He grinned, sat up and stretched slowly. “So, we’re still here.”
“Looks like it.”
“So,” he leaned towards me, “what do you want to do today? Besides staring at me, I mean.”
Suddenly he was too close. I stood up and went over to the window, pretending I wanted to look out when I really just wanted to move away from him. It was like the sadness had worn off for him. But not for me. Where was the High King? He couldn’t really die, could he?
Blaze’s teasing annoyed me because I wasn’t in the mood for it and also… well… I really did like watching him. Which infuriated me on some level because I didn’t want to like it. What was it that made me always dream of him? “I don’t know, Blaze. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. But yesterday was kind of a drag so let’s do something fun.”
Kind of a drag? After the High King saved your life and this whole realm, that’s all you can say? But I didn’t bother saying it out loud. “Okay. Let’s explore the village,” I suggested.
“Ooo…Can we? That sounds like fun.” I looked over at Blaze. He was leaning back on the couch but giving me his full attention.
Was he trying to put the moves on me? This was just really, really not the time. Maybe he did try to annoy me on purpose. “Well, let’s just go outside and we’ll see if we can find something to do.” I headed to the door.
He sprang up, reached the door first and held it open for me. “Ladies first,” he cooed. I had to brush past him in the narrow opening. Feeling irritated, I also felt myself blushing. I hurried out into the street, hoping he hadn’t noticed. I was supposed to treat him with respect. But it was going to be seriously difficult if he kept this behavior up.
I walked towards the ocean. The sound of the waves called to me. I just can’t accept that the High King is dead. It’s like I’m waiting for him to come back. Bryce walked beside me. Our hands touched. I moved over a little so we were walking farther apart.
When we got to the shore, the little girl was there with her father.
“Hello,” she said brightly. “We’re going fishing. Do you want to come along?”
I looked over at her father who was organizing the fishing gear. “Would that be alright?” I asked.
“Of course. We’d welcome the help.”
I heard Blaze sigh behind me. Guess it wasn’t his idea of fun but helping sounded great to me. Blaze and I carried their gear onto their fishing boat and we were off, cutting through the waves. I loved the smell of the salty, moist air and the feel of the droplets that landed on my skin. The morning’s fishing passed quickly. Turned out I loved fishing. At least in dreams. Blaze smiled at me a lot. We caught more fish than the girl’s father had expected. At lunchtime, he brought the boat back into the harbor and invited us to his house for lunch.
We agreed and set out with him to his house, each carrying a large basket of fish. While the family prepared some lunch, Blaze and I sat on a bench in their front yard.
“Are we having fun yet?” Blaze asked.
I laughed. “I’m having fun.”
“Yeah, I guess it was okay. Certainly better than a dragon attack.” His hand closed around mine and I didn’t pull away. He smiled, looking out over the yard.
Lunch was good and, afterwards, we learned how to clean and smoke fish. Which wasn’t great but I liked to help and be productive – even if it was only in a dream. Blaze was a good sport about everything and stayed near me. But he wasn’t coming on so strong anymore. This dream-Blaze I liked. He seemed…nice.
“Daddy, Daddy!” The little girl came running into the backyard where we were smoking the fish. “They found the dragon washed up on the beach!”
“The dragon!” her father exclaimed.
“It’s dead,” she said happily. “They’re going to burn its rotting corpse.”
“Burn it!” I turned to look at Blaze who was looking at me and wiping his hands on a cloth. “But what if he’s not dead?!” Panic was beginning to rise inside me.
“Oh, the dragon’s dead. I’m sure. I saw it myself,” said the girl.
I turned and ran for the ocean. When I reached the shore, I saw the crowd gathered on the beach. The crumpled form of the dragon had been dragged free of the water. The villagers were laying logs around its body.
“Wait! Don’t burn it yet!” I ran full out, skittering to a stop in the damp sand beside the dragon. I pushed wood out of the way so that I could see the hide of the beast. The metallic gleam of the scales had faded. I touched it and some of the large scales came off on my hand.
“The High King is inside the dragon,” I announced to the startled townsfolk. Some gasped. Others backed away, shaking their heads. “It’s true. When the High King was fighting the dragon, to save us, the dragon swallowed him up.”
“That knocks the wind right out of me.” A woman put her hand on her ample girth.
“It’s too bad it didn’t swallow up the regent instead,” said a man.
“Yes,” agreed the woman. “That man was a fraud. No one was sad to see him go.”
“I wonder whatever became of him,” the man replied.
“I don’t know,” the woman responded. “But to lose the High King…that’s such a terrible shame. Everyone knows that the High King was the only hope for all the world.”
Many of the woman and children were weeping. Some of the men too. Then I saw Blaze standing beside me. He held the king’s sword, dull and lifeless in his hands. He was looking chagrined at the townsfolk’s words. They wished he were dead instead of the High King. But it had been the High King’s choice to save Blaze. His eyes met mine. There was pain in his eyes.
“Here. I brought you this.” Blaze held the sword out to me. He must have gone back to the High King’s house to get it.
