“Really?”
“This may come as a shock, but this hero thing is not my normal job.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
“You seem pretty good at it to me.”
“Well, that’s because I have skills.” I laughed. “Really though, you might see a calm exterior, but inside, I’m shaking. I’m ready, but I’m not.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m ready to save the queen… but I don’t know if I’m ready to leave Lockhorn yet. I know I’ve spent so much time here trying to leave…but that was before…”
“Before?”
“Before you.”
He smiled and reached over to pull me into a hug. “It’s a good thing I’m going with you then.”
“Stop it! Seriously though, this is too much, too early. We’re going to have to face all this later. I just want to have breakfast in peace.”
“That, I can do,” he said, jumping up to put another log on the fire. “Leftover snowbird?” he asked, holding out the skewered remains.
“Sounds perfect,” I said and adjusted my stick over the fire. Arrow hadn’t lied about the flavor of the bird. The meat melted in my mouth, and, even reheated, it surpassed all the other meals I’d had here.
“Arrow, I just wanted to say thank you,” I said after I devoured the leftovers.
He raised an eyebrow and poked the fire, breaking the logs apart. “For breakfast? Anytime.”
“Not for breakfast.” I rolled my eyes and started rolling up our bags and putting the supplies away. “For everything else. As much as I was determined to do this on my own at the beginning, I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to.” He grabbed my hand. “But speaking of…”
“I know. It’s time to go,” I said, brushing off the dirt from my leggings as I stood. “Lead the way.”
“No, before we go, there’s something I want to do.”
I cocked my head.
“It’s for luck,” he said. “My brother and I used to have a tradition before he went off hunting.”
I sat back down and turned to face him, wrapping my arms around my knees, giving him my full attention. “What do we do?”
He squinted at me like he’d expected me to protest, but when I didn’t falter, a boyish enthusiasm overcame him. His eyes lit up. “Stay here.” He left my side and ruffled through the horses’ packs. “Don’t laugh,” he said, coming up beside me.
I raised an eyebrow. “You know that’s just asking me…oh, wow.”
“I asked you not to laugh,” he said, hiding the item behind his back.
“You’re right,” I agreed, tightening my lips. “What do I do?”
He pulled it out slowly. “You promise?”
“You have my word,” I vowed, lifting my fingers up in a scout’s signal.
“All right, so I told you about my pet horned-bit.” He raised an eyebrow as I stifled a giggle. “Well, even though it didn’t last long, my brother was amused by my determination and rounded it up after it impaled me. This is its foot. It’s supposed to be a reminder to never give up. You know, for luck.” He rubbed his hand over the fur and handed it over to me.
I petted the lucky horned-bit’s foot and handed it back to Arrow. “I like traditions,” I said. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“We can use all the luck we can get. Thank you.” He tucked the treasure back into the bag and nodded for me to join him.
Arrow was unusually quiet and pensive, careful of the terrain’s new threats. Severe changes dotted the landscape when we descended from the mountains into the foothills. The frequency of trees increased, choking off the great expanse of sky. Crumbling leaves replaced the crunch of snow as we rode, similar sounds that provoked infinitely different feelings. I pulled my cloak tighter as we rode deeper in the forest, but the chill remained.
I hadn’t noticed how long we’d ridden until we crested the last hilltop and the moon lit our path. On the horizon, melting into the approaching twilight, a dark castle wavered like a mirage. I didn’t realize how comforting the cover of the trees had been until I couldn’t avoid the view of Berkos’ castle.
A familiar beat hammered in my chest. It was time to play the game again.
Everything changed when we started down the final hillside. The crowded forest stifled me, and the trail darkened into shadows. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge as the birds stalked our movements.
My gaze drifted to Arrow, who ducked under branches and stepped around the withered brush with ease. But even his movements slowed as the brambles tangled our legs. The shadows accentuated the heaviness in his eyes and the deep lines carved in his forehead. Worry pulled him down.
“We need to stop,” I said, yelping when the branches snagged my hair. “It’s getting too dark.”
He sighed. “These woods aren’t the best place, though.”
“I don’t think we’re going to find a good spot from here on in,” I said.
He started to argue, but one look at me stopped him. I could almost picture the disappointment that painted my face. I’d spent weeks trying to forget my mission; the moment we crested that hillside and saw the castle, reality hit me. The pressure of rescuing the queen, the awareness that I might be going home soon...a bittersweet sadness filled me. I never thought I would feel that way about going home.
“You’re right; there aren’t a lot of places. We can stay here, but we’ll need to break camp early,” he said, jumping off his horse to help me dismount. The wind pushed me into his arms.
“I understand. I want to get out of here too. Not that I’m looking forward to where we’re going, but I definitely won’t miss this place.”
“You certainly haven’t seen the best parts of our world.”
“I saw the Grove,” I said.
“Yes, but not for long enough,” he said, giving me a warm smile. “Maybe another time.”
A rush of heat rolled over me, and I bit my cheek to stop the tears from collecting in my eyes. There wouldn’t be another time, and we both knew that. I turned away and focused on setting up camp, unrolling the blankets and preparing a small feast of jerky, dried fruit, and rolls.
