Instead of explosive bursts of color, a dragon burned above us. The chilling message came through clearly.
I stood and brushed the hay off my leggings before running to Arrow and Melody.
“It’s like the others?” I asked.
She nodded and stared at the sky. “It seems that times are changing.”
I jumped as another boom shook the Grove. Arrow met my gaze and squeezed my hand before I could say anything. I squeezed his back and gave him a small smile.
Cale forced his way through the crowd, cursing at the top of his voice. He stood in front of Arrow and packed the end of his pipe. “What would you have us do?” He lit the pipe while Arrow contemplated his answer. Smoke rings shrouded the image fading in the sky.
“It’s time to act. You all know what we’ve planned, what is at stake.” Arrow looked at me. “We have a chance now.” His message rang out loud and clear. Everyone knew what he meant and looked in my direction.
I swallowed hard and nodded. It was time to save the queen.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Arrow struggled to climb to the top of the hay bales. Hands from the crowd reached out towards him as they clamored for answers. When he reached the peak, he raised his hands, signaling for silence.
“I will answer each and every question you have, but first, let me speak. I know your minds are troubled with thoughts about Berkos, battle, and what that means for us. Let me assure you, every concern or doubt you feel, the person next to you feels, and I feel. Years of hardship and sacrifice have ingrained those anxieties into us. But stronger than that fear is a desire for freedom, to reclaim the joy and prosperity we once knew.
“When King Helio and Queen Elin were captured, the purity of our people darkened. For the last five years, an evil ruler has tried to bend us to his will, taking away our lives, loved ones, and property. We were made witness to a depth of suffering and atrocity beyond our worst nightmares, and we rebelled. We refused to give in, even to temptations of bribery and royal favor, knowing that allegiance to the dark king would cost us more.
“We now stand at a precipice, and our actions will determine whether we succeed or fail. My hope for the future, for all of us, is that our reclaimed joy will overshadow the sacrifices we’ve made.
“These dark years haven’t been for naught. Our ingenuity has prospered, and even under the dark regime, our light has not dulled. In every dark period, there is a shining light.” He met my eyes. “And we have our Golden Hero to lead us through this. I vow to you, no sacrifice will be forgotten. We will remember these losses and build upon their memories to ensure that Lockhorn will not falter again. Let us regain the joy of the past. Are you with me?”
Not one dry eye remained. Tears streamed down their faces as the painful memories of the past melded with the adrenaline of this last chance for freedom. The crowd burst into cheers, meeting his declaration with their sworn allegiance. Arrow jumped down from the bales, disappearing for a moment under the throng of people as his generals swooped in from the sides and barked out orders.
The crowd thinned out, everyone moving with purpose. The controlled chaos made it abundantly clear that a plan had been set in motion. Once the initial shock wore off, the years of preparation kicked in. I could see the acceptance in their eyes as they dispersed, sharing snippets of stories with each other. Nothing that Arrow had said had come as a surprise. Since the beginning of the rebellion, battle had been unavoidable.
I didn’t know what role Arrow wanted me to play. I had knowledge of the castle, but I hadn’t prepared for a battle. What did I do now?
Arrow cut his way through the few stragglers in the crowd to reach me. His smile was tight, and a pit began to open in my stomach. Heaviness weighed on him, and he didn’t want to share it with me. I could see it in his eyes, in the way he avoided my gaze.
“That was quite the declaration,” I said, trying to relax him with my smile. It almost worked.
“Thanks,” he said, sitting by my side, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands. “You know, I’ve been rehearsing that speech for years, knowing it was inevitable, but actually saying the words makes it different. A little surreal. Did it sound sincere?”
“I don’t think you ever have to worry about sincerity. You’d do anything for them and they know it.” I rubbed his back and stared up at the sky. The faded lines of the fireworks had disappeared, leaving a map of twinkling stars. “They’d follow you anywhere.”
“I just hope it’s the right move,” he said, glancing up at the sky with me. “There are so many variables.”
“And I’m sure you’ve thought them all out. Don’t start second-guessing yourself now. You’ve been planning this for years.”
“Sure.” He brushed his hand through his hair, resting his head to look at me. “But now it’s real. There’s no going back.”
“Would you want to?”
“No, that’s a good point. We’re done hiding in the shadows of the forest. One way or the other, this is the end.”
“I hope it’s a good end,” I said.
He leaned against my shoulder. “Do you remember when I told you that adventure is just learning to accept what life throws at you? Well, this is it, our next adventure.”
“Our next adventure?” I shook my head with a small snort.
“It’s one way to look at it.”
“I could also call it crazy,” I said, knocking my body into his side.
“Ah, Alex, I think you enjoy this more than you let on.”
“Maybe,” I said with a small smile.
“But what?” he asked, sensing my hesitation.
I shrugged as I tried to find the right words. “What happens when this is all done and decided? It’ll be different. Are you ready for that?”
He tilted my chin up, searching my face. “Not all change is bad.”
“Not bad, just scary sometimes.”
