by Helen Harper
She doesn’t hear me. Tears continue to roll down her cheeks. I stand up and walk a few paces away, turning my back so she doesn’t see the rage on my face. How dare they do this to her? How dare they take an innocent person and treat her like this? I can only pray that in the real world Dante has found Ashley’s location, bundled her into his car and they’re on their way back to the hotel. Or the nearest hospital.
‘We’re coming to get you, Ashley. Just hang on a bit longer.’
I turn back towards her. The pale shape of Lilith is hovering over her huddled body. ‘Leave her alone!’
Lilith’s white face stares at her. ‘She’s in pain,’ the succubus murmurs.
‘Lilith,’ I say through gritted teeth, ‘so help me God…’
She raises her chin in my direction. ‘They’re coming,’ she says without a trace of emotion. ‘You have to hide.’
My stomach drops. ‘Who’s coming? The Department?’
Lilith murmurs non-committally and floats away, swallowed up in an instant by the dark trees. I open my mouth to call after her then think better of it and rush back to Ashley. ‘We have to get out of here.’
Ashley barely reacts. I curse and lift her up again. In my hurry, however, I botch it. I manage to keep hold of Ashley but my back screams in agony. Goddamnit. I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek; it doesn’t lessen the pain across my spine but it gives me something else to focus on. A moment later, I’m moving away as quickly as I can. Ashley, thankfully, doesn’t make a sound.
We’re barely twenty metres away when I hear voices, followed by the sound of twigs snapping underfoot. I freeze, trying to pinpoint the sound. If I get this wrong, then we’re all screwed. Deciding that the noises are coming from my left, I crouch behind a nearby tree, still hanging on to Ashley. The one thing in our favour is that it’s so dark here, they’re unlikely to see us. As long as we keep quiet, we have a chance.
‘Ashley,’ I say urgently. ‘Don’t make a sound.’
She moans. I cup her face and stare into her eyes, pressing my finger against her mouth and shaking my head in warning. A glimmer of understanding appears and I sigh in relief.
‘I don’t like it here,’ complains one guttural voice.
‘Quit complaining. It’s the one place the others won’t come.’
There’s a snort. ‘I can see why. It’s fucking cold and creepy. Besides, isn’t this where the night mares hang out? The last thing I want to do is run into one of them.’
This would indeed be a bloody excellent time for Pegasus or one of his mates to show up. Unfortunately for me, I’ve barely seen or heard any of them since the Mayor’s violent demise. In fact, the only time was when Lilith pulled me out of one of the mare’s path.
‘We can’t stay here.’
‘Damn right, we can’t. Nature isn’t my thing.’
There’s an irritated hiss. ‘Marek spotted some activity towards the far end of the town.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘It’s not going to be long now. Serves the lot of them right.’
A deep sense of foreboding fills me. I’m not sure what they’re referring to but whatever it is doesn’t sound good.
‘This zone will be unusable for decades. Bring on the Badlands.’
I stiffen. They know what’s going on with the sleep paralysis and they don’t care. They really are monsters.
‘Like you care,’ the second voice continues.
‘I’m just saying that maybe we don’t need to burn it. The Travellers here are as gullible as the ones everywhere else.’
There’s a sharp laugh. ‘I’ll give you that. Two teenagers came up to me a few hours ago wanting to know if killing the dreamweaver would stop the sleep paralysis. We have them eating out of our hands.’
‘She’s more dangerous than you think. Don’t forget we were told that the Travellers rose up against the Mayor because of her.’
‘They’re easily manipulated. In either direction.’
‘We already have her. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to bring her here so she can stop the Badlands. We could use this zone.’
‘It’s already been decided, you know that. The people here deserve it; they shouldn’t have gone against us. As long as we have the weaver, nothing else matters.’
‘I have family in London.’
‘They’re not Travellers?’
‘No.’
‘Well, tell them to get the hell out if they ever want a decent night’s sleep again. Big deal. It’s a tiny country with a huge ego. There are far better places to settle down.’
