Lucid

by L. E. Fred

  “Since the Nightmares are mostly concerned about you humans, we figured it’d be best if we all looked like a troupe of travelling Dreamers,” Iven explained, noticing my confusion.

  “Plus, you’re all dressed like a bunch of clowns,” Elis muttered as he tied his black hair back with a strip of camouflaged cloth.

  “Look who’s talking, G.I. Jerk,” Kyle shot back. I snorted as I grabbed my new clothes and changed behind a black curtain.

  I had to admit, the Dreamer clothes felt much better than my musty gym shorts and holey shirt. The tunic fit just loose enough to be comfortable without getting in the way of running and fighting. The cargo pants were insulated to fight against water and cold, and the hem ended at a perfect length to match my new grass shoes. Even though I felt like I was playing pirate dress up, I did feel relieved that the citizens of Woodinville might not stare at me now.

  “Look at my brother model those clothes!” Kyle called as I emerged from the curtain.

  I glared at him and noticed he had on Dreamer clothes, as well. His tunic was dark red, and he wore black shorts that ended just below the knee. He kept his old sneakers on, though.

  “Not parting with your lucky charms?” I asked him, indicating his old hi-top sneakers.

  “Never.” Kyle folded his arms. “Plus, they give me my special style.”

  “Oh, yes, very stylish,” Viv muttered sarcastically.

  “Enough, enough.” Sophia waved his hand at us. “I’ve hired safe transportation to the outskirts of the valley. The carriage will meet you in fifteen minutes on the main road. You should leave now.”

  “Right.” Viv hooked her knives to her belt and tied back her auburn hair with a piece of silver twine. “Ready, boys?”

  “Someone likes playing leader,” Kyle muttered to me and Mitch.

  “What was that?” she asked sharply.

  “Nothing.” Kyle batted his eyelashes.

  Viv rolled her eyes and opened the door leading up to the alleyway. Iven hoisted his heavy pack on his shoulder with surprising strength before following her up the stairs. Before we could follow, Sophia stopped us.

  “Do not take this quest as lightly as Viv has,” he warned us, his brown eyes glinting strangely. “She grew up in this world, but you are still newcomers.”

  “Then why make us go?” I asked, feeling like a coward as I said it. Sophia studied me for a while.

  “You need to find your own answers, young man,” he said seriously. He clasped my shoulder and suddenly smiled. “Good luck and safe travels!”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, rubbing my shoulder. The old man had a strong grip!

  I looked at Kyle and Mitch. They both nodded, and we set off on our first mission.

  ****

  The walk to the main road was significantly more uneventful than our first stroll through Woodinville. Though we passed many streets and other Dreamers, no one glared at us like before. A few did double takes, but they merely shrugged before continuing on our way. I looked at my tunic skeptically and wondered if it was really just clothing.

  “Hey, it beats pretending to be Nightmares,” Mitch said, catching me tugging at my tunic. I silently agreed as we stood on a corner of what appeared to be the busiest street in the village.

  “What are we waiting for?” Kyle asked not five minutes after we waited on the main street.

  “Patience!” Viv snapped, though she’d been tapping her foot for the past three minutes. “And it’s not what but who.”

  “Whom,” I corrected under my breath, causing Iven to smirk.

  “Well, they better come quickly.” Kyle huffed, tracing the gleaming bracelet on his wrist with his index finger. “I wanna play with my new toy—”

  “Put that away!” Viv grabbed his wrist as a cart zipped by. “If anyone else sees that kind of Lucid energy floating around Woodinville, we’ll start a panic!”

  “Did you just try to hold my hand?” Kyle grinned. Viv cursed and swatted his arm away.

  “Just try not to get us killed before we reach Fantasm—”

  “Awfully brave to talk about our ruined city so early in the morning.” A quiet voice interrupted Viv. She was about to tell the newcomer off, but instead turned and smiled.

  We all wheeled around and saw a very tall Dreamer woman in an olive green dress. Although her clothes were fancier, and her black hair was tied back in a stylish up-do, the Dreamer didn’t stand out from her business-turned-savage counterparts. Perhaps it was the brown, combat boots that helped her blend in, but I’m fairly certain the large sword strapped to her back had more to do with it.

