Dream Keeper

by Amber R. Duell

  For a moment I thought he would say no, or he would insist on driving me again, but then he handed me his coffee so he could dig through his pocket.

  I hurried upstairs to my bedroom with unsteady steps, my breath equally so. Putting nothing past the Weaver, I shoved my dresser in front of the door. I yanked open the top drawer and fished through my socks until I found the three white pills at the bottom. Opening wide, I tossed them to the back of my throat and swallowed. I took a deep, shuddering breath. He wasn’t dead. He was not. If this was a trick by the Weaver to force me to return, it worked.

  I tossed a grey bag from the local WalMart Supercenter on my desk and dumped out the Swiss Army knife I picked up on my way home. I pried the plastic away from the cardboard, my teeth chattering. The meat mallet was gone, lost somewhere in the cave, and I wasn’t going back empty-handed. After fiddling with the attachments—five different blades, a corkscrew, and a screwdriver—I stuffed it into the pocket of my fleece and froze.

  The Weaver’s threads were still there. Still shifting with life. I held them up and glared at them through narrowed eyes. Without the Sandman, they weren’t of any use to me; I couldn’t control the sand. Besides, the only person I needed to track down after finding the Sandman was the Nightmare Lord, and together we could do that without help.

  I didn’t relish the idea of carrying nightmares around in my pocket any longer than I had to, so I opened the top drawer of the desk and rifled through crumpled post-its, white-out, and paperclips until I found a narrow tin pencil case. Dumping the pens out into the mess, I set the threads inside and stashed the case at the back of the drawer. My fingers drummed on the desktop. We could destroy them later if we didn’t need them. After I found the Sandman. After we stopped the Weaver.

  Seventeen hours and counting.

  I took a deep breath, letting it out through my mouth, and climbed into bed.

  True heart.

  True mind.

  I closed my eyes.

  I’m coming. I pushed the thought toward the Sandman. Please be okay.

  20

  Nora

  I blinked into the darkness. Darkness. Not the beach. The Sandman wasn’t there to make sure I went straight to a safe place. My chest tightened, fear weighing me down, locking my joints. I couldn’t let what the Weaver said get to me; the Sandman was alive. He was hiding maybe or lost. Healing—he definitely needed it. The last time he was hurt, he had healed enough for his magic to catch me but this time…

  There could be a million reasons his magic wasn’t here to greet me.

  For the first time in five years.

  After we ventured into the Nightmare Realm, and he fought whatever horrible thing was outside the cave... I winced. This train of thought wasn’t helping.

  As my eyes adjusted, I found myself amid low swooping vines. Thin, willowy trees dotted the landscape, and my feet sunk into the mossy ground, releasing a whiff of stagnant water with each step. Insects buzzed, and frogs croaked. Dim lights flickered in the distance, floating, swooping. I rubbed the chill from my upper arms.

  “Sandman?” I whispered.

  Everything fell silent and still the instant the word left my tongue. My pulse revved. This was not the place to invoke his name, to draw unnecessary attention to myself. The Weaver was real here, and if he found me first, it was all over. I would never be able to withstand the torture my sister had. The Sandman had sheltered me from my nightmares, so I didn’t know what my subconscious feared, but I knew I feared drowning. Small spaces. The monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. Whatever waited for me here, it would break me. Maybe not right away, but it would.

  My feet squished the entire way around the outskirts of the swamp, cool water leaking into my sneakers. Eyes burned down at me from treetops, but I kept mine forward. Looking would make the fear worse. Other things peered from behind fallen logs or boulders, the creatures they belong to mostly hidden. I shivered. How many enemies surrounded me? I hugged myself tighter, my fingers digging into my sweater, and walked faster.

  The lights flashed again in hypnotic irregularity, and a drone like a distant jet roared overhead. I bit back a scream and flung my arms over my ears, ducking. The buzzing stayed steady, warring with my booming pulse. Six legs hovered over me. Translucent wings with cobwebbed lines kicked up fragments of God-knows-what. Two long antennae twitched, smelling, tasting, and domed black eyes seemed to look at nothing and everything. Its abdomen flashed. I let out a breath. A lightning bug. I could handle bugs. Not spiders though. Or those things with a million legs. My lips parted, and I watched it hover. My parents used to drive Katie and me miles to find and catch them on early summer nights.