“Thank you.” I took the sword and the blue fire inside it re-ignited. I looked the body of the dragon up and down, trying to figure out how I could open it up. I had to see if the High King was still inside. The sword sprang to action on its own, tugging my hand and arm with it. At the motion, a long, neat slice opened in the beast’s gut, in a line parallel to the ground, near the sand.
“Nice cut,” said Blaze. “You must have been great at the dissections in Bio.”
Ignoring his comment, I dropped the sword into the sand. “Can you help me push the dragon over so we can see inside?”
Blaze and I pushed against the beast. Finally, some of the men in the crowd came over and pushed too. The carcass rolled so the gut was fully exposed. The slice that the sword had made ripped open, spilling out intestines and the contents of the stomach.
I screamed and stumbled back. A corpse. The charred body of the High King had been dissolved by dragon stomach acid, almost beyond recognition. The crowd recoiled too.
“Let’s burn it all,” said a man.
“But that’s the High King,” I whispered.
“There’s nothing anyone can do for him now,” the man replied.
Bowing my head, I wept into my hands. I had been just so sure that it couldn’t be true – that the High King couldn’t really be dead. But he was dead.
They piled up logs and driftwood until I couldn’t see him anymore. It was evening when they lit the fire. Flames licked up into the sky as the light of the sun faded. The fire burned all night. I sat on the beach, watching, as did many of the villagers. Blaze sat beside me, his arm around my shoulder. I didn’t remember him putting it there but I didn’t move away. His comfort was like a Band-Aid on a fatal wound. I watched the flames dance until the grey light of predawn filled the sky.
Just as a sliver of the sun appeared above the horizon, the smoldering fire exploded in a shower of white flames. I gasped and stood up, brushing sparks from my clothing.
Blaze stood too but his eyes were fixed on the flames. I followed his gaze.
A man was walking out of the fire, coming towards us. He was backlit by the light of the rising sun and, yet, his face was not in shad
ow. The sword, lying on the sand beside me, hummed to life.
“The High King!” I fell to my knees as tears streamed down my face. Blaze fell to his knees too, his eyes wide with wonder.
The High King stopped in front of us and smiled. He looked just like he had at the castle, in flowing royal robes. There was not a trace of a burn on him. Not even the smell of smoke.
“You’re not dead anymore.” My voice quavered through the tears.
“No. Not anymore.”
“But…we saw you die… and we saw your corpse,” stammered Blaze.
“Yes. You did.” The High King put his hand gently on Blaze’s head. “Blaze…you can believe in me. You can trust me. I won’t leave you alone.” Blaze blinked and I saw tears in his eyes.
But then the High King looked at me. “My Princess.” He shifted his hand to my head. “You don’t have to be afraid. I have a good plan.” Then he put his hand out so that I would pass him his sword. I handed it to him and he sheathed it. Then he held out his hand for mine. I reached up to him and he pulled me to my feet. Then he turned and pulled Blaze up too.
“I have other matters I must attend to now. But I will see you both again. Soon.” We watched him walk away into the village.
I turned to Blaze. “That was so amazing! Can you believe it?!”
Blaze crossed his arms over his chest, a serious expression on his face. “Well, since this is just a dream, anything could happen, right? So it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s not a real miracle or anything. Just a dream.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, mirroring him. “Why do you always have to be like this? Even if it is just a dream.”
Bryce dropped his arms and shrugged. He began to fade from view. “Wait,” he called. “Wait…” He became clearer again and stepped closer. “I’m sorry. I’m just being stupid because…that’s not even what I really think.”
“What do you really think?” I whispered.
Blaze was standing so close. “I’m thinking these dreams mean something,” he confessed. “It’s crazy, making life decisions based on your dreams. But…that’s what I’ve been doing. I don’t know why but…” His eyes met mine. “They seem real. Or something more than real.”
“I feel like these dreams are important, too.” Of course my dream characters echo my thoughts and feelings. I didn’t think the real Blaze ever would really act or think like this. But I felt happy anyway. And I couldn’t help gazing up into dream-Blaze’s eyes. His nearness caused something inside me to flutter. I must be lonely. Maybe I should find some real guy to take an interest in…
Blaze reached out and took my hand. “Thanks for being kind to me today.” We shook hands awkwardly but I knew he needed more, and so did I, even if it was only in a dream. Still holding his hand, I pulled him into an embrace. I leaned my head sideways against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. It was nice. We clung to each other for a long time.
***
When I woke up in the clinic, I was smiling. That was the best dream yet! It certainly must have helped people to see the truth about the High King. No matter what happened from here on out, being a Dreamer had been worth it.
Chapter 13 – Fight!
The happy feeling from the dream I’d had the night before didn’t last. I knew I was spending too much time alone but I just didn’t feel like putting in the effort to try to make some friends. The only activities I did, where I actually saw other people, were eating out and shopping.
