Laying just a few miles ahead between the dark layers of sky, a massive dark form, neither cloud nor creature, peered at us with two bright red dots. They were like glowing eyes of blood, simply round but threatening with the size of two distant suns. I'd never encountered such a phenomenon before, as I stared at the unknown threat when ice water trickled under my skin.
"What's The Nightmare?" I asked Vince in a trembling voice. The winds picked up his blue cape and hair wildly as he kept his dark look ahead, already calculating as he always did.
"It's a storm brought in by The Nightmare King to protect his lands. Though, it shouldn't be this close out here," he explained.
"Why? What does that mean? Vince?!" I cried, fearing I already knew the answer, but I had to hear it from Vince. Maybe I could be wrong; maybe the Nightmare was just off course, sent to us accidentally. But he either wasn't listening or he simply ignored me, his hand holding mine tight as he pulled me with him along the center of the main deck, his boots stomping while mine scurried lightly.
"You need to get below deck, now!" Vince told me directly as he grabbed for a rope along the layers of them wrapped around the main mast.
Like the storm heard him, rough winds made up of dark clouds, slammed into the sails by the masses, and the ship tossed, its nose up into the air. It cried in creaks as wood snapped and sails whipped free, rope flopping around.
Screams scattered across the deck, one high-pitched and others begging for their mothers and home.
Vince and I gripped to the rope railing around the mast, hands tucked under until the rope began to burn my wrists with each twist of the ship. My feet flailed in the air wildly, fearing the ship will flip over and plunge us to our deaths. The wind stopped, and the ship settled back just for a moment, enough time to get everyone to work while Vince quickly tied a rope around my waist.
"If you can make it below deck, that is. Cut the line if you do," he told me hurriedly, breathing fast.
Over my head, Vince shouted across the deck, "Everyone on deck crew, grab hold of a lifeline!"
He pointed to a group of them and commanded in shouts over his shoulder, "Pull up the sails! We need to descend and turn around!"
I could only watch Vince move like careful clockwork, his emotions steady, eyes cold and shallow. Everyone around him appeared afraid and disorganized, some of them whimpering as they grabbed for their ropes from the main mast and tied them around their waists securely with shaky fingers.
Some clambered up the ladders to take down the large white sails, shrinking them and tying them down in place. Others hid away, below deck, even after Vince threw threats.
Red lightning spazzed right past the ship. It was so close I felt the heat of it, a gigantic beam of red electricity zapping beside us like the storm was giving a warning.
Thunder cracked. It was so ear-shattering I covered my ears, eyes shut tight as the horrifying sound broke across the sky, both below and above, surrounding us like we were slowly being swallowed up by a giant growling beast. Vince covered his ears as he rushed up the steps to the helm to take control of the ship. I noticed he didn't even wear a lifeline, and cold sweat dripped on my neck.
The wind picked up again, and suddenly, we were being pulled in towards those horrifying red eyes in the dark. The more we neared, the larger the red eyes grew, as though a dark creature was charging in, ready to devour us. Black clouds acted as dark slithering hands around the stern, shoving us faster in, like the beast was pulling us into its jaws. The whole ship trembled in fear under our feet.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Vince shouted over the ship's wheel.
Everyone grabbed hold of anything secure, and waited. Another jolt of red lightning flared through the sky to hit us. Vince turned the wheel, gritting his teeth as he did so, and rocked he ship into a sharp left in time to dodge the bolt.
But more came, too many all of a sudden. One struck the top of the main mast, casting flames along the pulled-in sails. I leaped away from the flames as they slowly licked along the wooden mast, burning away the support beams until they collapsed onto the main deck. I ducked and gripped along a ledge but looked in horror at the rope of the lifeline slowly burning away.
Another red bolt struck the back deck, blasting bits of wood in the air until it fell away into space behind us. And another, at one of the ship's wings. It blazed into a giant flame, casting a bright orange glow across the whole sky like a giant torch.
The ship suddenly went for a nose dive. I wasn't certain if that was Vince's intention, but we were being swallowed into a dark cloud, and my world became black.
I buried my face into my arms and held on to the deck's ledge even tighter. The wind blew us powerfully from the quick ascend. Even the main mast broke away into pieces, the flames gone. With only one wing, we came in crooked, swerving as Vince cursed while trying to keep the ship steady. I opened one eye to a slit, the dark still there. My breathing quickened until I wheezed, unable to control it. We were falling, and in nothing kind of darkness.
How could Vince even see? I was so scared, tears spilling and flying up into the unknown like speckles of rain. My hair went up in all directions, gravity trying to peel my fingers away as we dropped even faster until my legs went up. I held on tight, even when splinters began to dig under my nails as I clawed my fingers deep into the dented wood. From instinct, I screamed, watching the dark world flurry past us until, finally, I could see waves.
Dark, gray water ruffled violently, making scattered lines of waves and foam across the broken arms of the sea. We were curving our way towards our land, trying to fly over the sea that divided it from Nightmare's world.
Vince pulled back on the wheel, trying to reel the ship upwards to slow its quick ascend if he could at all. Clumsily, the one wing made us fall in with swerves, back and forth, instead of a straight nose dive.
