Sorcery & Sirens

by Iris Woodbury

  "The city of Somnia isn't hard to find, but you might be confused when you get there. The path to Ella can be easy or difficult, depending on her whim." Jake prodded the fire and watched as the flames jumped high into the air.

  "What do you mean?" John asked.

  "Somnia is the city of dreams. The paths in are controlled by the queen. At her will, she can conjure up your worst nightmares. And if she suspects you're coming to do her harm or steal one of her captives, I guess that's exactly what she'll do."

  "Great," John said. "You know we could always go back into the woods and take our chances with the remaining Guardsmen. I mean, Stu walked in here of his own free will. Love him and all that but I've no wish to die in this hell-hole."

  Both girls looked at John at once.

  "I can't believe you just said that," Nic said.

  John shrugged and lay down on the bat guano carpet. "Well I did. We know nothing about this place, and the more we find out, the suckier it gets. I'm all for going home at first light. Even the Guardsmen have to bed down sooner or later. If we wait long enough, we might be able to sneak back through the curtain and get home."

  "You can try your luck on your own if you must, but I'm going after Stu," Crystal said. "Give my regards to whatever monster you meet on your travels."

  "Yeah that's great, thanks Crystal, I really appreciate your wanting me to die horribly."

  "That's not what I meant...."

  "Well, it sounded like it to me. But even if I do come with you to this Somnia place, who's to say monsters won't be waiting for us there, too? No matter what we do, we're screwed!"

  Nic lay down on the ground but she turned her back on John and stared thoughtfully into the fire. "So, will she know we're coming, and will there be nightmares all the time, or will Ella only send us nightmares when she knows for sure we're in town? I'm not sure what you're saying."

  "She first has to know you are there, but the city is full of her spies. It would be hard to reach her without her hearing of your arrival."

  "But it can be done?"

  "Oh yes, you can get to her."

  "Why don't we just waltz in, tell her we're coming, and ask her to hand over Stu?" John asked.

  "You could try that, but she won't just hand him over," Jake said.

  "Why not?" Crystal asked. She'd been wondering about this for some time. "Why is she so interested in us?"

  "She needs one of you," Jake said simply.

  "For what?"

  "To replace her. She wants one of you to become the new king or queen of Caducus."

  John, who'd been lying with his back to them all, now turned and sat up abruptly. "Say that again. She wants one of us to be the new king or queen of this place?"

  "Yes. Exactly so."

  Crystal saw a change in John's eyes. The flames cast a strange shadow across his face. There was something new there. Was it greed? The look spread across his handsome features like a cancer, and she felt sick as he rubbed his hands to warm them by the fire.

  "So, this Ella. Does she live well?"

  "How do you mean?" Jake asked.

  "Does she have wealth, jewels, a household of servants, men and women employed to grant her every wish?"

  "But of course. She's the queen."

  A suspicious shadow crossed John's face. His eyes narrowed and his thumb traced the line of his lips. "Why us though? I mean––you said this land was full of seventeen-year olds. Why doesn't she pick out one of you to replace her?"

  "I don't know."

  "And why does she wanna replace herself at all?” Nic asked. "I mean, if she's a queen and all that, she must have it pretty good, right?"

  "I don't know that either."

  "You say you never know anything, and yet I think you know it all." John rose to his feet and walked to the mouth of the cave. "You just don't want us to know anything." He looked down at his feet and muttered to himself. "Still, no matter, I can figure this out." And with that he moved to a dark recess in the cave and curled up alone for the night.

  Crystal sprawled out in front of the fire. She had enough on her mind without having to worry about the nonsense in John's head. As she stared into the flickering fire, she thought again about the two Guardsmen. Were they real? Was any of this real?

  "Nic––do you think this might be some kind of new experimental IMAX thing they're testing at the renn faire? What if we're just the guinea pigs?" She looked around the cave, half-expecting to spot hidden cameras watching their every move.

