“But how can it be?” Nola asked, stunned. “I conjured us to the real castle, not a pretend one. This is another kind of magic.”
Mich thought for a moment. “You must be Forgetting it.”
“I haven’t forgotten it!” Nola said indignantly. “Why would I try to conjure us to a place I didn’t remember?”
“Forgetting isn’t a matter of awareness,” Mich explained. “It’s a magical state. On some level you are losing your power over the castle. Maybe because of the distraction of this adventure.”
“We’d better get inside, then, before it disappears,” Tina said.
“It’s too late. Look,” Nola said, pointing to a high parapet. The parapet had disappeared and adjacent ones were blinking out as if they had never existed. Then the keep went, and the outer wall.
“But that’s dreamstone! That’s your castle,” Mich said, reconsidering. “You created that, Nola; how can that happen?”
Nola looked stricken. Her face twisted as if she were about to throw a fit. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know what to do.”
“Better figure it out pretty quick,” Tina advised her grimly. “This looks to be getting worse.”
“An ongoing process,” Mich agreed.
Nola had had her doubts through this whole adventure and suddenly they were coming back to haunt her. The only reality she had ever known was her little apartment, John and her cat back home. She wasn’t sure if she remembered how she got here. She wasn’t even sure if she was dreaming. She had thought she wasn’t, but now she was uncertain. Oh, why did she have to break down now?
She started sobbing. “It’s me,” she said. “I want to believe . . .” She trailed off, too upset to continue. She sat down and put her face in her hands.
Tina bent down and shook her sternly. “Nola, you can’t do this! Not now, not when we are so close! Snap out of it!”
Nola just sat and sobbed. She knew it was silly of her to do this, yet she also knew that she was dreaming. No matter what happened here, she knew it wasn’t real. Something nagged at her mind and her head started to ache. Nola threw Tina’s arm away and stood up.
“Look,” she sobbed. “I can’t help you! I’m just a suicidal girl from a stinking city. I’m not a Creator, I’m just a silly, self-destructive girl with nothing better to do than live in a dream world. I’ve gotta get out of here.” The reality of the words she spoke cut her deeply.
With that, she took off running. Spirit tried to gallop after her, but disbelieving as she was, she spelled him so that he could not follow.
She ran into the trees and let the forest surround her. There was no sound except for the crunching leaves and her breath as she ran. The farther out she went, the less trapped she felt. After a while, when she felt she was safely away, she sat on a rock for a rest, panting heavily.
“What is wrong with me?” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t be acting this way.” She took a hank of her hair and pulled on it in frustration. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but then replaced them. She knew this place wasn’t real. She should just let it fall from her mind and keep her feet on the ground, just as her parents and teachers always told her. What a fool she was being! She felt as if she was no longer thinking rationally, but she had no control over it.
She covered her face and cried, silently. After a moment, she heard the sound of footsteps coming through the forest. She peered through the trees but couldn’t see anything. Though she was confused and tired, she got up and lumbered, once more, into a run.
The footsteps did not fade. Instead they grew louder and closer. Whatever it was, was following her and was intent on catching her. She was just as intent on losing it. She dodged around trees and hopped over low roots. She spied a rocky cliff ahead and went for it, hoping that there would be someplace to hide over the edge.
Her head pounding, she shifted into high gear and ran as fast as she could. Suddenly, her foot snagged on a tree stump and she came crashing down. She tried to stand, but the wind had been knocked out of her. She listened and heard the footsteps coming closer. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It turned her over.
“Are you okay? Why are you acting this way?” Mich asked, with tears on his face. “Kafka needs you. I need you. I don’t want you to Forget me. I love you.”
At that second, Nola felt a sharp pinch on her head. She closed her eyes and bashed it with her hand. She looked at her hand and saw a flea. In her mind’s eye, she glimpsed a red, barbed tail. Then she knew the flea was a demon. It had hidden in her hair to get close enough to take her mind.
She sat up, her eyes wide. “Get out!” she screamed.
The tiny red flea sprang from her hand. It grew larger and larger and assumed the form of a demon, clasping his head as if suffering from a migraine headache.
Nola herself was unsteady only a moment. She slapped her hand to her head, uttered a strained “Ouch!” and turned on the demon.
Mich watched as Nola’s eyes lit up like flames. She looked so angry that he was afraid she might shoot fire out of her mouth. She ripped her cross from her neck and held it in her hand. “Sword!” she said, forcing her concentration.
The cross formed the hilt of a lightweight broadsword. She immediately beheaded the squirming demon and butchered his face. She slashed it over and over again. “Die! Die!” she screamed.
Mich finally pulled her away. She dropped the sword and fell into his embrace.
“I’m glad you’re on my side!” he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I should have known better; I’m so sorry.” He squeezed her tightly and she looked up at him. “Did you mean what you said? I know you told me before, but did you mean it? Do you love me?”
He laughed, somewhat bitterly. “Of course I love you! How could I not? You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever known.”
“Then why did you never try to touch me, when you had all those chances?” she demanded before she thought.