I feared we would land straight into the water, head first, and sink.
But Vince pulled back the ship enough to have its belly skid across the water. Everything shook violently, causing my body to flap around as I kept hold, my legs kicking up and down, knees banging on the deck, teeth snapping and all of my body vibrating. We crashed into the dark waters, a wave coming to greet us until it saturated the deck. It was icy, cold, dark water, and I gasped at its instant wake-up call, feeling the extra weight of my wet hair fall behind me, my cape drenched. Thanks to a set of high rocks in the water, the ship finally stopped; already half swallowed by the sea, the other half has gone when the sky took in a big bite.
I lay there, stiff and in disbelief, shaky arms gripping the ledge while I lifted my head over it and, with dismay, scanned all that was around us.
Waves crashed up along the ship, the foam and black water reaching with outstretched claws, taking away the wood and crates, little by little, hungry.
The sea and rough winds flurried up my face, my skin trembling to its cold, making me hug myself to try to stay warm.
Beyond the broken ship, with what we had left, we were wedged in the rocks before the shore back to our lands, a mile or two from the post. Beyond the stretch of rough waters, I saw how our mountains curved in the background behind the bay, skin as dark as night and with no life, nothing but dead trees, rock, and ruin. The sky above appeared no different, if just grey, the remnants of the Nightmare lingering above like a predator awaiting us to return. It growled as distant thunder, a hazy red flash of lightning coming and going. I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled, eyes glued to the land and sky with disbelief, and eventually, I rose, forgetting that I was cold when the fear took over. I didn't remember any part of Slumberland looking like this. My eyes burned, waves of tiny pricks tickling at my skin telling me that something was terribly wrong.
"Camille!"
I felt Vince's hands on my shoulders before I could see him, hearing him breathe fast when he rushed to my side. He twirled me around, forcing me to look up at him as he asked, "Are you hurt?"
Heat tried to fight the cold that was in my cheeks, and I shivered, tightening my cloak tighter around my arms as I shuddered, "I'm fine. But…" I trailed off, gazing back out there on the edges of our lands. Vince saw it, too, his cold eyes squinting out at the shadows poisoning the mountains slowly.
The wind tossed back his hair, the sea misting his face, but he just frowned deeply.
"It shouldn't be like this," he muttered darkly, already plotting another move. His head turned, eyes scanning until they settled onto the faraway fortress wedged in the smoky grey hills just before the black sandy shore. No signs of life, nothing.
"Where are the other ships?" he wondered, and his eyebrows angled sharply.
With nothing but a single shake of his head and one more glance at me, Vince turned away, and he snapped back into leadership mode.
"Get everyone on deck now! We need to take attendance!" he shouted at the survivors awaiting his command.
It took time, but eventually, many bodies appeared, huddled together like frightened children, cold, scared, and wet. I stood along with them in the front, watching how Vince was able to lift their spirits. Even when we were all scared, somehow, Vince's words, harsh and true, pulled us out of our holes. He gave us no lies, no delusions of false hope, and yet, many of us lifted our fists.
Vince stood, legs wide, his wet cape flapping violently behind him like he had dark angel wings flapping madly.
He pumped a fist to his chest, eyes glaring with revenge.
"Some of you stay behind, take stock and calculate the damage, see if the hawks are alive, and send a message back to King Morpheus. The rest of you will follow me to the mainland, to the West Post." He turned, extending his arm out over the horizon, and pointed to a small stone castle in the distance.
"It looks to be only two miles or so. Take all your weapons, anything you need to defend yourselves, and enough gear for a night or two," he ordered.
A few volunteers stayed behind the wrecked ship. It seemed obvious it may not fly ever again, one wing lost and the other broken into pieces, but no one wanted to say it in front of Vince. I knew he knew that already. I think he took most of his trust in the hawks, but he didn't say.
"Camille," he began, turning to me with a softer voice, and then he sighed, fighting with himself not to argue, and ended up saying in a low breath, "Stay close to me."
And I did, but with guilt for the burden of my presence.
We walked together through the shallow parts of the sea, its black water up to our thighs. Two dozen others followed, all quiet as they left themselves to their thoughts, as though they were walking into their deaths with bowed heads.
There were rocks with mussels and black moss stuck to them, slippery to the touch when we all climbed through until our boots hit the wet sand. I shivered, the wind never faltering. Vince remained a few steps ahead, never slowing down. His head turned to our destination while his eyes darted into all corners of the land for danger.
I tried to follow his gaze, taking sneak peeks up at the tops of the hills, but found only a fog, leaving the peaks hidden.
A few conversations simmered, some of what to expect, about staying in the fortress while waiting for King Morpheus to rescue us. More and more hope spread through the group, the light cheery mood contagious, but not to Vince. I had to jog to keep up with him, huffing until I matched my step with his. Staying close to him meant matching my step with his fast-paced march.
"I'm sorry," I began, catching my breath and ready to say more.
"Don't," Vince barked, keeping his eyes ahead, but he always had his hand hovered at the hilt of his sword.
