The Gods of Dream: An Epic Fantasy

by Daniel Arenson

  Can this Blade of Dream defend me against the hordes of Nightmare?

  Moonmist was afraid, more afraid than she'd ever been. Evil had come to her home, and Tam was dead. Nothing would ever be the same. She clutched the jasmines to her breast, and petals fell, glided in the wind, flew over the city, and disappeared into the sky. She watched them until she could see them no more. She thought of Cade, how she had stargazed with him among flowers, and she wondered if flowers could ever bloom again in a world without Tam.

  Solemn, eyes like frozen tears, the stable boys led her horse into the courtyard. Moonmist gazed at Meteor, her mare with golden fur, and she could bring no warmth to her gaze nor a smile to her lips. The mare stepped toward her, sniffed her fingers, and Moonmist climbed onto her saddle.

  "We ride today," she whispered to the horse. "We will ride like we've never ridden."

  She rode out of the courtyard, across a path of cobbles, and through winding streets. People gazed from the sidewalks and windows, fearful, timid, some crying. They've heard the news of Tam. She rode across deserted market places, through wide merchant neighborhoods, across narrow alleys, through the jeweled marble streets of the Begemmed City. Goodbye, my home. Will I ever see you again?

  Guards pulled open the city gates, those same gates Cade had defended, and she rode into the countryside, where awaited her army. A thousand Elorians, clad in mail and white overcoats, sat upon armored coursers. They carried banners in their hands and swords upon their hips. The sunlight twinkled upon their armor. Their faces, half-hidden behind burnished helms, were dour. Moonmist could smell the fear in the air.

  Meteor nickered nervously and skittered sideways. Moonmist sat at the head of her riders, her standard flapping feebly in the breeze. She drew her Dreamblade and raised it overhead, and it caught the sun. The light seemed to grow inside it, until it shone like a light of the heavens. She could hear the soldiers mumbling.

  "The Dawnstone! The Dawnstone has emerged and been drawn!"

  She passed her gaze upon them, a thousand riders from her city. She recognized some of their faces. Here were the bravest knights in Dream. How many would return to the Begemmed City?

  What should I say now? Do they expect a dramatic speech? Inspiring words, quotes for the ages? I am no poet. I am not Tam. Suddenly it all seemed ridiculous to her--that she had volunteered for this mission, that Niv had approved it. She had no martial knowledge. How could she, Princess Moonmist, only eighteen years old, lead the Begemmed City's great assault against Loor?

  Yet she had volunteered, and Niv had agreed, and here she was. She could not renege now. For my city, she thought. For Cade and his quest. For all that is good and beautiful in Dream.

  Stirring speeches? Earth-shattering words? No, she was no poet. She spoke only three words.

  "Let us ride."

  With that, they rode.

  Thousands of hoofs thundered across the countryside, kicking up dirt, as the coursers galloped, leaving the city behind. The armor of the horses and riders glimmered in the sun, and their banners streamed. The world rose and fell like a storming sea as Moonmist galloped. Fear pounded through her and the wind bit her cheeks. I am galloping to battle, to face the creatures of Nightmare. The terror filled her stomach and cold sweat covered her. She tightened her grip around the banner pole, the banner of Yor, and that gave her strength.

  She looked at the banners flying, at the image of the Father Elk, his hoofs kicking, his antlers raised in challenge. Let Loor see who we fight for. He has chosen a war he will not win. We fight for the Great King.

  Yet still her heart pounded and her fingers trembled.

  Thus began the ride of Moonmist, princess of the Begemmed City. For a fortnight they rode, and the horses of Dream did not tire, but galloped from dawn to dusk. They rode through farms of wheat and barley, and across hills of grass and mist. They rode over streams, splashing, and between towering boulders carved into the likenesses of the pegacats. They galloped across raspberry fields, forests of ash and maple, and around Caterpillar Meadow where Queen Alandria herself lived.

  Their hoofs thundered through forests of dogwood, beech, and birch where mushrooms grew tall and squirrels skittered between branches. The wind whipping their faces, they galloped through Sunflower Corner, where the sunflowers rose as tall as the horses' heads. Eyes cold and hearts determined, they galloped through fields of foxtail, through Butterfly Valley, and between copses of birches as white mountains soared in the distance.

