In the Dreaming

by Isobel Bird

  Kate wanted to die. What was Scott doing there? It was bad enough that she had run into him in the woods. But now he was being paraded in front of her Wiccan friends. Worse, he was in the same place that Tyler was. How had Maeve found out about him, and how had she convinced him to take part in whatever weird joke they were playing on Kate?

  She was furious. She didn’t mind going along with some games as part of a Midsummer ritual. That was half the fun of celebrating the sabbats. But this was too much. Now her private life was being dragged into things, and she didn’t like that at all.

  “What’s going on?” she demanded angrily. “Who did this?”

  Maeve looked at her with a curious expression. “Did you not tell me that you wanted to find your true love?” she asked. “I’m giving you the chance.”

  She turned and indicated the two guys, who stood side by side in the middle of the clearing with the crowd gathered around them. Kate looked at each of them. Tyler was peering nervously around. Scott just looked confused, as if he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there.

  “All you have to do is choose,” the Faerie Queen said. “But you must choose correctly.”

  “Or else what?” asked Kate.

  “Or else all of you will remain here with me forever,” the queen told her.

  Hearing this, Tyler and Scott looked up. They almost seem frightened, Kate thought. But surely they must know that it was all a game. At least, Tyler should know. Scott, on the other hand, had good reason to be confused. Kate hoped he would believe it was all just part of the costume party she’d told him she was going to. But even if he did, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

  “Well then,” Kate said, deciding that if she was going to be made a fool of she was going to give as good as she got, “I suppose I’d better pick the right one. I wouldn’t want to have to live in this dress for the rest of my life.”

  Maeve frowned, and there was a collective gasp from the crowd. Oh, grow up, Kate thought. This is just a stupid game.

  “You get only one chance,” Maeve said. “Look at both carefully before you pick. When you have chosen, you must give the other a kiss good-bye. The one who remains will be your true love.”

  Kate walked confidently into the center of the ring. How hard could this be? She knew who she was going to pick. Even if she was mad at Tyler, he was still her boyfriend. She certainly wasn’t going to choose Scott.

  She walked back and forth in front of the two guys. Although she knew who she was going to pick, she figured she might as well make things a little bit interesting for those who were watching. She pretended to study each face carefully, as if she really couldn’t decide which one she wanted to call her lover.

  Then, to her amazement, she found that she really wasn’t as sure as she’d thought she was. The raven-masked guy had seemed the only choice. But as she looked at the two faces she found that she was reluctant to choose. She stopped in front of Scott and looked at him. He was so handsome, and they’d had some great times together. She’d wanted him for so long, and getting him for her own had been a dream come true. Breaking up with him had been awful, and several times she’d thought that maybe she’d made a mistake. Had she? Was he really the one for her after all?

  She moved on and looked at Tyler. Even behind the raven mask, he was watching her intently, studying her every move. She’d left Scott for him because he’d made her feel as if she could be anyone she wanted to be. She didn’t feel as if she had to live up to his idea of what a girlfriend should be, which Scott sometimes insisted she do. She could be herself. She could talk about Wicca with him, which she never could do with Scott.

  She looked from Scott to Tyler. Each one had good points. But each one had bad points, too. Scott was caught up in being popular and fitting in. That meant that Kate had to hide part of who she was with him. And although Tyler had always seemed to be a perfect boyfriend, tonight he had really disappointed her by running off and leaving her to walk around in the woods by herself. Even if it was just a game, she’d hoped that he would be more caring than that. And now he was letting her be embarrassed in front of the others. That wasn’t the Tyler she thought she knew.

  Still, when she thought about it she knew that she really did love Tyler. But maybe she should embarrass him by choosing Scott. That would serve him right. After all, this was just pretend. She could have her fun, make Tyler see how upset she was with him, and then make up later. Of course, getting rid of Scott would be another problem, but she could worry about that later.

  “It is time to choose,” the queen said. “Select the loser.”

  Kate looked at the two faces. Who should she pick? Did she really want to embarrass Tyler? Part of her did. It would serve him right. But another part wanted him to know that she loved him even when he acted like a jerk. Maybe you’ve learned something from all of this after all, she thought as she gave one last long look at both of them and made up her mind.

  “I have chosen,” said Kate. She stood in front of Tyler and Scott.

  “My true love is many things,” she said to the crowd. “He is kind and gentle. He is brave. He loves me when I look good and when I look not so good. He helps me when I need help.”

  She looked from Tyler to Scott. Tyler’s bird face was turned to one side, watching her. Scott was looking at her expectantly. She walked over to Scott.

  “There’s part of me that really likes being with you,” she said. “But you’re not my heart’s desire.”

  Leaning up, she kissed Scott on the lips. He barely even moved. When she pulled away, he looked at her, stricken.

  “But you kissed me that day on the beach,” he said. “And again tonight.”

  Maeve lifted her hand. “Is this true?” she asked.

  Kate looked at her, then at Tyler, who was staring at the ground. She wondered what he was thinking. She knew he was waiting to hear her answer. Should she lie, say that Scott was making everything up? Or should she admit what she’d done and pay whatever price came with it?

