I looked down at my green outfit and sighed. “I can understand that.”
“Also, I wanted to tell you about my brother.”
“Arrow, I’m so sorry about Helio. I didn’t know that he… er… I mean, that to get me here, he had to… I should have put it all together sooner, but I didn’t,” I whispered.
He looked at me and half of his mouth curved up in a sad smile. “I’m sorry too.” And then he took my hand, and the words poured out of my mouth.
“Can you forgive me?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Forgive you? For what?”
“For the way I acted in Flourin. I was childish and selfish, and I’m sorry. If I could go back—”
“Shh,” he said, pressing a finger to my lips. “Please, you came back. That’s apology enough. There’s no need for more. This isn’t your fault. There’s no way you could have known.”
I didn’t understand it. If I were in his place, acceptance would be the last thing I offered. “But—”
“I’ve already come to terms with this. It was his choice, and I have to believe that he understood the bigger picture when he made it.”
“How?”
“It’s my only choice. Well, the only reasonable one. I could wallow but that just wastes time.” I followed his eyes as he looked down towards camp. “We don’t have much of that anymore.”
His words pierced me. In a simple statement, he’d made my last few months of arguing at home seem immature. I didn’t know what to say. A flash of light caught my attention.
“Arrow, look! We’re just in time for the fireworks!” I pointed to the open expanse behind him where colors painted the sky. “They’re beautiful.”
“They are,” he said, his voice deep with emotion as he traced his fingers down my forearm, resting them on my wrist. When he pulled me towards him, the full force of his longing hit me. “Alex, do you know what is real yet?”
I didn’t resist. I couldn’t. At this point fighting the desire was like fighting myself, pointless and counterproductive.
“You said before that nothing’s more real than the things you can touch and the things that touch you. I think I’m beginning to believe that.” I looked from his eyes to his lips. My heart pounded as he leaned in closer. “Arrow, I’m not good at all this stuff.”
“You fooled me,” he said before pressing his lips against mine, first tenderly, then more demandingly. I pushed my insecurities to the side and gave in to his kisses, meeting his desire with my own. He traced the outline of my face, from my ear to chin, sending a thrill down my spine. I melted into him, filling the curves of his body with mine.
“I’m glad you aren’t fighting me anymore,” he said, giving me a soft kiss on my forehead.
I twisted around so that his arms surrounded me as we overlooked the fireworks. “I just had a hard time believing that this was real, that I was ready for this adventure.”
His chuckle warmed my ear. “You weren’t sure if you were ready for an adventure? I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, where I’m from, I’m hardly the hero,” I admitted.
He rubbed my arms and kissed the back of my head. “I guess here we see adventure a bit differently.”
“How’s that?” I asked, glancing up at him.
“We don’t see it as something that happens to you, but as a way of living, without fear of what’s to come.”
“That’s beautiful. I’ve never heard it quite that way,” I said, pulling his arms tighter around me.
“It’s not really something we think about, just a standard that we’ve learned to live with. Whatever we know one day may change the next. You can call it adventure, but we just call it life. We’ve had to learn the hard way sometimes that you can’t be present if you’re too busy holding on to the past.” He looked off into the distance. “When we first entered the Grove, I told you that you’d changed. I think that’s the difference. You weren’t really here before...not until you came down and saved us in the wetlands.”
“I can’t deny that. I don’t think I was fully committed, to you or to Lockhorn, before that moment. I felt like I had to choose a side: this world or my home.”
“And what did you choose?” he asked.
I exhaled deeply and shrugged. “I chose to not worry about it anymore. Whether I’m there or here, I’m still me, and that’s what I ultimately have to be true to.”
“But if you had to choose?”
“If I had to choose, then right now, I’m here.” The truth released a weight that I didn’t know I had been carrying.
“And I’m right here with you,” he said, tilting my chin up for a kiss.
Fireworks popped, and bursts of light streaked the sky, but I hardly noticed.
“So what do we do now?” I asked, knowing that as nice as the moment was, it wouldn’t last.
“I don’t want to think about it tonight,” he said, pulling me closer as another firework burst. “I want to know more about you.”
“About me? There’s not much to tell.” I laughed and bit my lower lip. “I’m just a normal girl.”
“I wouldn’t say you’re normal.” He leaned in and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Well, pretty normal. I’m an artist.”
“That explains your interest in the boxes and in the statues at Baron Marix’s.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said, trying to forget the trouble that I’d gotten us into.
“What else?” he asked, turning me around to face him.
My mind raced, trying to find something else interesting to tell him. There had to be more to me than art. Only one other thing defined me at the moment.
“We’re moving,” I blurted out. Why did I think that was interesting?
“It sounds like adventure follows you everywhere,” he said, cupping the side of my face in his palm.
“I wouldn’t call it an adventure, necessarily,” I whispered, feeling my breath slow in anticipation.
“Everything can be an adventure, if you look at it the right way.”
“I wish I could see things from your eyes.”
He framed my face with his hands. “I’ll show you how. Trust me, before you leave here, you’ll embrace adventure.”