I sucked in a silent breath, startled at his tone.
"I'm trying to apologize here!" I growled.
Vince barely turned his head, only his chin under his loose hair when he spoke over his shoulder.
"Camille, now's not the time. It isn't your fault we landed here. Just leave it at that."
"No, but…" I gulped. "But it's my fault for adding another worry to your list of worries," I finished, the guilty cloud just as dark and heavy as the ones that manifested above our heads.
Vince scoffed through his nostrils, but he didn't say anything to that. Instead, he asked me, "Do you have your dagger?"
I blinked at the change of context.
"Y-Yes, and my sword-"
"And your armor?"
Before I could answer, Vince rammed a hand to my shoulder and stopped me cold in my tracks. He used his other to push aside my cloak. His eyes took inventory, taking in every piece of armor that clutched around my chainmail until it felt intrusive, and I slapped my cloak shut around me, face red.
"Stop! I'm well-prepared for goblins! Stop treating me like a child! I've done this dozens of times with you, remember?!" I bellowed, marching to keep up when he began to walk again.
Even in the heat of my frustration, Vince remained quiet, knowing not to feed it, and his eyes remained lost while his feet moved him closer to the fort.
But before tension settled between us for too long, he asked me, "What about your bow?"
I shook my head.
"I didn't bring it," I admitted with defeat, one less thing to keep me safe. I tried not to dwell on it too long, my eyes on the sand in front of my step. Suddenly, Vince's hand came into view, holding out his pistol. I froze, uncertain of what he wanted me to do with it, and looked up at him. He held it up for me, eyes stuck ahead, but he remained present in our conversation.
"Take it, just in case," he whispered, and the others walked around us, quiet ghosts in wet, blue capes.
"What about you?"
I searched for his eyes, but he refused to be pulled in, and shoved the pistol into my hands without fuss.
"I'm better with the sword; you know that!" He spat and moved on, leaving me stunned while holding his pistol. It was a beautiful and yet dangerous item, something I'd never held before, something no one else in Slumberland possessed. Its silver encasing decorated the gun's barrel as vines, with the initials on them: LS.
It was his father's initials, Leroy Shields.
Delicately, I snug the pistol into my boot, hidden and easy to reach if needed.
The day grew longer, and yet the sky darkened, the sun appearing far away as more black clouds rolled in from the threatening sea. Our tiny army kept lunging through the sand with a bit of heaviness; each step was more effort than before as our feet sank until the black sand went up our ankles. Dozens of footsteps lay behind until the wind and high waves washed it all away, giving no evidence we were even here.
"We're getting closer! Put on your helms!" Vince called out over his shoulder, and his rookies appeared nervous, one boy with a hand to his lips while others whimpered. Many began to slip on their helms in a rush, the metal clanking over their heads like empty buckets. I watched Vince's jaw tighten as he jammed his helm over his head, and his eyes slowly squinted through the narrow helm's window to the growing fort. It was a depressing-looking hold with battered flags flapping wildly by rough winds, an old place that needed fresh stone and new flags of Slumberland. The flapping gold sun sigil appeared worn and grey, black vines slowly consuming its once bright yellow belly.
"I know this is your first time at the border," Vince told me, taking my eyes off the distant flags.
"Well, there it is. That's what keeps us from Nightmare Land. That's where our West Post is, and that's where father and his men are supposed to be," he stated. I could hear an edge of hatred in his voice.
"Vince," I swallowed and held my tongue. I knew he was cautious, but I didn't like him clouded with his darkness till no one could reach him. He was readying his battle face, and soon, I will just be a distant voice to him if we were to head into a fight. I suddenly wished Father was around, but quickly buried that idea away and shook my head to myself.
"How are you doing?" He asked, unexpected of him. I blinked away from the mountains and caught his gaze. He hasn't forgotten about me after all. I swallowed nervously but put on a brave face.
"I'm fine," I whispered. But of course, I wasn't, and Vince knew that, but there was no time for dwelling on it, no need to dig any further. None of us were fine, but we were here.
The fortress grew closer until it was only a few yards away. We all walked up to it, most enthusiastic to be out of the light drizzle and harsh winds. Despite it representing a post for Slumberland's army, it was a poorly run down grey stone structure of a place, with its blocks wedged together and beaten down by rain and high tide. Before stepping any further, Vince stopped, and I felt him tense up.
"Vince?" I was suddenly scared. He didn't go on alert unless he sensed something.
"What is it?" I pried. His helm turned to me, and I saw wind slam rain onto it, his eyes invisible behind dark shadows.
"This isn't right," he muttered. "They should have been here," he hissed, and then he turned to gaze far upon the fort again. Fog loomed behind the fortress onto the slow climb of the dark mountains until we couldn't see anything at all. Vince moved again, quicker, and raced up to the gated entrance. I noticed the portcullis was up, the fortress open to let anyone in.