  The giant bug surged forward, its light flickering lazily, and the noise exploded around me. Chirps and whistles, growls and snaps. Buzzing. Splashing. I ran. My arms pumped furiously, and I gasped for air. I wasn’t afraid exactly, but I didn’t want to stick around and find out if there was something nearby that would change that.

  The outline of a mountain loomed in the distance. If I made it there, I could get an aerial view. Maybe find that cave again. I shuddered. But the clown was dead, and I didn’t have to go back inside the cavern. Those things watching me from the lake... Well, I wouldn’t get close enough to find out what they were, but that’s where I last saw the Sandman.

  The ground shifted beneath me. My shoulder rammed hard into a tree trunk, and I tripped over a log hidden beneath ferns. A pair of milky-white, lifeless eyes popped open on a tree root, staring skyward. A woman’s face shifted, emerging slowly, the pattern of lines on her brown skin camouflaging her to blend with the bark. A sliver of skull peeked through a crack in her forehead and, when her jaw stretched open, maggots wriggled in place of a tongue. I scrambled to my feet and swerved right, then left.

  Something large crashed through the brush behind me, but I was almost free. The trees thinned. A brighter shade of grey filtered down, showing the end of the swamp. A low, confidant growl rumbled from somewhere nearby. Too near. I propelled myself harder, my lungs sucking in stale air, and emerged on the other side of the tree line.

  Only there was nowhere to go because the ground wasn’t the ground at all, but the thick, bumpy hide of an alligator. I was twenty feet in the air, trapped. The trees creaked behind me, and I looked. I didn’t mean to. I shouldn’t have. Birds—what I assumed were birds—with giant wingspans and clawed feet took to the air. Something shifted in the trees. Something large and orange. Nope. I wasn’t facing whatever that was. I wouldn’t win, but more importantly, I couldn’t fail, especially not so soon. I turned and barreled along the alligator’s neck. One gigantic reptilian eye blinked, and I inched toward its left flank.

  I couldn’t go back, and I couldn’t go forward either. Not without going down. I grabbed onto one of the smaller ridges lining the alligator’s back and swung to the outer side, peering down at the hard, rocky ground. “Oh, this is a bad idea,” I mumbled.

  Heights themselves weren’t a problem, but that gut-twisting sensation of falling was. I could climb a mountain or fly on a plane without a second thought, but bungee-jumping was out of the question. And doing this... There was a ninety-percent chance I would fall to my death but under the circumstances, it was my only choice.

  I cracked my knuckles and got down on my stomach. The alligator’s head swung in my direction. “Don’t mind me,” I said as if I were talking to an angry dog. Its mouth cracked into a grin like it knew what would happen: I would fall, and my body would be his dinner, which was probably the same thing that would happen if I made it down in one piece.

  My dreams are only as strong as I am.

  Dreams. Not nightmares.

  I blew out a breath and skidded down until the toe of my sneaker found a groove between scales. The alligator kept walking. Kept watching, waiting, while I worked my way down to the next edge. The growl above turned to a low whine. I bit my lip. This had to work. But each lumbering step jarred my hold. The alligator dragged its toes, fling
ing its foot out. The front and back feet on opposite sides moved together. The back leg slammed down beside me.

  One. Two. Three. I took a breath. Four. Five. Six.

  The front leg moved. I dug my fingers into the crevice and closed my eyes to wait for the impact. Thud. I moved as fast as I dared, sliding more than climbing, and counted again. Every time I missed my mark, each time I didn’t catch a scale with my hands or feet, my stomach rose to my throat.

  I was halfway there.

  Halfway.

  And the giant animal stopped.

