Lucid

by L. E. Fred

  “It is exactly what I told you not to join!” Sophia said angrily.

  “Yet, here we are.” Viv shrugged. “I know we may have experienced some… setbacks, but we made it to Woodinville with alliances.”

  “And they are waiting for my arrival,” Elis added. “We should meet them.” He led the way down to what appeared to be the main street in the busy village.

  “Well, all right!” Kyle clapped his hands together. “Let’s go meet the rebels!”

  ****

  Elis led us down the main street for a couple of blocks and then turned off onto one of the many side streets. I had only been to New York City once before, and navigating through Woodinville brought back vivid memories of my trip to the Big Apple. The buildings were like massive trees, shading the valley even more than the actual trees above us. The Dreamers fixed this problem by lighting the branches of the highest treetops. Since it was early morning, the lights steadily grew brighter as we followed Elis deeper into the city.

  “It’s like an artificial skyline,” Mitch commented, momentarily craning his neck to get a better view of the lights.

  “Yeah, shining above weirdos,” Kyle muttered, choosing to stare at the Dreamers on the streets. I had to admit we were getting a lot of funny stares. Maybe it was because we were dressed strangely. We all had gym-like clothes on; comfortable enough to sleep in, but good enough for fighting off Chimera, or at least escaping.

  Not glowing like the Dreamers probably had more to do with the stares, though. I had a feeling that if Kyle, Mitch, and I weren’t with powerful Dreamers, we’d have a tougher time walking in the village.

  Thankfully, Elis made a few turns, and we ended up on completely deserted streets. Usually empty alleyways sported dumpsters, stray cats, and neighborhood hobos. The alleyways of Woodinville looked like a hospital; everything was pristine, and the ground was empty.

  “I have heard that human civilizations are quite different from our Woodinville,” Sophia commented, looking at our expressions.

  “Just a bit.” Kyle stared around at the empty space. I couldn’t even remember the last time I saw him actually clean something. I was sure the cleanliness and emptiness was scaring him a bit.

  “Anyway, we are here.” Elis stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall that belonged to a pastry shop.

  At first glance there seemed to be nothing exciting about the metal wall. Then I saw faint scratches three feet from the ground. Elis placed his thumb and two fingers onto the marking and muttered something under his breath. The scratches began to glow bright blue, and I finally saw that they were a small sketch of a wolf, not unlike the talisman carved into Reverie’s hilt.

  “Look out!” Viv pulled Mitch and me away as a trapdoor opened from under our feet. As I caught my breath and calmed my heartbeats I saw the new, gaping hole was actually the entrance to a spiral stairwell. Viv summoned her flashlights again and led the way down. She practically ran down the steps, and we had to fumble after her.

  “Slow down, Viv!” Sophia protested, hobbling along with us the best he could.

  “Or you can speed up,” Viv called playfully. Sophia shrugged.

  “Very well.” He closed his eyes for a minute and summoned white vapor that floated to his feet. The wisps wrapped around his ankles, and he was suddenly floating alongside Viv.

  “Um, can you make me some of those?” Kyle panted, tripping on a few steps.

  “Clearly, you need it,” Elis commented, eyeing my brother. Kyle glared at the Dreamer but didn’t say anything. My brother had to really dislike someone to not even bother talking back.

  I started feeling a little anxious as I clambered after the Dreamers. The most dangerous people I had ever encountered before this were Kyle’s friends, and I wouldn’t classify them as a super-secret rebellion group (although they all seemed to protest bathing.) If you couldn’t tell, my regular friends were, although quirky, fairly normal. They didn’t plot against anything more important than a homework assignment, and we never had to hide away from anyone.

  I tried shaking fear from my thoughts. This group of Dreamers — Deem — Viv called it, wanted the same thing I did. Together we could defeat Leona, free the souls, and help the Dreamers to get their lives back. If they were anything like Viv, Sophia, and Elis, I had a hopeful feeling that we could actually do it.

