“I’m afraid yer right. I could’ve sworn she’d created somethin’. I can feel the echo of the dream plane all ‘round us.”
He shrugged his shoulders in resignation and turned to make his way slowly back to the car. As he did, a second groan could be heard coming from Amy.
“Snipping, she made a noise! Quick, what should we do?”
Their excitement flared up and they gave Amy their undivided attention but the breakthrough of consciousness was very brief. Her eyelids had shaken weakly, as if she was struggling to open them while she was groaning.
“She may’ve just created somethin’ right now, can ya see anything?”
Martay looked around intently but Snipping saw it first.
“There! It looks like a wide crack in the cliff!”
Martay quickly followed after him.
The cave entrance didn’t open straight out of the cliff. The sheet of rock jutted out from the main cliff face forming an angled entrance into the cave. From the direction they had approached it, it was invisible until you turned back and actively looked for it. The opening was almost unnaturally large and even. It was a good four meters wide and five high, burrowing into the cliff like a cut tunnel for about ten meters before widening further into a roughly circular chamber. The floor was smooth.
Martay quickly checked on Amy but to his disappointment she showed no further signs of wakefulness.
He gave his attention back to the cave.
“She created it didn’t she.”
Martay was certain of it.
“Yeah, she created it. Probably needed to create the whole cliff just to do that, come to think of it.”
Cracks in the roof allowed slivers of moonlight to make it into the cave so that they could see without straining their eyes too much. The space seemed almost uncomfortably wide and open.
“I think I could probably fit the car in the entry and still open the doors. Do you think I should move it in?”
“If ya can that’d certainly be smart. If they really are tryin’ to find us in the forest then the car standin’ out in the open would be a dead giveaway.”
Martay left Amy with Snipping in the cave and retrieved the car. He reversed it into the cave entrance. It wasn’t particularly difficult. There was room to spare on either side, almost as if Amy had created the cave with the car in mind. And she probably had, Martay thought, albeit incorrectly. The cave was originally carved out for a very different purpose, which had nothing to do with cars. For all Martay knew though, it was tailor made for their circumstances.
He switched off the engine and all the lights before getting out and locking the doors. As the car was black, it blended seamlessly into the shadows. Only the headlights and the radiator grill stood out, glimmering faintly in the moonlight that managed to make it in from the entrance to the cave.
As Martay returned to the inner chamber he discovered Snipping trying to light a fire using scraps from their bags as fuel.
“If you’re cold Snipping we can always stay in the car.”
“The fire’s nothin’ to do with the cold at all. I’m gonna see if the smell o’ smoke helps miss Amy wake up. That’s the first part of tonight’s plan.”
It wasn’t a half bad idea, Martay thought. If sniffing salts could work to wake people up, why not smoke? It was an irritant after all.
“Good thinking! What’s the next part of the plan though? For example, what if she doesn’t wake up?”
“If she doesn’t wake up then the next thing I do is go look for food while you stay watch. Once the sun comes up, we move again to somewhere remote.”
One word of this made Martay's heart suddenly sink into his toes. Food. He was exceedingly hungry too, but at least he had eaten some remaining snacks and had plenty of water. How would Amy be faring? It was downright dangerous for a person to go without sustenance, especially water. How long could she last? Most unconscious people were put on drips if they wouldn’t wake up. He considered saying something but decided to wait and see if the smoke helped first. There was no need to come across fearful before they had tried. He sat down and helped Snipping fan the sparks he was getting from a dead lighter. It took some time before they could get a flame to hold.
Martay propped Amy up in his arms so that she was in a seated position. He tried to be as gentle as possible but her head lolled about lifelessly. Meanwhile, Snipping lifted part of the smouldering paper, careful not to burn himself and waved it back and forth slowly in front of Amy’s face, allowing the smoke to waft past her. For a conscious person it would have been unpleasant and uncomfortable but Amy gave absolutely no response. Not a single twitch of a muscle, or any kind of sound. She was completely oblivious to what was going on around her and showed no sign of being close to consciousness.
“Well it was worth a try!”
Snipping’s voice was heavy and resigned. They had tried for as long as the paper lasted, yelling out Amy’s name and slapping her cheeks as firmly as they could bring themselves to do but it was unsuccessful. Martay was exceedingly worried now.
Snipping made a move as if to head out of the cave. Martay was sure he was going to look for food but fear and impatience had gotten the better of him. He couldn’t sit idle anymore. Taking Amy to a city might have been a big risk but keeping her in this state with no sustenance was guaranteed to kill her. If he had to choose between the certainty of her death or the risk, he would take the latter.
“Snipping we can’t stay here! We have to get Amy to a hospital!”
“The only ‘ospitals are in the city Martay. We can’t risk it.”
“We have to! If we just stay here then she’s definitely going to die of starvation! Better to risk meeting the enemy in the city than let her die here.”
Snipping was prepared to argue indefinitely and Martay could see the resistance building in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let this be an argument though, he was going to do what he believed was right.
