Dreamscape: Saving Alex

by Kirstin Pulioff

  “Hey Giant!” I called. “It’s time to dance.”

  My feet moved to the rhythm. Confused, the giant struggled to grab me, and after a moment, he fell, tripping over his own feet. I jumped on top of his back, straddling his neck with my legs.

  “It looks like you missed a step,” I said, squeezing my thighs until his face turned red.

  He sputtered and stirred, coughing up chunks of blood, giving me a split second to decide. How far was I willing to go? I squeezed my legs tighter until his head fell to the side and a drop of blood slid down his cheek.

  My legs trembled when I tumbled off him. I took a closer look at his features, noticing a surprising softness to his bumpy face. His pointy teeth didn’t look as menacing with his tongue slipping out the side of his mouth. I felt his shallow breath and the quick pulses of his heart. The longer I looked, the less convinced I became. Which one of us was the monster?

  I wiped dirt over my leggings, trying to cover the blood, but it seeped deeper. I felt sick. How much of myself was I giving up here? First killing the bird, and now this. It seemed I couldn’t survive without sacrificing my integrity.

  I looked away. Maybe if I ignored it, I could pretend it didn’t happen. Doubtful...I knew the guilt would stick with me. It usually did. A quick yelp broke through my thoughts. When I looked up, the mysterious man ran into view, battling it out with the other giant.

  He ran up the trunk of a leaning tree and flipped through the air, striking the giant on his back before landing in a crouched position. His sword followed the giant’s awkward attempts to spin around. When they faced each other, the man dove beneath the giant’s gangly arms. Dark stains covered his knees as he rose on the opposite side. His tan pants hugged his muscular legs, hinting at impressive strength.

  I couldn’t look away. Unfortunately, he noticed me watching him before re-engaging the giant. My heart skipped a beat when he grinned in that annoyingly hypnotic way. Stop staring! I commanded myself, but my eyes wouldn’t obey.

  He glistened with exertion, and each swing of his sword accentuated the muscles rippling along his arms. Vibrant feathers hung from buckles on his vest. They fluttered against him, revealing an arsenal of weapons tied to his chest and strapped to his side.

  With that many weapons, why was he taking his time? As he spun around the giant and ducked beneath his flailing arms, poking into his side again, I realized he wasn’t fighting. He was playing. What had taken all my strength was mere child’s play for him. When he had enough, he silenced the giant’s outcries with a swift kick to the back of his knee, knocking out his legs. The giant fell with a mighty crash, taking out a few saplings with him. The mystery man knocked his sword hilt across the giant’s head, then turned and smiled at me.

  I noticed every detail about him.

  He swaggered with a measured and deliberate pace, re-sheathing his sword at his side. At ease in the forest, he leapt the fallen logs without hesitation. His unruly hair fell in short waves across his forehead. The intensity of his dark eyes still hit me, but behind the initial curiosity, something else stirred. Respect, maybe?

  That look left me weak; thankfully, I was already sitting down. I didn’t trust my legs anymore. I was powerless over them and the silly smile that stretched my face.

  He dropped to a knee in front of me and took my hand in his. My fingers trembled as he moved them closer to his lips. A faint twinge of spice swirled around me.

  “Ah…there’s nothing quite like slapping around a giant child to get your blood moving. Nice moves, by the way.” He winked, then kissed the top of my hand. “I’m sorry for the rough introduction. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  I stared at him as the top of my hand warmed with his gentle touch. “You didn’t startle me,” I whispered in a weak, stilted voice. “What do you mean, giant child? Those weren’t full grown?”

  “No,” he laughed, lowering my hand. “I thought you knew that. Isn’t that why you didn’t kill him?”

  I didn’t kill him?

  He cocked his head to the side before continuing. “They escape from the north all the time, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them this far west. Something must be happening up there.” He paused in thought.

  I didn’t press him. Truth was, I didn’t know what to say, and even if I did, the words seemed to twist together on my tongue. Silence was fine with me.

