by Helen Harper
Two of the guards grab my arms and drag me away. ‘You lot clear off!’
The crowd mutter. The last thing I want them to do is follow those orders. I tilt my chin and take a deep breath. Then, with as much force as I can muster, I dig my elbows into my captors’ sides.
It helps that they’re not expecting it; surprise rather than pain makes them let me go. The second that I’m free, I run for it, sprinting down the narrow street towards the square. I can hear the guards pounding after me and I run faster because I’ve got more at stake than they do. Satisfyingly, I hear the crowd running too, albeit more slowly.
In the square I make a beeline for the fountain and Salib’s stern stone visage. Leaping into the water, I place my foot on his knee and clamber onto his shoulders, hooking my legs round them. It’s not easy with my wrists bound but I manage it. The guards are barely three seconds behind me.
‘Get down!’
I tighten my grip. ‘Why? So you can throw me in a cell?’
More Travellers are arriving from every direction. I look anxiously for Ashley but there’s no sign of her. The guards start advancing menacingly towards me. ‘If you don’t get down, we’ll have to come and get you. And it’ll hurt,’ one of them shouts.
‘Yeah?’ I taunt. ‘Eight big burly guys to bring down one woman? What do you think this lot will make of that?’
Some of them exchange nervous glances; the bolder ones don’t seem to care. ‘The Mayor’ll take care of them,’ one grunts.
Something flickers in the corner of my eye and I swing my head round. It’s Dante. I wonder where he’s fallen asleep in real life. Is he in a corner of the police station or did he check into a B&B? Then I see how stiff his body is and I feel a ripple of unease. When he shrugs off his jacket, revealing a tight T-shirt and well-toned muscles, my unease changes to alarm.
‘This is between me and you!’ I shout, ostensibly to the Mayor but really for Dante’s sake. ‘No one else can get involved!’
‘No one else is stupid enough to get involved, girlie.’
If only that were true. Dante steps forward and I grit my teeth in annoyance. ‘I mean it. No one else!’
His eyes search my face. I twist away from him, focusing on the guards. ‘I’ll get down!’ I tell them. ‘Just give me a minute! Please don’t hurt me.’ I inject as much emotion into my words as possible. I must be a better actress than I thought because several people in the crowd look worried.
‘She’s obviously a bit loopy,’ someone shouts. ‘Just help her get down. There’s no need for anyone to get hurt.’
Two of the guards peel off in the direction of the voice. Damn it. I don’t want any violence. A bloody coup – successful or not – will only cause more problems.
Thankfully, the commotion finally brings the Mayor out of hiding. I guess he doesn’t want the Travellers to see how brutal his methods really are. He strides out of the Department building with his hands knitted together in front of him and a concerned expression on his face. Some of the crowd look relieved; others, the more canny and aware among them, tense up.
‘Goodness me!’ he booms. ‘What sort of trouble is this? Guards, stand down.’
They obey instantly. The Mayor steps up to me. ‘Zoe, this isn’t necessary. We can get you the help you need. We have some doctors here, you know.’
His words have an instant effect. The Travellers who have been sympathetic towards me change their expressions to ones of pity. It’s the smartest move the Mayor could make. If I’m the mad woman who’s a danger to herself and others, then he can contain me. Except he doesn’t realise that I’m smarter than he is.
The timing is perfect. From towards the back, Ashley’s shining blonde hair appears. She pushes her way gently through and when she sees me, her mouth drops open. ‘Zoe, what are you doing?’
I bite my lip hard. I’ve never been good at crying on demand though, so when tears fail me I’m forced to rely on the tone of my voice and my expression instead. ‘Ashley! You’re the kindest person I know! You’ll help me, won’t you?’
Naturally she is confused. ‘Of course. But what’s going on?’
‘Ashley, it’s very kind of you to offer to help but I have this under control,’ the Mayor interjects smoothly.
No, he hasn’t. Esme is already elbowing her way towards us. ‘What have you done?’ she shouts.
Everyone turns in her direction. Most people think she’s addressing me but she is looking at Ashley. She stomps up, completely ignoring everyone else, and grabs Ashley’s arms. ‘What did you do?’
