The scenery remained completely unaltered. Even the trees which grouped together looked like a perfect, repeating pattern. The depth of the snow and the slope of the hill also remained the same, though this was probably because they had not really walked a long distance. The monotony didn’t help their spirits but eventually they spotted a yellowish light gleaming between the branches of the trees before them.
This filled them with renewed energy and they hurried their pace, ignoring the burning sensation in their legs.
The light came from a single lamp post set over what appeared to be a small maintenance centre for the rail line. An enormous metal, rectangular structure in one corner looked like a power converter and was fenced off. There was also a mid-sized shed and a little concrete and brick cabin. There was no sign of life inside. It looked more like a kind of guardhouse that workers could use in the event they needed to work there for an extended period of time, though this almost never happened.
Martay and Snipping carefully approached the buildings and tried the doors but unsurprisingly they were locked fast.
“Got any neat tricks for opening locks Snipping?”
Snipping was still puffing uncharacteristically and didn’t even chastise Martay for his sarcastic remark.
“I was goin’ to ask ya the same question actually.”
Snipping grabbed the door handle and tried to rattle it back and forth but there was absolutely no movement. The door was evidently very solid. The two of them eased themselves onto the ground with their backs lent up against the building’s wall. They were already exhausted and the notion of walking a number of kilometres further in the snow was unbearable right now.
“How’s miss Amriel?”
Snipping sounded deeply concerned but Martay didn’t have much to report. Amy still lay utterly motionless in his arms. She was yet to show any sign of movement at all. Martay slowly removed one of his gloves in order to check her pulse, propping her up in his lap using one of his legs. Both her pulse and her breathing were faint but present.
“No change. I don’t think she’s going to wake up all too soon. We’ll have to keep carrying her and hope she comes around. I don’t suppose we can stay here for very long can we.”
Snipping shook his head assertively, though there was uncertainty in his eyes. The longer Amy stayed unconscious, he knew, the more dangerous their situation would become. There was nothing for it.
“Come on Martay, we can’t let ourselves stop ‘ere. We need to keep movin’. At least we won’t go without water ‘ere.”
Martay heaved himself to his feet. It wasn’t easy whilst lifting Amy. What they really needed was somewhere to rest properly and in safety, which they weren’t going to get without a lot of effort. The thought lent him a great deal of conviction and he started to trek away from the buildings and back into the trees, this time on the southern side of the clearing. At least they would be travelling downhill soon, he thought. Snipping made his way in front of Martay and had wrapped his arms around himself. The brief halt had made them feel very cold.
“Snipping, there’s something I wanted to ask but didn’t think I could do it in front of Amy. The Arbiter told her to run because she was in danger. What do you think happened to her parents though? It kind of sounded like they were in trouble too.”
“I’m not sure.” Snipping replied. “I’ve tried on numerous occasions to find ‘em in the dream plane since we left Budapest but they’re utterly hidden. I reckon no news is good news in this case. If I can’t find so much as a whisper o’ their presence then they’re likely ‘idden from the enemy who, as we know, ‘as been followin’ Amy anyway.”
“Do you think Amy’s parents are looking for her?”
“Impossible to tell. Amy’s message from the Arbiter seems to suggest that they were under duress as well. Probably they’re on the run like us.”
On the edge of the tree line they stopped to check their bearing and make sure they were starting in the right direction. A gust of wind blasted through the clearing, ripping effortlessly through their protective clothing. Martay groaned. If a storm kicked up in the mountains they could end up in real danger of freezing to death. Then something happened that was so startling Snipping jumped a few feet in the air and Martay nearly dropped Amy.
Whether in response to Martay or the wind, or some other catalyst, Amy let out a loud groan. Relief swept over Martay and the Imp with such strength that they almost felt warm again. They watched excitedly for her to make a further sign. Her eyes opened a hairline crack and she slowly started to lift an arm. Other than this she remained totally limp in Martay's arms.
“Amy! Amy can you hear me? Are you alright? Amy?”
She didn’t respond. All her energy seemed to be channelled into lifting her arm, an act which Snipping took note of.
“She’s pointin’ at somethin’!” he cried.
Martay's head snapped upwards to look in the direction of Amy’s outstretched hand.
“Amy, what…” but Martay didn’t finish his question. Amy’s arm had dropped limply and her eyes closed up again. She had lost what little consciousness she had gained.
Martay turned his attention back to her and tried helplessly to shake her awake again to no avail. Snipping meanwhile was walking back towards the shed Amy had been pointing at. He had to struggle through their own footsteps, which had made the snow choppy and uneven, back to the other side of the shed where Martay lost sight of him. Martay himself was distractedly trying to wake Amy up until, “Martay!”. He looked up in surprise. The call hadn’t been angry, despairing, fearful or panicked. It had been excited.
“Martay, come ‘ere! ‘Hurry up!”
He had put Amy down to try and wake her. Now he picked her back up again and staggered as fast as he could in the direction of Snipping’s voice. As he came around the corner he swore in surprise and excitement.