  She had a very pretty face, but I wouldn’t mistake her for being soft or kind. Her eyebrows arched in a way that made her look severe, and she had startling, light grey eyes that glinted like the steel of her blade. However, the woman was smiling as she noticed Viv’s surprise.

  “It has been some time, Viv,” the woman said, placing her hands on her hips as she studied Viv. “I suppose you may have matured since then.”

  “Just you wait,” Viv muttered, tossing her auburn hair back. The women smiled at each other before hugging.

  “Um,” Mitch broke the reunion first. “Sisters?”

  “Cousins,” Viv corrected. “This is Austera. We didn’t know we were related until after being relocated to Woodinville. Her mother is my father’s sister.”

  “And I thought blood counted for something, but I see you’re traveling with an odd bunch these days.” Austera looked at Iven, who tried to hide behind me.

  This clearly didn’t work out, as he was at least a foot taller than me. Iven realized this and straightened up.

  “Hello, Austera,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he looked at the floor. Viv looked at Iven in disappointment as Austera chuckled.

  “I see you have not changed, you oddball.” She smiled before looking at me, Mitch, and Kyle. “And speaking of odd, there is something strange about you three.”

  “They are survivors from an outside town,” Viv quickly said, giving us sharp glances to stop us from looking so surprised.

  “Survivors?” Austera raised an eyebrow. “I did not know the Nightmares had attacked another city."

  “This was a smaller tribe that scattered from Miragean,” Viv continued with her explanation as smoothly as if she were reading from a history book. “They were too small to unite with Fantasm and lived in isolation. Unfortunately, they were also very close to the Lucid fortress and were quickly demolished to make way for the Nightmares’ horrid arena.”

  “Ah.” If Austera found this explanation odd, she didn’t say anything. Instead she smiled at us. “And so soon after your survival, you wish to sneak into Fantasm? I find such foolish bravery amusing.”

  I exchanged looks with Mitch and Kyle, wondering if that was supposed to be a compliment.

  “Quite.” Viv stepped in front of us. “This is Devik, Mitchus, and Kaiya.”

  “Strange names.” Austera raised an eyebrow. “Then again, I learned to accept country folks’ ways as endearingly strange. Anyway, Sophia said you needed a trip out of town, yes?” She nodded at the carriage parked on the side of the main street.

  Most carriages in Woodinville looked like standard old-time ones you see in British history pictures — except instead of horses, jets powered the Dreamers’ vehicles. Austera’s took the Woodinville mobile transportation scene to an entirely new level.

  Think Cinderella meets steampunk. The ivory carriage had a delicate-looking gold frame supported by a sleek, onyx floor. Instead of wheels, there were wings that folded down to let passengers inside. The interior greatly differed from the steampunk exterior. There was a futuristic theme going on with chrome sofas lining each side of the compartment. Electric blue cushions were on top of the bench-like seats that provided firm comfort.

  “Everyone settled?” Austera asked from her window behind the drivers’ seat. Her compartment resembled a modern sports car with several gears. Before we could respond, she sh
ut her tinted window and started the carriage. It quietly whirred to life, though I could feel it humming with power.

  “Austera provides transportation in and out of Woodinville,” Viv explained, noticing our confused faces. “It is a job with few but important demands, and she often finds trouble along the way.”

  “Hence the large sword.” Mitch nodded. He continued to look around the carriage in awe. Although I knew Kyle also admired the craft, he was too busy glaring at Viv from the other side of the compartment.

  “Kaiya?” he asked incredulously. “You know that’s a girl’s name, right?”

  “Now you know how Sophia feels.” Viv smirked. “Besides, I did not have time to think. I forgot how nosy Austera can be.”

  “But isn’t she some of your only family?” I asked, remembering how the two had embraced earlier.

  “We aren’t very close.” Viv shrugged. “Though it is nice to have blood relatives. Austera’s mother, my aunt, tells me stories about my parents, and she used to watch us and other children our age when we were younger. Isn’t that right, Iven?”

