"Look, Tash," Cade said. "Look at what the imps are drinking."
Tasha peered forward. "Tiny bottles, just the right size for them."
Cade looked at the mouse. "I have an idea."
* * * * *
Harmony flew over the burned lands of Dream, and her tears fell as rain onto the smoldering earth. Her butterfly wings, spun of gold, fluttered under an ashen sky tinged red from the fires. Alandria herself, Queen of Dream, had sent her upon this quest, to search for survivors. But Harmony had been flying for days, and could find none. All she saw were burnt forests, swarms of monsters, and crude temples resurrected to Eliven and Phobetor.
"Poor Eloria," Harmony whispered, wishing she were as eloquent as her sister Starlight, or as poetic as Tam. If she were, she would think of something better to say, something sadder, more profound. But she was only Harmony the pegacat, pet of Niv, and she could only whisper, "My poor home."
Her sister, Starlight, flew to the north. Windwhisper flew to the west, toward Nightmare itself. Did they find any survivors? It seemed that only in the east, where Yor himself lived, did Dream still stand, and even those lands were falling.
Swarms of monsters gathered around the temples for Eliven, praying and chanting. The temples grew like thorns, ugly structures of spikes and spirals. Do people on Earth dream of these temples now? Can they dream only of monsters? Harmony had never met any human aside from Cade, but she loved him, and she feared for the dreams of his kind. Windwhisper had said that if Nightmare vanquished Dream, all humans would suffer from such terrible nightmares, they'd be unable to sleep and finally die. Would Cade die too?
Harmony flew over Autumn Forest, which now stood burned, all the leaves gone, the trees charred and naked and dead. She wondered where Cade was. Perhaps he was dead already. He was their only hope, she knew. If he could not capture Phobetor in the bottle soon, before the last defenses of Dream fell, all would be lost.
She turned, her wings churning the air. The sun was setting. It had been three days. Queen Alandria said to return after three days. They need my help. The final battle will be fought soon.
She flew back east, over the scorched lands, never resting, flying through sunrise and sunset and sunrise again, until finally she reached the last untouched lands of Dream. There, in the distance, the last forests still bloomed and the sky was still blue. And yet, below, armies of monsters, shaggy and fanged and clawed and horned, marched and beat drums. There were hundreds of thousands, maybe millions. Their drumbeat and chanting shook the world.
Harmony descried Eliven herself, her wings wide and black, marching at their lead. The Demon Queen's hair burned as a beacon of flame. The greatest army of Nightmare, Harmony thought. As they marched, they torched the land, spreading out to swallow and destroy it, leaving only ruin behind. They were turning all of Dream into a sprawling nightmare.
Harmony flapped her wings, caught an air current, and flew as fast as she could. I must reach Hidden Valley Ridge before they do. Hidden Valley Ridge--just past her waterfall. Yor's home, the last land untouched by Nightmare. The final battle would be there.
She flew past the hosts of Nightmare, gliding over forests of pine and ash and maple, so beautiful they made her weep. She could see the last survivors of Dream marching toward the Ridge. She spotted Galgev, the fox god, leading columns of deer and wolves and wild horses. Starlight flew from the north, and behind her flew clouds of birds. Maninav, the flower goddess from the Tropical Canopy, led pumas and tigers and bands of bedraggled Elorians who had escaped their city. Alandria herself, Queen of Dream, marched at the head of a cloud of faeries. When she flew low, Harmony even saw armies of ants, billions of them, marching toward the last battle.
"Dream's final stand," Harmony whispered. Was it a hopeless battle?
Please, Cade, if you're still alive, hurry. How long did Cade have before Dream fell, rendering the bottle useless? A day? An hour? Hurry, Cade, please.
Soon Harmony saw mist rising from the lush forest ahead. The waterfall. Here Tam was born. Here, in a cave, she had lived with Starlight for millennia. It had been so long since she'd seen home. She flew low, and soon was flying through the mist that rose from the trees, letting it dampen her fur and wings.
The cliffs rose ahead, just beyond the waterfall, and Harmony descended toward them. The cliffs snaked among the trees, like craggy walls carved by giants, bedecked with vines and pines and moss. They formed a hidden city of stone among the forest, secret and wonderful.