  Steam curled off the surface of a pond in front of us. If I didn’t get down now, I would be in that water. Dragged to the bottom where I would either drown or be eaten. Or worse. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that other things lived in there. Snakes, fish, leeches, plants to catch my ankles and anchor me in the murky depths. Without thinking, I maneuvered around to the front of the leg. The farther I went, the faster I went, the scales scraping against my palms like razors.

  I had to slow down, to stop and start again. My jaw ached from clenching. I curled my fingers to catch a groove, but the friction tore my nails back. I hissed. Then my foot struck something solid and the impact rattled my brain. I pressed myself against the cool leg. It moved again. Another drag, and slam of its front leg.

  “Crap,” I squeaked.

  Five feet from safety. I held my breath and let go, free-falling. Pinpricks covered my body. I forced my eyes open until they burned, but I wouldn’t be blindsided. My teeth slammed together when I hit the ground—the sweet, beautiful ground—and I swore a molar cracked. But I was alive.

  My body screamed when I launched myself up. Muscles I didn’t know existed cried out in protest, but I had to keep moving. Had to. I shook a wave of dizziness from my head. Without giving myself time to object, I bolted, staying beneath the alligator’s soft belly where I wouldn’t be seen.

  I had to figure out where to go next. Nowhere was safe, but I couldn’t stay out in the open. There wasn’t much time left before I reached the alligator’s tail; I would have to run straight for the mountain in the distance.

  A splash sounded behind me. The alligator shifted violently and the things living on its back shrieked in unison. The squelching sound popped against my eardrums. I covered my ears and darted out from beneath the gigantic nightmare before it could crush me. Running, I looked back and my blood ran cold. Large maroon tentacles reached from the water, wrapping around the alligator’s nose. It attempted to gnash at the bits skimming too close to its teeth. More sticky, rubber-like suction cups crawled over the ground toward the enormous clawed feet. Nightmares leapt from the alligator’s back, some making the drop and others hitting with a sickening crunch. The ones that flew blotted out the grey sky.

  I pushed myself harder, as hard as my body would allow. Away from the things fleeing whatever occupied that water. Away before they could decide to pursue me, to offer me to their Nightmare Lord.

  Yellow fireflies blinked here and there among the black silhouettes. It was as if I were inside an engine with all the hums and clicks. The mountain suddenly seemed even farther away. Too far. I would never make it in time—I needed somewhere else to hide. A flutter of legs grazed my skin. I jerked forward, lowering my head.

  Then I was off the ground. Two spindly black legs held me, veering away from the swarm of escaping nightmares, and I choked back a scream before I attracted more attention. I twisted and turned to loosen the bug’s grip. Pushed and pulled at the legs. Pounded my fists against them. The bug dipped in response and dropped me in a field of dry, cracked dirt. It landed on a boulder beside me, glaring before taking off.

  Thanks a lot, I growled in my head. Although, I was strangely certain it meant to help and positive it did just that. Whatever danger lurked in the swamp was now running loose. It was good I was nowhere near it, but he could have taken me toward my destination instead of away from it. The boulder was the only thing in the surrounding landscape. I was helpless; a rod in a thunderstorm, waiting to be struck.

  Sandman? I thought toward him. Nothing. And I didn’t dare speak his name out loud again.

  I gathered my hair back with a rubber band from my wrist and took a steadying breath. “Okay.” I can do this. A laugh bubbled from my chest before I could stop it. Who was I kidding? This was the worst idea I’d ever had. A death wish. But if I didn’t do something, if I didn’t try, these creatures would be in my world. I trudged across the scarred earth and trained my eyes on my target. Walking. Marching. Keeping a straight path to the mountain.

  “Nora,” something whispered. “Noraaa.”

  I froze. Not something. Someone. Natalie. My heart slammed into my chest. I spun, and there she was. Her dark curly hair hung loose down her back, her tan arms relaxed at her side. She wasn’t alone—Emery was beside her. My mother. My father. Paul. Katie. They stood in a line, a few feet from each other, each facing the same direction: away from me.

  “What...” I licked my lips. “What are you doing here?”

  Silence.

  “Guys?”

  I took one step forward, and they mirrored the movement. Again. Three times.