“I’m waiting another hour or so to make sure the police aren’t still looking for us then I’m taking Amy to the nearest hospital.”
“So, what’re ya doin’ now then?” Snipping’s eyes narrowed to slits as he watched Martay stride back to the car determinedly.
“Using the GPS to work out where we are, where the nearest hospital is and how to get there. If you don’t want to go to a hospital then I suggest you keep trying to wake Amy up. Try to find her in her dreams again maybe? Anything is worth a try.”
“I can’t enter her dreams because I’m bein’ blocked out. The Arbiter is tryin’ to protect her from the enemy. I told ya that!”
Snipping shouted at Martay's retreating back but he wasn’t paying any further attention. In truth he didn’t want to have to deal with the whole dreamwalking thing right now. He wanted to do something that felt real, like he could actually do something to help Amy. He got into the car and waited for the satellite navigation to start up.
It was a strangely silent moment locked away in the car. The sound of the wind and the trees, everything really, was hushed as if Martay had just pulled on a pair of extremely effective earmuffs. He felt a little more relaxed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then the sat nav chirped out noisily to announce that it was ready for action. Martay fiddled around to get a wide view of their current location which turned out to be not too far north east from Milan. Once he got back onto the motorways it wouldn’t take long to get to a hospital there. The tricky part would be getting back out of the forest. Using the ferry in the dark was not a pleasant prospect.
He sat back and tried to get some sleep. He needed it desperately and planned on waiting a while before setting off anyway, but it wasn’t easy when his mind was working over time worrying. A look in the rear-view mirror told him that Snipping too was trying to get some rest. He had sat himself next to where Amy was laid out on the ground and his head was drooped forward onto his chest.
Maybe this time Snipping would have luck and get through to Amy. With that
hope Martay finally drifted off and got some rest.
He didn’t sleep for long, though longer than intended. The clock on the dashboard told him he had slept for nearly two hours. He felt a slight panic. He hadn’t meant to wait that long before leaving. Amy’s time could be seriously limited. He leaped out of the car and back to the cave’s main chamber. Amy was motionless on the ground where he had left her but Snipping was nowhere to be seen. Martay cursed under his breath. If this was Snipping’s way of trying to stop him going, it wasn’t going to work. He would wait fifteen minutes for the Imp but then he was leaving anyway.
As it turned out, this would be unnecessary. Only a minute or so later Snipping appeared at the cave entrance with a mixed armful of things. He was also distinctly wet.
As he approached, Martay could make out what Snipping was carrying. There was a decent amount of wood and sitting on top, two dead but decidedly fresh fish.
“How in hell did you catch fish? Forget that, I’m not waiting!” He felt annoyed but at the same his stomach churned at the sight of food.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re gonna leave, I got that part but we’re gonna eat first. Ya might think Amy’s in danger o’ starvin’ but if I’m right, that’s much less likely than us starvin’ and I’m willin’ to take the risk o’ waitin’ another hour to eat before we go. For all we know we could run into the enemy again and have to flee for our lives with no opportunity to eat for an even longer period of time. It’s noble that yer thinkin’ o’ miss Amy but we’re no good to her dead Martay.”
He wanted to argue with the Imp, fight to get moving but he couldn’t deny his own starving sensation deep in his stomach.
Snipping did have a point. What if they headed to Milan and got hunted before they got Amy to the hospital or got something to eat? For the moment they were safe to take the time. Who knew when they would have a chance like this again.
“Alright, fine but let’s make this fast. How do you plan on cooking them?”
Snipping set Martay to work getting the fire going while he used Martay's pocket knife to prepare the fish, which was tricky work. The little knife was never intended for filleting but Snipping did the best he could with what he had.
The actual cooking of the fish was difficult as well. Snipping left the skin on to try and protect the meat from the smoke of the fire, and put the exposed sides of the fish halves face down on the flattest rock he had been able to find, wrapping the upper end of each fillet in large green leaves from what must have been a water plant.
Martay didn’t bother to question further as to how or where Snipping had found everything. He was focused on preparing as quickly as possible, partially so they could get going but also because his hunger was overpowering.
The process was relatively fast and in reality, it wasn’t long before they were gingerly picking up pieces of the meat and trying to cool it off before they put it in their mouths. It was scorching but Martay savoured it nonetheless. It was the most delicious thing in the world and it was finished all too soon.
They put the fire out, wiped their hands clean as best they could on the grass outside and got ready to set off. Trying to backtrack their course was every bit as hard as Martay feared it would be and in the dark of the night they had perilously poor vision of objects around them as they tried to squeeze between trees. More than a few times they needed to reverse a distance back the way they came and try a different route but eventually they made it back to the river where they could follow the line of the shore until they found the ferry.
This was the part that daunted Martay the most, and crossing over caused him to sweat despite the chilling winter night air. Nevertheless, they made it without disaster and before he knew it, he was back on the road which led to the motorway.