She landed upon a twisting wall of stone beneath a group of pines. The air still smelled fresh here, heavy with moss and leaves and earth, but Harmony could scent the armies of Nightmare approaching. Their hot stench carried upon the breeze, and she could hear their drums and horns in the distance.
She turned her head and gazed into the west, but could not see them yet. She could imagine their claws, red and spiked with poison; their fangs dripping saliva; their fur, dank and foul and thorny; their eyes, red and burning. Most vivid of all, Harmony could still see Eliven in her mind, the Queen of Nightmare burning, black wings spreading as if they could engulf all of Dream in their darkness.
A cloud of birds blocked the sun, and soon Starlight landed beside her in a flutter of feathers, a crowd of magpies, ravens, falcons, eagles, and many other birds covering the cliffs around them.
"They are close now," Harmony said.
Starlight nodded. "I have seen them. The other gods are gathering below the cliffs as we speak. Galgev stands upon the eastern wall, while Alandria and her faeries guard the streams. Maninav and her followers man the northern passageways, and Niv is approaching from the southern trails. And we, sister, have the sky for our battlefield."
Harmony shuddered. "Where is Yor?"
Her sister looked at her. "The Father Elk will emerge when the time is right."
Harmony looked upon the crowd of birds, and in the distance, she could glimpse Galgev's deer and wolves taking positions upon the cliffs. "Will it be enough?" she asked in a small voice.
Starlight lowered her head. The afternoon sun gilded her fur. "No. Not unless...." She sighed. "Not unless Cade can trap Phobetor soon. But we are running out of time."
Harmony laid her head upon her sister's shoulder. "Do you think Cade is still alive, Starlight?"
Starlight shut her eyes. "I don't know."
A great rustle came from the forest, and Harmony saw the distant boughs falling and shifting. Nightmare is here. Harmony shivered and resisted the urge to cling to her sister. I must be brave now, brave like Starlight. She drew her claws and gazed at them, reflecting. Sharp they were, and they had drawn blood in this war, these claws that for thousands of years had been used for scratching drawings and cracking pine nuts. Yor had created her as a pet to Niv, so many years ago, when the goddess was but a girl. He had granted her these claws so that she could protect Niv if need be. Who'd have thought she'd use them here, at the end of Dream?
The stench of putrid flesh and rotting fur hit her nostrils, and the squeal of beasts came from the trees below. And then it began.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Beast of Haunting
"Tasha," Cade whispered, peering through the ajar doorway of the mess hall. The monsters grunted and belched as they ate and drank, tossing bones and empty bottles over their shoulders. "The bottles the imps are drinking. They're tiny, the size of the enchanted bottle Windwhisper gave us. Look! That imp just tossed an empty one aside. There it rolls into the corner."
Tasha peered into the room. "What's your idea?"
"I'll explain later." He forced himself to smile. "But come, now let's get that bottle."
When Cade took a step forward, Tasha tapped on his helmet. "Wait, Cade. I'll go get the bottle. You wait here."
Cade stopped moving. "Are you sure? I'm in costume. Up till now, every monster here mistook me for one of them."
"Yes, you do indeed look like just another monster, in that fur and armor. And smell like one too, might I add. But what if they invite you
to join their meal?" Tasha stared in disgust at the piles of rotting meat. "If you just walk in there, take an empty bottle, and leave, it'll arouse suspicion. I'm small. I'll go, they won't notice me."
Before Cade could object, Tasha scurried down to the floor and raced into the room. Cade caught his breath and watched. Tasha shot across the floor of the mess hall, jumping over discarded bones and rolling bottles. A gobbet of meat and fat, tossed aside by a monster, almost crushed her. Finally the mouse reached the tiny bottle, which the imp had tossed aside. She began to roll it back toward the doorway.
Good, Cade thought. With this bottle, maybe my plan can work, maybe I can--
"Hey, look!" cried a great shaggy monster.
Cade lost his breath.
In the mess hall, towering and foul, stood the Crunge.
Cade felt the blood leave his face.
The Crunge. Our beast of haunting. It lives.
The monster's girth belied his speed. A mountain of dank brown fur and claws, it leapt forward and caught Tasha in its paws.
Cade felt his heart shatter. He did not think he had ever felt such fear.