  Nic chuckled and said, "I've looked for cameras, too! I haven't seen any. But no, I don't think so. Wouldn't we have had to sign some disclaimer thing? I mean, just look at the cuts and bruises on you. On all of us. These aren't fake. You can get really hurt in this place."

  Crystal sighed. So much for that. "Yeah, I s'pose."

  Just inches away from her she could hear Jake's deep and steady breathing as he fell into an easy slumber. A few hours ago, she'd have done anything to share this moment with him. How she'd dreamed of her hand in his, how their lips might touch and how things would be if they were dating. A few hours before, being his girlfriend had meant everything.

  All she could think about now was Stu, getting to him, saving him, and something more. She closed her eyes, and it was his hand she held, and his lips brushing against her own. Not Jake's. She'd never thought about Stu that way before. Was it because Nic and John had hinted that Stu might have a thing for her? Or had she always felt this way about him?

  She draped her hand over her eyes, as if trying to blot the thought out, but it was Stu's image that stayed with her as, at last, she drifted off into a restless sleep.

  Crystal woke abruptly as someone pulled at her bare arm.

  "Get up! Come on, wake up."

  She was stiff and cold. The fire had long since burned out, and for a moment, she wished she could roll over and reach for a warm comforter to cover her.

  "Wake up, dammit!" It was Jake. He tugged roughly at her arm. "We've got to get out of here, and now."

  "Wait. What? What's up?" Crystal rubbed her eyes. She hadn't had enough sleep to satisfy a cat and she felt groggy and disorientated. The guano floor wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She shook her head and tried to focus.

  "The horses, they've found the horses. It was just a couple of scouts, but we must go now, this place will soon be swarming with more Guardsmen."

  "Shit!" Instantly alert, Crystal followed Jake out of the cave, where they edged carefully past the lake and ran over to where Nic and John were already waiting, crouched low and keeping out of sight.

  "John and I got up early and came out here to talk," Nic whispered. "When Jake came to find us, we saw them, and managed to duck out of sight just in time."

  Crystal thought Nic looked good for a girl who'd spent the night sleeping on a cave floor coated in bat poo. She only hoped she'd fared half as well but judging by the knots she felt in her hair, she guessed not.

  "Where are they now?" she asked.

  "They left a couple of minutes ago," Nic replied, "but we'd better scoot now before they come back with reinforcements."

  "Right."

  Jake led them all back across the ridge and into the woods again. They moved in haste, always on alert, not knowing from which direction the Guardsmen might appear. It was a full half-hour before at last, Crystal stopped in her tracks to catch her breath.

  "Okay, okay, wait! I can't keep marching like this on an empty stomach. I need to eat."

  "Eat what?" John asked. "I didn't happen to bring along any more rabbits."

  "I agree with Crysal," Nic said. "We've got to eat something."

  "Hmm.” John turned to Jake. "How far are we from this outpost? If we set a fire won't we be giving away our position?"

  "We don't need to start a fire," Jake said. "We can find apple trees. The forests are filled with them."

  "Well thank heavens for that," Nic said.

  "Well then, let's find some because I can't go on without
food," Crystal agreed.

  "You can get sick of eating too many apples," John said.

  "Thanks for that useful input," Nic replied.

  The search for food resulted in another small detour but they soon found a few apple trees along with a row of blackberry bushes. The berries were enormous, a little bigger than the ones in Crystal's garden, and they looked perfectly ripe. "Are these safe to eat?" she asked Jake, as she sniffed at a rather fat one.

  "Totally," he replied. "Eat as many as you want."

  The four gorged on as much fruit as they could eat and stored as many apples as they could in their available pockets.

  "I don't suppose there's any water nearby?" Nic asked. "I'm gagging."

  "There's some near the outpost, but we'll have to be careful about getting it. It's the largest fresh water stream in the area, right on the edge of the woods, which is probably why the riders picked it for their base. We're not far now though, perhaps twenty minutes, maybe a little more. Are you all ready to move on?"

