The Dreaming: Dark Star (Book 5)

The Garden

       

Liran shook his head.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Where are the people?

And even stranger than that —it was daylight on the inside, while outside it was the black of night.

Liran wondered if the crowd could see the light, could tell if the gate had opened, but guessed not. Whatever held the sound back, probably held the light back as well.

Imorah was about to enter the narrow passageway of the opened gate, when Liran grabbed her cloak.

"Wait!" He hissed.

"Wait for what?" She looked at him like he was an idiot.

"This isn't right. Wait. I... I don't know." He was full of doubt; the lush garden, although beautiful, was alien to him. Never in his life had he seen things growing like this. It didn't seem natural.

"You're not making any sense."

Liran couldn't find the words. It just felt incredibly dangerous. With all the plants growing—anything could be hiding in there.

Why, even the ground was covered in a carpet of green and the horizon was crowded with trees—trees that were taller than anything he'd ever seen. They made his familiar wishing tree seem like a sapling in comparison. Beyond that, he could make out some even taller buildings in the distance. For the life of him he could not imagine stepping foot in this place. "Wait," he repeated.

"What do you mean, wait? We've come all this way to be here, and there's no going back." She turned to him, and seeing his face—she laughed. "Liran," she said softly.

Liran saw her looking at him and felt ashamed. "No," he said, and looked away. She didn't understand. He swallowed.

"Just say it—you're afraid."

Liran shook his head. "Yes, I'm afraid, of course I'm afraid. But it's more than that!" He struggled against himself. He should be happy. He should feel glorified to have the chance to enter into the City—something he and most people dreamed of their entire lives. But instead, he felt terrified.

"Come," she beckoned, still smiling.

Liran did not come.

"Liran," she laughed, pulling away from his grasp and skipping into the garden.

Liran tried to grab her hand, and pull her back, but she was too quick. "Fool," he muttered under his breath. He waited for something, or someone, to leap out of the bushes and grab her.

"Liran!" she exclaimed. "It's wonderful. Come!"

Liran didn't move.

She stared up into the sky. "The light in here is so very different from the desert." She inhaled deeply. "The air tastes cool and fresh!"

Liran sniffed. It did smell... different. He wouldn't call it fresh.

Imorah walked around, looking at all the plants, inspecting them. "I've never seen most of these species before," she said.

Liran frowned. He'd never seen any of them before. "Is this what it's like in the Shelter?" he asked.

She looked up. "Yeah, in the biomes. We have over ten thousand species of plant, but.... it's nothing compared to this."

Liran nodded. Of course, that's why she felt at home here.

She held out her arms. "Liran," she called. "This place is heaven. Come inside." She lay down on the green living carpet, and rolled around like a child.