The Fallen Prince Part 22

He drops to the ground in an imitation of a pile of dirty laundry. And a smelly pile at that.

"What's wrong?"

"Tired." He sends me a pathetic look. "Hungry."

It's not like I'm a callous person, but flopping down in the middle of the forest doesn't seem to be the smartest choice. "I don't think we should stop here."

He doesn't listen. Big surprise. Slowly, he inches along the ground, his ears twitching like twin radars.

I know when I'm defeated. With just a thought, I produce a tart green apple and survey our immediate area. I've got to pee. The night air isn't exactly cold, but I'm not thrilled about exposing my man parts to take a leak. In this place anything can jump out and bite you.

I stretch out on the ground, ticking away the minutes and shooting Bodog nasty looks he chooses to ignore. "When I'm done with this apple, we leave, okay?" He doesn't even acknowledge that I'm here. I take a big bite. There's no talking to Bodog when he gets an idea in his head.

I can't believe I'm being held hostage by a diminutive garbage disposal. While I munch on my apple, he scours the area for all manner of creepy-crawly things he can shove into his mouth. Like popcorn. As he eats, he plumps around the edges until he's more like the Bodog I know. Nothing is off-limits as a viable food choice, made clear when he sniffs out a dead rabbit hidden within the bushes and eats it though it's been dead for G.o.d knows how many days and smells like chunky milk and farts.

I point at him. "That's disgusting, dude. Don't even think about coming near me."

A burp ripples from his throat, soiling the air I breathe, and I toss my apple core at him. He eats that, too.

He stays an acceptable distance from me and begins to pull up chunks of gra.s.s and debris.

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. "Tell me again why we're here? Sitting. Doing nothing."

The little guy continues to dig, not giving me an answer.

"We can't stay. Jason's going to find us lollygagging around and turn all schoolyard bully on me again. I'm not interested in joining whatever payback game he's playing. I mean, I'm happy he's alive, but you tell me. Did he look happy to see me?"

Bodog finishes what I can only call a nest and burrows in until all I can see are the tips of his ears and a patch of thin hair. "Worry never solves problems," he says and yawns.

"Did you read that in a book called Sayings That Are Complete c.r.a.p? Seriously, not helpful. Do you know what would be helpful? You getting up and-"

A snore rips into the air.

"Bodog?" Another explosive inhalation rocks the ground beneath me. He's like a seismic event. Easily a 2.6 on the Richter scale.

I turn my back on him and curl into myself.

Don't worry. Right. Easy for someone to say who doesn't have a hulking wrestler out to rip his head from his body.

A little magic, and I have a leaf blanket. It's not soft, but it's something to ward off the chill. When I let my guard down, Kera's cries for help rattle my head. I try to calm her, but it's like she can't hear me.

I don't know how long I lie there imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios Kera could be going through. I debate whether or not I should contact her through my dreams, but sleeping isn't really an option. Jason is still out there. Hunting.

I don't know how he's doing it, but he's using magic and doing it well. Someone has to be helping him, and for some odd reason, he thinks killing me will make him stronger. He needs a serious reality check. Only the king of Teag can collect power that way...and me, but I don't want to think about that disturbing perk to my new status.

It's suddenly too quiet. I turn toward Bodog. He's not snoring anymore. His ears are twitching like little radars. Suddenly, he spikes into a sitting position, his eyes huge.

I rocket upright. "What?" I whisper, instantly on edge.

From out of the darkness materializes a boy, a short dagger in hand. He waves it in my direction. "First or friend?"

Bodog stands and raises his big k.n.o.bby hands. His ears twitch and his body turns glow-in-the-dark white. And why not? I've always believed nothing says nonthreatening like a vertically challenged, facially unattractive albino dude.

If ever I've met a kid who would stab me in my back while I slept, this boy is him. Messy hair, dirt-encrusted skin, ragged clothes, and a glower that could kill on contact if he had the magic to back it up, which I'm pretty sure he doesn't. And I thought I had trust issues. I'm cartoon-character friendly compared to this kid.

"Why does it have to be one or the other?"

"I ain't stupid. Drop your weapons." The kid has b.a.l.l.s, but his high-pitched command kind of ruins the scary effect.