‘So if I suggest to the others that we try to save this place, you’ll go against me?’
There’s a huge sigh. ‘The only way we can save it is by risking the weaver. We can’t afford to do that.’
‘Another one will come along.’
‘In a few decades perhaps. You know we got lucky when we found this one so easily. That might not happen with the next one. Don’t you want that contract?’
‘Yes, but…’
‘Then forget that guilty conscience. We haven’t needed this zone up till now so why give a shit about them?’
Ashley jerks and some dried leaves on the ground rustle. Both voices stop abruptly. I reach towards her in a panic but her body is already becoming insubstantial. She’s waking up. I hear footsteps move in our direction and panic threatens to consume me. As Ashley disappears completely, I tell myself to calm down. All I need to do is disapparate as well and the thugs will be none the wiser.
There are shouts from the outskirts of the forest.
‘Can you hear that?’ Guttural-Voice asks.
‘It’ll be another stupid monster. Or fire. Someone’s out there listening to us. We need to…’
‘Wait. Something’s wrong.’
‘Didn’t you just hear that?’
‘I don’t give a fuck. Listen to what they’re shouting. It’s the weaver. I think she’s gone.’
I gulp in air. Thank goodness. It’s high time I left.
Chapter Sixteen
It is best to act with confidence no matter how little right you have to it.
Lillian Hellman
Rawlins and I race out of the room and down to the hotel lobby just as Dante pulls up outside. We dash out, much to the night watchman’s bemusement, almost shattering the glass door at the front in our haste. Why so many buildings use glass, I have no idea; any aesthetic properties are far outweighed by its drawbacks.
I can just make out Ashley through the dark windows of Dante’s car. She’s still awake but her eyes are glazed.
Dante flings open the door. ‘We should get her to a hospital.’
I shake my head vehemently. ‘We can’t. The Department will find her there and take her again. They’re desperate to have the dreamweaver, Dante.’
He gives me a long, unfathomable look. I grimace. I know, I know.
Rawlins curses and interrupts. ‘You’re not vigilantes in the Wild West. The Manchester police are looking for her, remember? They’ll protect her.’
‘And how do we explain how we found her?’ I demand. ‘With a ouija board? My sixth sense?’
‘The police don’t know who I am,’ Dante answers.
‘They’re not stupid either,’ Rawlins points out. ‘The first thing they’ll do is check you out. They’ll trace you back to us and the hotel. You’ll be under suspicion before you can say rock-a-bye-baby.’
‘Get in. I have an idea,’ Dante orders.
My feet refuse to move; they feel as if they’re made of cement. Rawlins jogs round the car and dives into the front seat while I try to force myself to move. It’s not any safer in the hotel than it is out here, I remind myself.
‘You can do this, Zoe.’ Dante’s voice is calm.
I close my eyes. Breathe. Just breathe. I curl my fingernails into the palms of my hands and squeeze. The sharp pain helps and I jolt into action. I join Ashley in the back of the car, the wheels spin and Dante takes off.
>
‘Where are we going?’
‘Back to where I found her.’
‘What?’ I shriek.
‘Trust me. Just make sure she’s alright.’
I suck in a breath and I nod. At this point I don’t have much choice.
‘Zoe?’
‘Mmm.’
‘You’re going to have to keep her awake. We can’t risk her falling asleep and wandering through the square. You know what they’ll do if they see her.’
Most likely torture her into giving up her location. I murmur a grim assent and focus on Ashley. I avoid looking out of the window and worrying about where we are. This isn’t the time for an agoraphobic freak-out.
Ashley’s eyelids are starting to droop. Although she looks no more pale or ill than she did in the Dreamlands, the fact that her physical form is in front of me makes the situation seem worse. I shake her as gently as I can. ‘Stay with me, Ashley. Not much longer.’
She moans and clutches at my arm. ‘Bitch,’ she whispers.
I smooth back her hair. ‘That’s right.’
Dante screeches to a halt. ‘This one is close enough.’
