work out in my favor.

  I was just as nervous and afraid for my first kiss as I am now to take over the Kingdom. Just because I am scared and nervous doesn't mean it will end badly. My first kiss was perfect, so maybe running a kingdom won't be as tricky as I am making it out to be.

  Axel grabbed my hand and held on to it. Neither of us spoke, too afraid to ruin the moment. After a while, I realized I needed to get back to my world and sleep a little more.

  I asked Axel if he could help me get back to the bed. He picked me up and carried me inside. It was a little more help then I asked for, but I wasn't going to argue. Especially not after that kiss that we just shared.

  Wisdom stopped us before I could get into the room. He handed me a new and improved version of my crystal. It had another crystal, just like it attached. The two crystals would hopefully help the amount of magic I could use in my world without straining myself here.

  When Axel set me down on the bed I had previously been sleeping in, I attached the crystals back to my belly. Axel sat with me as I fell asleep.

  I would have only pleasant dreams when I got real sleep.

  When I woke up in the real world, I took off the necklace and laid it underneath my pillow. According to my alarm clock, it was three in the morning. I turned over to get comfortable and fall back asleep.
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  This time I would rest instead of finding adventure.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I felt a buzzing on my hip, and I sat up in bed. My clock said it was ten in the morning. I got a solid seven hours of sleep.

  I was relieved.

  It was the best sleep I had had since I had been going to Morthshadow.

  I checked to see what had woken me up. It was my phone vibrating in my coat pocket. I was still in my dress and leather jacket, and they were much dirtier than when I put them on.

  I swiped the screen and saw I had five messages.

  Mads: Why did you do that?

  Mads: Where are you?

  Mads: Where did you learn that flippy thing?

  Mads: Ok seriously, answer me!

  Mads: Are you mad at me about last night?

  I thought about responding to her, but then again, I was mad at her. She dragged me to my social death. I was content not going, and she needed someone to fall back on in case she didn't fit in. I refuse to be someone's back up.

  I turned my phone screen back off and got out of bed. I wasn't going to use magic today, I was falling behind in training in Morthsoul and Morthshadow. I needed to make up some ground, and I couldn't afford to lose strength. Today was Sunday. I decided to take advantage of the day off and dedicate myself to some of the training I could do while in the real world, exercise.

  I didn't want to ask my Mom for a gym membership, we couldn't really afford it. So I decided I would run laps around our property and practice sword fighting with a stick against a tree.

  I very slowly made myself jog a mile, and then I walked another mile. I was so out of shape, it wasn't even funny. Accomplishing that much was something for me to be proud of. I laid down on the ground and did some sit-ups and push-ups. It wasn't a whole lot, but I could slowly buildup muscle, and I would do it.

  When I could honestly say I wore myself out, I went back inside. I made myself some lunch and walked back upstairs to eat in my room.

  Mom was at work like she was on every other Sunday morning. I wouldn't complain she wasn't here, it helped make ends meet.

  Grandma put most of her social security checks into my college fund. She single handily is the reason I am going to college next year. The money that she doesn't put into the bank goes to support my Mom, who pays to keep everything running here.