The GPS beeped and spoke as it recalculated a route to one of the hospitals in Milan now that they were finally on a road and it could work out where they needed to go. The further they continued, the more rapidly the country side changed from pretty little hills and farms to well populated villages. It was nearly three in the morning and the bright moonlight emphasised how quiet the world was by allowing them to see the empty town streets. Only the occasional car or truck shot past them in the opposite direction.
They had been on the road for over half an hour before Martay broke the silence between them.
“Did you get anywhere contacting Amy?”
“No.” Snipping replied shortly. “I tried contactin’ her again but her mind’s completely shut off. Not that this’s a bad thing. On the contrary, it means someone’s still fightin’ to keep her mind protected.”
“Do you know that or are you just guessing?”
The awkward challenge hung in the air uncomfortably and Snipping didn’t respond immediately. He tried to choose his words carefully.
“It’s an educated guess, the most likely o’ three possibilities.”
“So, what are the other two?” Martay tried to keep his tone calm and polite.
“Well, it could be that Amy’s protectin’ herself by keepin’ her mind closed… or the enemy could’ve broken in already and be blockin’ outside influences to stop the Arbiters from tryin’ to free her. That’s very unlikely though, given that we’re both still alive. Both of those are unlikely.”
“Right, well that’s comforting.”
The conversation lulled after this and they continued in silence along the highway.
Snipping wanted to try and argue against entering the city but wasn’t sure how best to form his argument in the face of Martay's conviction.
It was now the early hours of the morning but because it was winter the sun was yet to show itself. Only the faintest pinkish purple tinge on the horizon gave any kind of indication that it was approaching. They were in Milan’s outer suburbs and the lights of the houses, street lights and little shops flashed by on either side of them.
“Martay,” Snipping began slowly and cautiously, “I know miss Amy has gone a long time without food but…”
“But what? I’m taking her to the hospital and I won’t change my mind!”
“I still reckon we should give it more time, she must be close to wakin’.”
“We can’t take that risk anymore!” Martay shouted angrily, irritated that Snipping could even consider arguing.
“If she doesn’t wake up in the next few hours she could die! She’s gone so long without food or water!”
Now it was Snipping’s turn to express frustration. Martay was so ignorant sometimes it was infuriating and he wouldn’t listen to Snipping’s wisdom on the matter.
“Don’t underestimate a dreamwalker Martay! They’re capable of inhuman feats. The elves used to hibernate in dreamstates for years. They could just shut their bodies down.”
“She’s only half elf and she’s not even fully trained yet Snipping, what if she doesn’t-”
“Know how?”
Both of them raised their voices as they argued back and forth.
“Clearly an Arbiter’s guidin’ her actions in the dream plane.”
“I don’t care!” Martay reached the point of screaming. “We’re going to the hospital! At least to check!”
Snipping lowered his voice back to a normal speaking level but lost none of his argumentative tone.
“If the enemy finds us in a city we can kiss her freedom goodbye Martay.”
Martay looked over at him in surprise. It was clear Snipping knew he couldn’t change Martay's mind but his voice was full of disdain. However, he also noticed the edge of fear. Martay opened his mouth to speak then closed it again. He wasn’t sure what to say and decided to change tack altogether.
“How’s Amy? Any signs of change?”
The Imp twisted in his seat to look back at Amy’s lifeless body. In almost all respects, Snipping saw no difference. She was completely limp, her eyes closed. But for the first time her face was not expressionless. Her brow was minutely furrowed and her eyelids seemed to be closed a little tighter than before.
In short, Snipping thought she looked worried, and that wasn’t a good sign. He decided not to cause Martay to panic without further evidence.
“Still completely unconscious.”
Even this confirmation of no change bothered Martay.
“Well at least it’s not far to the hospital.”
The open motorway didn’t last all the way into the city and they were forced onto the tighter streets but they were still very quiet. They constantly held a lookout for police, both of them full of apprehension but they were having luck. Not a single police car was to be seen as they slipped through the city.
A number of cars drove past, clearly on their way out of the city. The residential areas started to show more and more signs of life. The GPS kept updating them with the turns they needed to take until, finally, it gave the instruction.
“In 50 meters, turn right, then you have reached your destination on your right.”
Martay pulled in sharply at the sign denoting parking and they found themselves winding down into the underground levels. They completed one spiral, then the open space appeared. These weren’t visiting hours and the car park’s first level was completely empty, so they pulled into a spot as close as possible to the lifts.
This would prove to be a terrible mistake.
Martay gently lifted Amy out of the back seat as best he could while Snipping decked himself in the most covering clothes he could find.
It was reckless for him to walk brazenly into a public area, disguised or not, but he refused to leave Martay and Amy’s side in case something should go wrong.
Snipping shouldered their bags as best he could and they pummelled the button for the lift. Martay tapped his foot nervously as he waited for the lift to arrive. Snipping stood silently.
The lift felt like it took for ever to arrive and they pushed in before the doors had finished opening.
Perhaps it was because they were in such a hurry or perhaps it was because they had not thought to look for it but by parking at the lift entrance they had unknowingly parked directly in front of security cameras.
Bridge Between the Worlds (Dreamwalker Book 1) Page 32