Twenty
I had made only a tiny cut in Kull’s skin when the magic spilled out. The greasy matter oozed from the wound, coating the blade and then my fingers. The magic left his body in a flood as it attached to my skin, crawling over my hands and arms like millions of tiny leeches.
Good. Let it come.
As soon as the last drop of magic left his body, I concentrated on a banishing spell. The enchantment hadn’t worked how I’d planned back at the tombs, but I didn’t know what else to do.
Dark magic seeped into my skin. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the spell, praying it would work.
“Banish.”
The writhing magic came to a screaming halt, but instead of dissipating like it should have, it wrapped around my arms and entered my body through the tiny pores of my skin.
I gasped as magic burned my skin. I reached for Kull but couldn’t move.
“Kull,” I whispered. Black spots clouded my vision. I felt the strange sensation that this was precisely where the magic wanted to be—inside me. In my mind.
The pain began to vanish as I lost consciousness. I fought against it, but a tidal wave of blackness overtook my mind. I remembered falling, and pain as my head hit the floor. And then, I dreamed…
I stood in a desert of ash and dirty snow. Above me soared a wall of black ice. Beyond the wall rose a lighthouse made from weathered stone. A pale light pulsed from the top of the tower, though it did nothing to drive away the mist.
“Mog’s Keep.”
I spun around to face an overweight man wearing a green cloak. He had pockmarked cheeks and a graying beard.
“Who are you?” My voice sounded strange in the fog, as if someone else were speaking.
He flourished a mahogany cane through the air, then dipped into a shallow bow. “I am Mr. Green.”
I swore I’d heard the name before. “Where are we? What are you doing here?”
“Your questions will be answered in time, although you ask the wrong ones.” He took a step forward. “The question you need to ask is—where is your godson?”
“You know where he is?”
He pointed at the tower with his cane. “There.”
I turned to the tower. The light pulsed, pulsed, pulsed. It was colorless, as if I were watching a black-and-white movie.
Mr. Green tapped the towering black wall with his cane. It made a tinkling sound, like delicate glass.
“The elves constructed this wall. They poured all their technology, all their power into creating it.”
“Can it be brought down?”
“No.”
I searched for doors or entryways but saw none. “Then how did my godson get inside that tower?”
“His dreamsoul fled there after being attacked by the Regaymor in the tombs. I’m sure he’s terrified.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know many things. I know the Regaymor are not from our world. I know that their kind worked with the Dreamthief, but they have rebelled and now wish to take your godson’s power for themselves. I know that your godson will die unless you stop the Regaymor.”
A screeching wind blew past, howling like a living thing as it dashed against the wall. “How do I know if you’re telling the truth? Who are you?” I asked again.
“You know who I am,” he answered.
“Are you the Dreamthief?” I knew the Dreamthief was supposed to be a woman, but anything was possible.
“No, I seek to help you.”
“Why?”
“Because only you can destroy this wall. And because I know your godson. He doesn’t need to be inside that tower. It’s killing him.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“I come from Earth, like you. You must find me there.” The wind howled again. It almost drowned out his words. “And because you have no one else. Know this—do not trust anyone. Those you love will betray you.”
The wind quieted. I stood alone. Mr. Green’s words echoed in my mind.
Those I love will betray me?
I couldn’t tear my gaze from the light tower. Confusion clouded my mind. Was Jeremiah really in there? Who was Mr. Green, and why did he want to help me?
I inspected the wall. My reflection shone in its glossy surface. I touched it, and cool glass brushed my fingertips.
Elven magic tugged at my senses. So, elves had created the wall. At least Mr. Green hadn’t lied about that. But why did he think I could destroy it?
The lighthouse pulsed, blinding me. I stared at it, feeling a headache throb as the light pierced my eyes.
The wind howled again, but this time, I heard a voice calling from the tower. A child’s voice.
Jeremiah’s voice.
I knew he was up there. I wasn’t sure why I felt so certain, but deep inside, I knew I’d found him.