“You’re my Creator! I wouldn’t presume—if you had been an ordinary woman—oh, the times I’ve wished you were! But I have to treat you with utmost respect, so you won’t be annoyed. I wouldn’t even dare suggest—” He broke off, flushing.
Nola was overwhelmed. This time she did not balk. “Annoy me,” she murmured. Then she gave him the sweetest kiss she could manage, holding him all the while. She touched his face, which was rough with stubble, but it was the most handsome face she'd ever seen and she never wanted to touch anyone else’s.
Mich shivered in her arms. Their kiss held such force that his head was spinning. He had wished so long for a kiss like this, and until now thought he’d never know what it was like. He had been with girls before, but he had never loved them. It was different, he discovered, to kiss the one he loved. The emotion that was lacking before, he found with Nola, and it was fantastic.
After a short eternity, they broke. “I—I love you too,” she whispered. “My God! I never thought I’d say that again to anyone.”
Mich’s heart leapt. They held each other awhile longer, unable to speak. Then Nola recovered her cross, which had reverted to its natural state. They made their way quickly back to the castle, which was now a huge clearing in the forest.
Mich stared at the empty spot with his jaw dropped open. “We’re too late.”
“Oh, no, we aren’t,” Nola said. This time, she felt daring and did not bother to close her eyes.
“Castle!” she yelled, holding the cross out, clenched in her fist.
The castle started to reappear, beginning with the outer wall, then the battlement. Bricks began popping into place. Nola could glimpse furnishings appearing, then disappearing as the new walls covered the rooms. The castle was soon complete, ending with a waving red and gold pennant.
Nola took a deep breath. “I did it! Last time I tried to make a house, I could only make a shack. I guess I just needed the strength of faith. I have that now,” she said, looking into Mich’s sea-green eyes. “Mayb
e having an existing pattern, that of the former castle, helped too. Certainly I don’t really know how to build a castle, I mean with the foundations and support structures and all. Maybe re-Creation is easier than Creation. Anyway, it worked.”
Tina came over to her and patted her shoulder. “That’s great, girlie, but what happened to ya? You have a breakdown or somethin’?”
“It was another demon,” Mich informed her. Mich had been surprised by that; he had assumed that they had all been turned into Fren.
“I have a confession to make,” Tina said soberly. “The demons—they’re mine.”
All eyes turned to her. “What?” Nola and Mich asked together.
Both Heat and Spirit crowded in to make certain they were hearing right, and Snort snorted at her. Could this be possible?
“The demons are mine. I invented them. They come around whenever I’m scared. They always hurt me and make me do things I would never do. But I noticed that they don’t bother me here cuz I think they are scared of me, but I’m more scared of them. Maybe they know I care about you all and they hurt you to get at me.”
“If that is true, can’t you just get rid of them? I mean, Forget them or something?” Mich asked.
“Uh-uh, I don’t think that’d be a good idea. The demons are supposed to prey on people who got warped minds. Everybody dreams and sometimes someone creates an ax murderer. Their weak minds are easy to control.”
“But won’t that just make them more evil?”
“The demons make a creature the opposite of what they are. Like, if you have faith,” she glanced at Nola, “then you have no faith when the demon takes over. So if a demon controls the mind of a murderer, then that person will probably value life above all else.”
“I hate to admit it, but I guess we really do need the demons,” Mich said, looking as if he'd just tasted dragon dung.
The group went into the castle.
Nola and Tina were in awe. Neither had ever been in a castle before. There was the warm smell of burned wood and dust. Their footsteps echoed as they walked beneath the arched ceilings. Huge tapestries hung on the walls. One was a picture of a maiden sitting on the ground. In her lap was a unisus that had been speared. All around her were dogs and hunters on horseback. Nola was impressed and Tina dawdled, trying to look at everything. Snort skidded on the polished floors, his long claws making clicking noises as they struck.
“This had to be re-Creation,” Nola murmured. “I didn’t actually know about any of this. Maybe the whole castle was there, just too thin to be seen, and I just restored substance to the outline. Like pouring cement into a mold.”
Mich didn’t give them enough time to take it all in. He led them through a door. Behind the door was a dark staircase that descended into a room filled with all sorts of weapons, from cat-o’-nine-tails to catapults. There was armor for horses and men; shields and garments of mail.
“There’s so much here!” Tina said as she donned a mail hood.
Mich suggested that they all spend the night in the castle, and in the morning, they would choose their armor.
“That sounds okay to me! I want that whip over there, and—”
“No weapons,” he interrupted. “It wouldn’t have any effect on them.”
“It sure would affect ‘em if I whip them in the crotch!”
Mich shook his head. “It won’t affect them. They heal instantly. Weapons would just encumber us.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, where’s my room? I’m beat.”
“Go upstairs; you can pick any room you want. After all, there’s no one here to complain.”
The friends dispersed and went upstairs to their selected rooms. Snort found his old basket in the foyer and curled up. Mich and Nola went to Mich’s old room. It was huge and ornate.
“You lived here in this created castle all your life?” she asked, running her hand down a gold-framed mirror.
“Yes. Nice, isn’t it?”
