Dream Walker

Chapter 43 | What Kind of Man

When someone has their back against a wall and the options slowly dwindle, there are a few expected reactions: panicking, reevaluating to come up with a new plan, and giving up. Callie's brain suggested all these options. Luckily, it wasn't her first time up shit creek without a paddle.

"Follow me," she said, grabbing Alex's wrist and turning toward the entrance to the clearing.

"Back into the maze?" he asked incredulously. Alex's pace did not match her frantic steps, and she felt like she was dragging a solid block. She pulled harder, hoping he would get the hint.

"There has to be a thinner section of the veil somewhere."

Unless something more powerful was trying to keep them there.

"Do you know where to go?"

Callie, exasperated, turned to look at Alex again. "No, I have no idea where to go. I must've lost my map to the creepy extradimensional maze."

He sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Callie, that was a stupid question."

Guilt swelled in her chest. The guy had been trapped in a magically-induced coma for days and she was snapping at him. "No, I'm sorry. I got you into this mess, so I need to get you out."

Callie resumed walking toward the maze corridor, satisfied to hear Alex's steady footfalls following her. This was not the time for arguments or misunderstandings. Survival and escape were the only priorities.

"Yes, well, your messes are a big part of my job. Let's call it even," he suggested.

They settled into a brisk walk as Callie chose turns at random, trying to keep her mental awareness open to search the veil. She hoped she would be able to sense its weaknesses or any threats in the area. There was a swirling, nauseating sensation in her gut that she couldn't ignore anymore. Something was very, very wrong.

Around every turn, she saw flashes of red, and musical laughter echoed faintly in her head. Every time, she would whip around to confirm that there was nothing but another empty passage lined by hedges. She was starting to feel truly, madly insane.

"What should we do about Arabella?" Callie asked. Their pace and her gnawing fear had left her short of breath. Exhaustion was creeping in with the more turns they took.

"I don't know. She shouldn't be powerful enough to do any of this—portal travel, incapacitating me for days, blocking your powers—but somehow she is. If we were in our own dimension, I'd suggest calling in The Order."

"What, no two-way radios that can transmit across dimensions? Seems pretty low-tech for a spy network." Sarcasm was not a useful defense mechanism, but Callie could only work with what she already had.

"We're not exactly supposed to cross the veil. Ever."

Callie was too exhausted to laugh, but the simple statement struck her as amusing. Apparently, crossing the veil would keep her safe from any machinations of the overzealous Order. If not for the other dangers that plagued her in alternate dimensions, she might have considered a permanent move.

"You know, this place isn't all that bad. Pretty sky, natural landscaping. Certainly better than a fire swamp. As long as we don't see an ROUS, I think we'll be fine."

"What's an ROUS?" Alex asked, confused.

"Oh, you sweet, sweet boy, we need to have a movie night when we get out of here," she replied. If we get out of here.

Alex let out a sudden grunt from beside her. She could see a vine had snaked out along the ground and was beginning to wrap itself around his ankle. Callie sighed, annoyed with the maze's antics more than afraid. She drove her foot down forcefully onto the creeping vine, crushing a portion of it that was not covered in thorns. Alex was able to detangle himself before it could dig in too tightly.