Dream Killers - Complete Season 1 (The Dream Killers Book 3) Page 11

  “And we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t do that again.”

  I didn’t know what to do. My hands curled into fists. I wanted to yell. I wanted to hit something. “She did that for you.”

  He held his hands out and took a step back. “You’re not thinking straight, River. I didn’t ask her to do that for me. I powered the motor using the unicorn horn. I didn’t need her to do anything else.”

  He didn’t. I raked my fingers through my hair and turned away. My hands shook. My shoulders clenched. What was wrong with me?

  He came up to me and grabbed my arms. “You’ve never had family before, anyone you ever cared for. You’re not used to the worry. Don’t know what to do with it.”

  An emotion was doing this to me? It wasn’t just one, though. The thought of losing her or Bo brought a hurricane of emotions I’d never experienced before. I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths.

  “It doesn’t help matters any that she’s an empath. She’s making her emotions yours, but on top of that, you really do feel for her.”

  I bit down on my lips, staring at his shirt. What he said made sense. It was logical.

  But what happened when that unicorn horn didn’t work anymore? What happened when it became easier, more useful for him to use Zoe? She was right there. Eager. Willing.

  I couldn’t control the storm of my emotions. I needed to protect my dreamers. Both of them. I needed to keep them safe.

  “Look, River, I’m sure she just needs to sleep.”

  That’s exactly what she did for three full days.

  Bo would stare up at his bell, as if waiting for the next call. The sickness with Zoe scared me to the depths of my being. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to help her. The touch of the water, except the water in the barrels, seemed to make the sickness worse. She wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t drink.

  What if being on the Sea of Dreams was what made her worse? She said she used to do whatever she’d done for the plants in her dreamplane. They’d been hungry and feral. If she’d slept for days on end, she’d never have survived.

  I needed to get her back to the dreamplanes, and I wasn’t sure I could trust Bo to go with me, or to stay.

  I waited for him to fall asleep and hopped out of my hammock. I crouched there for a long moment to see if he’d awaken. I willed him to remain asleep.

  He didn’t stir.

  I tip-toed to the far corner and removed the heavy curtain. He didn’t even try to hide the net. I grabbed it and turned to watch him sleep. It could mean that at his heart, he was good, that he didn’t need to hide the net because he trusted the people around him to act as he would.

  Yeah. That was a good test of character, but I still couldn’t risk it. Push came to shove, he’d find a way to use a dreamer to his end. No. Not just a dreamer. He’d find a way to use Bess or Zoe.

  Growling low in my throat, I rolled up the net and stashed it in my pouch.

  Bo’s breathing startled. He shifted and then his breaths evened out again.

  I buttoned the flap of the pouch and looked at Zoe. We could take a dinghy. I rolled my eyes. First, I was stealing a net and now I was stealing a boat. What had I become?

  A protector of dreamers.

  Nodding, I went to Zoe who was fast asleep. I gathered her in my arms.

  Her eyes opened and she muttered something.

  “Shh.” I glanced at Bo on the way out. He still hadn’t moved. This might actually work. “We’re going to find some place safe. Okay?”

  She mumbled something and wrapped her arm around my neck.

  Comfort wormed its way through me and I held her closer. This was what I’d always hoped to find, this connection with another person. With Zoe, I existed. I had a reason, a purpose. I may not know what real family meant, but I was discovering it.

  I pulled on the Place next to the only skiff I knew. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the ship. There was a lot of things to remember and I’d been a little busy. The light in the sky had dimmed to its farthest extent, but that didn’t mean there were shadows to hide in. It wasn’t that dark. What few sailors were on the deck were sprawled about.

  The dinghies were tied up high.

  I closed my eyes and teleported Zoe and myself up into one. The next thing to do was to teleport the small boat with us. I took in a deep breath. It wasn’t a wagon, and it wasn’t an entire ship. I could do this.

  Before I’d had much opportunity to over-think it, the sway of the boat changed from dangling on ropes, to floating on a gentle ocean.