“It’s a little extravagant, don’t you think? I mean, isn’t it boring here?” Nola had created a room she had thought worthy of a prince, but now realized how worthless it could be without love.
“I never thought of this place as boring, but I guess compared to my time with you, I’ve been barely living. I used to think all this stuff and all of the attention from maids and such was the best life I could have. But, when that demon got you, I was afraid you’d Forget me and it really woke me up. You are more important to me than any of these things.” Mich held her close. “It’s as if I had this emptiness inside that I never knew was there, until you came; then it wasn’t empty anymore.”
Nola felt so much love in his tender arms that she knew she'd never want to leave him. Their love was a sweet one that neither time nor distance could tarnish. But she suspected she would have to leave him. When all this was over, if she still lived, she would have to return home, and he could not accompany her. That hurt her beyond words.
Nola looked at him and tried to say what her heart was feeling, but she couldn’t find the words. There was nothing she could think to say that could describe her feelings of joy and sadness.
Mich gently held her face and brushed her lips with his own. They kissed more deeply and fell on the bed together. They spent the entire evening holding each other closely. They both knew that if they stuck together, things would work out fine.
The two of them rested quietly most of the night. Though they were not fully asleep, their senses were numbed somewhat, due to the lack of motion and good circulation. They were tired. And the matter of sex had no importance; that wasn’t what had drawn them to each other. So Nola’s main fear had disappeared the moment her love was realized.
Yet despite this, it wasn’t perfect. Normally a long night of rest did Nola a world of good. But for some reason, tonight was different. She lay still with her eyes closed, trying to think of all the things that could happen to mess up her efforts. With the realization of her power had come also the realization of her responsibility, and that was an awesome burden to adjust to.
Just before dawn, the next morning, Nola felt a sharp little prick on the side of her throat. Her hand shot up and smacked it, thinking that it was probably a bug.
She brought her hand before her eyes. As the bleariness cleared, she saw red blood on her fingers. As her sight cleared further, she saw what stood at the foot of the bed. It was Reility.
He stood there staring, black eyes glinting evilly. In one hand was a razor jag, and the other grasped a strap of leather that had been cut. Her cross dangled and turned at its end. Its pallid dreamstone sparkled as it caught the early morning light.
Nola’s voice was caught in her throat. She couldn’t move or even breathe as she stared back at him. She wished Mich would wake up, but he rested silently beside her, not stirring. There was probably a spell keeping him unaware.
She watched the evil creature as he moved to her side of the bed. He leaned his hideous face next to hers until his gross lips were moving against her ear. He spoke in such a low whisper that she could barely hear his words.
“Fool! Did you really think you’d win? This world will die. Your world will die. Your friends will die. You will die.”
Not saying another word, he turned and disappeared. The Fren traveled so quickly that they were simply a blur, then nothing.
She sat in the growing light, unable to grasp the severity of the situation. Soon, her lungs could take no more and her breath pushed past her lips in a rush.
At that moment, Spirit’s demanding whinny sounded shrill in her ears as it floated through the open window from below. Spirit had felt her sudden anguish as if it were his own.
Mich bolted upright, looking wildly around. He saw Nola’s throat and the scratch that still oozed blood. Then he saw her face and eyes. What he read there sent chills up his spine. “Nola?” He touched her shoulder.
She turned and looked at him, tears filling her eyes. “I—I—I lost it. Oh, my God, I lost it!” she cried, throwing he
r arms around him.
“What’s going on?” Tina asked, stepping through the door. “I heard those damn horses screaming like they’d gone crazy!”
Mich glanced at her through Nola’s hair. “Something happened to Nola. Something awful.”
Nola’s mind whirled as she tried to explain, through her sobs, what had occurred. She had tried so hard, and now they were all going to die. It was all her fault. She should have known better than to display her cross to everyone. It should have been as well guarded as the Kahh.
“So he took your cross, huh?” Tina asked. “That bites! Whad’re we gonna do now?” She threw her hands in the air and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry, guys, but I figured we’d be safe here,” Nola sniffed.
Tina patted her arm. “It’s okay, girlie. This is as new to you as it is to me. We just dunno what to expect.”
Mich nodded his agreement. He released Nola and dried her tears. “You know, we are not going to be safe anywhere we go. Reility obviously knows what our plans are and he will do anything he can to stop us. I feel lucky that he didn’t try to kill you.”
“Why should he?” Nola asked. “He has my cross. I’m no threat to him now.”
“That’s not true!” Tina said. “We are a smart group and if we organize ourselves right, I’m sure we can take it back. My grandpa always said, ‘Never say never!’ and he wuz right!”
“Take it back? Are you crazy? What if he kills us? All hope will be lost.”
“Tina’s right,” Mich said, sitting a bit straighter. “There’s got to be a way, somehow. This world is based on faith. If we lose ours . . .”
“I get the point.” Nola stood and looked out the window. The sun was almost visible over the treeline. From up here, she could see a great deal of the land around the castle. Most of the forest remained, yet the mountains seemed smaller and blacker. Their once snow-covered peaks loomed blunt and dark.