"I don't disarm for anyone. Besides, if I want you dead, I don't need a weapon to do it. Trust me on that."

I guess he does, because he doesn't repeat his demand. "I've been following you for a while. You lost?"

"Not exactly. I think we're looking for you and your friends."

"I don't have any friends."

I believe him.

Bodog begins that obnoxious muttering as he leans heavily on his stick, and the boy's frown deepens. "Who are you and what do you want?" His stance tightens like a string holding a kite. One wrong move and he'll snap.

"Listen, we don't want any trouble. Have you seen Kera of Teag?"

A smug smile tilted his lips. "All the Keras around here are from Teag."

I'm losing my patience fast. "She's from a nearby village. Her father is Lord Hadrain."

"You refer to Kera from Ainsbury Cross."

"Yeah. I think that's the village. We were told one of the tainted knows where she is. I need to find her."

His smug expression disappears. "We don't use that word. What do you want with Kera?"

"I'm her friend. Her good friend. Dylan."

The boy's stance instantly relaxes and he slides his gaze over me. "You are the heir to Teag?"

He didn't have to sound so disappointed. "Yeah, whatever. All I want is to find Kera and take her home."

"Last I heard, she went back to the human realm. Maybe you should look there."

"She was kidnapped. Brought back to Teag by some monstrous flying bird/lizard thing. Looks right out of the Jura.s.sic age." His eyebrows do a very adult "you're crazy" arch at me, and I shake my head. "I don't care if you believe me or not. Bodog's dead friends said you all know where she is. I just need to find her. It's that simple."

"Doesn't sound simple to me. Sounds like you're thick in the head and love-bit. That happens to your kind."

"Love-bit?" Like my soul has been infected with love? It fits how I feel. Only Kera's love makes me feel whole. "I guess that's it. So, are you going to help me?"

"I don't know where she is."

Not what I wanted to hear. Why is everyone around here ignorant of what's happening? I twist away and start pacing, and grumbling. "Innocent people get killed in your backyard...isn't it a lovely day? Dark souls tear up your village...let's have a cup of tea and all will be fine. Kera's kidnapped by a gigantic flying dinosaur...oh look, the sunflowers are blooming." They're all freakin' ostriches with their heads buried shoulder-deep in the sand.

"You always talk to yourself?"

"Nope, it's new." This place is making me as crazy as Mom.

The boy's face changes from irritated to slightly annoyed. He stashes his dagger and says, "I don't know where she is, but I think I know someone who does."

Not Alone.

Darkness pressed in on Kera. Her limbs struggled to move. She tried to shift, but something prevented her. Even her eyelids resisted the command to open. A soft voice sang, lulling her into a portal where dreams floated by. All she needed to do was touch one, which she did, and she spiraled into the dream with a speed that left her breathless.

When her head stopped spinning, she opened her eyes to find herself in a large, mirrored ballroom. Dozens of her reflections filled her vision. She was dressed in an exquisitely made ball gown of deep blue, though her corset fit so tightly, she couldn't take a deep breath.

Before her stretched a table, beautifully laid and groaning with food. A softly painted fresco depicting various birds and flowers covered each wall. Colonnades supported an arched ceiling. Lively music filled the air, and a court of men and women danced on a polished marble floor at the opposite side of the room. Tiny lights overhead and meticulously shaped greenery decorated the room, giving the impression they were outside in a perfectly groomed garden underneath a star-studded night sky. The vision should have made her smile. It didn't. She didn't know this place. She didn't know these people.

She spied a door along the side wall. Nothing stood in her way but the table and one lone man. He lounged in an ornate chair at the head of the table, his silver vest, elaborately tied ascot, dark jacket, and trousers fitting him to perfection. He was handsome, in that brooding way that reminded her of Dylan. As she moved along the table, she peeked in his direction and noticed his attention never wavered from her.

Rounding the table, she faced him and he raised his hand, a gesture that bespoke authority. She hoped he was signaling someone else, but no one else stood nearby. The man smiled and waved her closer.

She eyed the door. What if she sprinted to it? Would anyone stop her? No one seemed interested in what she was doing except the man at the head of the table. She turned to find the man in front of her, a hairbreadth away. "Please stay, Kera. There is no reason to run off."

