“So, you can’t just make the walls not exist anymore?”
“Yes and no… I think… It’s crazily complicated and I don’t really understand it all. It’s super hard to manipulate existing things directly because you end up focusing on the details of how it all works. I haven’t started to try that. Let’s start simple. I’ll try to create some fresh bandages for you!”
Martay gave a smile.
“Sounds like a good idea.”
Amy sounded somehow enthusiastic and determined. Hope in a situation like this was rare, so he said nothing further. But in his mind, he was doubtful. He couldn’t shake the gloomy feeling that the enemy would surely have thought of this already. He had somehow managed to find them for one thing, had known they would be driving on that particular road at that particular time for another. Whatever he was, he was cunning, resourceful and precise. Martay doubted he would have overlooked Amy’s abilities. After all, that was what she was being hunted down for.
“Keep an eye on Snipping while I try,” Amy said before closing her eyes in obvious concentration, “he might wake up any moment.” She leaned back against the wall.
Martay approached the imp carefully. Moving caused him a lot of pain and he felt slightly sick from it. Snipping was sprawled on his back, motionless on the hard floor with his mouth slightly open. He was clearly unconscious. He had hit his head hard against the window when they had crashed. He was still wearing his funny looking beanie, jacket and scarf which covered up his unusual physique.
Martay tried to shake him a little with his left hand but Snipping didn’t react at all. He was still out cold. Instead, Martay eased himself up against the wall next to Amy where he sat, trying to be as still as possible to avoid further pain.
He was scared, terrified even. He was bleeding slowly but he was already feeling drained and weak. How long could he actually last without medical help? Even if the bleeding stopped, he thought, he didn’t have his antibiotics with him to continue treating the infection.
He struggled silently for a little while, trying not to be overwhelmed by despair. Time seemed not to pass. It was like he was trapped inside seconds which stretched out like days and all of it was full of darkness with no hope in sight. In actual fact it was only a few minutes before Snipping finally stirred and opened his eyes to see Martay and Amy slumped against the wall together. Amy was sleeping, Martay was limp but awake.
Snipping groaned as he lifted himself up to a seated position. His hand moved immediately to the side of his head which he caressed gingerly. He looked around, slowly taking in his surroundings. They didn’t seem to surprise him overly, rather he seemed to be checking off details. He turned to Martay who at least brightened a little on seeing that Snipping was awake.
“Been conscious long?” Snipping asked. His tone was serious but with an overlay of nonchalance.
“Only a few minutes longer than you, or maybe hours. I don’t really know.”
“And let me guess, miss Amriel just entered the dream plane?”
He didn’t say ‘fell asleep’.
“Yes. She said she was going to try and create some bandages for me.”
“Well that sounds promisin’. A sensible thing to try first.”
“Maybe…” said Martay slowly, “but I’m not sure it will work-”
“cos the enemy’s surely thought up a way to stop ‘er from usin’ ‘er dreamwalkin’ abilities,” Snipping finished for him. “Perhaps. He’ll certainly expect her to use ‘em and he’ll ‘ave thought about how to restrict her but it’s not easy. It’s impossible to actively stop someone from dreamwalkin’. Even the Arbiters only catch creations as they’re transitionin’ between dream and physical world. The enemy doesn’t ‘ave that power. Nevertheless, he may find other ways to achieve the same results. It’s worth a try I guess. After all, we know that he’s not tryin’ to kill her.”
Amy was walking down the corridor in the hospital again. She was conscious of the fact that she was in a dream and not awake but that made very little difference to her. The only thing that she did not understand straight away was why she had come to this particular hospital. She had wanted to dream of a place where she could find bandages but she had not been specific. Clearly, her subconscious had played a role in determining what she dreamt of even when she entered an elven dream state. She wondered if that was normal for other elves? Then she realised that she was getting distracted.
Focusing on the task at hand, she searched for a supply room. Not a soul was to be seen. That was no surprise. She had wanted to go somewhere empty. However, this was not without its draw backs. The quietness was like a constant reminder to her of the grim things that had happened here. Dead silence, she thought to herself with a shudder. It was an appropriate expression for what she was feeling. It was almost frightening. She wondered if other people were haunted silently by those they had killed, intentionally or not.
Again, she tried to regain focus. When her mind drifted, the hallway seemed to stretch out and she didn’t actually make any real ground despite continuing to walk. She was delaying herself with her own mind. Elven dreamwalkers must have had incredible mental self control and discipline, Amy realised. Alone and afraid, Amy thought of her mother. Although Amy knew her very well, there was much more that she didn’t know. Until recently she hadn’t even known she was an elf! With that thought two things happened at the same time. Amy had a sudden feeling of exposure, like suddenly realising that you are naked in public, only it was her mind that was uncomfortably exposed. She also realised that she was no longer alone. The Arbiter was standing tall and dark before her.
In an instant the sensation of exposure was gone but the Arbiter was still standing before her. She felt a sense of sweeping relief. Surely the Arbiter would know what to do! As it happened, he even seemed to have a clear notion of what was going on.
“You are physically trapped aren’t you.”
