92: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
"We’re on the run and you have to go and wound your ankle?!" Doubt snapped.
When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell.
Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may.
After all...I can't fix stupid.
Previously: Two of the smartest gnomes in Clockworks City find the answer to their most important questions…
Chapter 92
There is no limit as to what we can learn. Through study, we can learn from the past. Experience can empower us to handle the present. For those who desire to learn of the future, dreams hold a subtle key.
Not all things we see, as we sleep, should be cast aside as non-consequential rubbish. It is true that the mind can play many tricks...but it can also send you messages meant to be deciphered at a later date.
“Hello?” I called out among the trees.
Heavy branches swayed in the cool spring breeze. I wasn’t entirely sure how I knew it was springtime, but I did. The sweet scent of fresh growing grass peeking up from the soil, new buds on trees, it all spoke new life to me. Even the light blue glow of the twin moons overhead gave me comfort.
There I was, standing out in the open.
No chains. No gnomes. No more pain.
But…how did I get...?
I placed a hand on my side.
The wound, where Noah’s whip had torn my flesh...the mägoweave was whole once more. Holding my breath, I pressed in firmly with my fingers, ready to flinch.
Nothing.
I pushed again, harder this time, but there was no pain.
Thank goodness.
The smiley, its bright yellow face practically glowing on the front of my shirt, was frozen in a content expression, completely inanimate.
Weird.
The sound of crickets tickled my senses. It was something I hadn’t heard in months. You just don’t hear those sounds of nature in Clockworks City, and I hadn’t realized I’d missed the sensation. I walked to the edge of tree line and looked up.
Nothing about this area looked familiar.
I laughed.
Like you’d be able to tell where you are! Dork.
The sky was clear, the moons high. I could even see the flower formation of lights on Iskäri-Käläm. Erimuri was alive and bright tonight.
I grinned.
So the question was: how had I arrived at…wherever this was?
I noticed a glow in the distance. Walking up a little ridge, yellow lights flickered down the hillside.
A town? Village maybe? I didn’t actually care, so long as it wasn’t ablaze or deserted.
“Well, you’ll never know unless you start walking, Wendell,” I said aloud.
Shifting among the rocks, careful with my footing, I started my way down, focusing on the lights of the dwellings.
It was then that I noticed.
The mountains seemed so large and intimidating, now that I’d left the protection of the forest. Giant formations jutting up from the ground, tops covered in snow…glistening in the moonlight. The curtain of trees in front disguised the base of the mountains...like black fingers trying to claw at the sky.
An animal howled in the distance.
“Okay Wendell, we are walking,” Doubt gulped.
Good idea.
Walking fast and focused, going toWARDS the light sounded wise to me. My feet moved quickly, but I restrained myself from a full-fledged sprint. I mean, the last thing I wanted was to be noticed by a would-be predator, right?
Right. Of course.
It could be…hungry…on the hunt for human fast food.
Another howl.
I’d read an article once that intermittent sprinting was a very healthy exercise. Being healthy was a good choice…and I wanted to make good choices.
How did I get here?
“Just keep sprinting,” Doubt gulped.
I know, but…the last thing I remembered was being chained to a stone alter. If I was right, somewhere in the Church or temple of TGII.
“What does that matter right now?”
There was no real way to tell. I hadn’t seen anything until I awoke in that bad position, and even worse situation. It only got worse once Noah showed up. Were my friends looking for me?
My friends.
I swallowed as the third howl ripped through the silence of the night. This time it was close.
Too close.
What good was intermittently exercising, anyway? Tough guys go all out and push themselves, right?
“Yes!”
I could see the buildings better now. Fields of what looked like corn and other plants were growing tall, with barns in the distance. Lanterns ablaze outside small homes.
Shadows moved.
…and my heart skipped a beat.
“Horses,” coughed Doubt. “We’re okay.”
A dozen homes, maybe, scattered about. The rest of the landscape was fields, prairies and scattered clumps of trees.