"Stay here!" He ordered all of us, and he went under the points of the portcullis as quickly as lightning. It was nerve-wracking to wait even a few seconds out in the rain, unsure of what Vince would encounter in there or what might find us out here. I scanned around, my sword hand ready when I flapped my cloak up and over my shoulder. I then gazed out at everyone behind me, a cluster of young men with two girls, all held up together, all of them scared. Perhaps I knew some of them growing up, others I wasn't so sure. The ones I used to train with were all a part of Leroy's fleet, so these scouts were all new faces to me, helm or not.
"They're not here!" Shouted Vince as he emerged from the fortress. He then turned his attention up to the mountain ahead of us, a rigged path of dark black stone, tall, dead trees, and rock. He was creating a plan in his head, and he turned to look at all of us, most just a ball and chain to him, probably.
"Camille, you and half of my men await here in the fort to find clues of my father and his men. The other half, with me up the mountain. We won't stop till we find someone!"
About a dozen young knights skittered into the fortress, glad to be out of the rain. I, however, remained still before I settled my sack against the fortress wall, letting it slump carelessly as I rammed my fears and annoyance into that shove.
"I'm going with you," I demanded, standing next to Vince just as he began his ascend up the mountain. I saw his teeth clench under his helm, fuming silently, but then he caved and growled, "Fine."
A dozen followed us up the slope, the already two-hour walk a bit of a burden to our armored legs, but Vince appeared ready, marching without appearing strained.
"Search for clues of any footprints or debris possibly left behind by the fleet," he ordered loudly. There wasn't any set path, all dark earth and black rock with a few sprouts of red-capped mushrooms the size of boulders. And then there were the tall towers of dead trees, as thin as columns but looming so high, I couldn't even see their tops. I stopped, letting others pass while I rolled my head back, and just stared up at the tall trees, their towering thin black trunks an endless climb until the fog swallowed them up. Raindrops speckled at my cheeks, waking me from the frozen fear, and I gasped, moving again to keep up.
"What did you find in the fortress?" I asked Vince a few minutes later. I was breathing hard, the heavy weight of my armor weighing me down like a ton of stone each time I took a step upwards.
"I found no one. It was all a mess," he replied. The fog thickened, making it almost impossible to see a few feet ahead.
Suddenly, I tripped, and Vince caught me by the back of my cloak before my face met with mud. It was a rock that stumbled my footing.
"Stupid rock!" I grumbled, reaching for it to grab and toss it aggressively, but I stopped short, my hand hovering in the air.
It was a helmet.
Vince picked it up, and we both recognized Slumberland's symbol of swan wings welded into the helm.
"They were here," he muttered, and handed it to me.
"Here, wear it," he ordered, with no room for debate, and moved on. I held the helm in my hands and screwed my eyes into it, studying the metal plate. With one twirl, my eyes grew when I found three claw marks skidded across the helmet, as clean as a blacksmith's working knife. My hands shook, holding it. Those weren't marks from any goblin….
I lifted my moist eyes to Vince's cape, wondering if he noticed or, somehow, felt my stare. But he was a man of charge, not hesitating nor turning back. With a trembling inhale, I closed my eyes and rubbed my knuckles across my chest plate, shivering under the rain. If the sea wasn't enough to make one cold, then the rain did, giving us no escape from this wretched place while my toes grew numb. My thoughts wandered back to home, to the glistering palace walls, and Bonbon's smile, the sunlight glowing behind her.
Sometimes I wonder if you want there to be chaos.
On and off, her words hit me somewhere that not even Vince could reach, a place so deep I had yet to make much sense of it myself. And I'm sure Bonbon didn't mean much behind it, and yet, something stirred in me since I heard it, like something slowly waking up. I fluttered my eyelids open, back on the mountain, and remembered that I wasn't at the castle. I was stranded with Vince and the last of father's army in parts of Slumberland that were being taken by the Nightmare. I plopped the battered helmet over my head, too big but enough to keep the rain out, and I set foot again, trying to stay focused.
The fog dispersed slightly, but only enough to reveal bits and pieces of more armor here and there. The group's voices grew quiet until it was completely silent, all stunned at the neglected pieces of an army.
I stayed close to Vince, partially because he ordered it, but I was also relieved, trusting him with my life. Our heads turned, eyes flooding the black earth to reveal more and more clues of Father's Royal Guard, their whereabouts obvious. There were mostly helmets and swords left behind, as though the men had been plucked from the earth and disappeared.
The more pieces I saw, the faster I breathed. My heart thumped hard until my chest pushed against its armor, and I heightened my ears, sensitive to any odd noises that weren't our steps or breaths.
There was only the pattering of rain. If the thick drops made it through the high trees in the sky, then they ended up landing on us, tapping at our armor, our helms, and the dead soil. I wedged so close to Vince, my shoulder into his back; but he didn't protest, his eyes too busy looking up.
When he stopped, we all stopped, just waiting and listening.
No one moved or made a peep, too afraid to go any further, until a boy whispered, "What are we listening for?"
Vince made a loud shush, his eyes glued to the sky as though he could see the tops of the hundred-foot-tall trees.
I felt him tense and took note of his hand clutching to his sword. In silent motion, I copied him and felt a little better about having my sword's handle in my hand.
