Lucid

by L. E. Fred

  “Where are we headed?” Iven shouted above the wind. He didn’t seem worried, though. He was swaying in his seat as if he were on a swing. His bright eyes were scanning the scenery gratefully as he clung on to the two books hidden inside of his vest.

  “Wherever the wind takes us.” Kyle frowned. “I tried making propellers, but your bracelet isn’t working anymore.”

  “Oh, of course.” Iven grinned sheepishly. “Did I forget to tell you it had a time limit?”

  “Then how did he get us out of there?” Mitch raised his eyebrows as he looked at the slowly approaching ground. I was wondering the same thing; would the parachutes give out completely if the bracelet ran out of juice?

  “The Lucid Well gave him power,” Viv explained. “I suppose opening the Well completely allowed him to finish his last creation. Once the parachutes vanish, I am not sure what will happen.”

  Viv was struggling to hold onto Hope’s parachute. The young Dreamer was still knocked out, but that didn’t surprise me. She’d done enough for today.

  As it was, I could barely keep my head upright. The cool air had restored some of my strength, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to summon my ball of light for a long time. Thankfully, when we touched down, we were only a few feet from the shoreline, and I managed to stand on my own.

  Kyle made the parachutes vanish with the snap of his fingers, but I saw he looked disappointed that he had to get rid of his last creation. Iven caught Hope before she could fall, though she was starting to come around. I could see her purple eyes fluttering behind her eyelashes, like a dim strobe light.

  “Oh no.” Viv moaned, looking up at the sky.

  “What?” Kyle frowned, looking at her. “Everything worked out well. Can’t we just make camp to rest for a bit?”

  “That sounds like a fine plan, except it is now dark,” she said.

  “And we have company,” Mitch added, looking toward the mountains. I slowly turned around, expecting the worst.

  Worst doesn’t even begin to explain what I saw.

  Though we’d landed close to the shore, we were also only a few hundred yards away from the Nightmare camp. The place may have looked dead in the daylight, but now it was swarming with life. They didn’t even need their searchlights to find us. I’m sure our slow descent to the ground was a dead giveaway.

  “Time to go?” I asked, looking at my brother.

  We heard about a hundred Nightmares roar as they charged us.

  “Yep!” Kyle started to the surf. “Follow me!”

  Kyle screwed up his eyes in concentration, but nothing happened.

  “Your bracelet, remember?” Mitch pointed to the now dull band of leather on my brother’s wrist. “Guess you’re outta juice for a while.”

  “Great!” Kyle cursed. He looked at Iven with wild eyes. “What do we do now?”

  “I should be able to recharge the water in the bracelet,” Iven explained. “But I need to be away from this water. The unorganized power around us will interfere with the Lucid River’s flow.” He took Kyle’s bracelet and backed away from the shoreline.

  “That leaves us with creating a distraction.” Viv nodded to Mitch. “Devon, take Hope and help Iven and Kyle as much as you can.” She pushed Hope’s limp body onto my chest.

  I staggered a bit but managed to catch Hope and hold her against my chest. My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I tried to avoid looking at Hope’s fluttering eyes that were now partially hidden beneath her dark bangs. I also pushed aside the thought of her waking up in my arms. Sure, we’d worked together pretty well in the library, but I doubted she thought I was anything more than a weak human who got lucky.

  “You okay, Devon?” Mitch looked at me worriedly.

  I was reminded of when he didn’t trust my judgment with fooling Serpentine the first time we encountered the snake lady. Only this time, I didn’t feel completely useless. My mind was exhausted from fighting off the spells inside the Lucid Well, and I was tired from using so much power.

  “I’ll be your extra backup.” I managed a grin, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible with my chest feeling like it was about to rip open due to injuries and my rapidly beating heart.

  Mitch grinned and clasped my shoulder. “Right.” He drew Reverie.

  The Nightmares roared again as the blade glowed blue in the dark night. Mitch only grinned more as he and Viv ran forward to stop the surge of Nightmares. I wasn’t sure if they’d be enough to fend off the monsters.