It looked like any farm you might see back home on Earth.
Another howl.
…followed by a distant growl.
Not distant enough.
“Crap. Crap. Crap!” Doubt squealed. “You gotta R—*”
My legs took off with a life of their own.
Trying to suck in air, sweat started beading across my forehead.
Looking over my shoulder again, one of my heels landed on the edge of a flat stone. The moisture caused me to slip, throwing me off balance. I couldn’t catch myself…and tumbled forward with a grunt.
I hit the ground.
Hard.
“Argh!” I cried out. Rolling onto my back, I grabbed at my leg.
“We’re on the run and you have to go and wound your ankle?!” Doubt snapped.
The world around me seemed to hold its breath.
For several long moments I bit my lip to keep silent, trying hard to blend into the nothing that was silence.
“Get up Wendell…time to move it!”
That silence was broken by a faint hissing sound.
Scanning the ridge, there was nothing to see. Just open space at the end of the sloping hill.
Again I heard the hiss.
“Come on,” Doubt panicked, “Move it!”
Not knowing where to go or what to do, I ducked my head and tried to curl my body to mimic a stone. Wolves...or whatever beast was howling, was far scarier than a hissing snake.
...as long as it was a small snake.
“What are you DOING?!??” Doubt panicked. “Don’t mimic rocks…mimic a bird and FLY!”
Ithari pulsed through bone and muscle. Already the pain in my ankle was subsiding and I could feel the warmth washing over skin.
Would it be enough?
“Let’s find OUT!”
The farms were still a ways off…much too far to make a dash with a wounded ankle.
“So what now, genius? You don’t even know where you are...or what that thing is out…”
Hssssss. Skkrrrrrr. Skkrrrrrr. Skkrrrrrr.
It sounded like…scraping. Something large, being dragged over gravel.
Hssssss.
Crap. Crap. CRAP! Hands shaking, I held my breath. Of course it’s a huge snake! Why would it not be? I’m out here, in the middle of nowhere, all by myself, so why wouldn’t there be something big, nasty and dangerous to EAT MY FACE!??
“You know it won’t eat our face, right? IT’S GONNA SWALLOW US WHOLE!”
Not helping!
Hssssss. Skkrrrrrr. Skkrrrrrr. Skkrrrrrr.
I clenched my eyes tight. Stay calm, Wendell. Keep...calm.
This is where I would probably wet myself.
If I wasn’t such a hardcore tough guy, that is.
“No worries,” Doubt whimpered, “I did it for us.”
I wanted to breathe. I needed to breathe, but fear of being found kept my mouth closed.
Skkrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
My eyes wide, they darted back and forth, searching the shadows around me without moving my head.
I’m a rock. BE a rock.
Please go away.
Please...
I’m not even chewy!
Just skin and bones….all gristle.
I regretted all those late nights watching horror movies mom never wanted in the house. Stupid teenagers screaming and dying because they wouldn’t listen to adults. I didn’t want to be an animal pop tart.
Hssssss.
A howl in the distance cut through the night.
Hssst.
Skkrrrt. Skkrrrt. Skkrrrt. Skkrrrt. Skkrrrt. Skkrrrt.
The movements were fast and loud.
Please. Please. Please, I trembled. Don’t eat me. I don’t taste good. There has to be a nice fat...
Then I saw it.
Long shadows stretched out across the ground, fed by the moons light. Dark shapes…rising across my shoulder.
It was not a snake.
Tattered and worn, the creature dragged itself across the rocks and grass. The contours didn’t follow any recognizable form I knew, but one thing looked certain...the beast had been in a fight. Its skin, which hung loosely from its body, looked flayed. Both arms, back and belly were rent like fabric, long fibers hanging from the front.
I couldn’t help but stare as the shadow swayed, slithering away from my position and dragging its mass over the open ground. At the same time, curiosity didn’t take place of the gratitude I felt. My position had gone unnoticed.