I look out, see a phone box and suddenly understand. She can call the police on her own from here and make it appear as if she escaped. It’s far from a perfect plan but right now it’s all we’ve got.
‘There’s a camera across the road,’ Rawlins says grimly. ‘She needs to get to the phone box on her own.’
‘And if they’re searching the streets for her and happen to show up here?’
‘Then,’ Dante says, ‘we’ll deal with them.’ He turns round. ‘Ashley, you need to walk over there on your own. There’s a phone box. Call 999 and tell the police your name and that you’ve escaped. Can you do that?’
Judging from the terror on her face, I’m not sure she can but she nods. I reach across and open her door to help her out.
‘Zoe,’ Rawlins warns, ‘if you go any further, the CCTV will pick you up.’
‘I know.’ I look at Ashley. ‘Can you do this?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice might be faint but her tone is firm. She meets my eyes. ‘Don’t let them find you. They want to do terrible things. If they have a real dreamweaver, then we’re all screwed.’
My stomach lurches. ‘I’ll do my best.’ She turns to walk across the road but I reach out and touch her, silently requesting that she wait. ‘When you do fall asleep, go to the forest, Ashley. Some of the trees have marks. Follow the marks until you reach a clearing with a fire pit. We’ll come and find you there.’ I’ll just have to pray that the two goons have already left but, even with the threat of their presence, the forest will be safer than the town. Right now, it’s all we’ve got.
We wait in the car. It seems like an eternity but it’s probably no more than a few minutes from the moment Ashley replaces the receiver until the first police car shows up, quickly followed by an ambulance. By this point, she can barely stand. She points backwards and murmurs something before being bundled into the back of the ambulance. The police exchange looks and head off almost as fast as they arrived.
‘She’s given them the address of the kidnappers.’
‘They’ve probably already gone.’
‘Probably. But the police might be able to pull some fingerprints. It doesn’t mean the bastards won’t get caught.’
With any luck, Carter will be indicted along with the rest of them. I press my lips together and try to keep hold of my emotions. ‘Will Ashley be alright? Will she be safe?’
‘Probably.’
Probably is not good enough for me. ‘I told her go to the forest. You need to make sure she stays there, well out of the Department’s path.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Kill two birds with one stone.’
‘Zoe…’
‘We had a deal. I stayed at the hotel when you went to get Ashley so you don’t get in my way when I apparate.’
‘Tell me what you’re planning.’
I shrug. ‘I’m damned if I know. I’m making this up as I go along.’
But my eavesdropping proved one thing: I can stop the Badlands. I just need to be brave enough.
***
We don’t go back to the hotel; instead, Dante parks round the corner from the main Manchester police station. Even at this hour there’s a steady stream of traffic entering and exiting the building. It’s generally either drunks or tired-looking police officers.
‘It shouldn’t be this busy even in a city like this,’ Rawlins mutters.
‘If I was afraid of sleeping because I knew I’d be attacked in my dreams, I might spend the night getting pissed as a fart, too,’ I mutter.
She throws a quick look in my direction. ‘I’ll keep an eye out.’
‘Aren’t you tired?’
‘I’ll sleep later. You two do what you need to.’
I nod and close my eyes. At least that way I don’t have to deal with Dante’s worried frown any longer. He needs to sleep too; Ashley will be safer when he’s by her dream side.
It takes me a while, partly because of the uncomfortable car seat but more because of the fear I feel. Eventually, however, I fall asleep.
As I stride out through the town, it occurs to me that the reason I’m fighting a war on two fronts and getting absolutely nowhere is because there’s no general. There’s no head to cut off. The Badlands and the Department might well be two separate entities but neither have visible leaders so I’ve no idea where to strike. No wonder they achieve such success. Even in Powers’ ridiculous tank dream, there was a chain of command. We might rail against our bosses but someone has to be in charge; making decisions by committee simply doesn’t work. I frown and switch directions.