  Viv laid my doubts to rest by taking out a dozen Nightmares at once with her bow. It seemed she’d returned to full strength after leaving the library. Maybe seeing her home after so long brought back a fierce desire to destroy those who tore her family apart. She shouted as she spread a wall of protective magic around us. The magenta field kept out the Nightmares, but they were hacking away as quickly as possible.

  “Nice try,” a sinister voice hissed from the other side of the field.

  Mitch and Viv yelled, and I gasped as we watched three dark figures pass through Viv’s protective circle. The tallest Nightmare laughed at our surprise. His red eye glinted in the spell’s light, and his black eye studied us with a chilling opaqueness.

  “Salik!” Viv growled, drawing her knives and dropping to a fighter’s stance.

  “Baz and Aille!” Mitch followed suit, holding Reverie like a fencer.

  “Yes.” Salik gave Viv a shark-toothed grin. “It is a pleasure seeing you again, Vivax. Tell me, do you miss being my captive?”

  “We’ll see!” Viv spat. She eyed Salik suspiciously. I didn’t blame her. Why wasn’t the Nightmare attacking?

  “Then why do you keep testing my patience?” he asked, as they started circling each other. He still hadn’t drawn his creepy sword, though, which set me on edge more than if he had.

  Mitch kept his eyes on the other two. Baz hefted his club threateningly, smiling as if he were about to beat Mitch like a piñata.

  “We didn’t come here for you,” Mitch said, sounding a lot braver than he had after facing the Nightmares the first time. “Hate to break it to you, but you’re not three of our favorite people in this world.”

  “You practically walked into our strongest military camp, which we just so happen to control.” Aille shot Mitch a dirty glance. I guess she thought that giving us a head start back in the forest meant she’d never have to see us again.

  “We came for Fantasm.” Viv narrowed her eyes, her auburn hair flying in strange patterns in the ocean breeze.

  “And now you will die for foolishness.” Salik shrugged as if he were explaining the circle of life. “You and your human friends escaped due to my comrades’ stupidity and short-sightedness, but we will end this now—”

  “Stupidity?” Baz shouted angrily, rounding onto Salik.

  “And short-sightedness?” Aille raged, appearing to forget her beef with Mitch completely. “May I remind you that I outrank you on this shore, Salik?”

  “Not for long.” Salik didn’t seem fazed by her anger. “Did you forget that I was the one who received special orders for dealing with the two champions? Which you’re currently neglecting, by the way.”

  Aille glared at Salik for a few more seconds until Salik’s black eye glinted strangely in the magenta light. The female Nightmare’s eyes widened with surprise, and it looked like she wanted to ask Salik something; but it seemed her duty came before personal vendettas.

  “You will not escape this time, humans,” she told us. Her eyes flickered to mine, and for a short moment I thought she seemed conflicted. Maybe she just liked beating up Mitch but wanted to spare me as her human friend.

  Great, I thought glumly. I’m the Nightmare’s favorite.

  “And we’ll get rid of these Dreamer pests, too!” Baz announced, swinging his club as if he were twirling a ribbon on a stick.

  “Oh, and don’t think we hadn't seen you back there, Devon Alexander,” Salik called casually. I almost dropped Hope in surprise as the Nightmare locked eyes
with me. “We have special orders for you. It appears our Lord has taken an interest in your — erm — unique talents.”

  I swallowed hard. If I could’ve run away, I would have. The dark voice that almost made me fail in the Lucid Well… could it have been the Nightmare king Phobio?

  “Yes.” Salik nodded as if he read my mind. “You will serve a special purpose. Your friends? Not so much, so they must die!”

  With that, the conversation was over. Despite being one fighter short, Viv and Mitch were giving the Nightmares a pretty tough time. Viv handled Salik while Mitch fended off Baz and Aille. Salik finally drew his sword, but Viv never gave him the chance to use it. She kept attacking with her knives, jumping, rolling, and slashing wherever she found an opening. Mitch kept his fencer’s poise as he fought off Aille’s fists and Baz’s club.

  The short Nightmare, clearly outmatched by Mitch and his sword, suddenly tried focusing his attention on attacking me.