Wendell, the rock, Dipmier was still alive.
The pain in my ankle was all but gone now, which meant I had a choice: remain on the ground, out in the open...or sprint for the homes in the distance.
Running away held a special allure to me at the moment.
The creature was still moving away and would soon reach the distant edge of the forest. Once it was out of site, I could make a dash for the lights in the distance.
The bright sign of hope.
I wondered, then, if the people who lived there would know what I’d just seen?
I stared at the slithering shadow.
Keep going, you ugly, that’s it.
One. Two. THREE!
Pushing up to my knees, I grinned. “See ya suck...”
HSSSST!
Poised silently off to my left was another creature.
It…wasn’t a wounded animal.
It was worse.
I gasped for breath, unable to inhale as I stared into the hood of my nightmares.
The empty hood.
“Jussst a boy. Jussst a CHILD.”
Trembling, my feet shuffled backwards. “No,” I choked, “You’re not real. You’re just,” but I couldn’t finish the statement.
It was swayed in front of me…the robe of charcoal blackness. Hollow, vacant holes where a face should be. Shredded sleeves in place of hands of flesh, reaching out.
“Closer child. Let ussss end your pain.”
Like a specter, it moved slowly towards me, crawling, prowling along, pausing only to stand upright. It towered over me, arms outstretched, fingers…or the cloth in their place, curled inward. The words projected into my mind chilled me to the bone.
“You made your choice, boy.”
“NO!” I screamed, my senses returning.
The robe lunged.
…but not before I arched wide, sidestepping to avoid the first attack. The swipe from fleshless claws raked air as I became a blur of motion.
Nerds do have a super power. One those of us from public school have perfected to survive bully encounters.
It’s called: FLEE
Without looking back, I took off.
There was only one place to go.
The village.
I had to warn them. .
No. My brows dropped forward.
I have to protect them.
I’d accepted this responsibility. Did it in front of others...in front of the Iskari High Council.
But I’d not accepted it for myself…for my own personal reasons.
Evan was the real hero. I knew that now. He was the one everyone actually wanted. Who Dax was there to retrieve. But they ended up with me instead.
It was time to accept that fact once and for all.
Exerting all the strength I had, I put serious distance between myself and the robe. The hissing sound faded into the background of the crickets.
“If I’m not the hero,” I huffed out loud as I sprinted, “then it’s time I learn how to be one!”
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
The words felt...good.
Powerful.
The village was close and I had no idea how much time I had before the robes would be upon them. Great, I frowned,…I’m leading the danger right to their doorsteps.
But I would need help.
Hero or not, I couldn’t do this alone.
Not yet.
I had to get everyone’s attention.
“Välo,” I barked, followed by, “Teho!” Light quickly gathered around me, blazing like a beacon, brightening the area. I held the image of my skin, glowing like the noonday sun in my mind.
“Uhhhh, Wendell?”
I hope this doesn’t hurt.
“Teho!” I shouted, again.
Light flared from the Ithari, bursting through the black fibers of my shirt.
HSSSST!
The robe fell back from the light, slowing its pace to a crawl…its arms raised to protect eyes that didn’t exist.
“HEY!” I bellowed, “WAKE UP! EVERYONE UP! YOUR VILLAGE IS UNDER ATTACK!” It wasn’t the accurate truth, but there wasn’t any time to explain. “TO ARMS!” I cried, “TO ARMS! TO ARMS!!”
I didn’t stop running until I’d reached the nearest hovel. My momentum was so great, I slammed into the front door with a loud bang.
“Who is it?” called a trembling voice from inside.
“My name is Wendell,” I replied, banging on the heavy wood with my fist. “Your village is about to be attacked by...,” I had no idea what to say. No idea what to call the things chasing me. “Demons,” was the only word that came to mind. “Open up, we need to warn everyone!”
But the door remained closed.
