© 2012 Obert Skye.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain®. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain.
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Shadow Mountain®. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of Shadow Mountain.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, places, and incidents in it are the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skye, Obert.
Geth and the deception of dreams / Obert Skye.
pages cm — (Beyond Foo ; book 2)
Summary: Beyond the borders of Foo lies the land of Zendor—a place where dreams are held captive with little thought for hope, but now Clover and Geth are determined to change that.
ISBN 978-1-60908-896-5 (hardbound : alk. paper)
1. Fantasy fiction. [1. Dreams—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction.
3. Voyages and travels—Fiction.] I. Title. II. Series: Skye, Obert. Beyond Foo ; book 2.
PZ7.S62877Gc 2012
[Fic]—dc23 2012023504
Printed in the United States of America
Publishers Printing, Salt Lake City, UT
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
Tangled Up
Not Better Payt Than Never
When One Door Opens
Run Carefully
Children of the Torn
Drop It Like It's Hot
Wet Behind the Ears
Blink Twice if You're Scared
Pulled Apart and Torn Asunder
Smell of Smoke
Caught Off Guard
Questions and Answers
Daylight Fading
Hope Is Like the Wind
Perfection at a Price
Amber Waves of Sane
Sometimes a Chapter Heading Is Just a Chapter Heading
Take a Long, Deep Breath
Boxed In, Closed Up, Pushed Out
Darkness Ascends
Urgency
Chapter One
Tangled Up
The blackness cinched up its belt and forced the breath out of Geth and Clover like a pair of tight pants after a large dinner. Clover breathed out quickly through his small nose and then let air slowly seep back into his lungs. “It’s so dark,” he whispered. “I can barely breathe. Listen.” He breathed a few deep, labored breaths to prove his point.
“You’re fine,” Geth insisted. “Besides, dark has nothing to do with the oxygen levels.”
“Tell that to my lungs,” Clover argued.
Geth held his unconscious brother, Zale, in his arms like he was some sort of spineless bride. His brother was still unconscious from the hit Geth had administered when they left the castle minutes ago. Zale’s body was small and light, the years he had spent sitting alone in prison having left him with the physique of a bony rag doll. His long, black beard was one of the weightier parts of his body. Geth shifted Zale up over his right shoulder.
“Ouch!” Clover wailed. “Your brother’s limp arm slapped me.”
“Blame him when he comes to,” Geth said. “But for now, be quiet.”
“I didn’t ask to be hit,” Clover pointed out.
“Quiet,” Geth repeated. “There are things out here that can hit much harder than that.”
It was pitch-black, but even in the dark it was easy to see that Geth’s personality had become more intense than ever. Clover could hear the added strength in Geth’s words and the quick, passionate way that Geth spoke. Payt’s voice had fired up Geth’s brain, creating drive and fight in ways that even Ezra would have been impressed by.
“I was just saying that—”
“Quiet,” Geth ordered.
Geth and Clover had moved slowly through the gardens outside Pencilbottom Castle, feeling their way forward. Geth’s legs were scratched and marred from all the thornbushes and walls he had hit up against, but they were making decent time despite the dark.
“I still have a glow stone,” Clover reminded Geth. “We could use that to see where we’re going.”
“Not yet,” Geth whispered. “We need to get farther from the castle. There’s someone out here that I’d rather not see at the moment.”
“Who?” Clover asked.
“Shhh,” Geth begged.
They passed through the small wall in front of the castle heading down the cobblestone road. They were moving toward the vacant houses and shops Geth had helped set fire to the night before.
The small, empty town that surrounded Pencil-bottom Castle was called Finis. In the past it had housed hundreds, but as Payt had cruelly taken over the realm of Zendor and built a massive wall circling the town, beings had either fled or been turned into boors.
The air in Finis still smelled like smoke from the damage Geth and the Tangle had done. Geth bumped into a wooden post that had once been a streetlight. He moved around the pole, took two steps, and ran into the side of a stone wall. He lifted his arms and felt the bottom of an open window.
Geth inched his way along the side of the building.
“It smells burnt here,” Clover observed.
“Seriously,” Geth whispered, “it’s important that you keep quiet, now more than ever.”
“But it makes me hungry,” Clover added softly, slow as usual to heed instruction. “Not the being quiet part, the smoke part. Besides, who’s going to hear us, anyway? Nobody can see us, and that Payt guy probably thinks you were eaten by those smelly dogs.”
“I’m not keeping quiet for Payt’s sake,” Geth said. “I’m keeping quiet because I’d like to get Zale somewhere safe before we run into . . .”
Geth stopped talking and moving.
“Honestly,” Clover complained. “You have a real problem with finishing your sentences. I always have the courtesy to . . .”
Clover stopped speaking.