“All the doors are locked, I already checked. Start lookin’ for a key, she must ‘ave dreamt it into bein’ like last time.”
The range rover was sitting silently in front of the shed, no signs of damage to be seen but very definitely with the same registration plates as last time. As they searched through their pockets and the bags they hurriedly discussed the car’s appearance.
“How did she do it? I mean, how did she know that we needed the car?”
“I’m not sure,” Snipping answered, “It’s pretty much impossible to know what dream state she’s in. In fact, until now I wasn’t even sure shed’ve entered a dream state. We never distinguished between people who were unconscious for normal reasons and those for whom it was unintended.”
Martay looked back down at Amy who lay utterly motionless.
“Do you think she is aware of what’s going on around her?”
“Possibly, but unlikely. She ‘asn’t even come close to controllin’ her dream states yet and I really doubt she could’ve entered an elven state when she was distracted and knocked out. Nah, I reckon she must ‘ave inside help.” He shoved his hand into the last unsearched pocket of his bag. “I think the Arbiter who’s been workin’ with ‘er must’ve found ‘er after she was knocked unconscious.”
He dropped the bag with frustration. The key wasn’t there.
“Wait a minute, if she’s not aware of what’s going on ‘ere then she must’ve been dreamin’ about the car in other circumstances. If she dreamt that she was the one drivin’ it…”
Martay didn’t quite follow what Snipping was saying. The cold was slowing down his thought processes. He stared at Snipping blankly.
“Check ‘er jacket pockets for the keys ya moron!”
Martay wasn’t offended. Having something of the old Snipping back that he had grown accustomed to helped to lighten the seriousness of their circumstances. He checked Amy’s jacket pockets first, without success. Then, as he checked the first of her jean pockets he found the key.
They were inside the car within seconds. Snipping dove for the front passenger seat while
Martay delicately placed Amy in the back and strapped her in. This was no easy task. She slumped lifelessly and swayed over so that Martay had to catch her and hold her in place while he clicked in the buckle. After that he left her to her own devices, got into the driver’s seat and wasted no further time in turning on the car.
The comfort of sinking into the seat after their long and strenuous trek could almost have put Martay to sleep. He turned on the seat heaters but turned down the air conditioning fan. The air coming through was still chilly since the engine hadn’t warmed up.
They didn’t allow themselves too much time to be indulgent. Martay only rested his head for a few moments before putting the car into gear and setting off along the road. The sat nav had booted itself up and showed that they were heading south east. However, the road twisted and bent constantly.
A bigger problem was starting to nag at Martay’s mind. He threw a few awkward looks at Snipping before actually bringing himself to speak.
“Snipping… what is our plan here? I mean, Amy is unconscious, we nearly got frozen to death hiking through the snow on a mountain and what have we really done?”
Snipping continued to stare absently out of the car. Martay waited for a response but after some time when none came, he continued.
“It feels like we are getting into more and more danger without even knowing what it is we’re trying to do! I’m guessing the only way to stop this is to stop whoever this Gorhoth is but how in hell are we meant to do that when he lives in a different… world!” he finished with exasperation.
Snipping finally stirred.
“For now, we’re safe I think. Not that this’s such a good thing. I tried to find Amy in the dream plane but her mind is completely shut off.”
Martay was irritated by the fact that Snipping had clearly ignored every word he had said but was too intrigued by Snipping’s statement to comment.
“What’s so bad about her mind being shut off? Isn’t she meant to do that?”
“Yeah,” came the slow reply, “but at the same time it could be symptomatic of a problem. I reckon that in ‘er current state she shouldn’t be able to actively shut ‘erself off. I can’t be certain though. Like I said earlier, I ‘aven’t got the experience with this type o’ situation. If I’m right though, then it must mean that an Arbiter is with her and is tryin’ to block off access to her dream zone.”
“You said that the Arbiter must be helping her and that it’s meant to be a good thing that she shuts off her mind but you still haven’t explained why that makes us safe and why it isn’t a good thing! Be clear damn it! What is happening to Amy?”
Snipping gave Martay a very reproachful look but didn’t get angry.
“The Arbiter with her should be able to identify my presence and let me into her dream zone so that I can communicate with her. But ‘e won’t let me in. The only reason I can think of for blockin’ me out is that Amy’s mind is under attack and the Arbiter is simply tryin’ to fend off any kind o’ outside contact to protect her. The enemy may’ve stopped followin’ us but I think ‘e realised Amy was mentally vulnerable. I think ‘e’s trying to break into her mind and control her.”
“Right…” said Martay flatly. “Right, so, what can we do about it?”
“Nothin’, ‘cept keep her physically safe. If an Arbiter can’t protect her in the dream plane, no one can.”
“Can’t we try and wake her up? Wouldn’t that be the best protection for her?”
“Yeah o’ course but we’ve tried Martay! Her mind is buried so deep in the dream plane, she needs time as well as an external stimulant. It’s night time now so her body is naturally inclined to continue sleepin’. There’s no point tryin’ again until the mornin’.”