Esme’s eyes are wild. She’s oblivious to me clutching on to the statue, the Mayor frowning and the crowd agape. I know a little about what happens when emotions overrule your rationality; if Esme took a moment, she’d realise I was behind all this – not Ashley. The fear she feels at the disappearance of her sleepers, however, subsumes everything else.
‘Where are they?’ she screams.
The Mayor looks from Esme to Ashley to me. Before he has time to grow suspicious, Esme starts shaking Ashley. ‘Where are they?’ she repeats. ‘Where are my sleepers?’
The Mayor motions silently to the watching guards to move back and surround me. He gently pulls Esme away. ‘What’s the problem here? I’m sure we can sort it out.’
Esme points at Ashley. ‘The sleepers have gone! All of them! And she was just there, in the castle. She’s done something!’ Her bottom lip trembles. ‘Did you wake them up? Are they safe?’
‘I ... I ...’ Ashley is completely baffled.
I see Bron sidle up to Dante. His brow is furrowed in confusion but, from the way Dante tilts his head down and mutters, it’s clear that someone has worked out what’s really going on. Bron’s face clears. Then he says loudly, ‘Dreamweaver!’
Everyone turns to him then back to Ashley. There are wide eyes and astonished expressions. Esme steps back. ‘He’s right,’ she whispers. ‘It’s the only way you could do it.’
Ashley shakes her head. ‘But I didn’t...’
The Mayor’s eyes narrow. He stares at Ashley before grabbing hold of Esme. ‘What happened?’ he demands.
‘I was there this morning, in the castle. They were all fine. Then she goes in. Now there’s no one left. They’ve all disappeared.’
‘Ashley freed the sleepers,’ someone in the crowd says. ‘All those people...’
‘Oh my God.’ A woman towards the front claps her hand over her mouth. ‘It’s a miracle.’
‘I’m sure there’s a sensible explanation for all this,’ the Mayor states, his back suddenly ramrod stiff. ‘Let’s go inside and we’ll get to the bottom of it.’ He makes the mistake of moving towards Ashley. She jerks back nervously, her coat flapping open to reveal Bron’s knife. I don’t think anyone other than the Mayor and myself see it.
His expression hardens. ‘What’s the meaning of this? You have a weapon? They’re forbidden! You know that!’
Panic is overtaking her and her hand goes automatically to the knife. That’s enough for the Mayor; he lunges forward to grab her.
‘Stop it!’ someone yells. ‘You can’t do that to Ashley!’
‘She’s not done anything wrong!’
It’s crowd mentality. Where normally they’d turn a blind eye to the Mayor’s antics and believe his lies, the involvement of popular and kind-hearted Ashley is too much.
‘Enough!’ he blusters. ‘I’m not going to hurt her! I just want to talk to her, that’s all!’ His voice carries across the square.
The guards, sensing the imminent danger, abandon their posts around the fountain and fan out into the crowd to quell any further dissent. The sight of their hands on their batons is enough to send a lot of the people into scared silence – but it doesn’t work on everyone.
‘Come with me, Ashley,’ I hear the Mayor say. ‘I’ll sort all this out for you. I won’t harm a hair on your head, I promise.’
She’s pale and stuttering. ‘I ... I don’t know what any of this is about.’ Her ey
es fly to mine in confusion.
I can barely look at her. Instead, I jerk my head, praying that Lilith is ready. Dante and Bron are watching me.
‘Mayor!’ Lilith’s cold yet oddly musical voice rings out.
There are stifled shouts and I can see people recoil. I guess I’m not the only one to find the woman creepy as hell. From my vantage point, I spot the crowd part and Lilith glide through. At least one of the guards moves forward to stop her but she fixes him with such an icy glare that he stops in his tracks.
Ignoring both Esme and Ashley, she walks up to the Mayor and places her hand on his arm. He yanks it away.
‘Get out of here!’ he shouts. ‘This is not your place!’
She frowns at him. ‘But you told me it would be. I grow tired of waiting.’ She licks her lips. ‘It’s time to keep your promise. Let’s make this town ours.’
‘I said no such thing! Guards! Get this thing away from here!’
I crane my neck round. All the guards appear indecisive. One of them seems to make the decision to do as he’s told but several people in the crowd hold him back. Kevin appears and stares for a moment at Ashley’s pale face before shouting, ‘Let Lilith speak! What promises have you made, Mayor?’