  “Stand back,” Elis warned as we reached a narrow metal door. He knocked five times: three light knocks and two very hard ones. We waited for a few moments, the silence around us thickening with each second. I thought I heard some loud buzzing sound from behind the door, but I couldn’t be sure. Finally, Viv stamped her foot impatiently.

  “Really, he is useless!” She groaned, folding her arms.

  “Allow me.” Sophia muttered something under his breath. Suddenly, the metal door silently swung open.

  It took me awhile to adjust to the bright room, but once my pupils coped with the change, I was very surprised.

  There was only one Dreamer in the room.

  He was a young man about Viv and Elis’ age with light brown hair that framed his face. The rest of his hair was tied back with a ribbon. He vaguely reminded me of a colonial guy in a history book, because he wore a loose-fitting white blouse with a tarnished brown leather vest over it. The sleeves were rumpled and pushed above his skinny elbows, and his brown trousers were bound to his slim waist by a black utility belt. The strangest thing about him was the fact that he wore glasses. I assumed that since the Dreamers had such bright eyes, they didn’t have vision impairments. Apparently this Dreamer’s vivid blue eyes didn’t give him 20/20 vision.

  He crowded over a small, yet loud object that looked sort of like a car engine. It whirred as the metal bits on top gave off sparks. The new Dreamer was so enthralled in the contraption that he only noticed us after Elis reached over and hit him on the back of the head.

  “Idiot!” Elis shouted angrily. “You were supposed to stand guard! Anyone could’ve come right on in!”

  “I think I finished it!” the new Dreamer announced happily while completely ignoring Elis’ threat. The frames of his glasses made his blue eyes look twice as large. They also glinted like a mad scientist’s would in a horror film after revealing his monstrous creation.

  “Oh great.” Viv rolled her eyes as she crossed the room, “and what are you working on now, Iven?”

  “A force field!” The mad scientist called Iven shouted triumphantly. “One that is much more powerful than our own magic. By using water from the Lucid River, I was able to power my device to create a much stronger barricade. Watch.” He bit his lip as he twisted a knob on the side of his engine.

  Suddenly, yellow light filled the room. Before I could shield my eyes, I felt a powerful force push me against the wall. The two grunts next to me told me that Mitch and Kyle also felt the machine’s attack. Almost as soon as it had happened, the lighting dimmed, and we slumped to the ground.

  “Great, I always wanted a bad back,” Kyle muttered, struggling to his feet. Mitch got up first and offered me his hand to pull me up. I watched him glance at Iven with respect. The Dreamer, finally noticing our presence, was now staring at us with deep interest.

  “It works on anybody but Dreamers,” he mumbled vaguely while staring at us. “So you surely aren’t Dreamers, but who are you?”

  “Seriously?” Viv looked at Iven incredulously. “They’re humans. With that big brain of yours, Iven, you cannot tell?”

  “Humans!” Iven leapt to his feet. “Then you are Lucids?”

  “Uh oh,” Kyle muttered, instinctively backing up. I followed suit; from what I saw, most Dreamers didn’t like Lucids very much. If this Iven guy could push me by using a scrap of metal, I didn’t want to see what else he could do.

  “Excellent!” Iven rushed towards us. “How did you find our village? Did you use your powers in the Lucid River? No human has used it in ages, but I’ve heard awe-inspiring stories!”

  “Erm-, Kyle did,” Mitch blurted out,
ducking away from the crazy inventor. “He created two ships. One fired cannons.”

  “Really?” Iven rounded onto my brother, his bespectacled eyes sparking. “So you also create many things?”

  “Um—”

  “Kyle is the only true Lucid here.” Viv stepped between them. I thought I saw my brother look away with some disappointment. He probably liked the attention.

  “Then the other two…” Iven's voice trailed off as he studied Mitch and me. Surprisingly, he only mildly acknowledged Reverie hanging at Mitch’s hilt. He nodded as if expecting something like this to happen. When he looked at me, to my embarrassment, he gasped.

  “So it is true!” Iven rounded onto the other Dreamers. “We have found our champions?”

  “Hopefully.” Elis looked at me skeptically.