“That’s hours away! It’s too long! What happens if the enemy gets into her head? Is she… lost forever?”
“O’ course not but there’s no tellin’ what ‘e could do with her while she was still under ‘is control.”
“Try and give me an example.”
“Well, for instance, ‘e could kill us and make Amy drive herself straight into a trap where ‘e can control her even while she’s awake.”
Martay cast a quick look back at Amy slumped helplessly in the back seat. Snipping was talking about her as if she was some kind of weapon.
“You honestly think we couldn’t stop her if she tried to attack us?”
This question invoked an incredible look from Snipping. It positively radiated condescension and exasperation, to the point that Martay squirmed in his seat as he waited for the Imp to add a scathing remark to his expression.
“What? I know you’re going to say something Snipping, come on!”
“Do I not reckon we could stop her? Tell me, when Amy hit her ‘ead, did she hit it so ‘ard that YOUR brain got damaged as well? Tell me Martay, you speak very good English yeah? You must’ve heard the expression, “I could do it in my sleep”, used to describe trivially easy tasks? Yeah? Well Amy can literally do anythin’ in her sleep. You’re drivin’ a car she made out o’ thin air! ‘ow ‘ard do you reckon it’d be for her to kill us? Really?”
“So, you’re saying she could just… dream that our necks snap or something?”
Snipping’s tirade had left a deep impression. It wasn’t the way he said it, it was the reality of what he had said. Amy could do pretty much anything. The fact that such a level of power even existed in the world was stomach-turningly terrifying enough. Until now it had seemed so harmless, exciting even. It was a childhood fantasy come true. The fact of the matter was, there was nothing trivial about it.
“No, she couldn’t just snap our necks. There are limitations to what dreamwalkers can and can’t do, most of which revolve around other livin’ entities. Directly tamperin’ with a conscious bein’s body against its will is somethin’ they cannot do.”
It was like a fog had lifted and Martay could finally see the daunting world around him. It was the realisation that he didn’t understand the forces he was dealing with, and it was time to fix that.
“Snipping…”
“What boy?”
“Can I say something… This whole situation… It scares the hell out of me.”
“Good!” retorted Snipping but his expression eased a little.
“What you said sort of gives a lot of perspective. Now, I know you think I can be really stupid but I don’t want to be ignorant. If you explain how all this actually works, that would be a good start to help me get wiser about it, yes?”
“Hmph…” was the initial noise from Snipping before he broke into an actual smile.
“Took yer time ya little whelp! I would’ve thought the trek in the snow would’ve opened your eyes but better late than never.”
“Well, when you’re running from an enemy you’ve never seen or heard of before it just feels like… I don’t know, some kind of big adventure. Thinking that your closest friend could be turned into a killer changes the way you see that.”
“Yeah, I s’pose it must.”
They both sat in silence for some time, their eyes fixed on the road.
“So, tell me this first Snipping, what’s the plan? I mean, long term.”
“Do ya want me to tell ya bluntly or delicately?”
“You can decide. I guess the blunt plan is that we need to stop this enemy?”
“Well, if we want to prevent the killin’ and enslavement of millions, yeah, someone needs to stop ‘im.”
“Someone?”
Martay knew in his heart exactly who that someone was.
“Gorhoth has extraordinary control over the world around ‘im. Not this world, this world was created after ‘e was banished, as you should remember, but in Otthon ‘is power is… overwhelmin’ and terrible. I’ve seen the waste it’s laid to the world through the dreams of those who’ve suffered. It would take someone of extreme and unique abilities to challenge ‘im meaningfully.”
“Like a dreamwalker” Martay interjected.
�
��Yeah, a dreamwalker. But even that might not be enough. Two times in the past, the dreamwalkers ‘ave sought to bring Gorhoth’s reign to an end, semi-successfully.”
Martay listened intently. These stories had been alluded to but never elaborated on and now that it was all feeling real, the information was much more engaging.
“The first time, it was straight up war. The elves were still powerful and marched against Gorhoth along with the other free races. Wherever Gorhoth came personally, the men and elves fell. Until, finally, a pair o’ powerful elves met him in battle together. The great mage was called Teldenar and the elf-maiden was-”
“Amriel!” Martay had made the connection easily.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Amy had inherited her name from an elf famous for fighting in these wars, and was being hunted by the same enemy from the stories.
“Yeah, right. Amriel the first, to be precise. Amy’s grandmother. Anyway, Amriel and Teldenar fought hard against the monstrosity until the inevitable ‘appened.”
“Inevitable? You said they were semi-successful…”
“And they were. But Gorhoth was cunnin’ and dishonourable. Teldenar might have had a chance to destroy him utterly but Gorhoth possessed Amriel usin’ some kind o’ horrible device of ‘is own makin’. I can’t really explain how it works but it involved a mastery o’ magic, which only the great elves could rival but would never stoop low enough to use. The result was that Teldenar couldn’t Kill Gorhoth without also killin’ Amriel.”
“So then, how did they stop the fight? I thought they won the war?”
Bridge Between the Worlds Page 30