A twig snapped.
Someone gasped, heads turned, including mine, but I found nothing but fog surrounding us.
"Vince, sir, let's go back," one voice trembled.
Vince ignored the plea, still as a statue, not even a breath from his lips, waiting.
I knew that look and kept my lips shut. He was trying to detect them with his ears. The two of us knew what to listen for, but before I could settle into it, I gasped at another sound, a flap of a large wing.
There was no hint of the others hearing it. Another voice asked, "I want to stay at the fort."
Vince bit down his fury; his hovered gloved hand curled into a tight fist.
"Shush," he gasped sharply, and he closed his eyes, eyebrows up, irritated. And then I saw it, how his eyes popped open under the edge of his helm, and he twirled around and drew out his sword so quick, my eyes couldn't keep up.
In one swift motion, his long blade glimmered as it whipped over a knight's head, and there was a screech.
Large wings flapped, taking flight up into the trees beyond the low clouds, but not before a foot fell behind. It flopped next to someone's boot, a huge and shiny red wine-colored claw, cut clean from the ankle and pooling black blood onto the dirt.
Vince pulled back his sword, black streaks on it, and he quickly wiped it clean with a cloth until someone screamed.
And then everything started moving too fast.
All at once, wings unfurled and flapped, dark claws falling from the fog and reaching for us, dozens of pairs of eyes glowing red through the dark.
"Stay low!" Vince cried, and he cut away at another claw that tried to grab his cape.
Long fingers grazed my pauldrons, startling me. When I looked up, the culprit disappeared, up and waiting to strike again. The trees gave them salvation, a place to wait and prepare, hidden from us pathetic humans down here on the cold earth, easily exposed. A knight was lifted, screaming. Arrows shot in an attempt to strike the creature, but with terror, we lost one of our own to the dark heavens. More and more screams until I got lost in it all, pulling my sword free and twisting in all directions. My eyes searched up while newbies kept to the ground, looking around them. Had they not thought to look up? Instinct was difficult to fight against, the eyes wanting to look left and right, expecting predators to come at the sides. The effort to shift such frightening eyes up was a godly task for these new young soldiers.
Red eyes caught sight of mine, and grew as they neared, hurdling towards me from above. I dared not to look away as I reeled my sword back over my shoulder, waiting for the right time to strike.
A few more seconds. When long and sharp nails were only inches from my face, my arms swung upwards and cut my blade deep into the skin. A loud, sharp wail shocked my ears, too high-pitched to handle. I covered my ears, falling to my knees with my sword to keep out of danger's reach, those still standing with higher chances of being snatched away.
But through my hands, I heard Vince's muffled voice and then felt his grip when he shoved me up.
"Don't cover your ears! You'll drop your weapon," he screamed at me. I shook my head, attempting to cover my ears again from his shouting, and grabbed at my sword.
"But it hurts. Vince…" He and I shared a look, fighting back a wince when another creature let out a glass-shattering cry, making those closest to it cower, dropping swords and covering their ears.
Everything was falling apart around us; our plan shattered. I could see it in Vince's eyes when I looked deep enough, the hope of finding his father gone, followed by a trace of regret. Vince must've felt my searching, for he clammed shut, thickening his walls as always, and his eyes appeared dim.
"These goblins are different," I fretted, seeking the truth in him. He didn't seem surprised, but then again, he didn't show much in his stare, no matter what he felt when he reminded himself to stay strong.
"I know," he whispered.
Wings appeared right behind him, and he gritted his teeth and spun around to jab his blade into a belly of a beast.
"Fuck off!"
Something grabbed at my cape, and I suddenly fell backward. The wind knocked out of my chest. I was then dragged across the ground.
"Vince!" I cried, watching him reach, but then six claws came out of nowhere, surrounding him, and he cursed loudly, disappearing within the fog while I was dragged.
"Fall back!" Vince screamed at the top of his lungs. It wasn't like him to run, but he already knew this was a death trap. These goblins weren't the small fry we'd expected. Our fresh batch of so-called knights had too much of virgin hearts to fight, and Vince led them into the mouth of the beast.
Grunting, I twisted around as I was dragged, glad to have a hold of my sword. I used it to cut away at the cape until a goblin took flight with most of it. No more sliding and I took collecting breaths, my face almost kissing the earth, shaking from the near flight experience. Sounds of battle echoed around me. One by one, as I slowly collected myself, I watched in horror of bodies being plucked, mouths open in screams, eyes wide in fear, hands reaching back to their friends, their brothers, and sisters. Helmets fell behind as legs kicked up into the air, swallowed up into the sky like it was a horrifying monster, the goblins acting as its many claws to reach for prey. I breathed hard, sinking over my bent knees, trying to collect myself, but I was terrified. I rammed my muddy hands into my face, pressing my eyes from spilling any hot tears.
Get it together, Camille. Get it together.
I took deep breaths as I rose, head bowed, while goblins whooshed in above like strong gusts of wind.
My hair flurried in one direction and then in another, more of them dropping in like heavy stones, their steps shaking the earth.