Before he could think, Cade barged into the room. "Hey you!" he cried from the confines of his iron helmet. "That's my supper you got there. Give me back my mouse."
The Crunge examined Cade with three red eyes. "Your supper?" It growled, showing fangs the size of steak knives. "Where'd you find it?"
Cade took a step forward. The Incubus towered over him. "None of your business. Hand it back."
The Crunge howled and tossed aside a stool with its great arm, an arm the size of a log. Eight feet tall, the beast was wide as a car. The mess hall fell silent, all the monsters staring. How could it still be alive? Cade's head spun. We saw it fall into the canyon, we saw it....
"I like mice," said the Crunge, licking its chops. "I will eat this one."
The Crunge tilted its head back and held Tasha, by the tail, over its mouth.
No!
Cade leapt forward and shoved the Crunge with all his strength.
The Incubus fell back a pace. Still holding Tasha, it stared at Cade in silent fury. All the other monsters in the mess, from the smallest imp to the greatest slug, scurried away and cowered behind tables and stools.
"I think, now, I will eat you too," said the Crunge and swung its fist at Cade.
The blow hit him across the chest. Cade flew through the air. He hit the wall with a thud, pain exploding, and slid to the floor. The small bottle was there. He grabbed it, shoved it into his pocket, and rose to his feet. His head spun.
"I said," he repeated, wincing with pain, "give me back my mouse."
The Crunge spat. "Who are you, that you come here, in armor, and beg me to kill you? Show yourself." The Crunge grabbed Cade's helmet and began twisting it off. Cade struggled, but he was too weak, and soon his helmet was gone.
The monsters all stared in shock, eyes wide.
Cade stood before them, his face revealed.
The Crunge grabbed Cade, pinning his arms to his sides. "Cade!" it cried. "You've come to me again!"
* * * * *
His hands were strong. White, long hands they were, with perfect nails--no, not nails but claws, small and sharp and cruel. With those strong hands, he had bound her chain to his throne. With those strong hands, he now patted her head, running long white fingers through her cascading golden feathers.
Upon the stone floor of Phobetor's chamber Princess Moonmist knelt, her collar bound to his throne. Here, after all my battles, do I end. A trophy to Phobetor. The fingers caressed her, gentle, yet the claws traced along her skull with just the hint of menace.
"We missed you in you Dream," she said, not bothering to look up, just staring ahead from the base of his throne. The floor was cold against her legs. "When I slew Loor, slicing off his head with the Dawnstone, I wondered where you were. When I fought Eliven upon the steeple of my city, I could not see you commanding an army. Where was the mighty Phobetor, when battles raged, and--"
The fingers lowered to her lips, and she winced, expecting a blow... but he only placed one finger against her lips, to hush her. She heard him laugh softly.
"Dearest princess. You thought I would hit you? No, sweetness. That is what my moles are for. I do not wish to harm you, only to grant you clemency." He paused. "Look at me." He placed his fingers under her chin and raised her head. She looked up into his yellow eyes. As he gazed down at her from his throne, a smile played across his lips.
"I am looking," she said, "but I see only a coward, not a mighty king."
He laughed then. As he laughed, flecks of gold flickered in his eyes like comets. "I like you, Moonmist. I really do, that's why I didn't kill you. To kill Loor, a god, a prince of Nightmare! Oh, I was impressed when I heard the news, sweetness. And then, to challenge my dear wife... an even braver feat. Some would call it merely stupid, but I recognize valor when I see it. Why did I not march to battle, my dear? For the same reason that your King Ælor, whom you call Yor, did not. Because we are both wise commanders."
"What do you want of me?" she whispered.
He ran his fingers across her cheek. "Do you not know, dear princess?"
She looked away from him. Globes, crystal balls, and mirrors filled his hall, and within them all played scenes from Dream. In some, Moonmist saw the ruins of the Begemmed City, the surviving Elorians forced to worship Phobetor in iron temples. In others, she saw the ruined forests and fields of Dream, burned and nightmarish, swarming with monsters. In a few mirrors, she could see a final patch of green--Hidden Valley Ridge--where forces of Dream were battling an army of monsters. All of Dream lay before her.