As soon as I round the next corner, I see Bron. He’s running a hand through his hair and looking dishevelled. When he shifts his weight, I see who he’s talking to and my heart drops. Dante was right: Kevin is gesticulating at him with great enthusiasm and considerable energy. After dropping me in it with the Department, Kevin is hardly on my list of people to be friendly towards. I can’t believe that Bron doesn’t feel the same way.
I march towards them, arms swinging. Kevin glances over Bron’s shoulder and sees me, then abruptly falls silent before spinning away.
‘What was that about?’ I snap.
‘He’s worried about Ashley.’
‘Is he now?’ I raise my eyebrows. Any plan I might have to tell Bron the good news about locating Ashley in the real world starts to fade away.
Bron sighs. ‘He’s not all bad.’
‘He worked for the Mayor!’
‘So did a lot of people.’
My eyes narrow. Is he trying to say something about Dante? ‘What does that mean?’
Bron’s brow furrows, a little line forming between his golden eyebrows. ‘Calm down, Zoe. Getting stressed isn’t going to help.’
Rather than cool me down, his words have the opposite effect. ‘Are you working with Kevin?’ I demand. ‘Feeding information to the Department as it suits you?’
He recoils. ‘Did you seriously just ask me that? After everything that’s happened, don’t you trust me?’ He looks upset. ‘If this is because of what I wrote on Somnolence…’
I’m confused. He tugs at his collar and looks away. ‘It was before I really knew you. I’m sorry. I was being an arse.’
For the life of me, I have no idea what he’s talking about. It’s probably just as well; I imagine it involved gossip, much like the rest of the town has been spreading, the sort that belongs in the rumour mill and nowhere else. ‘Bron, I just want to be sure that I can trust you. The Department is everywhere and into everything.’
The look on his face is such a mix of hurt, anger and genuine dismay that I realise I’ve made a terrible mistake. I wish I could take my words back. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m just…’
He shakes his head and takes a step back. ‘I thought you were better than that, Zoe. Maybe Esme and Ashle
y are right about you.’
That stings. Once upon a time, I got along well with all of them. ‘Bron…’
It’s too late. He turns away from me, striding away stiffly. I wince.
‘Nice work, Zoe,’ I mutter to myself. ‘Way to lose one of the last people who’s actually on your side.’ I debate whether to go after him. Despite my weak accusations, I like Bron and I shouldn’t have said anything. He’s never given me any real cause to doubt him. I watch him march off and sigh. The trouble is that I’m on a clock; I’ll give him time to cool down and then look for him later. With a heavy heart, I head off to continue my search for Esme instead.
I find her in the daberhashery. She’s tidied up most of it, although the shelves are almost bare. She glances up when I enter but there’s little warmth in her expression. ‘I’m assuming by your entrance that you’ve still not managed to learn anything useful,’ she sniffs.
I don’t know her very well but I still long for the time when she was friendly towards me. I’m not used to be an object of tired disgust. ‘You’re talking about the dreamweaving.’
‘What else would I be referring to?’
I sigh. ‘I’m getting there, Esme.’
‘Not fast enough.’
‘We’ve found Ashley.’
Her head jerks up. ‘Is she alright?’
‘I think so. I hope so anyway. She’s in the forest. There’s a clearing towards the north side. Dante used to go there sometimes. It’s…’
‘I know where it is.’ She pushes past me, ready to bolt out of the door.
‘Wait. You know more about this place than anyone else.’
‘I have to get to Ashley.’
‘Dante’s with her. I just have a few questions.’ I look at her beseechingly. ‘Please?’
Esme shakes her head. ‘Why me?’ she mutters in exasperation. I don’t answer; she’s not expecting me to. She rolls her eyes. ‘Fine. What do you want?’
‘What do you know about the Department structure? You were here when the Mayor set it up. You must know how it works.’
‘Each zone has a different leader. We had the Mayor. There’s a Chancellor overseeing the Western European zone, some kind of First Minister in Australasia.’ She shrugs. ‘They’re all wankers. Who cares?’