  “With proper training.” Sophia finally spoke up. “I have high hopes for all of our human friends. Already they have escaped from the evil Lucid’s fortress and have saved us from certain doom. We owe them our approval, at least.”

  “We will see.” Elis folded his arms. Viv shot him an angry glance, even though just hours ago she had questioned our abilities.

  “They already have my approval.” Iven pushed his glasses further up his nose. “I already know one of your names—” he nodded in Kyle’s direction, “—but I have not introduced myself. I am Invenire, but most people call me Iven. I invent things that are hopefully useful for Deem.”

  Mitch and I introduced ourselves. We just said our names, though. I wasn’t sure what role I played in our little human group. One that summons white balls didn’t really sound cool enough to repeat.

  “And we have our weapon to defeat the Nightmares,” Iven commented, now giving Reverie full attention. “May I?” He stretched out his hands.

  Mitch, though somewhat reluctantly, handed it over. Iven turned it around several times while pacing the room and muttering to himself. Viv and Elis didn’t seem too impressed by his antics, but Sophia studied the younger Dreamer with amusement.

  “Yes,” Iven finally said. “It is powerful, but I can make it better if you want. I’m thinking lasers of pure light to stun Nightmares—”

  “You cannot make it more powerful.” Sophia cut him off. “It needs its brother talisman in order to gain strength.”

  “Brother?” Viv looked at the old Dreamer skeptically. “What do you mean? Our tribe only has one talisman, as the books say—”

  “And what of the other books?” Sophia interrupted. “True, I have kept my knowledge secret, but I did not think the Nightmares would ever grow so powerful that we’d need both tribes at the same time.”

  “What are you saying?” Elis asked harshly. “That we must seek out the other tribe after how many years? We’ve restored the balance between us and the Nightmares before, and we can do it again on our own—”

  “The enemy is stronger than before, Elis,” Sophia reminded him. “Surely you know that. And your little resistance group is not enough to stop them. What would three young, foolish Dreamers do against an army of Nightmares?”

  I looked around at the room and at the Dreamers standing in it, and then it hit me. Viv, Elis, and Iven were the only members of Deem. Suddenly, Iven’s workbench looked like a child’s plaything, and the large table with assorted chairs looked like something from a youth group rec room.

  Sophia didn’t keep Viv from joining Deem because it was a gang of dangerous people; he kept her from it because it was a small club of Dreamer teenagers asking for trouble. My hope from earlier quickly died; there was no way we could defeat Leona with just us.

  “What else would you have us do?” Viv spoke up, noticing the change in mood. “There’s only one thing Dreamers are truly good at, and it’s rebuilding. When the Nightmares destroyed Fantasm, what did we do? We built this little village, hidden away. That is why the Nightmares do not fear us. We never stand up for ourselves. They can attack us, destroy everything we’ve worked so hard for, and they do it because they know we will not retaliate. We will simply rebuild and hide away. And when the Nightmares do it again, will we have the strength to keep rebuilding? I’d much rather save my strength for a fight—”

  “A fruitless fight!” Sophia interrupted, his beard bristling. “What could you three possibly do against the Nightmare army? You are too young to remember the actual attack on Fantasm. It was horrific and unexpected. We had an army prepared just in case of such an attack, and we still lost our city. Your cause is a brave one, but you do not have the strength to back it up!”

  “We do now!” Viv snapped, pointing at Mitch and me. “You said so yourself. They are our champions, our human heroes. They can do more than rebuild. They can fight for our freedom and for the freedom of their people!”

  “That need desperate training,” Elis added, folding his arms and leaning against the stone wall. Viv glared at him for ruining her motivational speech, but Sophia merely shrugged.

  “He is right,” the old man said, walking over to where Mitch and I stood. I held my breath as Sophia studied me intently. “This one has the magic, but he’s holding it back.” Before I could speak up for myself he moved onto Mitch. “And this one is good with his sword, but he needs to find purpose behind his swings.” Mitch and I exchanged glances as Sophia backed away.

  “And this one—” Kyle pointed to himself, “—is clearly not needed, so I guess I should just go.”

  “That would be wise,” Elis commented. Kyle started to say something, but Iven jumped forward.