  He shrugged, handing me back my dagger, which I’d dropped by the giant’s side. “You know, that was pretty impressive back there,” he said. “I’ve never seen anyone use the vines that way.”

  “Thanks.” I grinned. It was pretty impressive, considering I had never done something like that before. Pushing some buttons on a controller and actually swinging through the air were quite different. I looked back at him, and another whiff of spice hit me.

  I was in trouble, there was no denying it—he smelled like cinnamon.

  “This isn’t going like I planned,” he said with a rueful smile. “I had envisioned our first meeting differently. I hope you can see that I mean you no harm. It was blind luck finding you here, but I’m glad I did.” He rubbed his forehead and then held out his hand. “My name’s Arrow.”

  “Arrow, like the weapon?” My momentary weakness disappeared. With a name like that, I couldn’t pretend he was anything more than a character in the game.

  “Yes.” He winked at me with a little grin. “I hit all my targets.”

  My heart jumped and the weakness returned to my knees. Was he flirting with me? I didn’t know how to deal with that. The photo of Brian and me came to mind as I cleared my throat. No matter what, I refused to be that pathetic, fawning girl again.

  “I’m Alexis, or Alex, whichever,” I said, trying to appear calm as I reached forward to shake his hand.

  “What are you doing this far west?” he asked, brushing his hair out of his eyes once more. It didn’t hold and flopped back down onto his forehead.

  “I, uh, must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. I left the market in a hurry, and now I don’t really know where I am,” I said, feeling warmth rise to my face.

  His smile returned. “I’m glad I came along then. I can’t allow a beautiful lady to wander these woods alone. Dangers lurk everywhere.”

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “I figured that out the hard way.”

  “Lucky for you, I’m an expert in these woods, and I know exactly where I’m going to take you.”

  Warning bells sounded in my mind. Cute or not, I was not going off with a guy I had just met. I hadn’t lost my senses.

  “Wait, back up buddy. I don’t know you. I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said, holding up my hands in protest.

  Disappointment flashed in his eyes before he lifted his hands. “You misunderstood, my lady. I mean you no harm. I’ve been looking for you. Everyone’s been looking for you. I’m just glad I found you first so I can lead you to safety. I’m not understating the dangers of staying here.”

  “Why should I take your word?” I asked.

  “My word’s all I have. That’ll have to be enough.”

  He waited for me to respond. I looked him over carefully, deliberating. How could I know who to believe here? If armed jugglers were my friends and old seamstresses despised me, where did a handsome and rugged giant fighter fit in? He looked sincere, and if he had wanted to hurt me, he could’ve done it already. I had given him more than enough chances. Then again, I gave Brian the benefit of the doubt too and sorely overestimated his feelings.

  The silence between us grew awkward. How long could we just look at each other? Okay, who was I fooling? I could look at him all day.

  “I don’t…I…wait!” I exclaimed as he lifted his arm to brush his hair away from his eyes. He stopped mid-sweep, and I grabbed at his wrist to look closer. “You…you’re part of them.”

  Arrow chuckled. “Yes, I suppose you could say that. You know about our cause?”

  “Yeah, yeah, sure…save the queen, destroy the evil empire…” I ramble
d, reciting the mission of the video game. I traced the tree on the inside of his wrist. It was the same emblem sewn into Pipes’ and Deakon’s costumes, yet here, tattooed on his skin, the ink made it seem more significant. More personal.

  “You don’t seem concerned about the dangers involved. I knew we wouldn’t be disappointed with you. Your talents are exactly what the rebellion needs to win. We really need to be going though.” He glanced meaningfully down the path behind me.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a healing potion on you, would you?” I asked with sudden inspiration.

  “A healing potion? I didn’t think the giant hit you.”

  “He didn’t, but I ran into a few problems at the market, and if we’re going to be walking very far, I really need to get something for these,” I said, pointing to my bruised arms and legs.

  His eyes darkened as he looked at my arms and torn leggings. “Who did this?” he asked, his fingers drifting towards his sword.