I heard a hiss and opened my eyes straight ahead.
Half in fog, a demonic creature as large as a full-grown man cocked its head at me. It stood tall and confident on its long legs, clawed feet digging into the dirt. With robust skin gleaming in red wine and a broken wing curled into its back, the creature blinked its glowing red eyes at me, tracking any movement.
It growled, sharp fangs over its lower lip, and its muscles tensed, ready to pounce. My hand gripped tight around my sword's handle, and we were both left to wonder who would strike first. I've always been taught to let the other make the first move. Goblins were impatient.
After another few breaths, the goblin jerked forward, its long and thick arm outstretched with claws ready to strike at my shoulder.
I raised my sword at the right moment, and with my teeth pressed together hard, arm muscles tense, I shoved. My legs pushed my weight into the piercing attack, jamming more blade into the goblin's belly. Claws attacked at my neck and face, scratching across a cheek out of sheer desperation, until they finally stopped, and arms laid slump. The body grew heavy, and I used my shoulder to shove it back, sliding away from my sword. The corpse collapsed, arms and legs spread, and red eyes staring absently up to the trees.
I stepped closer, adrenaline muting my fears, and I frowned down at the goblin's eyes while fresh red blood trickled from my cheek, I could taste it. It wasn't until the glowing red faded, leaving nothing but black eyes in the goblin's sockets, that I was satisfied to pronounce it dead.
Suddenly, I've been snatched, two claws taking hold of my shoulders. It happened so fast, I was unprepared for it, the earth shrinking under my feet. At the right angle, I whacked my sword into the ankle of one foot, cutting into it until there was bone. Blood oozed, and there was a cry, the nails uncurling until I suddenly fell.
I screamed, forgetting to calculate how far the drop would be until my feet already broke my fall. My legs followed, bending, until I collapsed, stomach first, into the mud. The impact left me breathless, all of my air out of my lungs as I felt them shrivel up into wrinkled prunes inside my chest. I wheezed, struggling to get up as my hands pushed me against the ground, mud slipping in between my fingers.
Something grabbed my ankles, and I was lifted once more, upside down like a bat, as my helm slipped away and clanked far below.
"Stop it!" I wheezed, waving my hands when I realized I'd lost my sword.
Something clanked on my face, making me wince before I realized it was Vince's pistol that hit me. I gasped, snatching it before losing it, and secured it firmly in my hands.
I've never used a gun before, but I've held it like the many times I've seen Vince practice and took aim at the belly of the beast.
I pulled back on the trigger
A loud crack broke through the air, loud as thunder, and my hands jerked, almost hitting my face.
Suddenly, I was falling back down to earth, until I made impact hands first, followed by arms, and then my shoulders before everything else caught up and crashed.
I lifted my face away from the mud, my head trembling, struggling to take deep breaths when my heart was beating too fast for such a blissful second of stillness.
The earth trembled. I turned my head and found a body of a goblin landing right next to me, its eyes black. Its silent presence still encouraged me to crawl away, out of fear it will reach out and strike, all while I was still wheezing to get my breath back.
"Camille!"
Hands grabbed my arm as I tried to fight against the instinct to scream, catching a quick glance at Vince's face. Black blood smeared across his cheek, his helm gone, leaving his wet hair almost black and wild. His eyes were distant, bloodshed in them, but he helped me up as he grunted, "We need to leave! Now!"
It was ungraceful heading back towards shore, the mountain steep. Many helms, lost swords, bows, and torn capes were left behind, obstacles for my feet as I ran as fast as I could, Vince right behind me. Even when I still had little air to breathe, and I had never been so terrified in my life, my legs moved for me. I kept my head low, my arms shielding it as more claws came, scratching against my bracers. My ears were ringing, the screams fading away until all I could hear was my wheezing. My hair clung to my face, and more blood slipped into my lips until I spat it out.
"Roll!" Vince's shout sounded far away, a muffled command. I felt his hand plant in between my shoulders, and he shoved me hard.
I fell forward, and stumbled, my head inside my arms. The descent was linear, no more trees in the way, leaving my body to roll straight down. The dark nightmare blurred, spinning around me until I thought it was just all a dream and I was on the verge of waking up. I rolled over pebbles and mud, going until nausea kicked in. When I thought it would never stop, my face finally fell into the wet sand. Everything held still in an abrupt jolt, and all that was inside my skull sloshed around. I groaned, cheek resting in the sand, and just let my eyes flutter open to squint out to the crashing waves a few feet from taking me. The waves slammed into the rocks so powerfully, they sprayed up and boomed like fireworks.
Too slowly, and yet I couldn't go any faster, my hands pushed me up, shaking. Sounds were still suppressed, the ringing still in effect from the gunfire. My mind twirled in a daze. I got on all fours, barely hearing the cries from a distance, and looked up, away from the water.
My vision was blurry, finding blobs of the others rolling into the sand. But my stomach twisted into a tight coil, pushing up whatever I last ate into my throat. I gasped, stumbling towards the sea, my hands and feet in the water until I hurled.