“That doesn’t mean we stop though,” he said. “When we’re afraid, those are the moments we need to press forward even more.”
“How do you do that? With everything going on, you always seem strong while I get stuck on the fear.”
“That’s normal. Fear gets the best of all of us sometimes. When you don’t have control, you cling to the things you’ve always known. When we first left the cities for the Grove, we lived in a constant state of anxiety. We could hardly get anything done.”
I thought back to my room, the overflowing bookshelves and covered walls. He didn’t know how true his words were.
“So how’d it change?” I asked.
“We had to step out of the fear and change our perspective, focusing on what we could change. And we did. But what we did back then seems small in comparison to this.” He motioned to the crowds already busy stacking items. “Ever since you arrived, the control has shifted back in our favor. You control our destiny.”
“I control it?” I swallowed hard.
“I think you always have.”
I looked down at my hands, covered in scars from dragon weed blisters and scratches I’d gotten in the forest. I had the control, I just hadn’t used it the right way. Until now.
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“Right now, I’m going to finalize plans with the generals and prepare the battle team leaders. You need to get some sleep. If there is one thing I have learned about you, it’s that, hero or not, you need your sleep and food.”
I gave him a crooked smile. “Seriously? You can’t think I’d be able to sleep right now. Look around, everyone’s doing something.” I pointed to the crowd gathering supplies and the generals hunched over maps. “Where do I fit in?”
“Besides the obvious?”
“I guess I just want some specifics.”
“You really want to go over this now?”
“Better now than in front of Berkos’ castle,” I said. “We’re rescuing the queen, not stealing a few papers. You may have a plan, but I need time to digest it. Believe it or not, I
don’t always do well under pressure.”
“That’s fair.” He picked up a piece of hay from the ground and drew a large circle. “This is Lockhorn.”
I nodded for him to continue.
He made a few marks across the realm. “This is Berkos’ castle, and these are networks of his other supporters. You can see most are here in the center around Lindle, with just a few scattered down south and in the north. Thanks to the papers we retrieved, their identities are no longer secret.”
“We’ll be sending small contingencies to contain the threats in the south, while the majority of our people will move north. They’ll strategically engage his army, pulling the defenses away from the castle, where we’ll be.” He drew a line far beyond, where the attacks would take place. “We’ll make it to the castle once everyone is gone and free the queen.”
I started to argue, but he stopped me. “The plan’s been made; we just need you to execute it. Can you do it?”
I looked over the map at the web of lines he’d made and thought back to his fight with General Amos the day we’d arrived. “Is that what all the arguing was about the other day?”
“Yes,” he looked down sheepishly. “I didn’t realize you saw.”
“I think everyone saw.”
“Well, yes, we had to decide how you fit in. They wanted you to be a figurehead, leading the main battle. I knew that wouldn’t work. You’re more of a spy than a warrior.”
“You think I’m like a spy?” I asked, amused.
“Maybe ‘spy’ isn’t the right word. Reconnaissance expert, perhaps?” he offered. “I need you with me at the castle, guiding me through the traps.”
“Okay, I’ll take that,” I said. At least I wouldn’t have to fight in a battle. “Do you really think this will work?” I asked, twirling my finger at his drawing. “It seems like you’re spreading our resources thin. Can we defeat his army with small attacks?”
“The attacks aren’t meant to defeat him. They’re just distractions.”
My head jerked up. “Distractions from what?”
“They’ll give us a chance to breech the castle and rescue the queen. Once she is free and Berkos is dead, the rest will fall into place.”
“So all their lives are at risk so we can sneak in and meet minimal resistance?” I demanded, feeling the full brunt of pressure choke me. There was more at stake than I had realized.
“Yes,” he said solemnly.
“So this is the plan. And all the generals agree?” The hesitation in my voice bothered me. I wanted to be the strong and confident hero he needed. Or at least look like it.
“To some degree,” he said, sighing. I saw his patience running thin. “This isn’t going to be a battle decided by our fists. If it were, we wouldn’t need you. The winner here is the one who underestimates the other the least. These,” he pointed to the X’s he’d drawn to indicate skirmishes. “They’ll provide some distraction, but I don’t doubt for a moment that Berkos has his own ruses planned.”
“So it’s just a game of deception?”
“Parts of it are,” he admitted.
“And we’ll win by not being deceived by him?”
“Or by not deceiving ourselves,” he said. “We can’t afford to think, even for a moment, that we have the upper hand.”
I sighed and threw my hands up in defeat. “I trust you. All this,” I said, pointing to the map, “sounds complicated. I’m just going to stay focused on what I can do to save the queen.”
Arrow kissed my hand. “I like your focus.”
“But I have one improvement to your plan,” I said, grabbing a stick to mark up the ground.
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Show me.”
“Instead of walking all the way around these areas, we cut straight through.” I pointed to a portion of the map empty of lines and skirmish marks.