"Yes, girl," Phobetor whispered, still caressing her. "The mighty king commands his armies from here. Cowardly, you say? Oh, perhaps compared to your valor, yes! But I never claimed to match your great courage. Do you know what happens to the overly brave?" He laughed softly again. "They end up chained to a throne."
"You see much," Moonmist said, "but you do not see all."
He pulled her head down to his lap. She resisted, but he held her head down. "Do I not? Do you refer to your friend Cade? The mighty slayer of my Incubi?" He sighed. "I have seen him too, my sweetness. Oh, he has been cunning, no doubt, and has oft slipped from my sight. He has eluded my gaze many times, I will give him that."
Fear, icy and horrible, filled Moonmist's stomach and flowed to her toes and fingertips. She shut her eyes. No... he knew of Cade. Now all hope was truly gone. She felt a tear flee her eyelid and fall upon Phobetor's lap.
Phobetor let out a sad sigh. He patted her head. "You grieve for him. But know this, sweetness. My wife did offer him to join us. He turned us down, and so now he must die. Look, sweetness. Look into this mirror."
She opened her eyes. Phobetor held a handheld mirror before her, and Moonmist winced. A cry fled her lips. In the mirror, she could see Cade in a cage, bloody and beaten, monsters surrounding him.
"You lie," she whispered.
Phobetor placed the mirror aside. "You know I do not, sweetness. He made the mistake of not joining me. For that he will die in flame and suffering. But you, my dear, need not suffer the same fate. You are too precious and fair to die in fire."
"So that is what you want? Me to join you?"
He smiled down upon her. "Not exactly, my sweetness. More accurately, I want you to join Eliven. I want you to be my second wife."
* * * * *
Harmony flew as through a tempest, plummeting down, then shooting up, swirling, spinning. Around her flew the air force of Dream, crashing between clouds of winged demons. Windwhisper flew above her, commanding the hawks, falcons, eagles, and other birds of prey. Starlight, her fur black as night, led swarms of ravens, owls, and magpies. The skies above Hidden Valley Ridge whirled.
"The white pegacat!" hissed a winged demon, large as a wolf, fixing Harmony with its red gaze. Fangs and claws drawn, it flapped toward her. Harmony stared back, waited until it was close, then ducked dow
n and flipped backwards, bringing her claws up. As the demon swooped over her, she opened its belly with her claws. Maggots fell from its wound, and Harmony shook them off in disgust.
More demons dived toward her from above. A swarm of Starlight's magpies shot upwards, crashing against them. Blood and feathers filled the sky. Harmony flew left and right, up and down, clawing and biting. More demons kept filling the skies, blocking the sun. She could not see the end of them, and the birds were falling as rain.
She glanced below, to Hidden Valley Ridge. The monsters of Nightmare were chopping down the trees, and Harmony could see the battle through the collapsing canopy. Monsters swarmed forward, tearing apart the beings of Dream.
Galgev stood upon the eastern cliffs, under the pines, leading deer and wolves and bears. Giant cockroaches and centipedes, the size of horses, were swarming over the cliffs, tearing the animals down. The bodies of wolves and deer were tossed aside, while centipedes were covering the bears, eating them into nothing.
Harmony winced. Phobetor is going to kill his own father.
Harmony could also spot Maninav, Galgev's wife, the forest goddess from the Tropical Canopy. The mother of Loor stood in the north, guarding the paths into Hidden Valley Ridge. She led many animals of the jungle: tigers and pumas and apes. Yet towering orange ogres, their faces bloated and full of hate, were tossing boulders and spears the size of trees.
Niv, princess of Dream, stood in the southern paths, her Dreamblade drawn. Elorians who had escaped the Begemmed City stood behind her, clad in armor, their swords glimmering. But as Harmony watched, they too were being beaten down by slimy balls of fat which dragged themselves forward, covered with eyeballs and fangs.
Alandria, the sylvan Queen of Dream, led clouds of faeries over the streams that trickled around the cliffs. Turgid serpents and rotten octopi were emerging from the water, swallowing faeries, turning the streams black with their decay.
Harmony looked toward Yor's Cliff, the Birthstone, the center of his power. It still stood, but Nightmare was encroaching from all sides. Should the Birthstone fall....
The Gods of Dream: An Epic Fantasy Page 32