I focused on each task, knowing it was for the last time. Assuming our journey went as planned, tomorrow everything would be different. For Arrow and for me. I couldn’t deny it now.
“Alex! You have to come see this,” he yelled from behind me. The excitement in his voice startled me.
“What is it?” I asked, dropping a roll to run to his side.
“Look at this.” He jumped ahead and pulled down a charred paper that had been nailed to the tree. He shook it and handed it to me. “We’re doing it.”
I shook my head in confusion. “What do you mean? We haven’t done anything yet.”
“Not us. The rest of the rebellion. Look at this…and this,” he said, running ahead and pulling papers from the next few trees.
He came back and handed me a pile of worn parchment. Blowing off the withered moss and dirt, I saw crudely drawn pictures of Arrow’s generals and other men I recognized from camp.
“I don’t understand. These are wanted posters. How is this a good sign?”
“Don’t you see? Berkos didn’t know of these men before. If General Tanner is wanted for treason, he has succeeded in his part of the plan. We’re making him take notice.”
“That’s great,” I muttered.
“It is! I’ve been worrying about that for a while now,” he said, riffling through the paper. “When we decided to take the shortcut, I knew we’d be cutting down time but also losing communication. News may travel fast here, but nothing makes it through these mountains. These posters put me at ease.”
I frowned. I had been so preoccupied with my own internal struggles that I hadn’t even thought about how the generals were faring. I coughed to get some fresh air.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah…no,”
I said. “I’m not all right. It’s finally hitting me. All the plans and preparations are coming together like you hoped.”
“That’s a good thing. The more it comes together, the fewer people will get hurt.”
“I know. It’s just like I said, things are real now.” I frowned again.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Seeing the men described this way, it makes me sad.” I grabbed the stack of papers and flipped through them again. “General Tanner—traitor, General Amos—traitor, Boris, Cale. They’re all traitors.”
“Don’t take it too seriously,” Arrow said.
“But these rewards are sizeable. I hate to think of the danger they’re—” I stopped when I flipped to the last poster and saw a familiar face smile back at me. “Oh no!”
“What is it?” Arrow peeked over my shoulder. “Do you know him?”
“This is Pipes. He’s one of the first people I met in Lockhorn. He helped me through the marketplace. Without him or Deakon…I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
He furrowed his brow and squinted. “What does it say?”
“Pipes—traitor, rogue performer, dissident. Wanted for crimes against the crown, espionage, and aiding the escape of a known enemy. Do you think that means me?” I asked.
“Could be,” Arrow said. “You are Berkos’ biggest threat right now, and he did help you.”
“I didn’t know they were risking their lives by helping me.”
“They did,” Arrow said, tightening his lips. He settled on a portrait of a woman I had not seen before.
“Is that her?” I asked.
Arrow nodded. “Queen Elin, although this picture doesn’t do her justice.”
I grabbed the worn parchment, taking care not to damage the edges that had crumbled off into ash, and stared at an image of the queen. The portrait, hastily drawn, pulled at me. Under a mop of curls, sharp cheek bones contradicted the softness in her eyes. They glistened with pain and sorrow, feelings I couldn’t perceive when playing the game at home. The charcoal smudged my fingers when I traced the image. I wiped my hands on my leggings and focused on the page. She was a stark contrast to the pixelated pink princess I had saved so many times. Regardless of the burned paper she was drawn on, I saw why everyone fought to free her. She was more than just a queen; she was the hope of a kingdom. She had to be saved.
“Thank you. This is exactly what I needed.” I wiped a tear off my cheek and leaned into his arms.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Wake up Alex,” Arrow said, gently kissing my forehead and grabbing my cloak so I couldn’t pull it up over my head.
“It’s too early!” I rubbed my eyes. “The sun’s not even up yet.” I propped myself onto my elbows and looked down the hill to the darkened valley.
“That’s what makes this the perfect time to go, before they start watching for us.” He gave me another kiss and started packing up camp. “There’s no good coverage going down the hill, and I wanted us to get as close as possible before the sun rose.”
I huffed and leaned back down. “You should have told me that was what you were thinking. I could have given you a couple more hours of rest. We don’t have to worry about cover because we’re not going in through the main entrance. We’re sneaking in through the graveyard on the other side of the castle.”
He stopped packing for a moment. “We have to go through the graveyard? No one goes through the graveyard.”
“And no one goes through Shadow Alley either, but we did.” I yawned.
“And you almost became one of them…”
“Arrow, one of us has almost been killed every step of the way, and yet we’re still here. Nothing about this rebellion has ever been safe. Toss me a roll?” I stretched, resigned to the fact that I was awake. “Anyway, the fact that no one goes there is kind of the point. No one will think to look for us there.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s the only way I know.” I nodded as I bit into the roll. The last level started in the graveyard.
Arrow nodded, put the last of the blankets and supplies in the bags, and leaned them against the tree where the horses waited. I grabbed an extra roll before handing him my bag and kissing his cheek.
“Are you ready?” I asked. “I mean, really ready? This is it. There’s no going back from here.”