  I let out a long breath and grabbed the oars. Where next?

  The graveyard. Zoe said she’d survived on that plane for years. She was maybe nine, which meant she’d lived there as a young child.

  I might be able to find a safe place where Bo couldn’t follow us. I doubted Candi could track us there either.

  I flexed my hands on the oars and breathed calm. I didn’t need Bo. I didn’t need his magick ship. I could do this on my own, away from the conniving eyes of greedy men.

  The sky popped.

  Zoe made a mewling sound and the boat rocked as she sat up. She patted my knee.

  I opened my eyes.

  Hers were wide as she stared up at the sky and pointed.

  Stars and drifting dreamplanes. Lots of them.

  I lowered my eyelids, not closing them all the way. I needed to concentrate. I didn’t have Bo’s uncanny ability to take his ship from one location to another.

  Zoe gripped the plank under her butt.

  Dear dreams, help me. I just need to get up there and find a safe place to keep my dreamers. Please guide me.

  I’d never prayed before. I’d never had any reason to.

  The skiff floated.

  My eyes shot open. We hovered in an increasing distance away from the ocean waves. The once calm waters were now raging, waves rising and growing more powerful.

  The crew of Night’s Cruelty woke. Their yells reached my ears as they raced to drop sail. Bo walked out of his quarters. He appeared calm as he headed up the stairs to the helm.

  Zoe’s eyebrows rose.

  I sat back. What was done was done. I had to continue. I had to trust I was doing the right thing. I was. I knew I was.

  We rode a sparkling cloud of gold dust that emanated from Zoe’s hands. I hadn’t intended to use her like Bo had.

  Her eyes were big and round in the light of the drifting, dead dreamplanes.

  Right. I searched the planes and tried to find one that called out to me.

  One pulsed. It was tucked behind another one, and I could barely see it, but its light dimmed and brightened like a dying heart.

  I pulled on the power inside me that guided us to Zoe’s dreamplane. The other plane zoomed by us, sounds of wildlife and moaning trees reaching out to us. Its violet light reflected off Zoe’s face, making her eyes look blue.

  Her nostrils flared and her grip tightened on the plank she sat on.

  I grabbed her knee and gave it a squeeze. “Whatever happens, I will protect you.”

  She sent me a slight smile and blind faith wrapped around my heart.

  We went to the jagged edge of the dark, pulsing plane. Large tree houses filled the towering trees. The leaves were fuzzy and red. I knew these trees. I brought the dinghy to a meadow and let it fall. These trees were tricky. They were also loyal, so if there was someone living here, they would be protective.

  I searched the sky above us, but didn’t see the ocean rising to meet us, or Captain Bo’s ship. We were safe.

  But he had to know Place on some instinct. He’d been able to move Night’s Cruelty to the riverboat, following a call. And what was Place, but a call. A call that had all the information a teleporting mind would need.

  I swallowed and turned back to the landscape. I couldn’t worry about that. This plane had called to me for some reason, and I hoped it wasn’t just me trying to make connections because I felt I needed them. “Hello?”

  Nothing answer
ed. The trees didn’t even shift their red, fuzzy leaves.

  I reached out with my mind and heart. I’d been able to find Zoe because she was an empath. Right? That was the reason I could feel her emotions. It made sense. I’d watched the dreams of enough dreamers who read fantasy to know it was possible.

  A fiddle played not far away.

  I glanced down at Zoe.

  A smile lit her eyes.

  I held out my hand.

  Her smiled widened as she took it.

  Walking toward the sound of the fiddle, I reviewed the plane with all of my senses. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms weren’t standing on end. The trees weren’t moving, so they weren’t detecting any danger. I didn’t see anything else that could possibly want to attack us.

  Something moved in the undergrowth.

  I stopped, my hand hovering over the hilt of my blade.

  A pink teddy bear stumbled out of a bush. He stood on his stubby legs like a drunken man. Then, he turned and saw us. His short arms quivered and he advanced, looking more like a teddy-zombie.