I spat whatever was left of the awful acidic taste in my mouth and splashed the freezing water up my face, washing away the blood and snapping me awake. My hands were already numb as I looked down at them, seeing drops of my blood smeared with salt water in the palms of my gloves. They shook, and I gasped, shoving them into the water until they disappeared. Again, I splashed my face, wave after wave trying to toss me back.
I felt clumsy, dropping to my knees, and glanced over my shoulder at the fort to my North East.
Goblins dove into it, snatching anyone inside. The ringing began to fade, enhancing the sounds of screams as more bodies lifted, taken away to nests inside mucky caverns, or to fall to their deaths. My jaw shuddered, the sounds of chaos returning too quickly until it hurt my ears.
Three pairs of red eyes found mine, and I jumped to my feet, running deeper into the water. Wings unfurled wider, three of them honing in on me, claws cutting thinly through the waves as they reached. I ran as fast as my legs would let me, the water up to my waist, bumping into wave after wave, stumbling over a rock, until I dove, head first, into the dark water.
A claw found my foot, and for a second, I thought I would get pulled up. But then the sea released a tall wave, sucking me under it, along with the goblins, and they gurgled into its vicious waters, unable to swim when their wings were saturated with too much weight.
I pushed my way to the surface, struggling to stand as the sea tried to pull me in, too numb to notice the sharp rock hitting at my armored arms and legs. A wave shoved me, and I hurled to shore until I fell back on all fours, coughing up the bitter taste of water and my old vomit. Hair dripped, obscuring my view as I looked down at my frozen hands, unable to see them in the black water.
"Camille!"
There was splashing.
Trembling, I slowly looked up and never felt more relieved in my life to find Vince crash to his knees next to me, taking a hand to my upper arm and hoisting me up.
My hand brushed away at my wet hair, unaware that I was sobbing until I tried to speak.
"We're not going to make it, are we?" I cracked, my throat hot and eyes burning from salt and tears.
Vince looked down at me, his hands tight on my shoulders, taking a second to process my poor state. His hold tightened, and I found his teeth pressed together.
"No! Don't say that. Don't ever say that! You will make it! You will get the fuck out of here! I will make sure of that!"
I couldn't tell anymore if Vince was blind, or if he truly had any other tricks up his sleeve. Death appeared clear as day; only minutes, if that, to escape it.
I looked over Vince's battered shoulder and discovered four goblins diving in. Like he had a sixth sense, Vince felt them nearing. When he was ready, he turned at the right time, taking his sword from its sheath, water dripping from his hands, ferocious eyes up at the threat, and sucked in a loud breath. With a long exhale, Vince swung, one to each goblin, cutting in a belly, a chest, taking away a wing, the last cutting into a thick thigh, and they all dropped into the water next to us. If they bled, it blended into the water in that same awful color, and the waves swallowed their bodies.
I couldn't help but stare at Vince, marveling at his extraordinary sword-fighting abilities. I knew that he was a good fighter, but not at this kind of level. There was this quick realization that washed over me like another ice-cold wave: That I didn't really know him as well as I thought. Who are you, Vince? Where in Middle Land did you come from?
He sheathed his sword and took my hand unquestionably, pulling me with him.
"Come! We need to go back to the ship!"
We began to run along the water, following the shore, but then Vince stopped, the water stuck to our ankles. I froze next to him, hugging myself when my eyes fluttered up to follow the dark water to shore, and they grew wider and wider with disbelief, hands hiding my lips.
Vince's eyes narrowed, holding in all the hate he had in them, and remained still.
There were probably fifty or more of them.
Stronger-winged goblins all landed and lined up across the sand and around the fortress, surrounding us. They stood tall and silent, their wings tucked in, and it seemed like a horizon of glowing red, all their eyes peering at us.
There was nowhere to go.
But what caught our eyes the most was a special creature, a demonic one twice as large as the small fry, and muscles that bulged with each step as he marched forward from the others. His arched horns sharply pointed to the dark clouds, and he smirked a sharp tooth grin at us, his lips lifting to his black high cheekbones. Holding something, his gigantic black claws thrust forward and squeezed into them, a body squirmed.
I sucked in a shaky breath, recognizing who it was.
"Vince, it's..."
"Father," he finished for me, his voice very low.
Silence sank across the herd as the large demonic creature stepped forward on his legs like a human. He held Captain Leroy tight in his curled black fingers, the man as small as a doll to the creature. He was bruised and bloody, his hair like Vince's but with eyes lost of his spirit, a dim set of orbs that showed he had already given up.
"Give us the princess," the demon creature ordered in a deep voice that made my skin crawl.
"And I will let the captain and whatever's left of you, go. You can have your fortress and await help from your Slumberland," he proposed, his voice sounding intelligent with a mix of a low growl. The demon squeezed, and Captain Leroy grunted in pain at its giant claws, the sounds of bones cracking.
I watched for Vince's reaction, but his face was frozen, eyes cold.
"Don't do it, son!" Elroy cried, and he croaked again from another squeeze.