  “I can at least round you up, little boy!” Baz sneered, advancing in his lumbering fashion. I stumbled back as well as I could, but I still had Hope and could barely stand on my own.

  “What? Not much of a fighter after we kicked your butt last time?” I called, trying to keep the stupid Nightmare distracted.

  It worked: Baz staggered back, blinking. I guess he wasn’t expecting me to talk back. After he understood what I’d said, he shook his head and glared.

  “You’re lucky the Boss wants you alive!” He snarled, hefting his club. “But he didn’t say anything about injuries-ah!”

  A flash of light had come from the shore, blasting the Nightmare off his feet, his club flying beyond Viv’s protective border.

  I turned around to see what had saved me from a bad headache. Iven winked, his eyes flashing as his outstretched hand glowed with light.

  “Are you all right?” he asked me. I nodded, which seemed good enough for the inventor, who turned around and resumed working on Kyle’s bracelet.

  I blinked. Guess Iven was more than a loony inventor obsessed with Lucids. I turned my attention back to Baz who was currently trying to pass through the protective barrier to retrieve his club. He slammed himself against the wall, but it wouldn’t give way. I could hear the army of Nightmares shouting in the distance, but it sounded like they were laughing at Baz more than anything.

  Poor guy, I thought, despite him trying to knock me out moments earlier. He was even considered a clown in the eyes of all his other Nightmare brethren. Aille also seemed like a bit of an outcast compared to blood-thirsty Salik. I wondered if she and Baz might not believe in everything they fought for…

  “Ha!” Aille screamed triumphantly after knocking Mitch to the ground. He fell on his back, and Reverie flew out of his hands.

  “Not again,” Mitch moaned, looking at his sword wistfully. He was only a few feet from me, and his sword laid at the edge of the shore, waves covering the blue blade.

  “Don’t worry,” Aille said, advancing closer. “I’m not ordered to kill you now. We will take you and the other champion to our Lord.”

  I placed Hope on the ground next to me and started sneaking to Reverie.

  “Then what?” Mitch asked defiantly as he slowly scooted toward the shore.

  “Then you’ll probably die.” Aille frowned as if she didn’t agree with our fate.

  “But I will try to make it painless. I suppose I could grant you that one last favor-don’t think about it!” Her eyes flashed to me as I tried getting up to reach Reverie. Guess that wasn’t going to work.

  “Answer me this one question before I take you hostage.” Aille glanced over to make sure Salik was still in heavy combat with Viv. When her eyes returned to look at me, I saw they were actually full of concern. “Why did you venture deeper into our lands?

  “What?” Mitch stopped scooting backwards, completely caught off-guard.

  “Your race lives very short lives,” she explained. “You have your wars, but the conflicts never last longer than a few decades. We know, because we usually spark their beginnings. Still, it is nothing compared to what goes on here. We and the Dreamers are always engaged in a struggle for control. Like a scale, it must return to balance, but like the ocean, it cannot stop moving.” She crossed her arms and looked into the bay. “The tides of our world are much too strong for any human champions to survive in, much less change. I’ve seen stronger humans than you, try and fail. So why are you here?”

  Mitch and I exchanged glances. Aille wasn’t asking us why we joined the Dreamers or why we came too close to a Nightmare camp. She was asking us why we became involved in their war when we could’ve rescued our friends and moved on. Unlike the voice that spoke to me in the Well, she wasn’t trying to get us to stop so that the Nightmares might win. She sounded worried about us.

  “You’re different,” I said, slowly approaching Aille. I was certain she wasn’t going to attack us. “Aren’t you?”

  “I despise the Dreamers, just like any of my kind,” Aille protested, standing strong. “But I understand the necessity for them in our lands… let’s just say we’re not all like Salik—”

  “Yes,” said a voice behind Aille, causing her to jump violently. “Some of you are traitors!”

  Aille’s reflexes saved her life. She ducked under Salik’s sword and aimed a low kick at his shins. The tall Nightmare howled in pain, but he didn’t fall. He’d also managed to incapacitate Viv by twisting both her arms behind her back and holding them tightly. Aille went to attack him, but quick as a flash, Salik had a knife to Viv’s neck. The female Nightmare hesitated, which caused Salik to chuckle cruelly.