The pounding of my heart matched the booms of the fireworks. I didn’t want to think about that. Leaving was the furthest thing from my mind. Not now that I had opened my heart to him. I’d finally found my place, and it was here by his side. I leaned in for another kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Five
We strolled down from Arrow’s hideout. No longer in a hurry, he kept his arm around my shoulder and pointed out the small details I had overlooked, like the way vines spiraled up the trunks for sunlight and the strange calls of the blackbirds. Arrow knew every detail of the Grove, and I devoured his knowledge. This place sung to me in a way the rest of Lockhorn hadn’t. Maybe it was the apparent lack of danger or the new friendships I’d found, but it felt right. Peace settled over me for the first time in a long time.
As we descended, I knew that the feeling couldn’t last. When we got close to camp, the silence that had shrouded us above gave way to disorder.
“Arrow, what’s going on? Is this normal?” I asked, watching the people below us run through the streets in all directions.
He frowned. “Let’s go.” He dropped his arm from my shoulder, pulling on my hand instead. The bridges swayed with our frantic pace. When we reached the wooden archway, he let my hand go and slid down the ladder, not bothering to use the steps.
I followed more carefully, finding the right spots for my feet as the ladder swung violently. By the time I landed, a swarm of villagers filled the gap between us. Between heads, I caught quick glimpses of alarm on Arrow’s face.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
Melody pushed her way through the crowd at the same time I did. A scowl knotted her forehead, and her fingers tapped at her hip. She glared at her cousin. “Where have you been?”
she asked.
“Why does that matter?”
“While you were missing, everything fell apart!” she opened her arms, gesturing to the chaos around us.
“We were up on the bridge, watching the fireworks,” he said. “Last I heard, we weren’t letting Berkos steal those moments from us.”
Her mouth dropped. His words must have stung. She arched a brow and looked at me but answered Arrow demurely. “You’re right, my lord. We’re to enjoy the moments when they come. But right now, there’s no time for that. We have serious business.”
“What did I miss?”
“I feel like I should be asking the same question,” Melody said, glancing between us.
My face felt hot, but Arrow didn’t miss a beat. “Forget about it. If you don’t want to tell me what’s gone on, I’ll ask someone else.”
“There’s not much to tell right now, but let me show you,” she said, her voice softening.
She elbowed through the crowd, dragging him forward and pointing to the people frozen, staring at the sky.
“Melody, they’re entranced by the fireworks. There’s nothing new about that.”
“Wait,” she said, straightening her arm to stop us. “Didn’t you see the fireworks?”
I looked at the ground.
“What were you…no, never mind. I warned you,” she said, shaking her head. “I thought you would have been smarter about this.”
I stared at my new friend and then back down at my feet.
“Now just wait a minute. She’s done nothing wrong, and you know that,” Arrow exclaimed.
“Except distract you from knowing when the enemy’s declared war!” she yelled, pointing back to the sky.
“What are you talking about? I’m not distracted.”
“If you weren’t distracted, you would’ve seen that!” She pointed to the faint trails of smoke in the sky, outlining a dragon.
“What is that?” I asked, stepping closer to Arrow’s side.
“A symbol of the enemy intermixed in our celebration,” Melody huffed. “I don’t believe this.”
“Look, it’s just a firework. I’m sure it meant nothing,” Arrow said.
“Meant nothing?” Melody said. “What are you talking about? You know exactly what this means. Don’t belittle it because you weren’t here watching.”
“What does it mean?” I asked softly.
Melody tightened her lips. “War. It looks like we’re going to need you sooner than we thought.”
Or sooner than I’d hoped. I looked around at the people, some paralyzed in fear as they stared at the sky, others rushing about in a chaotic frenzy.
“It’s not like we didn’t know this day was coming,” he said. “It’s been a countdown since Alex got here. There’s no more wondering. It’s time to act. If he’s declared war, all the better.”
I looked between the two, unable to settle my gaze on either.
“You’re incredible,” she said, rolling her eyes. “If you’re not worried about that, what about him?” She pointed to the edge of the field where General Tanner tended to a wounded man who moaned, laid out over a bed of hay bales. I could hear him from where we stood. Bloodied bandages littered the ground, and fresh red droplets slid down the ragged edges of the hay. His skin a pale shade of gray, he hung limp over the edge. A faded design caught my attention.
I burst through the crowd, skidding to the ground next to him, twisting his arm to look at the inside of his wrist. Under dark bruises and smudged dirt, traces of the Great Oak peeked out at me. His cold hand fell from my grasp.
“The symbol…he’s one of us,” I said to no one in particular. The words sounded hollow. I found Arrow watching me with concern.
I shook out of my reverie and looked over at General Tanner, who patiently tied a new set of vines around his legs. “There’s got to be some way to help him.”
General Tanner shook his head.
“He’s not…is he…?”
“No, not dead,” he said grimly. “Not yet. Come, let us walk for a moment.” He grabbed my hand and helped me up, leading me back towards the spot where Arrow and Melody waited.
“Is it bad news, then?” Arrow asked with a clenched jaw.
“I’m afraid it looks that way,” the general answered, rubbing his forehead.
“Who is he?” Melody asked. “Has he said anything yet?”