  Through the rainforest of Tropical Canopy they galloped, where Maninav ruled, and across fields of clover and mist. Never slowing, they galloped across Beluga Beach, where belugas leapt in clear waters and giraffes ran across the grass. They rode through forests of hemlock and ash and pine, the trees a mile high, hiding orangutans. They galloped across fields of marigolds and goldenrod, the sky endless above them, strewn with clouds.

  For a thousand miles, across these and many other lands, did they gallop. They rode like none had ridden in Dream before, for this was Dream's most perilous hour.

  Finally, weary and blistered, sore and overflowing with fear and determination, they galloped toward mountains of white stones and purple cyclamens. There they stopped. The Crystal Caves loomed above in the mountainside.

  The horses had galloped across lands far and wide, but here, at the foot of steep mountains, their journey ended; their hoofs could not climb here. The riders dismounted, drawing their blades which caught the sun. The wind caught their standards and flapped them, displaying Yor's rampant likeness upon the mountainside.

  Aching from the long ride, blistered across her backside and thighs, her muscles cramped, Moonmist stared at the caves. She had heard tales of these caves, of their brilliant glimmer that shone for many miles. Today the caves gave no light, but lay as a splotch of dirty gray upon the surface of stone. Loor's curse had dimmed their glow.

  "For Yor," she whispered past stiff lips dried by the wind in their long gallop. She heard her men, a thousand armored knights, repeat her whisper behind her.

  Where was Loor? Where were the monsters? She could see none, yet fear twisted in her gut like a knife. Clad in her armor, her Dreamblade held before her, Princess Moonmist of Dream began to climb the mountainside.

  Her men climbed behind her, and as they advanced, they saw that the flowers were wilted, and the stones were a sickly yellow-gray covered with black slime. Loor had walked upon the mountain.

  Where was the furless fox? The fear stabbed her belly, making her sick. I'm going to fight an evil god.... She felt very alone. Niv was still miles behind; it would take days for her ten thousand troops to reach this place. Until they did, it was only she, eighteen-year-old Moonmist, and her men.

  She clutched the hilt of the Dawnstone, forcing the fear down. I must be brave. For my parents. For my gods. For Cade and his quest.

  "Tam!" cried one of her men, a cry of anguish, and Moonmist looked up and felt the blood leave her face. Ahead, impaled upon a spike, was Tam's head. The god's dead eyes looked down upon them. Moonmist's stomach ached with despair, her head spun, and her fingers trembled. She clenched her fists and jaw.

  "Take it down," she whispered to her men. "Bury him under the rocks, and let new cyclamens grow upon his cairn." She clutched the Dawnstone to her breast. "Blessed be his memory."

  Then she felt a stench upon the wind, looked up, and saw a terrible god of cruelty and evil.

  She screamed.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Land of Fire

  Cade walked in silence, hugging himself, through the plains of Nightmare. It was dark here and bleak, and the air felt ashy and hot. He gazed into the sky and could see nothing but blackness, not even wisps of smoke.

  "I'd give anything just to see some stars," he said.

  "When we go back home, let's go stargazing," Tasha said, riding on his shoulder.

  Cade forced himself to smile, though glee was the farthest thing from his mind. "Ooh, romantic, Tash."

&n
bsp; The mouse shrugged. "I've never gone stargazing at home. I've seen so many stars in Dream, but I want to see Orion, Cade! And the dippers. The stars you can see from Earth, from our home."

  Cade smiled and patted Tasha. "If we get home safely, I'll take you stargazing. We'll bring lots of Golden Delicious apples." He felt like crying suddenly, he missed home and loved his twin so much.

  "When we get home," Tasha corrected him.

  As they kept walking, the earth became soft and springy. It felt like walking on rubber, and the air smelled like sweat. This land was so foul, Cade could not imagine walking here alone. He thanked God for having Tasha with him.

  "Well, look at that, Tasha. I got my wish. The stars are coming out, even here in Nightmare."

  They looked up and saw thousands of stars light the sky... but suddenly Tasha let out a grunt of disgust, and Cade too grimaced. Those were not stars in the sky, but thousands of eyeballs, floating above, winking down at them.

  Cade looked down, and saw that the ground seemed made of skin. Warts and hairs grew from it. He covered his mouth and nearly gagged.