It wasn’t really a question. The Arbiter clearly knew this was the case. Amy gave a slight nod to confirm it.
“Are any of you hurt?”
Amy’s dreaming about a hospital was probably enough for him to have deduced this.
“It’s Martay. His wound was reopened in the crash. The enemy won’t let me help Martay unless I help him first. He said he would give me some time to think about my options.”
“And what exactly do you plan to do?”
“I want to start by creating some bandages for Martay! The enemy is trying to use Martay's condition against me but if I can treat the wound it should buy me more time.”
“Mmm…” was all the response that the Arbiter gave. Whether he felt this was a good plan or not, he did not say.
“The enemy is cunning.”
Amy found this non-committal response unusual for the Arbiter. He was usually quite open with her. Now it was as if he was more interested in his own thoughts than in Amy.
“What do you think we should do?” Amy asked directly.
“I am not sure,” he replied. “I believe that a very difficult choice lies before you, which nobody else can make. If I perceive the enemy’s plan correctly then I would say that this is not merely a physical trap but a moral one. I do not doubt my guess. It fits with the enemy’s cruel style to make you choose between two evils. I am afraid, Amriel, that whatever you do, you will not escape this trap unmarred.”
Amy’s heart sank into the floor. She didn’t fully understand what the enemy was supposedly planning but she hardly needed to understand it to be discouraged by this dark suggestion. The Arbiter sensed her dismay but there was very little he could do.
“Continue with your current plan Amriel. To give up hope is to concede defeat before you have even attempted the task. I have been wrong before and we can hope that I am wrong this time. At least you will have tried. If you fail to aid your friend in this fashion you will not be in a worse position than you are now, and if you succeed you will, as you say, have bought some time. Though not much.”
Amy continued to stare at the Arbiter open mouthed. He always had a solution!
“Go, Amriel! You rightly saw that time was of the essence. Do not delay simply to despair. Nor should you believe that you are alone. I will of course do what I can. I do not believe that your parents are close enough to help you in time but I will see what can be done. Now you must do what is within your power. Return to me when you can.”
With that the Arbiter was simply gone. Amy hesitated a moment, torn between fear and anger, then she pressed on at a run. Not much further along the corridor Amy felt instinctively drawn to one of the side doors which, to her relief, contained what she was looking for. Dressings, bandages and a plethora of basic medical supplies lined the walls. She hastily grabbed what she needed and clutched them hard in her hands.
Ultimately the task seemed easy but that was not to be marvelled at. Amy had taken good steps in her training over the past week for one thing. For another, the plight of her situation helped her to keep a powerful sense of commitment to the task. She awoke holding her creation but immediately faced a problem. Two men were staring down blankly at her through the bars that caged the three companions.
Snipping and Martay had noticed that Amy had woken up but had not yet noticed that she had successfully procured the medical supplies. The reason for this came in the form of two black pistols being pointed at them through the bars. The eyes of the officers however were focused on Amy who very slowly got to her feet. One of the officers spoke in a voice that was little more than a murmur. It was the unmistakable sound of a person talking in their sleep, and the sight and sound made Amy more uneasy than the guns.
“So, you’ve chosen to defy me.”
Amy said nothing in response. She dared not say anything that might endanger her targeted friends. The voice continued without waiting for an answer.
“Very capable of you, but foolish. Hand over the bandages… now.”
Amy hesitated. She knew she had no real option but the angry loathing building up inside her made her want to resist. The pause was perilous. The second officer, as yet silent, pulled back the hammer of the pistol. Amy hurried forward and thrust the bandages and dressings through the gap in the bars. As she did so a hand wrapped suddenly around her wrist so that she could not draw it back, and her face was held close to the bars.
Perhaps the enemies control over the poor policemen was getting stronger or perhaps he had feigned weak control before to throw Amy off guard. Regardless, the change in the voice sent shivers down Amy’s spine and chilled her heart like ice. He was speaking in a soft but absolutely clear whisper, too high to be the officers own voice. Despite its coldness it did not seem angry or malicious. It sounded… scared?
Amy was confused, it was almost as if the voice was trying to mimic the emotion of fear. It sounded, Amy realised to her horror, just like Snipping but in a panic.
“Please do not let your friends be killed needlessly. Just listen! It doesn’t have to be this way. I live in terror just like you! Running, hiding from the powers that misunderstand me! All my life the Arbiters have tried to silence me and for what? Because I challenged them! I saw through their masks, understood their true purpose. They are the gate keepers to the power of creation and they dare not let others access that power because then they would no longer be able to control the world as they saw fit. They are merciless slave drivers wearing the guise of a caring shepherd and indeed, humans are but a flock of witless sheep to them. It isn’t right! I tried to fight against it but they are more powerful than I am.
Long have a sought for a way to fight them in vain. Then, when I thought there was no hope left, I felt your presence echo out across the worlds, a power like no other! One capable of acts the Arbiters cannot stop. I knew I must find you quickly but to my dismay I found that they had reached you first. How cunning they were. Should they seek to destroy you? Of course not. I will not say they are unwise. They saw their chance to hunt me down and silence me at last. They began to shape and mould you into a weapon they could use against me.”