‘She’s lying,’ the Mayor spits. ‘There’s something going on here and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. You all know better than to trust a succubus.’
Ohhhh. So that’s what she is. It makes sense: she’s a demon who appears in dreams to seduce men and drain them of their health. I feel a trickle of unease. She may not have been the best person to make a deal with.
There’s a murmur of agreement. Sensing the tide turning against her, Lilith raises her voice. ‘I speak the truth. I can prove it. I know his name.’
The crowd hushes. Lilith smiles. ‘Malpeter,’ she whispers, although I’m certain everyone can hear it.
Several of the guards stare in the Mayor’s direction. Their reaction isn’t lost on the others.
‘It’s true!’
‘He’s colluding with her!’
There are cries and angry shouts. The Mayor, struggling to regain control of the situation, holds up his palms. ‘People! You know me! This is a conspiracy which...’ He stops as someone throws a clod of earth that strikes him on the head. His rage is palpable; it’s as if someone has flipped a switch and whatever mask he’s been wearing has slid away. Something indecipherable flashes in his eyes. He spins round and, in the split second before his hand reaches inside his pocket, I notice the tell-tale bulge and gasp aloud. It’s too late to do anything about it. He whips out a revolver and starts waving it around.
‘I keep you all safe!’ he roars. ‘Without me, you are nothing!’
There are a few screams and some people cower but not everyone is afraid. Some people, including Dante and Bron, approach him. The Mayor fires off a warning shot and people scatter. He grabs Ashley and holds the gun to her head. The crowd melts away until only Esme, Dante, Bron, me and a few guards, including Kevin, remain. Fear descends upon me; I didn’t realise there were guns here. I should have known. I’ve just placed everyone’s lives in danger.
We watch the Mayor to see what he’s going to do next. I notice that Lilith has already made her own exit. I guess she’d made her point. I slide down from Salib’s statue and wade through the fountain to join the others.
‘Come any closer and you know what’ll happen,’ the Mayor threatens.
‘Mayor, calm down,’ Bron says. ‘Why don’t we do as you suggested and go inside and talk about all this?’
‘I’m done talking!’ he snarls. ‘Honestly, the effort I make to keep you people in line isn’t worth it.’ He jabs a thumb in Dante’s direction. ‘You should have stayed in the forest, traitor.’
‘You’re the traitor, Mayor,’ Dante responds smoothly. ‘It’s just that now everyone is starting to recognise it.’
‘Weak! You’re all weak! Don’t you know what we could achieve if we tried? All the power, all the wealth? Even if you want to live your lives as inconsequential beings, don’t you know what will happen if you get rid of me? You’re all idiots! If you really are a dreamweaver,’ he says, shaking Ashley, ‘then just think about what we can do.’
‘I’m not!’ she squeaks. ‘I didn’t do anything in the castle! It wasn’t me!’
‘Of course not,’ the Mayor says slowly, his eyes swivelling towards me. ‘If what that bitch Lilith said was a lie, then everything else has been a lie too. You’ve been a busy girl, Zoe Lydon.’
Esme looks at me slowly as comprehension dawns. I ignore her and meet the Mayor’s gaze. ‘It’s over.’
He smiles, although it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘Don’t be so naïve. It’s never over.’ He moves the gun to one side and fires. Kevin rushes forward and, for one horrifying moment, I think Ashley has been shot. Dante and Bron lunge for the Mayor but the remaining guards intervene.
As a vicious, no-holds-barred brawl starts, the Mayor’s eyes glitter. Then he raises the gun again, the barrel pointing directly at me, and shoots once more. Pain slams into my shoulder and I feel myself falling backwards. I only just manage to stay upright. That bullet may only have nicked me but he’s reloading and preparing to shoot again.
I do the only thing I can do. I run.
Chapter Twenty-One
This isn’t the end. It isn’t even the beginning of the end, but it might just be the end of the beginning.
Winston Churchill
The Mayor isn’t going to stay behind and use his gun to attack the others. It’s me he wants; I could see it in his eyes.