  “Yes,” she said finally. “It’s true.” She’d been keeping her Skip Day kiss with Scott a secret from Tyler for too long.

  Maeve walked over and stood next to her. “An untrue heart is not worthy of true love,” she said sternly.

  “But I do love Tyler,” Kate said. “I was just confused.”

  “Then how do I know you are telling the truth now?” asked Maeve. “Perhaps you are again confused.”

  “Kate,” Scott said, his voice sadder than she’d ever heard it. “I don’t know what all of this is. But I do know that I love you—and I think you love me. Please, choose me.”

  Kate looked at his hopeful face. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “I am not convinced,” Maeve said. “I need proof. Is there none here who will speak for this girl?”

  Kate’s heart seemed to stop as she waited for someone to say something. All around her the eyes of the costumed crowd were upon her, and she felt as if she were on trial. What would happen if no one helped her? She was already embarrassed enough. This just made it all much worse.

  “I will speak for her,” a voice said.

  The crowd parted, and the faun walked into the clearing. There was murmuring at his appearance, and Maeve seemed slightly annoyed to see him.

  “What have you to say about this?” she asked him.

  The faun looked at Kate. “I tried to tempt this girl,” he said. “But she resisted. Her love is true.”

  Maeve glanced at Kate. “Very well, then,” she said. “Go to your beloved.”

  There was a stirring in the crowd as Kate walked to the raven-faced boy and kissed him. The Faerie Queen clapped her hands.

  “The girl has chosen correctly,” she said. “Let her and her lover stay with us and dance.”

  Immediately the air was filled with the sound of music, and all around the circle people began to dance. Tyler and Kate were swept up in the excitement, and they found themselves moving around the ring hand in hand. Kat
e wanted to talk to Tyler, but there would be time for that later. She just wanted to enjoy herself for a while after everything she’d been through. She was so happy that she’d picked Tyler after all. But what had happened to Scott? She looked around and couldn’t see him anywhere. Had he run off? She felt bad about hurting him, but she’d had to do it. She hoped that someday, somehow, he could understand that.

  The music seemed to increase in tempo as they danced, and Kate was growing dizzy from moving so quickly. She needed to rest. But the hands on either side of her pulled her onward, around and around the circle. She couldn’t stop. They were moving impossibly quickly. Where was Tyler? Was that his hand holding hers? She couldn’t tell.

  They seemed to dance forever. Kate looked up at the sky and saw the moon looking down on them. Then it seemed to swirl around, becoming a blur, and she felt herself falling. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the dizziness, and then everything went black.

  CHAPTER 15

  Cooper hit the water with a splash. It was colder than she’d expected it to be, and the shock took her breath away. As she plunged downward, deeper and deeper, she was sure that she was going to slam against the bottom. Surely the pool couldn’t be that deep. Any second she expected to feel a rock strike her head, and the rushing of the water in her ears disoriented her so that she didn’t know which way was up. The water filled her nose and mouth, and she worried that even if she did survive the plunge from the cliff she would drown.

  But she didn’t hit any rocks, and she didn’t drown. The pool seemed to be very deep. Eventually she stopped going down. Her body slowed, and she was able to kick her legs. Faint glimmers of light shone above her, and she pushed herself toward them. The bubbles coming from her nose swarmed around her like bees, and she followed them to the surface, her head breaking through just as she was sure that the last drops of oxygen in her lungs would give out.

  She gulped air in great gasping breaths. She swam to the edge of the pool and scrambled onto the bank, relieved to be out of the water. She stood there, shaking the water from her hair and enjoying the feeling of being on solid land. Then she heard the angry howling of the “dogs” and she remembered the reason for her leap. Looking up, she saw the shapes of Spider and the others far above her, outlined in the moonlight. She had a feeling that they wouldn’t jump after her. She had defied them, and she had escaped them. But the sight and sound of them still filled her with fear. She had come very close to becoming Spider’s prize, and she didn’t think she would ever forget how that felt. Even though she didn’t think she’d been in any real danger, it had been a moment of absolute terror, so strong that she had overcome her fear of the cliff in order to save herself.

  But she wasn’t finished yet. She still had to find the flute that the Wild Man had stolen from her. If she didn’t find it before midnight, the game would still be a draw and everything she and Bird had done would be for nothing. She didn’t want that. She wanted to win everything. She wanted to prove to Spider, the others, and herself that she was stronger than anything they could throw at her.

  But where was the Wild Man, and where exactly had he hidden the flute? Bird had said that he had hidden it somewhere in the pool. But the pool was so deep. How could she find it, especially in the dark? She couldn’t see anything, and the flute could be anywhere.

  She stared into the pool. Its black surface was smooth as glass. The moon reflected in it was high in the sky, and Cooper knew that it must be getting close to midnight. She didn’t have a lot of time. She had to find the flute quickly.

  “Where are you?” she shouted. “Come out. I’ve found your hiding place. Now show yourself.”