  I frowned at the thing. Was it for real? I urged Zoe around it. It wasn’t like it could really put up much of a chase if we opted to run. Its legs weren’t any longer than my hand.

  The music of the fiddle continued in a merry jig, so unlike what I was used to—mournful tunes meant for the campfire. I heard someone holler. Another someone laugh.

  Were we safe? Could it be that Dreamland had directed us here for a reason? Had she answered my prayers? Well, the one had been answered by Zoe, technically, and I hadn’t officially sent any other prayers out there. Was it possible she was looking out for us, the same way she’d done for Bo by sending him to Night’s Cruelty the first days he’d been released from the sea?

  Maybe. Or perhaps this was all chance and this didn’t mean a darned thing.

  Zoe was doing better. She had a spring in her step and her cheeks glowed with color. Whatever might be going on here, the plane was good for her.

  We burst through the red-spotted undergrowth into a meadow. A young girl no older than Zoe played the fiddle and a teenaged girl danced and whooped around her.

  They stopped when we entered the clearing.

  The trees shifted toward us and muttered.

  Ah, there they were. I’d been wondering why they were so silent.

  The young girl lowered the bow. “Who are you?”

  I gave her my best smile. I was told it was quite charming. It usually worked, anyway. “I’m River. This is Zoe. She’s from a plane just a couple over.” I pointed to the sky in the rough direction I was referencing.

  The teen frowned, pushing her dark, straight hair off her face. A few fuzz leaves were tangled in with it, making it a mess. “You came from the stars?”

  Not really. “Kind of.”

  Zoe’s wings fluttered to life as she flew across the clearing and touched the fiddle.

  The younger girl offered it to her.

  Zoe motioned for her to play.

  The other girl shook her head and looked around Zoe. “I’m Harper. That’s Violet.”

  “How long have you guys been here?”

  That sobered them up. They exchanged a glance. “A few years. Best guess, five.”

  “There’s no way you’re older than nine.”

  “I’m eleven.” Harper raised her chin. “I’m just short. I haven’t grown much here. Not much to eat.”

  What did you feed a dreamer’s soul? I had no idea.

  Violet walked over to me. Her jeans were tattered and shredded in spots. “Where did you come from?”

  I waved her off. “Are there others with you?”

  “Used to be.” Violet peered up at me like a moonstruck hippy girl. “There used to be dozens of us. Now?” She shrugged.

  Harper handed Zoe her bow. “We discovered real quick that the trees don’t like us in big groups, but were okay with us in small ones.”

  Not good. “What happens when the trees are angry?”

  Harper shivered and raised her dark gaze, the light of the purple plane overhead reflecting on her carrot-red hair. “They eat us.”

  Violet’s eyes lost their focus as she turned away. “You should start playing again. We don’t want the trees to eat these two.”

  “How big a group is too big?” I asked, watching the older girl walk away like a stoner.

  “Three.” Violet touched the nearest tree. “One of you will be eaten tonight.”

  Harper gave the older girl a dark look before smiling at me. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’ll play their favorite songs while you sleep.”

  “And how do we protect you while you sleep?”

  She let out a breathy chuckle. “How well do you sing?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “We’re about to find out.” She took the bow back from Zoe and put it to the strings. “I should probably—”

  The ground shook.

  Violet stumbled.

  Zoe's eyes widened in alarm.

  Harper stopped playing.

  My arms were splayed, my knees bent. “Is that normal?”

  Harper blinked rapidly. “The ground shook once before.”

  “When was that?”

  She looked at Violet, sheer terror streaming from her expression. “The day our dustman died.”

  “THERE YOU ARE, River.” Bo broke into the clearing behind me. He reached out for Zoe. “Come on before this plane sends us all to our death like the last one.”

  I frowned at him, holding my hand in front of my dreamer. “How did you get up here?”