“Did you hear me?” I shouted again, “You’re under attack!” I glanced into the front window, but drapes covered every inch. I couldn’t see a thing.
“I heard you,” replied the voice warily, “and it is night! No torch burns that bright which means either you be the problem...or you have magic with you. If you have magic...then it is you who be the problem!”
“What?” I gasped, “Are you serious? I’m trying to warn you! So what if I’m using magic?!” It had never occurred to me that people might not be accepting when it came to magic. I’d naturally assumed that what I’d seen over the past few months was the norm? Had I been wrong? I shook the thought from my mind. There wasn’t time, and it didn’t matter right now. The robe was already at the edge of the village.
Waiting at the edge of my projected light.
The swaying motions at the edge of the light caught my attention. The thing hissed loudly at me.
The light of Ithari dimmed.
“Wait,” I squeaked, “What’s going on?”
In the gloomy distance, two more shadows converged…the faint hissing echo growing louder with each moment.
Not good.
“NOT GOOD!” Doubt concurred.
I flipped back against the door, my confidence quickly waning. “Come ON! Blast you,”I screamed frantically, “I’m trying to help!!”
“Then go away!” the voice yelled, irritated. “Best thing you can do is move along…take your problems with you, I say!”
Ithari’s light waned...and finally vanished from under the black cloth of my t-shirt.
“But there’s danger!” I pleaded.
This wasn’t working.
“People are going to get hurt, blast you! Why won’t you listen to me?” The back of my skull rested against the wood surface of the door. “Before it’s too late.”
“That’s why I’m in here and you’re still out there,” the voice chided, “You made your choice, boy.”
I lifted my head and turned sharply, eyes fixed on the door. “What...did you say?”
“I said,” repeated the voice, “you made your choice, boy!”
Flinging the door wide, the robe lunged out at me.
With a shriek, my head flipped upright, torso tugging against the chains. Like the waves of the sea, a powerful coldness washed over me, causing my body to shake violently.
“Easy there,” whispered the old gnome. He knelt at the edge of the candles, watching carefully. “It was just a dream.”
Blinking groggily, I tried to swallow.
I felt so…drained...my throat dry. The coldness had taken over bone and muscle. “W-where...” I muttered.
“You’re still here, with us,” the gnome whispered. “Noah’s gone, but he’ll be back.”
A dull ache throbbed inside my skull. A liquid fog, churning, making it hard to focus. “Why does my head hurt so...much?”
The gnome inched into the light and pointed at me. “It’s the crown of dreams,” he said. “The walls you naturally build in your mind are whittled away.”
Swallowing, “Why?” I flexed my fingers, but I couldn’t feel them.
“Because it weakens your defenses. Noah’s after information. By jumbling it about in your consciousness, it’ll be easier to take.”
I grit my teeth. “So...cold. Don’t understand why...it’s so very cold.”
Glancing over at his sleeping friend, the gnome inched closer to the ring of candles. Leaning on one hand, he reached out and grabbed the flame of a candle. The wick went out.
Smiling to himself, he rocked back onto his knees and opened his palm.
Hovering over the center of his hand, was the open flame.
“Hold perfectly still, Mr. Dipmier,” he whispered.
“Call...me Wendell.”
Closing his eyes, the gnome mouthed words in silence. Surrounding me, the remaining candles swayed…each flame leaning in an invisible wind towards the gnome. The flame in his palm intensified, turning in on itself, rolling in place. Yellow fire turned white, but it didn’t stop there. Within moments, he held a near transparent ball of heat.
Lifting his hand to his lips, the gnome blew in my direction.
Like the fragile pieces of a dandelion, the sphere of heat swirled and drifted up and around, floating over the ring of candles and down towards my shaking body. Skimming along the surface of my back, it drifted over the mägoweave, up and over my head, then, splitting in half, rolled down both arms to the shackles.
With a resounding pop, the effects were instantaneous.