  They all nodded.

  "Then let's go."

  Jake moved swiftly but cautiously through the trees, preferring denser woods to open meadows, alert to any strange sounds, flitting from tree to tree and stopping frequently if something sounded out of place. The others stayed as close to him as they could.

  Crystal noticed the woods were becoming less dense, and the morning sun penetrated through to the ground in patches. And then she heard the unmistakable roar of gushing water and knew they couldn't be far from the outpost. Just as she thought this, Jake came to a sudden halt behind the last of the great oaks. He crouched low and beckoned the others to do the same.

  "There it is."

  Jake pointed ahead of them to a large ravine on the edge of the forest. A great stream gushed along the ravine floor; the water forced along by a ragged waterfall Crystal could see was about half a mile away. The woods crept along the banks of the ravine, providing cover on either side. And there, at the end of it all, she saw a wooden enclosure, which she assumed to be the outpost. No guards were posted on the perimeter, and there was no activity around the building. It looked almost deserted.

  "Where is everyone?" Nic asked.

  "My guess is they're out searching for us,' John replied. "Come on, let's nab some water before anyone returns."

  John was about to burst out of the clearing when Jake grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him back down again. Just as he did so, a dark creature about the size of a large pony emerged from inside the woods, close to the outpost. It crept along the edge of the water, its neck bent and drooping, giving the thing a most sullen look.

  The creature supported itself on its wings and lowered its head into the cool waters. It lapped like a cat, occasionally raising its head to listen for sounds of danger around it. When satisfied that all was well, it would lower its head again and continue to drink.

  "My God, what is that?" Crystal asked.

  "It's a wyvern. Sort of a dragon, kinda. Nasty little things they are, they act as watchdogs for the Guard. They're not particularly powerful, and their wings are clipped so they can't fly away, but they have a nasty bite that will knock you out for hours."

  Nic, who had been a little behind them all, crept a little closer for a better look. "Why don't they just run away? They're wild, aren't they?"

  "Yes, but they're also chained." Even as he spoke the wyvern stole back from the edge of the water and retreated into the cover of the woods. Now they all could see the heavy chain trailing behind it, the metal scraping over its own surface, clink, clink, clink as its restraints double-backed behind him.

  "I'd almost feel sorry for it, if it didn't plan to eat us," Nic said.

  "It won't eat you, but you won't thank it for one of those bites," Jake replied.

  "So, another hopeless quest," John grumbled. "The list just goes on and on..."

  Crystal ignored him again, as did the others. "So, how do we get to the water?" she asked. Her hand shot to the blade at her side. "Do we have to kill it?"

  Jake followed the movement and smiled. "I hope not," he said. "Wyverns can be pretty fierce when cornered, clipped or not. I've heard there's only one at this outpost, so our best hope is for one of us to watch it, and to signal to the others when it's safe to drink."

  "That's the plan?" John asked. "And what if it spots us?"

  "Then I suggest you run like crazy and don't look back."

  "Are they fast?"

  "Pretty fast, but that chain is long, and he has to follow a certain path or risk getting tangled. And that should slow him down long enough to keep us safe. Come, we better follow after him or we'll lose track of where he is."

  And without another word, Jake moved quietly along the edge of the woods, which sloped downward toward the edge of the ravine. Crystal stayed close behind him, her senses on red alert, and her legs ready to flee if ever the cry to run was given.

  Jake took the sword from his side and held it high before him. They had no idea which way the wyvern had turned in the woods, and he could pounce on them at any moment. Behind him, John did the same, and though Crystal kept her weapon sheathed, her hand was never far from its hilt.

  And then they heard it; the rhythmic snorting of a wild beast, blowing out air like a wild mustang, while its head was down in the undergrowth, feeding on vegetation.

  Nic put her hand out to John, and Crystal was surprised to see that instead of pushing her away, he instinctively pushed her behind him and raised his sword. All were silent, and Crystal wondered how Jake would communicate with them now the wyvern had been spotted. Jake did not leave her guessing for long.