  His concern sent a shot of heat through my belly. I reached out for his arm and pushed his sword back in its sheath. “No one did this to me. Well, not directly. I just made a few wrong moves and trusted some people I shouldn’t have.”

  “I bet they got a surprise when they realized they messed with the wrong person.” His laugh broke through his tight-lipped concern. “Who were they? I won’t let anyone hurt our hero.”

  My head shot up. “Hero?”

  Arrow nodded. “Of course. News about you has been spreading throughout the kingdom.”

  “O-oh?” I asked, swallowing hard. “W-what kind of news?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Let’s just say you’ve caused quite the commotion since you’ve been here.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You stand out in a crowd. People have taken notice and spread the word. With everything going on, your appearance changes things. Surely you know that?”

  “How can you be so sure? I mean that they’re talking about me?” I asked, feeling my insides tighten like a spring.

  “Are you serious? Any doubts I had disappeared the moment you leapt through the air towards the giant. Only our hero would be that brave and reckless. You’re the one we’ve been looking for, I’m certain. Besides, look at your hair.”

  He was back to obsessing over my hair again. I ran my fingers through my hair a final time, pulling out the last few stuck branches and tying it in a ponytail.

  “What’s wrong with my hair?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with it.”

  “Then why do you keep bringing it up?”

  “What can I say? It’s distracting.”

  “And you’re infuriating,” I shot back. His serious expression cracked with a smile.

  “Have you noticed anyone else with hair spun from gold?”

  His words gave me pause, and as I thought back to everyone I had met, I realized he was right. Everyone here had dark hair except for me.

  “You’re special. Now, what I want to know, Goldy, is who did this to you.” He motioned to my bruises again.

  “I already told you, most of this was my fault. Of course, I was set up,” I admitted. “But the rest is just from the clumsiness of my escape.”

  “Who dared do such a thing?”

  “Auntie Quinn,” I said, the name souring my tongue.

  He grimaced. “Auntie Quinn’s a danger to us all. She was one of the first to turn. Let me look.” He dropped to his knees and traced the welts and bruises. His fingers were softer than I’d imagined, and when he leaned in, his scent curled my toes.

  “All of this on such a small girl,” he murmured.

  “I’m not a small girl,” I said, pulling my arms back. The insult stung coming from him. I didn’t want his pity. “I’ve taken care of myself just fine, even before you came along.”

  “It doesn’t look that way.”

  “Oh no,” I said, blood rushing to my cheeks. “I made it out of the market and dealt with a giant without your help.”

  “It was a child.”

  “A giant child,” I hissed.

  “It doesn’t matter. You still need healing.”

  “Anyone would after dealing with what I’ve faced,” I retorted. “And you’re no older than me, so don’t give me that crap. I can make my own decisions just fine, thanks.”

  He bit his lower lip and glared at me before masking his face in cool politeness. “You’re right, my lady,” he replied tensely. “I apologize for any insult I’ve caused. It wasn’t my intention. I just want to get us to safety. We mustn’t stay any longer.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, chastised by his tone. “It’s been a long couple of days, I didn’t mean—”

  “No need to apologize, my lady. Your feelings came across clearly. I’ll keep my concerns to myself. I shouldn’t second-guess our hero.”

  “That’s not—”

  “It’s fine, my lady. Like you said, before we continue, we’ll need to heal those wounds. The paths ahead hold more danger than young giants, no matter how brave you are.”

  I cringed. The amusement and warmth from earlier had disappeared. I had ruined any sort of friendship before it even had a chance to begin.

  “That’s all I was asking for,” I said. “Do you have a potion or know where the nearest marketplace or healer is?”

  He unsheathed his sword and came towards me.

  I fell behind the rock, fumbling to release the dagger from my belt in a sudden panic. Was he going to hurt me? He turned to the right, giving me his back for one moment. By the time he spun back around, I had the dagger pointed at his throat.

  “Stop there!” I cried.

  “What?” he asked with wide eyes and a face contorted in confusion. “Here,” he said, throwing a handful of cut vines at my feet. “Tighten those around your wounds. They’ll heal in a few hours.”