With a sigh, I lay down on the bed. The white ceiling and walls made me feel sad, all of a sudden. This place didn’t usually make me feel down. Maybe I was getting tired of doing this. But I didn’t see any other viable options at this point, certainly nothing I wanted to do more. The austere room was kind of like my life. It was a blank. Nothing fun. Nothing special. Nothing. I had no connections to anyone in real life anymore. It made me sad that I couldn’t reconcile with my mother. I had forgiven her but she wasn’t interested in a deeper relationship with me. The sting of rejection still hurt, even though I was an adult now. I closed my eyes and tried to stop thinking. Nothing for it, I guess, if the other person won’t reconcile. I had the High King. And I had the work that I was doing for him by being a Dreamer. That would have to be enough, at least for now.
***
I found myself in a cafeteria. Information came to my mind that a community of us all lived together in a large compound by the sea.
A young boy rushed past my table and shouted, “A kraken is in the compound!”
I smiled. Children had such wild imaginations! Or else he was trying to prank me. Krakens didn’t come out onto land. There was not a kraken in the compound. I looked around to see if the boy was still in the room. But I was alone in the dining hall. I heard a strange sound. Fear rose up inside me but I suppressed it. Probably the next stage of the child’s prank.
Slimy sounds got louder and I glanced behind me. A kraken! My mouth fell open in shock. For a moment, I was frozen in place by fear. It was huge! The beast was purple on top and whitish underneath, where the suckers were. It was like a huge sea squid with a beak in the front and enormous eyes above the beak. And it was almost on top of me! A scream tore from my throat as I leapt up and sprinted down the hall. The kraken shuffled after me, chasing me. Terrified, I ran and ran. Seeing an empty room with an open door, I threw myself inside, skidding to a stop in the closet. Silently, I closed the closet door, scrunching down into one corner and covering myself with discarded clothing. Wet squishing sounds came from the hallway. I tried to breathe quietly. I knew I had been far enough ahead that the creature had not seen me dash into this room.
“I see you. I’m coming for you,” rumbled the kraken.
I stayed as still as I could in the closet. It must be lying. There was no way it could see me. I felt something brush against my shoulder. I looked up. It was the tip of the kraken’s tentacle. It was reaching in through the air vent at the back of the closet. All I could see through the grate was one of its huge eyes. I screamed, flung open the closet door and bolted from the room. I dodged the huge beast in the hallway and made for the exit.
“Run!” I screamed as I passed people in the hallway. Panic set in. All around me people were shouting and running for the doors.
Outside, the people gathered together in a clump. There were whole families living in this compound, even children. We had to defend the little ones. We had to fight the kraken! The women gathered the children together and pushed them behind the group, away from the door.
One of the women turned to me and asked, “What’s going on?”
“A kraken,” I said. “It got inside the building somehow.”
A man opened the door of a black van. “It won’t be a problem,” said the man. “We have weapons. We’ve fought kraken before. Here.” He pulled a cylinder from a box in the van. “A shot from this weapon will paralyze the kraken while we move in and finish it off.”
“I need to help, too,” I said.
The man nodded. He gave one of the futuristic weapons to me.
“Make sure all the children are behind us!” shouted the man. He passed out all the cylinders. We were ready. Soon the kraken emerged from the building. It looked even bigger than before as it slithered towards us.
“Steady, Lads,” said one of the men. “On my mark.”
When the kraken was about 20 meters away, the man shouted, “Now!” We all pressed the cylinders. The kraken didn’t even pause. Nothing happened. In the silence that followed, all that could be heard was the kraken sliding towards us.
“That’s not a natural kraken,” the man beside me whispered.
Cara, you are mine and I am yours. Just as you once had my sword, you now have, at all times, my power and authority. Never back down from evil. Fight and win! Then, all of a sudden, in my heart, I knew what I was supposed to do. I stepped towards the beast.
“By the power of the High King,” I shouted, “I declare to you, kraken, you are dead!” It qui
vered. I pointed at the kraken and shouted again. “By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead!” The beast stopped and looked at me with bulbous eyes. My heart soared with relief. Yes! It’s working! Again I shouted, “By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead!” The creature tried to get away. It shuffled towards the black van. Then it went in, compressing itself into the vehicle, trying to hide. It was working! I closed my eyes and shouted again and again. “By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead! By the power of the High King, I declare to you, kraken, you are dead!”
Finally, the man beside me nudged me with his elbow. “I think you got it.”
I opened my eyes. The kraken lay motionless, its large eyes devoid of life. Even as I watched, it was breaking down into slime and oozing out of the van.
***
I woke up feeling victorious. The depression of the previous evening was gone. I didn’t have to be afraid. My heart soared.
Cara, just as I have fought, so you must fight. Though the battle is won, the war is not over yet. You have my power and authority. Never back down from evil. Fight and win! I blinked. Fight the kraken! I had heard the words in my head and my heart but it wasn’t part of the dream. The High King wanted me to fight! If only I knew what he meant…But, surely, he would teach me what to do and how to do it when the time came.
Chapter 14 – Alien Change
Creatures surrounded our spaceship that night. I saw their pink and blue glowing eyes through the portholes and listened with apprehension as the battered metal groaned under their attacks. I thought surely the monsters would leave at morning’s light. The alien sunrise revealed four-legged animals with black fur and facial skin of pastel pink or blue. They walked low to the ground, looking like something between a bear and a crocodile. They continued to jump and scratch at the ship. How much more could it take?