When he looked me in the eyes, a range of emotions hit me, but behind them all, I recognized honesty. “I can’t go back, regardless, but with you guiding me? We have a chance. I’m ready.”
I hesitated, then threw my arms around his shoulders, stifling the tears I wanted to shed. He might be ready, but a shiver of dread shot through me. If something went wrong, it wouldn’t just be game over. It might very well be the end of the rebellion, me, and my only chance to get home.
He pulled back and smiled. “You should trust yourself too. Didn’t you say you beat this castle over a hundred times?”
I choked back a laugh. “At least, if not more.” I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand.
“Then stop worrying. We’ll take this one step at a time.”
“One step at a time,” I said.
“And, apparently, our first step is into the graveyard. Not what I would have chosen, but you’re the hero…” He beckoned me forward with his hand. I appreciated his attempts at joviality. It would be a hard day. Grabbing his outstretched hand, I climbed onto my horse. We wouldn’t be able to take the horses all the way down, but they could carry us a couple miles closer before we were on our own.
Twisted branches interlocked with other trees, hiding the sun in their struggle for dominance. Empty limbs hung low, grabbing at our clothes and bags as we passed by, slowing our descent. The forest seemed dead; no animals scurried out of our way, no birds chirped from above. The ground remained as dark and empty as the branches above. Nothing grew along the sun-starved trail. The only green I saw came from the moss clinging to the crumbling bark.
I shook my head and reached out for Arrow’s shoulder as he ducked beneath the nearest branch. “Be careful of the moss here,” I said. “Actually, just don’t touch anything white or light green, even the branches. It’s all poisoned.” I pointed at a dark ring of burnt ashes and feathers on the ground at the base of a nearby tree. “Berkos doesn’t want anything in these woods to live,” I whispered.
He brought his hands closer to his body and nodded.
“We’ll have to leave the horses soon,” I said. “We don’t want them to be noticed by any guards wandering these hills. Do you think they’ll be able to find their way back to the Grove if we let them go?”
“You want to let them go?” he asked incredulously.
“I think it’s for the best. There’s poison here; we can’t tie them to the trees, and I don’t know how long we’ll be. I thought I’d be in and out of Lockhorn in a couple of hours.”
“I, for one, am glad you stayed longer,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. He pulled the reins towards himself and tightened his hands around my waist, hugging me close. “Would you stay if you could?”
“Don’t ask me that. You know it’s not possible.” I bit my lip as my heart sped up. The truth was, I didn’t know how to answer that question anymore.
“You’re right,” he said, helping me down. “I’m sorry. We should focus.”
“Besides, you don’t have to worry. We still have a long way to go together, and I plan on making every moment count,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
I pulled away, but he resisted, tightening his grip on me and pressing me against the tree. His lips teased mine as he held me captive. My legs grew weak, his kisses becoming more demanding.
“Arrow,” I said, gently pushing him away.
“Mmmm,” he mumbled, nibbling on my lower lip.
“You have to let me go, or I’ll never want to go save the queen,” I said.
“If I must.” But his hands remained interlocked behind my back.
“Stop!” I
laughed. “We still need to organize our supplies.” I nodded to the bags at our feet. “We won’t be able to take all this stuff. Will you help me?”
He sighed loudly, finally releasing his grip. “What do we need?” he asked, emptying the supplies on the ground.
I rubbed my forehead and scrutinized the items strewn in front of me. I knelt by his side and emptied my own bag next to his. “Geez, you weren’t joking about packing a bag of bread!”
He took a bite of one roll and handed me another. “I knew we’d have to keep our energy up.”
I shook my head and bit into the bread as I sorted the other items into categories.
“We can leave the food here. We won’t need it on the inside.”
“What about when we’re done?” he asked, stopping mid-bite.
“If we need to, I’m sure we can raid the kitchen.” I stuck my tongue out at him, afraid to give voice to the thoughts running through my head. One way or another, I would be gone by then.
“What about the rest of this stuff?” Arrow asked, holding up his bundle of vines and the whip.
“Bring it, as much as we can carry. We’ll need it all.” I secured my dagger and reached for the broadsword, deciding at the last moment that it was too big. I hesitated before attaching the electric whip to my right leg and strapping a quiver and bow to my back. I stuffed my pockets with packages of luminance powder and double-checked the necklaces of weed pollen and oil. I felt more like Renaissance Rambo than the little hero from the game.
I looked at Arrow and took a deep breath. “Are you ready?”
“I’m about as ready as I’ll be.”
Adrenaline surged through me, amping up my steps as we bounded down the hill in the darkness. The hillside flattened into the valley, then melted into the dark and desolate lowlands, hidden under a layer of haze.
When we reached the graveyard, light crested the horizon.
I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. Thick, hot plumes of steam jutted up through hidden vents in the ground, obscuring my view.
I tucked an ear device in and marveled as the rush of steam confused everything else. Quick pulsating bursts of static threw me off balance. I yelped as I tripped over the broken stones, scraping my shin. I pulled the device from my ear and shook my head at Arrow. He would have to listen for us while I kept my eye on finding the secret entrance.
Dreamscape: Saving Alex Page 30