  “What are you talking about?” I whispered.

  It was silent—agonizingly silent—and then I heard his loud sigh. “The vines. You wanted a healing potion.”

  I closed my eyes and wished the embarrassment away. The pile of vines curled around my feet. “Oh,” I said. “I see. I don’t—”

  “The way I see it, Goldy, you have two choices. You can listen to me and take my advice, or you can continue to fight me for no reason. Either way, make your choice. We can’t stay here much longer. And when I say to hide your hair—hide your hair. This isn’t a game. If you don’t want to wind up in Berkos’ dungeon or dead, you’d better start listening. Do you want my help, Goldy?”

  My eyes stung as I unsuccessfully tried to blink away the collecting tears to no avail. Within moments, ugly sobs racked my body. I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt broken. This had to be the worst first impression ever, and now, I had to ask for help.

  “Yes, please help me,” I whispered, tugging at the tangled vines, afraid to meet his eyes.

  He knelt beside me, patiently spreading and slicing the vine so it splayed evenly. Where it made contact, the red interior of the plant cooled my injured skin. I choked back a combination of tears and laughter. The healing potion had been hanging in front of me all this time.

  I twisted my hair, turning the ponytail into a bun and tucking it up under my hat.

  “So what did you mean about my hair?” I asked, trying to break the ice that had frozen between us while he continued winding the vines up my legs. “I mean, it’s unique here, I guess, but why is it dangerous to wear it down?”

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “It just sends the wrong message to some people. If you want to save yourself more trouble, keep it hidden.”

  When he finished binding my legs, he worked on my arms in the same fashion. The crisscrossing vines relieved my sore limbs in a healing salve. I hated to admit that I already felt better.

  His hand gripped mine and pulled me to my feet. Unprepared for his strength, I stumbled into his arms. The warmth of his body surprised me as I stalled against the soft leather vest. The tips of his lips lifted when I p
ushed off him.

  This was a video game; he wasn’t real. But no matter how much my mind tried to convince me, his arms seemed substantial enough. Did it matter if he was real? This was a danger I had not anticipated.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To rescue the queen,” he said, pressing my hands down to my side before heading down the trail.

  “Of course,” I mumbled, sighing, and followed him into the overgrown brush.

  Chapter Eleven

  Silence comes in three sizes—comfortable, pointed, and bitterly intolerable.

  The first two, I wore easily enough for the first hours of our journey together, but the third didn’t settle right. I wanted to apologize for earlier, but his dagger-sharp glances told me he didn’t want to hear my excuses. The growing hush suffocated me. I only liked solitude when I chose to maintain it.

  I struggled to keep pace with him, trampling bushes and flushing out animals on the bramble-crowded trail. Every step I took seemed to announce our location. Arrow glared with annoyance as he motioned for quiet.

  “The whole point of taking this trail is to remain hidden,” he snapped, disappearing into the lush vegetation. “Keep the noise down.”

  “I’m trying,” I hissed.

  “Try harder,” I heard from ahead.

  I scowled as I stepped over a fallen log blocking the path. He acted as if I was making noise on purpose. Keeping pace with him was hard enough; doing it quietly was impossible. What he called a trail was little more than a worn path winding between bushes and thorns. I certainly did not fit in the small clearance. Sharp brambles grabbed my legs with each step, threatening to pull the healing vines off me.

  Branches swung in the distance as he ran ahead. I couldn’t figure him out. He puzzled me in the most frustrating way. One minute he’s kissing my hand and I melt under his charm, and the next he acts as if I am nothing more than a nuisance. Even looking back to the video game was no help. I could place the jugglers, even the market merchants, but not Arrow. He didn’t match up to any of the characters I knew.

  He had every right to be upset with me. I did almost attack him with my dagger. But in the middle of the woods—after beating up giants, for heaven’s sake—how did he expect me to counteract his sudden movement? How could I not be wary of a stranger in an even stranger world? Help was the last thing I expected.