  "Cade...," Tasha said, voice trembling.

  Cade walked with tightened lips. "Nothing to do, Tash. We keep walking. Just think of stargazing at home."

  Soon strange trees sprouted around them, trees made of arms and hands. The hands twisted and moved on the trees, beckoning with long hairy fingers. Eyes grew from the tree trunks like knots in wood. Soon the trees became thick, a forest of them, and the fingers poked and grabbed at Cade's clothes. He shoved the groping fingers away with his shield, but dared not hew them; who knew what sap they might spew? Tasha hid inside Cade's pocket. The mouse was whimpering.

  "I've heard the phrase 'an evil land'. This is the first time I've seen what is, literally, an evil land." Cade shuddered. The eyeballs in the trees winked and seemed to laugh mockingly.

  Suddenly he realized that not all those eyeballs belonged to the trees. Some eyes were wider, and yellow, with narrow pupils like those of cats. They glowed in the dark and stared balefully.

  Tasha dug her nails into Cade. "I smell cats!" she said.

  Cade drew his Dreamblade. The eyeballs reflected within it, tossing back lights. With the new light, he could see the creatures, great hairless cats the size of tigers, with warty legs and wrinkly pale skin. The cats hissed and bared their teeth. They arched their backs, taller than Cade, then lunged forward.

  Cade swung Sunclaw and felt the crystal slice through a cat. Tasha shrieked and hid inside Cade's shirt. Claws hit Cade's shield, and he fell to the ground. He twisted, swung his Dreamblade, and sliced through another cat. Dozens of the creatures surrounded him.

  "Run, Cade!" Tasha cried from inside Cade's shirt.

  Cade leapt up, swinging his Dreamblade, holding the cats back. "Good idea," he said, and yet the cats surrounded him. He tightened his lips, leapt toward one, and swung his Dreamblade. The cat fell back, hissing, and scratched Cade's arm.

  Cade felt pain rush through him. He ran past the cat. He was free. Sunclaw clutched in hand, he ran between the trees of arms and hands. The cats followed. As Cade ran, he sliced at the trees' arms. The arms fell to the ground, and their hands clutched at the legs of the pursuing cats.

  Cade glanced over his shoulder and fear filled him. The forest now swarmed with hundreds of cats, all chasing him. More kept emerging from the trees at his sides, before him, behind him. He ran from left to right, swinging Sunclaw, darting between the trees. Hope began to leave him.

  "Your quest ends here, Cade!" the hairless cats shrieked, horrible screams that rose in unison. "You cannot win."

  Tasha peeked from Cade's shirt. "Look, Cade! Up ahead."

  Cade saw it--a clearing in the forest. It looked like a black plateau rising from the forest floor, covered with thorns. The sky swirled above it, black and red. No cats stood there.

  Cade ran with all his might. A warty cat landed before him, screeching, its mouth huge and red. Cade slammed his Dreamblade, and blood splashed. Panting, he ran up a slope of red stones. The cats howled.

  "No!" the creatures shrieked. "No, do not go upon the stones!"

  Cade kept running. Soon he reached the thorny black plateau. The cats cried in fury, yet did not follow.

  "Foolish mortal," they cried.

  Cade turned to look at them, panting, Sunclaw in hand. The cats stood below the slope, among the trees, and dared not follow.

  "I don't like this, Cade," Tasha said. "If the cats are scared of this place...."

  Cade nodded. He examined his arm. Three long scratches ran down it, trickling blood. He tightened his lips, but did not dare lower Sunclaw to tend to the wound, not with the cats staring up at him.

  "Whatever danger lives here, we'll have to face it," Cade said. "How much worse than those cats could it be?"

  He took a step deeper onto the plateau.

  As soon as his foot landed, he began to fall.

  "Cade!" Tasha cried.

  The world zoomed around him. He was free falling through an endless abyss. Flapping his arms, he looked down, but could see no bottom, and panic filled him. His hair and clothes flapped.

  "Hold on tight, Tash!" he said. "I think we'll be--"

  The world froze. Cade found himself standing in darkness, the floor soft beneath his feet. He took a deep breath.

  "What happened?" Tasha asked shakily.

  "Ever dream you were falling?" Cade rummaged through his pocket for the gems, breathing heavily. "This must be where that nightmare comes from."