  Like a military commando, he pointed to the right. The ravine went around a slight bend at that point, which they could see clearly, but which she guessed was in the wyvern's blind spot. Slowly the three backed away, leaving Jake to keep an eye on the creature from where he hid in the shrubs.

  The rocks by the water were slippery, and all three had to be very careful not to slide on the mossy stones beneath their feet. A few feet away a level ridge jutted up through the surface of the stream; the water there was deep, and Crystal figured she could lie flat on her belly and take a long draft. As she crossed the stony rocks leading to it, she raised her arms to balance herself. Her ears strained over the rush of the water, alert to any calls of danger. Jake was silent. She plopped down hard on her stomach and almost submerged her gasping head in the fresh stream below.

  As her hands cupped the fresh waters and brought the cool liquid to her lips, Crystal felt she hadn't tasted anything so wonderful in her whole life. She couldn't lap it up fast enough, the water was hard and full of minerals, and it quenched her thirst in seconds. She closed her eyes and put her head under the water. Once submerged, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see how clearly she could see beneath the surface. Tiny little orange fish swam a discrete distance away; and green vegetation floated gently between the shiny pebbles and rocks. Despite the waterfall and current above, this was more like looking into the calm waters of a fish tank, or the fake world of a digital game. Fascinated by what she saw, Crystal would have explored more, but she needed to breathe. She pulled out from the ravine, and, with a mighty whoop, sucked in a lungful of air.

  Just as she did so, she felt a hand clamp on her back, pulling her up. "Come quickly," John said. "Jake was calling us back."

  Crystal turned at once to the bank where Jake stood, waving his arms frantically in the air. "We must go, and fast," Jake whispered. "I heard horses––riders are heading this way! Get back into the trees."

  The light material of her dress was now wet and heavy, and clung to her skin, slowing her down. The others were already waiting for her on the bank, but Crystal had ventured farther than the others, and the slippery rocks below made her passage tricky. She was just a few feet from them when she heard a great whine, and the wyvern broke free from the trees and headed straight for them all. Jake flew to the left, John and Nic to the right, leaving Crystal r
ight in front of the angry beast. The thing reared up on its hind legs and howled an almighty roar that seemed disproportionate to its diminutive size.

  "Run, for pity's sake, run!" Jake cried.

  At the same moment, the wyvern crept up to the water's edge and lunged directly at her. Instinctively, Crystal jumped back, but in that moment her foot shot out from under her and she skidded on the rocks below. She heard the rush of the water as it surrounded her ears, then a sharp pain in her head where she crashed against a rock. Dizzy, she tried to rise, but felt a set of teeth clamp on her ankle.

  "Oh my god, it bit me!"

  Crystal lashed out in a fury, kicking and splashing cold water in the air as she tried to back away from the creature now hovering triumphantly above her. And then the wyvern itself began to change. The once-small, almost pathetic creature appeared to grow before her very eyes. Fierce, hungry eyes became black and demonic, and its sharp-toothed mouth almost tripled in size as it hovered and drooled just inches away. Crystal's heart pounded so loud, she feared it would jump out of her chest. The creature approached, its reptilian claws extended and curled, ready to grasp its prey. And then somewhere, far away, she heard voices. A dozen shadows closed in around her; they tugged at her arms and shoulders, and all the while the wyvern stared down at her with those black, black eyes. She closed her own and slipped away into utter darkness.

  A Gentle Rider

  She moved her head once, and that was enough. Crystal thought she might vomit. And then the thumping started, a pounding such as she'd never felt before, just around her temples. It was a while before she was brave enough to open her eyes and look around. She was in a dark room. How did she get here? She couldn't remember.

  She moved her head, ever so gently, each movement bringing with it a fresh wave of nausea. And all the while, her conscious mind wanted to take her back to a place she would rather forget. She pictured a cave. Were they dreams? The images in her head were so awful. They had to be dreams, surely?