Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I keep saying it's not mine…
Author's note: Yes, yet another chapter! Yippee!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Uly loved the dreamplane.
Alonzo had once said that the dreamplane sometimes disoriented him, but to Uly it was like coming home. He was still learning just what he could and couldn't do here, and every time something new happened he was excited. He spent what time he could here, and it was never enough.
He could spend the rest of his life here, and never know everything.
Uly was standing on the dreamplane equivalent of the plain. The grass was white, and the wind whistled mournfully all around him, whipping his hair into his face. There was no sun; there never was, the light always seemed to come from everywhere, and there were no shadows. There were times when the dreamplane seemed more real to him than the waking world, and in those times he would lose track of how long he'd been there. More often than not his mother would wake him up, accusing him of being lazy and oversleeping. Uly never told her where he'd been.
She wouldn't understand.
Uly turned in place, looking for his guide. At first he didn't see her; but then she was standing in front of him, her dress flapping about her legs and the long tail of hair flying out behind her. She was a little taller than Uly himself. She bowed. "I am N'Merra. And you are Ulysses Adair."
"Just call me Uly. Only my mom calls me Ulysses, and it's usually when she's mad at me or something."
"I understand." She smiled, but it was a sad smile. "My friends call me Maire."
Uly was confused. "But Mr. Danziger doesn't. Call you Maire, that is."
"That is because he is an elder. It is proper that he address me by my full name."
He nodded. "Got it. I'm glad to finally meet you, Maire."
"As am I. I must confess: had I known that you could access this place, I would have contacted you first."
"It's a good thing you didn't. I'm just a kid, and I doubt they would've taken me as seriously as they did Mr. Danziger."
"But they take you seriously now."
"Only because Mr. Danziger talked my mom into it. And Alonzo, too, but she really listens to Mr. Danziger."
"I understand, Uly. And I thank you for coming."
"You're welcome." Uly glanced around. "It's weird being on the dreamplane and not seeing any Terrians around."
"The Dreamers have long since abandoned this place."
"Yeah, I can feel it. It's really empty here."
N'Merra cocked her head. "I am not certain I understood what John Danziger explained to me. He claimed that you have been Touched by the Dreamers?" There was an odd tone in her voice that Uly couldn't identify, but he could practically hear the capital T in Touched.
He told her the story of how sick he'd been, and how the Terrians had healed him. "So they saved my life, and I got these really neat powers. Mom says, when the other Syndrome kids get here, they'll have the choice of being healed, too."
"And if their families do not wish it?"
Uly sighed. "Then they'll probably die. It'll be sad, really. I don't know why they'd turn down the Terrians, though."
N'Merra was looking at him strangely. "I do not understand why someone would wish to be Changed."
There was a capital C in Changed, too. "I guess that's a bad thing where you come from, the way you make it sound."
"It is. The Changed killed those who did not wish to join them. That is why I am here: I chose to remain myself."
"That's the difference between us, I guess. We won't kill anyone who doesn't want to do it."
"But if they do not accept the Change, your people will choose death. I chose death."
"But this is a good change, and we're not going to force anyone into it."
N'Merra smiled. "I believe I understand. Thank you for explaining this to me."
Uly returned the smile. "I'm glad I could. Maybe you should show me this cage you have your Changed in?"
"I shall." The cat-girl turned and led him across the plain.
He followed. Together they passed through the tall grass, heading toward the north. In the real world, this was the direction of the disruption he'd sensed in the ground. Mr. Danziger had told him that a spaceship had crashed there, and Uly was really curious to know what was there, in this place.
Okay, he had to admit that he liked Maire. She wasn't at all like True, who was really the only girl he'd ever had a lot of exposure to. Of course, she was dead, and that was a really major difference. But N'Merra was a lot more mature than True, and Uly had to admire that. It made a nice change.
Every once in a while, he would catch movement out of the corner of his eye, and after the third time he asked Maire what it was. "Those are my people," she explained. "We do not exist here, on the dreamplane. Our own plane is slightly beyond this one, but as you can see we are capable of traveling here."
"But your bad ones are here, right?"
"Yes. They are trapped here, using a trick taught us by the Dreamers. Unfortunately, I cannot explain it. I have hopes that you may be able to discern the secret of the cage."
"I'll try."
"I have confidence in you."
This was the second time that day someone had expressed faith in him. Uly really, really liked N'Merra…
Gradually, Uly could make out a hill growing out of the ground in the distance. Maire seemed to be leading him toward it. "That's where we're going?"
"It is."
As they got closer, the hill turned into a mound that was just a little too regular to be natural. "Is that your ship?"
"No, I am afraid not, although it does resemble the resting place of our ship. This is where the Changed are being held. You will see."
Uly didn't doubt that one bit.
At first, the hill seemed solid, the same white as the grass. But as they approached Uly realized it really wasn't; it was translucent, and the boy could make out movement within. There was some sort of power emanating from it, making the hairs on his neck stand up.
N'Merra stopped. She looked at him. "I must warn you. You may very well be disturbed by the Changed. They will try to convince you to set them free, but you must not listen."
"I won't."
"I believe you. Let us go."
She walked beside him now, and Uly was grateful for her presence. He was disturbed by the noises coming from the dome; it was as if hundreds of voices were calling to him, whispering promises in his ear. The sensation of power grew stronger, and by the time they were actually at the dome the boy's teeth were practically rattling from it.
The Changed were waiting for them.
N'Merra had been right: they were indeed disturbing. While, on first glance they did resemble ordinary cat-people, once Uly got a closer look he realized just how different they were. They were more feral, more like animals than people. They crawled over each other in their attempts to get close to the outer wall of the dome. All the while, the whispering went on, making strange shivers move up and down Uly's spine.
He decided he needed to concentrate on the dome, and try to ignore the Changed as best he could. Uly touched the wall cautiously, and the power surged up through his fingers and into his brain. He jerked away.
"Are you well, Uly?"
He looked at his companion. "Yeah. It's weird, though. It's like pure energy, but it's grounded right here." He stamped his foot. "Is this where your ship would be, if we were out in the real world?"
"It is. Why do you ask?"
Uly didn't answer. Instead, he sank down onto the ground, tucking his legs underneath him. He put one hand on the curve of the dome, the dug the other into the dream-soil. There had to be a correlation…
And when he found it, he smiled.