The sound of something moving toward them could be heard in the distance. They held their breath and opened their ears as wide as they could. Like a radio slowly being turned up, a low growl filled the air.
“What direction is that coming from?” Geth asked calmly.
“From behind you!” Clover said. “No, from in front! I can’t tell!”
Geth shifted Zale to his other shoulder and stood up as tall as he could. The low growl was now accompanied by a rhythmic click of feet stamping closer.
“Keep invisible,” Geth ordered Clover. “The last time I messed with this thing, it bested me. We’ll need one of us to remain free, so keep still and quiet.”
Geth stood stiffly as the noise grew louder—the Tangle was coming. There was no point in running because Geth couldn’t see two inches in front of himself.
The noise grew louder and louder until the sound of heavy hooves could be heard just to the right of them. The beast stomped and snorted, sending small flecks of spit onto Geth, Clover, and Zale.
The Tangle grunted and hollered. The beast threw its tail down and hammered at the stone road violently, making it sound like they were standing in the world’s darkest and m
ost frightening destruction site.
The beast roared loudly and then moaned. Warm air from its massive lungs drifted around Geth’s head. Geth kept his place, not moving at all. There was a swishing sound and the noise of something moving away. After at least a minute there was still no sound. Clover couldn’t handle the silence any longer.
“What was—”
A massive roar ripped through the dark as the Tangle bellowed. The beast blew fire up into the sky and instantly lit up the scene. The Tangle had moved back, but it was still only a dozen feet away. Geth stood there with Zale over his left shoulder and an invisible sycophant on his right. Whereas most men and women might have simply passed out from fear, Geth smiled like it was Christmas and someone had just given him the gift of potential danger.
“We meet again,” Geth said lustily.
The Tangle blew fire to the left and lit up the top of the wooden streetlight. The fire gave the scene a sinister, flickering glow.
“I won’t be as kind as I was before,” Geth warned.
The Tangle stood in front of Geth. It was a good two feet taller than the lithen, with large, curved horns that grew from the sides of its head. Its big eyes shone with pupils the size and color of silver dollars. The creature’s nose and mouth jutted out, giving it a doglike snout. It had a bare chest and large arms that rippled with muscles the size of watermelons. Its massive legs were covered with fur, and it stood on two hooves as it slowly lifted its long, thick tail and swatted it down against the cobblestoned street. It looked like some sort of mythical ox-lizard-bear-dog.
As if the Tangle weren’t ugly enough, things were about to get even uglier.
Chapter Two
Not Better Payt Than Never
Payt stepped out from behind the beast. He was wearing a smile and a short, black robe over tights and pointed shoes. Payt had a small crown on his head and held a short scepter in his right hand. He raised the scepter up and spoke directly to the Tangle, manipulating his voice to control the beast.
“Hold still.”
The Tangle grew silent and settled where it stood. The scene was quiet and serene, with nothing but the sound of fire crackling sharply in the night.
“So you escaped,” Payt sneered. “Big deal. And I see you took your brother—so what? You will never make it out of here alive.”
Payt had meant it to be a threat, but Geth didn’t cower. Instead, he stepped closer. Geth’s blue eyes were half closed, and the right corner of his mouth twisted upward in a smile.
“If I were a wagering man, I’d bet you were wrong about that,” Geth said passionately. “Of course, we lithens don’t see much value in wagering. Fate knows what’s coming.”
“My voice will keep you still,” Payt said, modulating his voice to have an effect on Geth. “Your lithen blood can’t protect you. Look what I’ve done to your brother.”
Payt’s voice controlled many in Zendor, but there were some who didn’t feel its power. Geth’s brain had been slightly touched by it, but not in the way that Payt had wanted.
Geth moved closer to Payt.
Payt had been in Zendor for years, but he still looked like the young man who had been first snatched in. His face was clean shaven and his blond hair and green eyes gave him the appearance of a young kid dressing up and playing king. As Geth moved closer, Payt squared his shoulders and stood as tall as he could.
“You know how this works,” Payt tried to reason. “It doesn’t have to be difficult. You work for me, and I’ll reward you in ways you never dreamed of.”
“Don’t mention dreams,” Geth spat.
Payt flinched.
“You have no right,” Geth contined. “This realm has cowered as you have captured and killed every dream you could. I’m taking my brother and will return as soon as I can to defeat you and every boor who fights with you.”
Payt laughed.
“Of course, you can always just surrender now,” Geth suggested. “It would save a lot of lives.”
Payt laughed again. “What do I care about others’ lives? This is a stupid conversation. You are one man with a crazy brother over your shoulder and some out-of-control stuffed animal, wherever he is.”
Clover booed from atop Geth’s left shoulder.