  “Despise Dreamers, do you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Then why not attack me? I’ll just kill this worthless Dreamer, but you’ll be able to save your human friends.”

  “No, please, Aille!” I called to her, surprising the Nightmares and myself.

  I knew I was no match for Salik, even with my power at full capacity, but I couldn’t let him kill Viv.

  “You say you hate Dreamers but understand they also have a place in this world,” I continued, despite my voice shaking with fear. “Well, we’re here for a reason, too. And we need Viv in order to fix things. You say you’re different from Salik — prove it like you did back in Leona’s fortress.”

  “And back when you gave us a head start in the woods,” Mitch added. I gaped at him in horror as Aille fumed.

  “WHAT?” Salik shouted, causing Aille to back away.

  He threw Viv to the ground as he advanced on the Nightmare. Viv immediately bounced to her feet but hesitated before attacking Salik. The Nightmares had started circling each other, forgetting about everyone else on the shore.

  Baz had stopped trying to get his club, his eyes fixed on the fight with the anticipation of watching a great show. The Nightmares beyond the barrier seemed to have vanished. Maybe they thought Salik and the others had us subdued and were waiting for further orders. Even Kyle and Iven had stopped working on the bracelet to see what was going to happen.

  Aille closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. When she opened then again, I saw she looked more determined than before.

  “I did,” she admitted to Salik. “I gave the humans a head start in the woods. They’re not meant to be in our custody. Whether we like it or not, we can never fully control this world. We’d consume it and our world will go black before we even realize our fault. True, we are a dominating race who craves control, but we cannot be kings and queens of everything.”

  “Do you understand what you’re saying?” Salik actually looked a bit worried. “To me? Aille, I am our Lord’s eyes in this operation. You alone knew this.” He covered his face as if he wanted to shield his eyes from the traitor.

  “Yes.” Aille’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You trusted me with this information, and I repaid you with betrayal. You saw this coming, Salik, do not deny it. I’m… I’m not who you think I am, and I don’t believe in your virtues anymore.”

  Salik remov
ed his clawed hands from his face. With that, he removed all sadness from his expression. A mask of hatred replaced it, and he locked on Aille with such intense rage, I almost wanted to bury myself in the sand.

  “Then it is settled.” Salik held his knife aloft. “You are a traitor, and you must be put to death.”

  “Seems we disagree again.” Aille, surprisingly, laughed. “You may be Phobio’s eye, but that doesn’t make you any stronger.”

  “We’ll see!” Salik lunged at Aille.

  Viv and Mitch watched in horror as the Nightmares tore at each other with enough intensity to shred each other apart. Sand flew in a whirlwind around the fighters, but neither Salik nor Aille cared about their surroundings anymore; they only wanted the other to die. They jumped to the side, and almost took me out but a small, strong arm pulled me back.

  “Come on.” Hope was up, her purple eyes fixed on the Nightmares in horror. “They’re completely distracted right now. Sometimes I think Nightmares hate each other more than they hate us.”

  “But we’re still trapped,” I said. I wanted to help Aille; she’d saved us thrice now.

  “Not for long!” Kyle called from the surf. “Bracelet’s on, let’s go!”

  I turned to the shoreline and saw a huge pirate ship waiting for us.

  “Again?” I asked my brother, caught off-guard by seeing the ship again.

  “Why change perfection?” Kyle grinned. “All aboard!”

  We ran to the ship, Mitch scooping up Reverie before sprinting up one of the ladders that rolled out from the deck above. As soon as we were on our ladders, the ship started moving.

  While clinging to my ladder, I stole a glance back at the shore. From this distance, I saw that the Nightmare army hadn’t retreated back to their camp. They were waiting with anticipation behind Viv’s barrier as Salik and Aille continued fighting. They were both giving it their all, but I knew sooner or later one would prevail. It took some effort, but I finally tore myself away from the sight and climbed the rest of the rope ladder.