Color surged into my flesh as the magical cloth and the Ithari worked together, warming my skin, bone and blood.
With a single breath, I sighed relief.
“Thank you,” I gasped, lifting my head to look at my savior.
The gnome shrugged. “Tabbermain...and I’m afraid it won’t last. Oh, don’t worry,” he added, “the shackles won’t be able to work as well, but this warmth will only last an hour or so. I suggest you gather your strength.”
I nodded. “Thank you Tabbermain.” I curled my fists. “Can you get these things off me?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. We made them too well.”
I blinked. “You...made these shackles?”
“The shackles, chains, even enchanted the door to get out. The three of us did,” he said, nodding to the sleeping gnomes. “Didn’t have much choice.”
I grunted. “We always have a choice.”
“Do you have children?” Tabbermain asked pointedly.
“What?”
“Children. I asked if you have any children, Wendell?”
“No, I don’t.”
The kind face turned stern. “Well we do. All of us. Grandchildren too. So until you have tiny lives depending on you for their survival, don’t tell me about choices.”
“Right,” I said. Then softer, “That was very inconsiderate of me. I’m sorry.” Then, “Thank you for the help.”
The old gnome collapsed back into the straw and leaned against the stone wall. “Just don’t mention it to these two. They’re likely to be irked that I went against Noah’s plans.” Averting his gaze, Tabbermain picked out strands of straw and broke them into pieces. “He’s a wicked-cruel gnome, that one is. Not right in the head.”
I stretched, rolling my shoulders, and flinched. “Ouch.” The warmth of Ithari pulsed through my skin, numbing some of the pain from the wounds, but it still hurt. “I should have healed,” I whispered.
“Another aspect of the artifacts he’s using. The chains prevent you from using magic, especially healing. The whip manifests a poison that attacks healing magic.” Leaning forward, Tabbermain cocked his head to one side. “Is it true? You’re the Gnolaum? As in...you have the gem...in your chest?”
I nodded. “Drilled herself right through my ribcage.”
The gnome’s ears wiggled as bushy eyebrows popped up. “You’re not serious!”
“Oh, I am very serious. Hurt worse than...well, let me put it to you this way: This job is to die for.”
You were not dead, Wendell.
The tingle in my chest made me smile. “Well...almost, anyway.”
“Wow,” gasped Tabbermain, “I don’t think that would be an experience I’d want to have, myself.”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly something I got to choo....,” I paused. “Never mind.”
“He won’t stop, you know.” The look was one of resignation. “Noah.”
I pulled at the shackles, trying to lower my head towards my hands. If I could just pull the ringlet off my head.
Grrrr.
It was no use. The chains held me firmly in place, arms outstretched.
Blast.
“What does he want so badly that he’d hurt his own people?” I asked.
Tabbermain remained silent.
I stopped struggling and stared at the gnome. “You know, don’t you?”
“Don’t you tell him a thing.”
Tabbermain shifted away from his waking friend. “I didn’t.”
“Tell me what?” I prodded.
“That if we don’t kick yer hide off the island, you’ll ruin life for everybody,” replied the third gnome.
“Doddle!”
Tabbermain sighed. “It’s too late, Vin.”
“No it’s not,” replied Doddle innocently, completely ignoring my presence. “That’s what we’re not supposed to tell him, right? So don’t tell him that! I’ll make up something. Something extra clever...like,” he looked about the cell as if he’d lost something. “Ooo! Ooo! I know!” He adjusted his thick glasses and trained his goofy grin on me. “Would you believe us if we said you were an alien, from another planet? That you got kidnapped and this was, in fact, just a really bad dream?”
I bit my lip. “Actually, I just might be willing to believe something like that.”
Doddle giggled and clapped his hands wildly like a three year old. Beaming back at his fellow gnomes, he shouted, excited. “See?! We’ll just tell him that!”
With a loud moan, Vin rolled over into the straw and went back to sleep.
Own your own copy of CHOICES
