Dreamscape: Saving Alex

Chapter Nineteen

Darkness hid our steps as we drifted through the wetlands and then back into the forest. Arrow and his men blended in, seamlessly mimicking the rustling of reeds as we traveled. Naturally, my stumbles overrode their stealth.

What I couldn't do covertly in the daytime became even more obvious at night. I trampled bushes, got stuck in branches, and tripped over every large rock or dip in the trail. The luminance powder didn't seem to help either; it just broadcast my clumsiness to the group. The darkness concealed my embarrassment and their glares. That was all right. In the night, their silence didn't seem as insulting.

My legs hurt, again. Even walking more slowly through the night, the distance wore on me. It didn't surprise me that when the sun rose over the horizon I could barely keep my eyes open or my legs moving straight. If I'd had any doubts before, this journey solidified the fact that heroism did not actually suit me.

The sun rose over the horizon, and the isolation of night diminished. I shook the few grains of luminance that had stuck to my sweaty palms into the dirt below and caught up with the group, which had stopped in a small clearing in the woods quite a bit ahead of me. They sat together, tracing designs in the ground. Now was my chance to ease back into the band.

They stared at me with unhidden contempt as I entered their circle. Any inclusion the darkness of night offered disappeared with their first look at me. Dark circles sunk their faces, amplifying their bloodshot eyes. Their matted and tangled beards overflowed with forgotten branches and displaced leaves. Each face hid a different expression, ranging from weariness to annoyance. As I looked from man to man, I recognized a common theme—they didn't trust me. Betrayal had a way of pulling the heart down, and I saw its sting.

I looked for Arrow, but he wasn't with the men. I thought about asking for him, but dismissed the idea. He couldn't be my solution. I made this mess on my own, and I would fix it. If only I knew how.

"Phew," I said, trying to catch my breath. "You guys are quick." Hunched over, I got a good look at the designs they had traced in the dirt.

They turned their gaze from me back to the ground where someone had drawn a hasty map. Lines intersected systematically on the ground in front of them, but I ignored them. What caught my attention were the two large crosses marked in the forefront of a castle.

I combed through my hair, pulling out a few thorns before I spoke. "So... when do we stop for breakfast?"

Arrow ran back to the circle and laughed at my question. "Is it always time to eat for you?"

"I have to keep my energy up!" I felt relieved to see his warm smile.

He tossed me a roll and jerky and pulled some out for the men. "I guess this is a good enough time to make our arrangements."

I dropped my bag to the ground and took my first bite. Its soft warmth had disappeared, but it still quieted my growling stomach. I waited until the other men had gotten their food and looked more closely at the map. It resembled the one I had scratched on the river's edge, but had more details.

"So this is all of Lockhorn?" I asked Arrow, taking a quick bite.

"Most of it," he said, leaning over and nodding. "Some of the smaller villages aren't there."

I saw Flourin marked with a star, the river that had taken me away from Lindle, and several estates similar in size to Baron Marix's. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed. I knew this place from deep in my core. Lockhorn finally made sense.

"So where are we going?" I asked, grabbing for another roll from the pile near the map.

"We're going here." Arrow pointed with a stick to a tree symbol below the mountains. "This is the Grove, where we'll meet up with the rest of the rebellion." Arrow dragged the stick from the first 'X' to the tree. "This is our route. We should be there by this evening as long as we don't run into any other problems."