My pounding heart crowded my ears, barely able to hear the waves behind the loud thumping sounds, a cold dread sinking me into the sea until I thought I was drowning. I gasped an inhale, trying to breathe as anxiety flutter kicked into my chest, and I slammed my hands over my knees, feeling nauseous again.
This was their plan all along, wasn't it?
My eyes couldn't stop staring at the little dark waves in front of us, quickening to shore towards all the sharp feet of our foe.
That black wing in the sky, the one I saw disappearing behind the clouds when I snuck on board Vince's ship. They knew I was coming.
Tears fell, falling into the water around my feet like baby rain, and I shuddered, afraid of what Vince will decide.
Me? Or him and a couple of survivors?
I closed my eyes, fighting back the urge to vomit again when I simmered on our grim choices. My lips were cracked, and I licked them as I turned to look up at Vince to try to read his mind in such a situation.
A cold hate filled his glare, and his jaw muscles clenched tight. He curled a fist to his side, tighter and tighter. And then he said the one word with so much certainty.
"No."
My heart thumped.
"Vince," I gasped, slowly dropping my jaw.
It was his own father, the only family he had left. Without Leroy, Vince had no one. I couldn't let them take that away from him. We both lived without one parent, but let's leave it at that.
It was stupid, acting on the moment without thought. My legs kicked up, pushing me to the shore with athlete speed, splashing through water as I made my way towards the tall goblin, ready to give in to his demands.
But a rough hand grabbed my wrist so hard.
"No!" And I was yanked back, whelping to the pain of Vince's grip when he pulled me into him and rammed his other hand to shake my shoulder.
"I said 'no," he hissed in an ice-cold voice, and his grip began to hurt. I winced, tears flooding until he let go, only to grip my chin and forced me to look up at him.
I stared into those dark eyes, eyes that have seen death many times before being pulled into Slumberland, before I met him. The old black blood still caked half his face, dark thin eyebrows scrunched together, and his pale lips split open with fresh blood trickling down his wet chin.
"Don't you get it? We've been set up. This was their plan all along, understand?" He said through his teeth and asked me if I understood. Vince already figured it out, probably before I did.
I nodded, eyes shut tight. I had no idea what would happen next, tears already obscuring my vision when I opened them again and found his face blurry.
"He's your family," I whispered. Vince's eyes gave me a hint of raw ache, his mouth open as though he was about to reply.
But then everything happened too quickly.
First, there was the cry of Vince's father when he was crushed. His bones cracked until his scream faded. His eyes bugged out, and then it was just his mouth hanging open, letting out nothing, not even a gurgle.
Second, he was tossed like nothing, his body limp and broken in the sand, already half buried with arms and legs bent in all the wrong places.
"Stupid Middle Land human. We will have the princess anyway," growled the big one, and then he lifted a claw, a silent command. All of his minions, the winged goblins, jumped into the air, their eyes glowing like scattered red fireflies in the dark, and came for us, their mouths open with hisses and gargoyle-like cries.
I thought time began to crawl, and Vince pulled me behind him in slow motion. His hair whipped to his other cheek when he spun, and water sprayed as he pulled his sword from his hip, killing flooding his eyes.
He shoved me so hard, I tumbled behind him into the water, hands first.
But instead of crashing my face into its icy depths, I accidentally bumped into something hard. My eyes blinked while my hands brushed back water and tears to clear my blurry vision. I flickered my eyelids up, and took notice of a thick leg in the water, as sturdy as a large stone.
I gasped when I recognized the gold sabaton, followed by the golden chainmail crawling up the leg when my eyes lifted. There was that legendary golden chest plate, the swan wings sprouting across heavy shoulders, and a long red cape flapped to the rough winds, steering inland. His white bear had been misted with tiny water drops falling to my face as I continued to gape, seeing the familiar gold crown glimmer atop his head.
Near my white face, I noticed a glow and dropped my gaze to find his thick hand holding the royal scepter tight to his side. Its crystal ball glowed in a white, yellow haze, transforming into a beacon.
Was this a dream?
"Father?" I shook.
The last I saw before the light, were his blue eyes piercing mine, so menacing, I lost my breath. For a minute, it wasn't Father I knew.
With a powerful arm lifting the scepter towards the sky, the heroic King of Slumberland bellowed out a thunderous roar that cleared the heavens and sent the monsters away.
"PAJAMABAJAMA-PAJAMAHAMBAAAAA PAJAMAAAAAAAAAA!"
The sky cracked in half by the scepter when it released a mighty beam of power into the dark heavens. White light flashed and touched everything. Demons and goblins dispersed into nothing, and their demon lord cried out before it, too, was nothing more than black dust. Wave after wave spilled up into the sky and pushed everything that was evil away in ripples. The ocean reeled back, the dark mountains bowed away, turning green, and the clouds cleared.
Finally, exhaustion took over me, and I hugged Father's hip, leaning my head into him as the rest of me sank into the water, numbingly frozen and close to fainting.
I blinked one last time to see father glare down at me beneath a hot white sky, and I smiled weakly.
"I'm so glad you're here," I whispered, and I really meant it.
I closed my eyes, ready for the sweet release of rest, and fell into his arms.
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