Amy tried to pull away hard from the bars. She didn’t know what the enemy was trying to achieve but she hated the pleading sound in his voice. It would have been better if he had raged, if he had threatened. Those things she could understand. This pleading somehow struck at her heart in a way that threats never could. She felt the seeds of doubt sprouting inside her. Had she not thought only last week that she had been singled out for destructive purposes? He was right about that! She was being trained for the ultimate purpose of killing him in the end. She fought to ignore his twisted words and wanted to hear no more but he held her irresistibly.
“You hunted me down and hurt my friends,” she hissed.
There was a pause. When the enemy spoke again his voice had lowered somewhat, soft and gentle, a voice without fear. It sounded like Martay.
“Yes, I hunted to find you. But to hurt you? Never! Your hurts have all been but accidents, or even your own doing. When have I directly caused you or any of your friends harm? I sought only to contrive a situation where you would be forced to listen because I need your help desperately; I would see you delivered from your puppet masters, controlling your every step and twisting your beliefs to their benefit. You have been asleep just now, if we can even call it sleep. Let me guess, the Arbiters came to you with a warning.”
Amy tried to pull away again. The shrewd but accurate remarks kept piercing her deeply.
“They told you that you would have a hard choice didn’t they. They would have you believe that you must let your friend die rather than give in to my demands or else kill the humans I am using to communicate with you. You see young Amriel, they do not understand you like I do. I know you would do neither. You are not heartless like they are which is why I have forced you into this situation. I know you will do the right thing. You will see the way forward that need not harm anyone. Will you not reject the Arbiters and their lies and at least hear my plea?”
He let go of Amy’s arm and she took a heavy step back away from the bars. Both the officers simultaneously lowered their weapons.
Amy’s mind felt tormented as she tried desperately to make herself ignore what had been said. She tried to think of her parents. They had warned her of Gorhoth’s terrible power, his cruel evil. Why should her own parents lie to her? Unless they too had been deceived… No, she thought to herself. She needed a chance to clear her head, to talk with her companions.
“I will consider your request if you let me help my friend first,” she said out loud but was not surprised by the response.
“I am sorry but I cannot allow it. My need is too great to leave this to chance. If you will not willingly reject the Arbiters then I must force your hand. I will not allow them to control you any longer, no matter the cost. When you are free, you will understand that the sacrifice would be worthwhile.”
“Then will you at least give me a short while to think about what you have said?”
“Yes,” came the reply, again in the sleepy voice of the policeman, “but do not take too long. It is your friend’s life that you hold in your hands. You must soon leave doubt aside or else risk his fate. I am sure you will do what is right.”
With that the officers both left the cell area and retreated to what must have been a small office. Amy remained standing where she was, tears rolling down her cheeks. What was she to do?
“Amy.”
It was Martay, calling to her tiredly from the ground.
“Don’t give in to him. I don’t know what he told you but don’t listen. We’ll find a way out of this.”
Snipping had come to Amy’s side and put a comforting hand on her shaking arm. He was deeply concerned but like Martay had not yet lost the will to defy the enemy.
“We still ‘ave some time miss Amriel. First, we need to contact the Arbiter. He may ‘ave an idea of what to do. At any cost, don’t submit yerself to the enemy’s will.”
“I’m not so sure Snipping. I spoke
to the Arbiter before. He said I would have to make a hard choice and he knew that he couldn’t help me with it. Nothing has changed. Maybe the Arbiter expects me to choose between two people’s deaths, but I won’t. I won’t let Martay die and I won’t kill the two officers either. The enemy is right. He understands me better than the Arbiter if the Arbiter thinks I will be the cause of more death and destruction.”
“No, miss Amriel, I don’t believe the Arbiter would expect any such thing from ya. While time still remains there’s hope that we’ll find another way.”
Martay suddenly piped up from behind them.
“Why don’t we just do something to wake up the policemen? Then the enemy can’t control them anymore, right?”
It was a perfectly valid point but in her heart Amy knew it was no use. Gorhoth’s control over these men was greater than it had been in the past. He wasn’t just guiding their actions anymore, he had total domination of their will. They would not wake up again unless Gorhoth released them. If only it could have been so simple, she thought to herself. She explained this to Martay. His expression paled even further.
“Look,” said Amy slowly, “he only wants me and he doesn’t even want to kill me. We don’t even know what he wants me to do! I would rather give myself up to that chance than let anyone get hurt.”
Snipping seemed dismayed by Amy’s remark. He grabbed her by the waist and shook her violently.
“Are ya mad? Ya know the enemy’s evil! Yer not thinkin’ clearly. What yer suggestin’ is that of the three choices you can see, ya want to choose the most destructive one to try and avoid further destruction! With you under his control, Gorhoth could force all resistance into submission. You’d be sparin’ a life at the cost of all humanity!”
“Then the Arbiter was right!” she yelled back. “I have to choose between two appalling options and anything I do will just cause death!”
Bridge Between the Worlds Page 43