“You don’t even belong here,” Payt argued. “This isn’t Foo, Geth. This is Zendor, and I rule it.”
“Not for long,” Geth warned.
“Yes, for longest,” Payt said immaturely.
“We’ll see,” Geth replied calmly.
“We’re already seeing,” Payt cried. “You can’t talk like that here in my world. You can’t talk like that to me. This is my land, my kingdom, I’m king.”
“Where’s Eve?” Geth asked.
“My soon-to-be wife is at the castle,” Payt said, sounding small. “She made the mistake of going after you in Foo, but I will still reward her with my love.”
Clover made a vomiting noise.
Geth was quiet for a moment and then spoke. “So, are you done?”
Payt stomped his feet.
“You rule over a bunch of lifeless dolts,” Geth pointed out. “You’re forcing Eve to marry you because if her mind were her own she would kill you herself. The rest of your subjects hide from you. Yeah, you’re quite the ruler.”
“Insubordinate!” Payt raged, turning to face the Tangle. “Destroy him!”
The Tangle suddenly came back alive, looking like a volcano that had just been turned on. It stamped its hooves and blew fire up into the dark night.
“Watch me rule!” Payt hollered.
Geth turned to run, but the Tangle whipped its tail around so quickly that it flicked his legs out from under him and sent him flying to the ground. Geth let go of his brother and pushed him sideways. Zale rolled over the cobblestone street and up against the side of a vacant storefront while Geth lay sprawled out on the street.
Payt stepped up to Geth.
The Tangle roared as Payt stood over Geth with a long steel sword. The wannabe king lifted the sword above his head and stared down at Geth.
“You shouldn’t make me mad,” Payt yelled. “I’m addicted to getting even.”
“What a stupid addiction,” Geth mocked.
Payt moved to thrust the sword down, but as he did so, Clover leapt up off the ground and shot directly toward Payt. Still invisible, Clover swiped at Payt’s face with his long, recently acquired claws.
Payt screamed, sounding more like the queen than the king. He dropped the sword. His face now had five deep claw marks running diagonally across it. The marks began to ooze blood. Payt yelled, waving his arms around like a fleshy windmill.
Clover jumped away and into the safety of the dark.
Geth shot back up onto his feet and barreled into the shrieking king. The two of them flew across the street and hit down against the ground with a hollow smack. Payt made a noise similar to that of a massive balloon popping and then just lay there out cold.
Geth got up and turned around just as the Tangle was reaching for him. Geth darted to the right and weaved up and around the beast. He jumped on the back of the creature, trying desperately to wound or slow the beast in any way possible.
Clover climbed up Geth’s back and began swiping at the Tangle’s shoulders with his claws. The beast’s skin was so thick that Clover’s claws barely caused it any pain.
“I can’t cut it,” an invisible Clover yelled. “It’s too thick!”
“Go for its eyes!” Geth yelled back as he continued to beat and pound at the back of the beast.
“That seems a little gruesome!” Clover yelled.
“Then ask it nicely to stop,” Geth said sarcastically.
Clover materialized near the right ear of the beast and screamed something about everyone just getting along.
The Tangle turned to snap at Clover, but the
moment it caught sight of the small, furry sycophant, it stopped moving. It stood frozen, its large eyes fixed on Clover. The beast was breathing hard, but its massive arms were hanging by its sides and its body had gone from fighting mad to limp and relaxed.
“There, that’s better, I think,” Clover said nervously.
The Tangle just stared at him.
Clover hopped down from the shoulder of the beast and stood in front of it. The Tangle followed Clover’s every move with his silver eyes.
“Is this a good or bad thing?” Clover asked Geth.
“It’s an interesting thing.” Geth dropped off the back of the beast and slowly came around to where Clover was standing. The Tangle didn’t even notice Geth. “I think he likes you.”
“I think he’s just trying to figure out if I taste good,” Clover said. “I’d tell him I taste awful, but that’s probably not true, and you know how much I hate to lie.”
“Really?” Geth asked incredulously. “Didn’t you tell me just a couple of days ago that you were the first sycophant ever to skip?”
“The first to skip while humming,” Clover amended.
“Just go invisible,” Geth suggested.
Clover flipped the hood of his small purple robe up and vanished. The Tangle looked like someone had just stabbed it in the gut. Its eyes flashed around nervously and it opened its massive mouth to roar.
Clover materialized, and the Tangle calmed down immediately. Clover smiled and opened his eyes as wide as he could. His leaf-shaped ears fluttered as his small purple robe shimmered under the firelight. Clover was still just over a foot tall, with gray fur covering most of his body. He had no tail and moved and walked much more like a human than a cat-monkey-squirrel, which was what he looked like.
“I don’t understand,” Clover said as the Tangle stared at him. “I’m not that charming.”