Thank you, sire.
The Royal closes his eyes and sends his thoughts out over the Boundarylands. He feels for the children. They are still far away, and at first, he cannot detect them. But then, he feels the familiar prickle on the back of his neck, and he has discovered them. They are in a place that surprises him: the Place of Doors. He cannot discern their features; they are too far away for that. But they are opening a door and walking through, and he can just make out the door itself. It is a large door, a steel door, with a pull handle instead of a knob. The Royal knows it well. He knows all the doors that lead to the Nightmaring.
He created many of them.
The children are going into a nightmare, he writes. I’ll send you the coordinates. I doubt they’ll escape, but you can be waiting for them if they do.
The Royal holds the scroll of paper out to Roark, but pulls back when the servant reaches for it. He uncurls the document and writes a final note:
If you find them, incapacitate them, but bring them here alive.
The dentist’s reply is absolutely dripping with glee:
All I want is their teeth.
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The IF series will continue in Part IV: Bad Dreams
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A Note From the Author
If you’re enjoying the IF series, I would greatly appreciate if you could take a few seconds to leave reviews for the books on Amazon! The more reviews a book has, the more marketing opportunities it has. Just tap here to go to the IF series page, where you can leave reviews for the books.
Also, if you like IF, you may enjoy some of my other books, especially Apocalypticon and Na Akua! I hope you’ll check them out!
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About the Author
Clayton Smith is a Midwestern writer who once erroneously referred to himself as a national treasure. He has been described as “too tall to live,” which hardly seems fair.
His work includes the novels Apocalypticon, Post-Apocalypticon, Anomaly Flats, Na Akua, and Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun; the plays Death and McCootie and The Depths; and the short story collections It Came from Anomaly Flats and Pants on Fire: A Collection of Lies. Some of his short stories have appeared in such publications as Canyon Voices, Write City Magazine, and Dumb White Husband.
Clayton would like very much to hear from you. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @claytonsaurus.
And if you’re enjoying this series, you should join his email newsletter! It’s fun there. There’s cake! (There’s no cake.) Find more information at StateOfClayton.com.
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