  There was no answer to her call. She looked up at the cliff and saw that Spider and his hounds had disappeared. For a moment she wondered if they’d taken Bird with them. But she didn’t have time to worry about the girl. She had work to do.

  She circled the pond, looking into it. She was growing more and more frustrated. She’d gotten this far, and now she didn’t know how to proceed. It was like finding a treasure chest and discovering that it was locked and there was no key to open it. The flute was waiting for her. She needed to find it. But how?

  She sat down at the edge of the pool and tried to quiet her mind. Using the meditation techniques she’d developed, she imagined herself in a quiet, safe place. She let herself relax as much as she could, and she tried to focus on the problem at hand.

  But all she felt was the wind blowing on her skin. Her clothes were still wet, and she was cold. She wished the wind would die down, but it continued to tease her, tickling her cheeks and rushing over her skin. Why wouldn’t it leave her alone? It was like a fly buzzing in her ear, distracting her from what was important.

  Or maybe it was giving her a clue. Suddenly she thought about wind, and fire, and the other elements that were so familiar to anyone who participated in Wiccan rituals. Earlier she had connected with the element of earth when she’d covered herself in mud and become a wild creature of the forest. Once before—when she’d had visions about a dead girl—she’d had to enter the realm of fire to solve the mystery that confronted her. Perhaps this test also involved becoming closer to one of the elements.

  Water. She opened her eyes and looked at the pond. The water was black and cold and still. Somewhere in its depths lay her flute. In order to find it she would have to enter the realm of water again.

  “What’s with me and the elements?” she said aloud. Neither Annie nor Kate ever had to deal with obstacles like jumping into fires or covering themselves with mud. Why her?

  Connections. The word popped into her head. She had survived so far because she had allowed herself to connect to different aspects of the natural world. In helping the dead girl, she had connected to fire and all that it represented. In escaping Spider and the hounds, she had connected to earth. Connection had been the word she’d drawn during the dedication ritual at which she’d promised to walk the Wiccan path for a year and a day. That was what her journey was supposed to be about, and that’s what this particular journey had ended up being about as well.

  Is that what this is? she asked herself. Is this another part of my path? She didn’t like to think so. What had happened to her during the vision—what was still happening to her—was horrible. She had been put at great risk. Suddenly she found herself angry at those who had let this happen to her. If this is what working with magic and witchcraft resulted in, maybe it wasn’t as wonderful as she’d thought, or as she’d been led to believe by her teachers.

  She would have to think about that later. Right now she had a date with some water. She knew that’s what she had to do—enter the realm of water again and somehow connect with it in order to fulfill her final task. She didn’t like it, any more than she’d liked going into the fire, but she knew it was the way through.

  She stood up and looked into the pond. “Okay,” she said. “Here goes nothing.”

  Taking a deep breath, she jumped once more into the cold water. As she plunged into it, she felt the shock of it fill her completely. The first time it had been so quick and fierce that she hadn’t had time to really feel it. Now she did. She let it soak into her skin and into her bones.

  She turned and pointed her head downward. Kicking, she dove into the blackness. She kept her eyes shut, knowing that having them open wouldn’t help anyway. She just swam, her hands pulling her deeper and deeper as she tried to conserve the air in her lungs. She tried to feel the water as if it were her home. She pretended she was a fish, the same way she’d pretended to be a boar.

  “Okay, water,” she said. “Do your stuff.”

  Deeper and deeper she went. She could feel the water grow colder as she went down. She also felt the air she’d drawn in before diving start to run out. She didn’t know how much farther she could go before she would have to turn around. But she had to find the flute. She knew it was there, waiting for her.

  Then her hand touched rock. She’d reached the bottom. How dee
p am I? she wondered. She tried not to think about whether she had enough air to get back to the surface.

  Her hands moved over the bottom of the pool, finding rocks and some plants but little else. Was the flute even there? She had no way of knowing. Nor did she know how wide the pool bottom was.

  She calmed her thoughts and let herself relax in the water. Her body floated, and she felt weightless. Was this what it felt like to drown? It was an odd sensation. She almost felt sleepy. The water rocked her gently in its arms, and even though she was cold and her lungs were starting to ache, she felt comforted.

  Then her hands touched something. It felt almost like a stick, but harder. Her fingers scrambled along the length, and she felt the small familiar keys of her flute. She’d found it. Quickly, she snatched it up and turned her head back to the surface.

  Kicking hard, she raced for the top of the pool. Now that she had her prize, getting back up to the world of air was the most important thing she could imagine. Her feet beat the water as her hands pulled her up, and the water rushed in her ears. She was almost there. Her head broke the surface and she let out a shout of triumph. She’d done it.

  “So you’ve won,” a voice said.

  Cooper looked up and saw the Wild Man standing at the edge of the pool, watching her. She swam over and climbed out.

  “It looks that way,” she said. “Now, show me the way out of here.”

  The Wild Man pointed a finger away from the pond. “There is a path there,” he said. “Follow it and you will leave this place and return to your own. But be warned—the faeries will not want you to go.”