  “Huh?” He looked up from his spot by the window. “Oh, yes,” he said before continuing to gaze at the nearest buildings, with a slight crease forming between his eyebrows.

  “Long story,” Viv muttered, noticing our stares. Iven shifted uncomfortably in his corner, and I figured it best not to push the subject any further. Austera’s carriage started moving, and we rode down the main street in relative silence.

  I’m sure you’re thinking that our ride was like a high-powered horse and buggy. Don’t forget the horses were out of the equation. Instead, we zipped along the Woodinville roads with extreme ease. The rapidly changing scenery outside our windows was the only indication that we were actually moving.

  “Amazing.” Mitch sat up and looked out of the window with wide eyes. “If only my sports car could handle roads this smoothly.”

  “Yeah, you poor dear,” Kyle said sarcastically. “It must be hard not having a levitating sports car to cruise around in. I’ll stick with Mom’s minivan, right Devon?”

  “Yeah.” I chuckled at that. Still, I also agreed with Mitch. No car in our world, no matter how expensive, would feel like this.

  Not surprisingly, we drove out of Woodinville making remarkable time. I barely had time to register the blurry pinks, greens, and browns of the forest before the scene changed to clear skies, a large bay with a wide sandy shore, and a mountain range scraping the sky on the opposite bank.

  “Hey, now!” Kyle shouted as the carriage slammed to a halt. We all flew forward, Mitch tumbling onto Iven and Kyle falling onto Viv. I got a mouthful of blue cushion and bumped my head on the chrome floor (lucky me.) After sitting up straight and checking for bruises, I noticed Austera had already left the carriage. We scrambled out to follow after her.

  “This is as far as I’ll get without the Nightmares noticing,” Austera explained, stepping over a low fence.

  The wind carried the scent of salt and sea air as we walked along the sandy beach. The entire scene looked like something from a fantasy novel. Behind us were dense woods, and to the west was the open sea. To our east and across the large bay lay the mountains. Even though it was a long way to the other side, I could squint and see a charcoal grey blot against the white base of the mountain range If I really strained my eyes, the grey formed together to look like…

  “Fantasm,” Viv said, following my gaze. “It guards the mountain pass to the other side, protecting us from the mountains’ troubles and keeping the Nightmares from crossing the range.”

  “Why do you want to keep the Nightmares from crossing?” Mitch asked, frowning at the peak.

  “Some say there is a life force left in Miragean that gives all Dreamers power,” Iven explained, folding his arms and avoiding Austera’s eyes on him. “If the Nightmares reached Miragean and destroyed such power, we would vanish from this world.”

  “No way,” Kyle blurted skeptically. “How could one life source keep all of you alive?”

  “Surely you have your own ways of explaining the meaning of life!” Viv rounded on my brother, glaring. “Regardless of whether or not it exists, would you risk your people’s lives to find out?”

  “Your village was very ignorant.” Austera raised an eyebrow, studying us. “Surely your tribe carried the legends with you.”

  “They are illiterate,” Viv explained before we could protest. “Crude agriculturists who had more to worry about than upholding our legends and traditions.”

  Thankfully, Austera shrugged and turned back to her carriage.

  “You better start your little trip now,” she advised, walking to the driver’s seat of her vehicle. She opened the door but turned to face us before she climbed in. “The trip across will take at least three hours by canoe, and you don’t want to be on the other side when the Nightmares come out.”

  I had almost forgotten about the Nightmare camp supposedly surrounding Fantasm. From this far away, all I could see was Fantasm, which looked like a perfectly fine city. Then again, I’m sure the scene would change as we got closer to our destination. It may have been my imagination, but the wind sweeping across the sea suddenly felt colder.

  “We will be fine.” Viv waved her hand impatiently. “Thanks for the lift. See you when we get back.”

  “We’ll see,” Austera said. “Just keep your friends in check. Especially Iven.” She grinned as Iven flinched. “You know how he tends to lose his head around things that excite him.” With that, she hopped into her carriage and sped away.