“You mean take a shortcut through the mountains,” he said, considering my point. He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“For who, me? It may have taken me a while to get to this point, but I meant it when I said I was all in. This isn’t about me, or you, or any of these people individually. This is about saving the queen. It’ll work if we go around like you’ve planned, but if we cut through, we’ll shave off half the time. If we coordinate it right, we can make it there with minimal loss of lives. I think that’s worth the extra risk. What about you?”
I hardened my face as he looked at me. If he searched for a weakness, he wouldn’t find it there.
“If you’re sure, we’ll cut straight through the mountains,” he said with a frown. He scratched out the long path and drew a direct line through the center.
“I am.” I gave him a hug and rattled off the things we’d need.
“Whoa, wait a second. We already have someone packing our supplies.”
I cocked my head. “Yes, but we’ll need more than the basics you’re thinking of to win.”
He let out a soft whistle when I finished rattling off the list of every weapon and power-up I had ever used to win. “That’s a lot.”
“We might not need it all, but I would rather have too much than miss the one thing we needed.”
“I agree. Alex?” he asked, drawing me in.
“Yes?”
“You really do need to get some sleep. I promise, everything will be ready when you wake in the morning. Do you trust me?” he asked.
“With my life,” I said, my stomach flipping.
“And I you. Now get some sleep, we’ll leave early.” He kissed my forehead and left me sitting there, watching him disappear into the frenzied crowd.
“Good night, Arrow.” I knew sleep would be a long time coming.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sleep lingered like a layer of fog, light enough to cover me but not deep enough to block out the commotion outside. I pulled the covers up, hiding in the warmth for one more moment.
Arrow’s deep voice—not directed at me, but at the men and women scurrying outside—brought me out of my cocoon. I groaned. I should be helping. I threw off the covers and dressed, securing my dagger before peeking out of the tent flap. The progress shocked me. Nothing that I had heard prepared me for the lines of supplies and packed horses.
The sun, still partially hidden behind the trees, bathed the boxes of food along the main street in orange highlights. An arsenal of weapons lined the hay bales outside the training field. Barrels popped, overloaded with spears, containers filled with swords and bows and arrows flanking either side. Instead of targets and weapons, wagons filled the training field. A few women moved from wagon to wagon, painting layers of green and brown stain on the coverings, mimicking the forest. Every detail seemed accounted for.
I stepped into the commotion, barely able to skip out of the way as people passed me, arms loaded with goods. Moving to the side of the road, I looked up and saw just as many people racing on the bridges above. Leaves swirled around me, falling to the ground whenever a careless step on a bridge displaced them. Even through the traffic of the crowd, I found Arrow easily, hunched over his maps at the opening of his tent.
“Arrow,” I said, running towards him. “This is crazy!”
“Good morning!” His smile belied the weariness on his face. Dark circles sank his eyes, and dirt smudged his cheeks.
“Didn’t you sleep at all?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“There was too much to do,” he said with a shrug. After a quick pause and a final look at his maps, he rolled them up and offered me a slice of bread. “Let me show you what we’ve been doing.” He led me down the center of the path, pointing out the supplies.
“How did this all happen in one night?”
“It’s like you said, we’ve been preparing this for years, and when we heard about you we started putting the final pieces in place. This here is just the start. They’ll continue once we’ve left,” he said, biting into the bread.
“So all of this is for us? That seems a bit overkill.”
“No,” he said, laughing. “This is all for the first teams that are heading out. Our supplies are over here.” He led me back to the quaint white cottage near the entrance to the Grove and opened the front door. “I figured since we’d be leaving today, it’s better to have our things out of the way. Our trip will take longer than some of theirs, and we want to time it right.”
I barely heard his words as he droned on about preparations. The worn cottage drew me in. Flecks of ivory paint fell beneath my slight touch, revealing the dilapidated stonework beneath. Ivy cascaded down from the roof, framing the darkened windows. Even when I cupped my hands to the glass, I couldn’t see through it.
The old wooden handle creaked as I pressed down on it and walked into the dark room. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim light coming in from the small openings in the ceiling. I walked further into the building, crossing my arms for warmth and peeked over boxes and around the back of the door. Everything I’d listed seemed accounted for.
“This is it?” I asked, hearing his footsteps crunch in the leaves. The small collection surprised me.
“It’s everything you asked for, plus all the items I could think of. Why? Do you see something missing?” He opened the tops of the boxes, nodding as he counted items.
“No, I see everything I asked for, but it seems so little in comparison.” I shrugged and blew warm breath into my hands.
“Anything would seem small in comparison to what we’re preparing in the streets.”
“That’s just it. Will this be enough for our team?”
Arrow smiled and rubbed his hands over mine. The heat warmed me. “We’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m actually not sure if our horses will be able to carry this entire load.”
I looked over at him, tilting my head. “We’ll be fine? How many people are on this team?”
“You’re looking at it.”
“You’re kidding? Right?”
“We’ll be fine. Between my skills and your knowledge, we’ll make it through anything.”
Dreamscape: Saving Alex Page 26