  He pulled the gems from his pocket and found that he stood in a red, ashy cavern. Craggy boulders rose like teeth, and bones lay strewn upon the floor. He took a deep breath. Were they safe from the cats?

  As if to answer him, a deep growl came from ahead.

  Tasha sighed deeply. "Lovely place, this Nightmare."

  Cade raised Sunclaw, sucking in his breath. The blade burst into light that filled the darkness, and Cade beheld a towering beast of leathery skin, teeth the size of swords, and seven red eyes. It howled and leapt toward him.

  * * * * *

  This could not be real. Surely this was an illusion. Nothing could be so horrible.

  Moonmist pinched her arm, willing herself to wake up. Please, Yor, let me wake up. Only she was not asleep. She was not dreaming. This was real, this evil presence was as true as the chill rushing through her.

  I must flee! But she could not. Her body had frozen. She stood, paralyzed, as the dark figure stepped toward her.

  As she had climbed the mountain, the sun had shone warmly, and the skies were blue... but it was cold now, so cold that Moonmist shivered, and swirling charcoal clouds covered the sky. Around the figure that descended toward her, all turned to darkness and rot.

  She knew him, though she had never seen him before. All knew him. Here was Loor, champion of Nightmare, Phobetor's brother and closest companion.

  He stood cloaked in black, his face hidden in his hood. The burned, tattered hem of his robes brushed against the ground as he moved toward her. He brought with him the chill of coldest ice. The world around him darkened, as if he sucked in all light, moving in perpetual shadows. The wind died, as did her breath. The only sound was Moonmist's own heartbeat. For the first time in her life, she felt the presence of pure, unearthly evil.

  As Loor stepped down toward her, her men rushed forward, swords flashing. Moonmist could not move, too terrified to even breathe. Loor reached out his hand toward her. His hand was skeletal and pale, the fingers ending with white claws. One finger pointed at her.

  "Moonmist...," the dark god whispered, and she felt her innards shatter with terror. He knows my name. His voice was deep, the voice of a demon. In the shadows of his hood, his eyes shone with a sickly glow. He was so close now, Moonmist could see his face, and she screamed again.

  His head was the head of a fox, but furless, covered only with gray, wrinkled skin. His eyes burned with endless black fires.

  The shock jolted Moonmis
t out of her paralysis. Her men around her, she swung her Dreamblade at Loor, and the world seemed to explode.

  Loor laughed, a horrible deep laugh, and tossed back his cloaks. Black light burst forward in a shock-ring, tossing Moonmist and her men back. They fell in their armor, clanking. Moonmist's breath was knocked out of her, and the world spun. She heard Loor's laughter above.

  "For Tam!" she screamed then, from the bottom of her lungs and soul, and rushed forward. Around her, her men roared and ran. From behind Loor, emerging like wraiths into the world, hundreds of demons of fangs and claws howled and spat.

  The battle for the Crystal Caves had begun.

  Upon the mountainside, demons and knights, a wretched god and a young princess, slashed swords and claws. Under the clouds, the red blood of Dream and the black blood of Nightmare splashed upon the stones. Moonmist's knights swung their blades, severing claws and horns, cutting demons down. The demons fought with fury, tossing men left and right, crushing heads, breaking bones.

  "You," Loor hissed, stepping over bodies toward Moonmist. His voice was like freezing wind between cliffs. "Princess... you will be a bride of Phobetor...."

  He reached out toward her, and she grimaced and swung her Dreamblade, the Dawnstone. He laughed and raised a shield of polished jet, blocking her blow. Sparks flew like a firebird soaring into the blackened sky.

  "You will not overcome!" she cried, blood dripping down her forehead. "You will not enter these lands, betrayer. Submit now to Yor's justice and beg for forgiveness."

  His laugh pulsated through the mountains, rippling the boulders, sending scree cascading. The clouds swirled and grumbled. He drew his own Dreamblade. Moonmist knew it, and it sent shivers through her.

  Tearfall. Fabled Dreamblade of Loor.

  The blade was black and raised foul smoke. It loomed like an obelisk, twice the length of her own Dreamblade. Tearfall fell, and she raised the Dawnstone, and sparks flew as lightning pierced the sky.