  “Are you kidding me?” the bespectacled Dreamer protested. “You are a true Lucid! Our tribe’s original purpose was to help your kind. I’ve heard of the evil Lucid who runs the Nightmare resort, and she sounds like a Nightmare herself. We need power like that on our side if we stand a chance of destroying her fortress.” He turned to Viv and Elis. “Didn’t we agree that taking the Lucid establishment would be a good initial blow to the Nightmares?”

  Viv and Elis exchanged uneasy glances.

  “We did,” Viv admitted.

  Elis merely sighed. “But we are not ready for something like that,” he said, looking at Iven.

  “Which is exactly what I’m trying to tell you!” Sophia exclaimed. “They need training.” He pointed at us. “And we need knowledge!”

  “Where are we going to find this knowledge, old man?” Viv groaned, rolling her eyes.

  “From the ruins of Fantasm, of course,” Sophia replied, taking the key off of the long chain he wore below his beard.

  I noticed Viv’s eyes grow wide as she studied the large, ancient looking key Sophia now held in his hands. Honestly, it just looked like one of those popular fashion accessories, but then again I wasn’t used to seeing such big keys actually meant for unlocking doors. There was also some sort of power emanating from it, like it could turn on — or explode — at any second. Sophia gingerly laid it in his palm before looking at all of us.

  “I alone was entrusted to guard our city’s records.” Sophia spoke what sounded like a well-rehearsed speech. Kyle snorted behind me, which was a pretty sure sign he felt the old man being dramatic as well. I ignored him and let Sophia have his moment.

  “You kept our records in our ruined city?” Iven approached Sophia to stare at the key in awe, his bespectacled eyes glowing like a large insect’s.

  “It was the safest place for them.” Sophia shrugged. “They are hidden away beneath Fantasm’s foundation and protected by several spells. We can do more than rebuild, it seems.” He shot Viv a furtive glance before continuing. “My teacher, who apprenticed under a celebrated Miragean scholar, warned me that if the Nightmares uncovered our ancient recordings, we would lose more than just a city.”

  “So the archives are well-protected, then?” Viv raised her eyebrows.

  “That won’t be a problem.” Elis flexed his arms confidently. “I am a born Protector, and I know how to set and disarm traps. Let me recover the archives, Sophia, I will not let you down.”

  “It is too d
angerous for one of you to go alone!” Sophia shook his head. “As you all know, Fantasm lies behind one of the largest Nightmare camps in our land. They protect every border and entrance to the city. It is much too dangerous for one to do alone.”

  “Well, if anyone’s interested.” Kyle cleared his throat. “I just got past Leona — that’s the evil Lucid—” he added for Iven’s information, “—and her bodyguards. If something has protection around it, leave it to me to get through.”

  “You won’t be able to use your powers!” Viv snapped. Elis finally agreed with Viv on something and stood next to her with his arms folded.

  “I won’t work alongside a Lucid, no matter how valiant you make yourself to be,” he added, causing Kyle to seethe with anger. Before he could retaliate, Iven cleared his throat.

  “I may be able to help his power problem,” he said, pulling at his vest nervously. Viv and Elis stared at him for a few moments.

  “You’ve been working on how to give Lucids power here?” Elis asked incredulously. “After all we’ve done to try and infiltrate their fortress?”

  “I thought channeling their power would give us a better understanding of how to beat it!” Iven said defensively. “The world’s not entirely in black and white, you know!” Sophia chuckled and shook his head at the inventor, which subdued Viv and Elis enough to allow Iven to rummage around for his invention.

  “Here.” He handed Kyle a bracelet.

  “No thanks.” Kyle tried handing it back. “I don’t wear that stuff.”

  “It may help you retain your power.” Iven pushed it into his hands. The small, clear band suddenly glowed with a blue light, as if there was magic water inside. “It contains the essence of the Lucid River.”

  “Really?” Kyle looked at the bracelet with new interest. I groaned inwardly at how easily by brother could be persuaded. I watched as he slipped the band on his wrist. “Let me try—”