“Nothing yet. He surprised us all when he stumbled in through the gates. We got him to lie down, but the spasms didn’t stop until just a few minutes ago. I’m afraid he’s in a lot of pain.”
“Can’t we heal him?” Melody asked. “There’s got to be a way to save him. He’s one of us.”
“Nothing I’ve tried seems to be working. It doesn’t look good. Frankly, it’s a miracle he made it here all by himself. If he had gone south first, for vines, he would’ve had better luck. I’m afraid it may be too late for him now.”
Arrow narrowed his gaze on the wounded man. “What happened? Do you know?”
“That I’m afraid is a mystery. None of the usual signs of torture are present, just a couple of strange puncture marks hidden beneath blackened skin. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was burned, but his skin…I can’t explain it.”
“Did you say puncture marks?” I asked, paling. Only one thing made puncture marks in Dreamscape.
“Do you know what they are?” General Tanner asked.
“I think so. Can you show me?”
The general nodded and led me back to the man, carefully lifting his torn shirt, revealing an emaciated ribcage and two round holes in his abdomen. I gasped and lowered his shirt. Even if I hadn’t seen the wounds, I would know this man had suffered. Dark bruises swelled along his arms and cheeks, and above the puncture wounds, charred skin had begun to scab over.
All of them stared at me while I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.
“Well?” Melody asked. “Do you know what happened?”
I nodded and glanced back to the dying man. “There’s only one thing that could’ve done this. I hate to say I told you so, but…those whips were bad news.” Anger tightened my words.
“Whips? Are you sure?” Arrow asked.
“I’ve never been more sure. On the edge of each whip is a lever. When you push the button up, it turns into a taser for close contact attacks. This poor man probably didn’t know what hit him until it was too late.”
“What can we do for him?” Melody asked.
I shook my head. “At this point? Nothing. General Tanner’s right; he’s going to die. That’s why I hate them so much. If you get hit, you’re dead, now or later. The electricity is too much. Maybe if he had been healed right away.”
The man groaned and turned over, falling off the makeshift bed of hay. “Prince,” he croaked, reaching towards Arrow.
Arrow ran to his side, covering the man’s bloody hand with his own. He spared a quick glance at the general and another man, nodding for them to help him. The three of them carefully lifted him back onto the hay.
“Brave man, what is your name?” Arrow asked, forcing a strained smile.
“Not…import…ant…” he said raggedly, wheezing with each breath.
“General, can’t we do anything more?” Arrow pleaded. “He’s in pain.”
“We’ve given him all we can. It’s just a matter of waiting now.” The general frowned and coiled a pile of excess vines.
Arrow knelt by the man’s side, adjusting the vines to cover the wounds on his forearm and neck. “Tell me more. If your name’s not important, what is? What brought you here?”
“Qu…Queen Elin,” he stuttered. “She’s in…danger.” He exhaled and closed his eyes.
Arrow and Melody exchanged a look, and she quickly moved the rest of the crowd back, away from the man. One look at her fierce expression cautioned anyone from breaking through her barrier.
“What about the queen?” Arrow asked. “We can help her if we know.”
I saw the fear coursin
g through him.
“All of them… dead…” he said, cringing.
“Who?” Arrow demanded. He softened his voice as he repeated his question. “Who is dead?”
“All of them…the queen’s friends…servants…cousins…they’re gone.” He flopped onto his side, coughing in fits. A drop of blood slipped out from the side of his mouth.
Arrow glanced back at me, and I ran to his side. I grabbed the man’s shoulder, poised to move him when his eyes widened and he focused on me. “It’s true,” he said.
“What’s true?” I asked.
“Berkos said the…time had come. I didn’t understand…” He struggled to move his hand to his forehead in salute.
“You don’t need to do that,” I assured him, moving his arm back to rest at his side. “Yes, I’m here. The time has come for all of this to be decided, once and for all. What you know may help me. What happened to the queen?”
“Berkos…since Helio’s execution, he’s been parading…” he stopped to cough up more blood. His voice grew stronger. “He’s taken the queen hostage. Forcing her to choose sides. She has to either pledge loyalty to him or…he executes someone in front of her.” He closed his eyes.
“But the queen?” Arrow asked.
“She’s…not broken yet. I’m not sure how much more she can resist…without the king…”
Arrow blinked back tears. “We’ll get her, my brave man. You just rest. We’ll find her and save her.”
“When the guards found out about me…too late…save her…” he pleaded, tightening his grasp around Arrow’s hands before falling back a final time.
“What does this mean?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady as the general checked the man’s wrist for a pulse.
Arrow tightened his jaw and spoke only loud enough for the inner circle to hear. “This means that our time has run out. Even if Berkos hadn’t declared his intentions with the fireworks, we’d be declaring ours now. It’s war.”
A loud boom rattled the ground around us. I looked at the quaking trees and then at the sky. I covered my mouth.
I wasn’t the only one who saw it. The village cried out in alarm and pointed to the colors streaking the sky. A new firework stained the sky. Berkos had taken the rebellion’s symbol and twisted it.
Dreamscape: Saving Alex Page 25