The Travellers who packed the square to watch the action have almost all gone. I see a few pale faces from behind walls and cottages staring out at me with wide, terrified eyes but for the most part, the streets are clear. I’m aware of the Mayor’s heavy feet pounding after me. He fires another shot but his aim is off and it smashes into a nearby house, knocking off a chunk of plaster. With my heart hammering in my chest, I speed up.
I no longer have a plan. I’d expected everything to play out in the square, with either the Mayor being denounced or me being dragged away to be dealt with in a back alley. Now, as I run, it’s instinct rather than forethought that leads me towards the forest.
‘Stop!’ The Mayor roars. I duck my head down and keep running. ‘You won’t get away with this!’
I push on, making the final cobbled crossing before the line of dark trees. I hear the gun go off again just as I make the transition between sunshine and darkness. A second later, I’m sprinting through the woods, weaving in and out of the towering oaks and firs while dirt sprays up from my feet.
Part of me thinks I should stop and force myself to wake up but if I do that, all this will be for nothing. I need to make sure the Mayor is finished once and for all. Keeping an eye on my trail of tree-etched Zs, I think through the possibilities. There has to be something I can do.
I’m so caught up in panic that I don’t notice the trap in front of me until it’s almost too late. At the very last second, I catch a glint of steel and react, leaping over it. My toes catch its edge and I stumble. If my hands hadn’t still been bound, I might have avoided falling but I can’t stop myself and I land heavily on the cold ground. I roll right in a bid to get away but it’s too late: the Mayor is in front of me, panting hard and pointing the gun in my face. For an old man, he’s pretty spry. This is what I get, I think dully, as I stare at the muzzle. This is what happens to someone who’s been housebound for almost two years and whose only exercise is jogging up and down a staircase every so often.
‘You think you’re so clever, don’t you?’ the Mayor sneers. ‘Making everyone think that little Ashley is the heroine of the hour. You’ve caused me a lot of problems, you know. It’ll take days, weeks, to win back everyone’s trust. But I will do it.’ He glances at the nearest Z. ‘It’s a shame. You really are a dreamweaver. We could have worked together. This could have been the most powerful zone in the Dreamlands. We could have c
hanged the future together. Instead, you’re never going to wake up.’
‘Kill me,’ I hiss. ‘The other Travellers have seen you for what you are. My death won’t make a difference.’
He laughs and shakes his head. ‘They’ll come around. They always do. And I’m not just going to get my revenge by pulling the trigger. I’ve got your boyfriend.’ Confused, I blink up at him. He laughs again. ‘You forgot about that, didn’t you? Once I knew which town you lived in, it took no time to locate him. After all, you’d already told me his name. I might not have found you in person but it hardly makes a difference now. Poor little Adam McDonald.’ He smirks while my innards turn to ice. ‘So you see, I’m in control here and I’m in control there. Once I’ve taken care of him, I’ll go back and take care of your mother too. She’s not quite the accomplished liar that you are.’
The fear that I’ve been keeping at bay threatens to overwhelm me. ‘You can’t hurt them,’ I whisper.
‘Oh yes I can. And I will.’
Oh God. I stare at him mutely. I’ve fucked everything up.
‘What did you think was going to happen?’ he asks curiously. ‘Were you going to kill me in the square? Was that your plan?’
‘No. I’m not a murderer. I’m not you.’
‘You thought discrediting me would be enough?’ Scorn drips from his voice. ‘And what about when the Department showed up? What do you think they would have done?’
‘What?’
His amusement is plain to see. ‘You still think this is it, don’t you? That this forest and that town are all there is. You’re not very bright, are you, Zoe? There are twenty-four towns just like this one.’
I start. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You didn’t think about different time zones? About why all those buildings are so quaint and Eurocentric? I’m in charge of this one. The Department is in charge of them all.’
‘I thought the Department worked for you,’ I stammer.
The Mayor raises his eyebrows. ‘It would be nice to think so, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately it’s the other way around. It’s just as well your plan didn’t succeed. You think I’m a monster but I’m a kitten compared to the Department.’ He shakes his head. ‘Not that you’ll ever live to see them, of course. It’ll cause me a few issues and it won’t be easy explaining how I managed to execute the only dreamweaver who’s wandered our way in decades.’ He shrugs. ‘But I’ll come up with something.’ He raises the gun. ‘Goodbye, Ms Lydon.’