  As soon as she was out of sight, Iven cursed loudly. This startled Kyle, Mitch, and me. I didn’t expect that from a guy who was a mild-mannered, though sometimes overly excited, nerdy kind of guy.

  “She’s a demon!” he said angrily. “Such a—”

  “Reliable driver?” Viv finished for him, narrowing her eyes. “I know she tends to get under your skin, but we need to focus, Iven.”

  He took a few deep breaths, pulling strands of hair from his eyes.

  “You’re right,” he said, regaining his composure.

  “Besides.” Viv lowered her voice and turned to face the forest. “It seems we’ve gained another companion.”

  We all turned around. I scanned the forests, but I didn’t see anything or anyone. Viv silently crept closer to the woods.

  I could tell by her movements that whatever she spotted didn’t threaten or scare her. Still, Mitch grabbed Reverie and Kyle rubbed his bracelet to make it glow.

  “Aha!” Viv jumped behind the nearest, largest tree and I heard a muffled scream.

  “What the—” Mitch started forward.

  He stopped as Viv emerged, grabbing the collar of a short, dark-haired girl. She looked to be about my age, with spiky hair and vibrant purple eyes. Her long, midnight blue tunic was bound at the waist with a brown leather belt that matched her lace-up boots. She wore black leggings under her tunic which didn’t look very different than how the girls at my school dressed. Her bright eyes and angry expression told me that she was very different than your average teenage girl, though.

  “Let me go!” The girl grunted, finally breaking free from Viv. She scampered back a few feet, drawing a dagger from her belt, and glaring. Viv placed her hands on her hips and looked on in amusement.

  “I spotted you jumping onto our carriage shortly after we left Woodinville,” she told the young girl. “If you’re going to stalk, at least know how to handle your targets.”

  “I had to move quickly!” the girl protested. “You held a Deem meeting without me, and I was not hanging around my house alone today!”

  “You’re too young to join Deem, Hope,” Iven said softly, his trouble with Austera forgotten.

  He approached the girl called Hope who didn’t back off. Instead she allowed him to steer her back to the shore with the rest of us.

  Up close I saw she was around the same height as Tiff, though she looked much angrier and — I hate to admit it — a lot p
rettier. Her short haircut and round face gave her a pixyish look. Her bangs fell just above her eyes, which brought them out even more than other Dreamers’.

  She caught me staring, glared at me, and I looked away. Kyle snorted next to me and I felt my face heat up. I could almost hear him thinking Devon has his own Dream girl now.

  “I’m only a few years younger than Viv!” Hope snapped, ducking under Iven’s arm. “And I know how to use magic and how to fight!”

  “Yes, thanks to your brother, who wants to make you into a fine warrior, I’m sure,” Viv said disapprovingly.

  “Elis isn’t my only teacher,” Hope said coolly, smirking as she faced Viv. “Sophia said I show more of an aptitude for magic than you ever did...” She backed away as Viv stared at her. The redhead stopped mid-stride, supposedly realizing she was about to hit a little girl. Instead, she took a few breaths.

  I found myself noticing the similarities between Hope and Elis. Though Hope was much paler in complexion, they had the same thick, dark hair and her eyebrows furrowed in the same way as her brother’s. Kyle caught me staring at Hope — again — and snorted.

  “Yes, you are a powerful, young Dreamer,” Viv said through gritted teeth. “But you are still too young. If I called Elis now, he’d come get you in a second, you know.”

  “But you won’t.” Hope folded her arms, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. “The fastest Driver in Woodinville just left this spot, so it would take my brother at least an hour to get here. You’d have to contain me, if you could—” she smirked again, “—so that would put you an hour behind schedule. Crossing the bay would take another three hours, which would give you very limited time to find what you seek in Fantasm.” She smiled smugly, noticing the looks on Viv’s and Iven’s faces.

  “She can look after herself,” Iven reasoned, turning to Viv. “We first snuck into Fantasm at a younger age than Hope is now. And she is pretty stealthy. I didn’t notice her,” he added, causing Viv to narrow her eyes.

  “Neither did I,” Mitch admitted.

  “I didn’t see her either,” Kyle offered.