  His expression said I’d lost my mind. “You showed me how. I thought you wanted us to team up together. I see you got yourself into another fine mess. I’m here to help. You’re my crew now, River.”

  The ground rumbled again.

  One of his men fell into a tree. His yell was quickly cut off.

  “River, we’re out of time. Come to the ship and we’ll talk this through.”

  Except that his ship wasn’t the best place for Zoe. Well, no. Wait. Zoe had been just fine until she’d attempted to heal the riverboat. As long as Bo didn’t feel desperate enough to use her . . .

  He shook his extended hand. “River. We have to go now.”

  I took three steps toward him and stared him in the eye. “Can I trust you?”

  Something shifted in his gaze. Regret. “I’m trying to be the better man here, River. I really am. For you. For her.” He glanced over my shoulder. “For them. You need me in a way the wanderers don’t.”

  “I saw the way you looked at Zoe, like she was a treasure.”

  He crowded into my space, his hand rising, but not touching. “I look at her the same way I look at you. You’re my hope. My redemption.”

  Oh, how I’d love to believe that.

  He grabbed my arms. “You’re my family, Riv. You’re like the little brother I never had, but I can’t help you if you don’t get on my ship.”

  I bit my lips. It didn’t appear as though he was lying. “I have your other net.”

  He took a step back, his eyebrow raised. “I know. I watched you take it.” His gaze dropped to the pouch on my belt. “We’ll discuss that later as well.”

  “You realize I’m protecting the dreamers and you with them.”

  He turned away, stopped and twisted back, one hand out. “I did something to make you not trust me. I’ve spent lifetimes doing what was right for me. It’s going to take more than a few weeks for me to figure this whole morally correct thing out. Okay?”

  The world swayed again.

  I dropped into a crouch, my arms splayed. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

  “Now, if we’re done being girls?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  He gestured to the dreamers behind me. “I have safe passage.”

  Zoe took the lead, grabbing Bo’s hand in her own.

  The snarky pirate disappeared with the touch of her hand. All the wrinkles and worry lines evaporate
d as if someone had taken an eraser to his face. He smiled and patted her hand.

  Good to see she didn’t just have that effect on me.

  I gestured for Harper and Violet to walk in front of me. Harper didn’t hesitate.

  Violet thought about it for a moment, the world quaking around her. Bits of fuzz drifted in the air, settling in her hair.

  A deafening crack rent the air. The world stilled.

  Bo looked at me.

  I stared at Bo.

  The trees leaned back and yelled, the noise growing in pitch and intensity until my eardrums vibrated. Tears built in my eyes. My hands trembled. My legs wobbled like I had no bones. My insides felt like they were being shredded.

  The whites of Zoe’s eyes stared at me.

  I shooed her away, toward the ship, wherever that was.

  She tugged on Bo’s arm.

  He startled, looked down at her, back at me then led the way out, his free hand clamped over the side of his head.

  Something wet trickled out my ear.

  My right eye felt like it was going to explode. My throat constricted. I put my hand on Harper’s shoulder and pushed, my entire body fighting to remain upright. What was happening? Why would the dreamplane be reacting now?

  Because of me?

  It hadn’t started shaking until Bo showed up.

  I didn’t know what that meant. I just knew that I had to get these kids out of there.

  I grabbed Violet and shoved her after her friend. She looked wildly about, her hands out. Her lips moved.

  I couldn’t hear anything she said.

  She wasn’t talking to me anyway. She was focused on the trees.

  Harper was as well. Even though there was no way we could hear anything over the yelling trees, she had her bow to the strings. The trees heard her. As she passed, they relaxed, their voices quieting, but not by much.

  We broke through the trees and stumbled onto a beach with glittering yellow sands. The ocean waters closest to it were a dark green.

  Bo hurried his steps as the path before him cleared. We left the screaming trees behind us, though their roars overrode anything we might have wanted to say.

  The sand shivered in front of us.

  Bo skidded to a stop.

  I stopped, my arms windmilling to keep me upright.