“Hold on,” I whispered.
I woke with a headache throbbing inside my skull. “Jeremiah,” I gasped as the room came into focus.
Arantha and Kull leaned over me. The healer woman held a bowl with something inside that looked like tar. It smelled of chili peppers and something less appealing, like gasoline. I tried to sit up, but my vision swam with stars and I returned to the pillow.
“Rest,” Arantha said and spread a spoonful of tar on my forehead. The smell made me want to vomit, though as the mixture touched my skin, the headache dissipated.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she concentrated on spooning the foul stuff on my forehead and then the back of my hands.
Kull leaned closer. His eyes had returned to their normal shade of blue, and his cheeks had lost their burning color. “You had us worried.”
“You were tampering with dark magic. That’s very dangerous,” Arantha said as she rubbed the gunk on my cheeks. I’m sure I must have resembled a swamp creature.
“What is that stuff?” I asked.
“Poultice of wormwood. We use it to cure wounds caused by magical venoms.”
“Just don’t eat it,” Kull said.
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
Kull held up something. I focused through blurry eyes and realized he held the scalpel. A spot of blood slicked the tip. “Want to tell me what this is about?”
“I was trying to heal you.”
“By nearly killing yourself?”
“I’m fine.”
“You weren’t five minutes ago. You stopped breathing. What were you doing?”
“I thought I could take the magic into my own body and destroy it. It didn’t work how I’d planned.”
Arantha slathered the goop on my neck, and I pushed her hand away. “Thanks, but I’m feeling much better now.”
I sat up, and this time I didn’t feel like fainting.
“Next time, you must warn me before tampering with dark magic,” Arantha said. “There are better ways to deal with it.”
“I’ll remember.” How did she know anything about dark magic in the first place?
Arantha stood and walked to the tent’s flap. “I shall return in the morning. I think it would be best for everyone if you leave first thing tomorrow.” She pulled the canvas aside and exited the tent.
Kull handed me a blanket. I pulled the soft fabric close, still feeling a chill from the dream.
“You saw your godson?” Kull asked.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“You said his name right after you woke up.”
“Oh yes, I suppose I did. Kull, I think I’ve found him. There was this light tower, and an enchanted wall surrounding it. I have to figure out where it is.”
“Enchanted wall?”
“Yes, with elven magic.”
“It could be in Laurentia.”
“No, it looked barren. And I saw ash on the ground.”
“Goblin lands.”
I nodded.
He exhaled a sigh. “We could search forever.”
I found it odd that he said ‘we.’
&nb
sp; “Maybe not. There was a man there. He called himself Mr. Green, from Earth. If I can find him, he might help me.”
“Do you trust him?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m certain Jeremiah was in that tower.”
Kull’s jaw tightened. “Sounds risky.”
“I agree. But what other choice do I have?”
He didn’t have an answer. The coals shimmered and crackled, sending sparks flying into the air. When I turned back to Kull, he looked at me with a half-grin.
“Why are you smiling?”
He took a blanket and wiped the goop off my face. “I miss your freckles.”
“You’re hilarious.”
Kull leaned back and placed his hands under his head. “I don’t like any of this. An elven wall in goblin lands shouldn’t exist. Goblins in the Wult tombs shouldn’t exist. Something is off, and I plan to find out what after I kill the bastards who took my sister.”
“I’m sure Heidel is safe.” I was lying, of course, but a lie seemed like an appropriate response in this situation.
“Yes, I’m sure she is.”
His eyes closed. He looked so peaceful, yet careworn at the same time.
“Arantha is right. We must leave first thing in the morning.”
I laid back, not too close to him, my head resting on a pillow. As I closed my eyes, I saw the light tower with its flickering pulses that pounded through my skull.
Kull leaned closer, the warmth of his body close to mine.
I fell asleep to the sounds of the crackling fire and the calming scent of sandalwood. As my mind drifted off, I heard Mr. Green’s words in my head.
Those you love will betray you.
Dreamthief Page 26