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Baun."

So that was the reason he seemed so familiar. "Are you Dylan's father?"

"Yes."

"But you are imprisoned." She looked again at their surroundings. It was then she noticed the couples dancing. They literally floated, their translucent wings fluttering as they moved. The pux like she had never seen them before. "How...?"

Baun took her hand and led her to his chair, where another magically appeared. "Truly beautiful in the size you've envisioned them, and if you knew them like I do, it is slightly terrifying. In dreams, anything is possible."

She was dreaming? Then none of this was real. "Why am I here?"

"You tell me. Dreams are funny that way. No rhyme or reason to them. Please sit."

Kera wished he'd let go of her hand, but he held fast. Smiling, he nodded to the chair. "Please, sit with me. I ask only for a moment. Then you can do whatever you wish."

A ribbon of doubt hovered, but she had little choice. Turning, she sat, glad to have her hand back, and smoothed her gown. It felt like running her hands over water.

He sat, though his body didn't relax. "I sense your conflict. You have the abilities you've always dreamed of, but they are only temporary."

He wasn't making sense. "How so?"

"Did Dylan not tell you?" A sadness peaked his eyebrows. "Both you and he cannot possess the same magic. It's never been done."

Her father had shared his magic with her for years to keep others from finding out she had none...though it was never permanent. Her chin inched up. "Just because it has never been done does not mean it is impossible."

"I fear you give too much weight to chance. Let me speak frankly. Dylan will take your powers from you. He must. They are his."

"I thought they were yours? That Navar had somehow stolen them from you."

His face darkened. "Once given, no power can be taken back...not without certain measures."

She didn't know what measures he was talking about. He wasn't making any sense. "Are you saying you gave a portion of your powers to Navar? Why would you do that?"

"I am not so evil as many would believe. I did it for the good of Teag. And for my generosity, I was betrayed just like your father and everyone else. By the time Navar's true motives were known, it was too late."

"I knew the kind of man he was," she said, still hurt no one believed her, "and Dylan is nothing like him. If Dylan had wanted my powers, he has had plenty of opportunities to take them."

"His experience is lacking, but he is beginning to understand." He presented a plate of fruit all gleaming irresistibly. "Hungry? None of it is real, but it will satisfy your cravings for a moment."

Though he was trying not to show it, Baun's clipped words revealed his anger. If he had willingly given his powers to Navar, then that was his mistake, not hers. And as for Dylan taking her powers, he wouldn't.

Kera straightened and pretended to watch the dancers. "I don't believe you."

Baun picked up a perfectly shaped and unblemished reddish-green pear and bit into it, his gaze a.s.sessing her. "I'm not surprised. The picture painted of me isn't flattering, but you know I cannot lie. Tell me this. Whenever you and Dylan are together, have you noticed certain anomalies?"

She lied and shook her head, not wanting to believe anything he said.

"His emotions are volatile. His magic is straining to collect yours. It needs yours to be complete. He will never be able to control his powers unless he possesses them all. Think of it as a balance. Without your portion, he is only half of what he should be. Though I wish it were different, mark my words. He will take your powers whether you wish it or not."

"He would never do that." She glared into his pale blue eyes. "You don't know him."

"I don't have to know him. I know what he's going through. The small amount of power I still possess yearns for what is inside him. What is inside you." He touched her shoulder and she could feel her powers straining toward him.

She jerked away and stood. "I want to leave."

He slowly placed the remainder of his pear on the table, and said without looking at her, "You can try, but it will do you no good."

"You cannot keep me here," she said and prayed she was right.

"I would have once said there are worse fates than being locked in a dream." A bitter laugh escaped, and he reluctantly looked at her. "I would be wrong. You have taken refuge within a Dreamweaver's den."

Kera gasped. Dreamweavers were creatures relegated to horror stories. They fed off their victims' dreams until their bodies withered away.

"The Unknown has more than its fair share of monsters. Did you not think it odd such a cozy den didn't have an owner?"

She had thought luck had finally found her. Kera remembered hearing a sweet melody just before she fell asleep. She wasn't alone in the den.

One moment she could move, the next her legs were bound from the knees down. A rush of bile soured her stomach. Her lips trembled as she sank to her knees. "What is happening?"