  Goosebumps raised on my arms and my chin quivered slightly. “This isn’t funny.”

  More silence. I breathed into my hands. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. I ran toward them, and they vanished in a swirl of smoke. The landscape widened. Deepened. For as far as I could see, there was nothing. The mountain was a mere hill in the distance. I spun, my mind racing, and when I faced the mountain again, a familiar hooded figure stood a few yards away. My heart leapt in relief.

  “Sandman!”

  He was okay. Alive. I took one step forward, and he dashed away, disappearing like the others had. A hollow space cracked inside me. Emptying me. Swallowing me into its depths. I was alone; no one was coming to help me. This was a trick. A nightmare.

  “This isn’t happening,” I said, my voice cracking.

  But it was. So, I took a step, my limbs heavy, and lumbered away from the emptiness, toward the only thing that existed. That tiny blip of a mountain on the horizon.

  21

  The Sandman

  I bent over Nora in her bedroom and placed two fingers against her throat. Her pulse slammed against my fingertips, her eyes moving frantically beneath their lids. I should have known she wasn’t going to wait. If things were reversed, I wouldn’t have. I wasn’t conscious to catch her when she fell asleep. My power was tapped, leaving only enough to heal me, which meant she fell smack dab into enemy territory.

  “Nora?” I whispered in her ear. I repeated it again, a little louder.

  She wasn’t screaming or thrashing about which had to be a good sign. Maybe the Weaver hadn’t found her yet. Maybe there was still time to extract her from whatever nightmare she found herself in.

  “Wake up, Nora. Please.” I needed to shout, but footsteps pounded on the stairs. Nora’s step-father called her name. I shook her shoulders. “Please.”

  When she didn’t stir, I gripped her headboard until my knuckles turned white. She was in too deep. Something had found her, and they weren’t letting her go. My stomach twisted. “Hold on.” I placed a soft kiss on each of her temples. “I’m coming.”

  Thunder rumbled over the beach. This time it wasn’t the Weaver coming for me, not when what he really wanted was in his own backyard. The thunder was anger, my determination. I would tear down the walls of the entire Night World if I had to, and I would do it happily. I would run my power dry to save her. Anything. Whatever I had to do.

  Baku paced the water’s edge, his pupils dilated. I ran to his side and fell to my knees. “Nora is stuck in the Nightmare Realm.” I ground my bare knuckles into the sand. If the Weaver touched her… But of course, he would; it’s what he promised. I winced. “I don’t know where. Will you find her? Bring her here?”

  Baku’s trunk reached out to rub the soft skin that healed over my acid burns.

  I brushed him off. “
I’m fine. I need to steal more dreams first, but I’ll be right behind you.”

  He flicked some sand at me. Don’t do anything you’ll regret, he seemed to say.

  “Don’t worry,” I assured him. What I was about to do was reckless, but I would never regret it. “I’m going to raze the ground they walk on.”

  Baku’s wide lips curled ever so slightly before he leapt from the beach.

  If I found Nora before the Weaver did, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight until this was finished and she was safe. The nightmare she was living would never become part of her reality.

  22

  Nora

  The mountain was a mere pinprick through the tears spilling freely down my face. The longer I walked, the smaller it became. The chasm in my chest deepened with every step. I would never make it. Never survive. Never find the Sandman. Never stop the Weaver.

  Never. Never. Never.

  I wasn’t good enough. Strong enough. Smart enough.

  Not enough. Not enough. Not enough.

  It was all my fault Katie was hurt. People had died. The world would soon be doomed.

  All my fault. All my fault. All my fault.

  The guilt gnawed from the inside out until each cell in my body ached. I lacked in every way that mattered. Why had I ever thought this was a good idea? Who was I to save anyone, let alone an immortal, unearthly magical being like the Sandman? Who did I think I was that I could stop someone like the Weaver? I was a Dream Keeper. A container. A custodian. Not a warrior. My entire life, I hadn’t taken so much as a self-defense class, and it wasn’t for lack of trying on my father’s part. He was a black belt. A lot of good it did him in the end.