Defying Equilibrium

Chapter 24: Trust and honesty

Oscar awoke suddenly. He had fallen asleep by the fireplace when he had sat down for a rest. They had arranged to stay the night at another small inn that they had come across a little way off the road, in a small village on their way to the next large town. Oscar had only sat down for a minute, and woke again hours later. How long had he been asleep? His back ached from the uncomfortable position

Stretching out his cramped limbs, he stood and warmed his hands in front of the flames. The fire hissed and crackled, the glow lighting up the dark room. Oscar was grateful for the warmth, the nights had begun to grow colder as Winter steadfastly approached. He turned around, hearing footsteps behind him. Ahmed entered the room, the light from the fire glinting off the sheath of his sword.

Without bothering with pleasantries, he spoke. “The others are all up in their rooms, sleeping I assume, so we can talk without the worry of listening ears. So tell me Oscar, what exactly have you been hiding from me?”

Oscar shifted uncomfortably, he hated how perceptive Ahmed was. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“I never would have picked you for a liar, Oscar. And you're a terrible liar at that, so you obviously don't do it often. So this must be something worth lying for, am I correct?” Ahmed smirked slightly, and Oscar scowled. “Do not take me for a fool, Oscar, I am not blind. I can see that something is wrong with Sidney, and if you do not enlighten me I will find out myself. So tell me.”

“You know he hates being called Sidney.”

“That is not an answer.”

“He prefers to just be called Dare, and you know that.”

“Oscar. This isn't getting you anywhere. You came to me asking for my help in retrieving your friend, and I cannot help you unless I can be sure I have your trust, and your honesty too. So tell me.”

Oscar sighed. He didn't really have a choice. “Dare's older brother, Jackson. He was a Shielder, front lines. Posted to the border skirmish. Dare never really got along that well with his brother, but he respected him. He looked up to him. And he...he just got word that Jackson is dead. That's what's wrong with him, Ahmed. His brother is dead.”

Ahmed stared into the fire thoughtfully. “Not what I was expecting. That certainly would explain the way he was acting. He was acting as if he....as if he wasn't there at all. But,” said Ahmed, turning to stare hard at Oscar, “how was he able to receive word of his brother's passing? We've had no communication with anyone since we set off, I made sure of that. So how did he find out?”

“That's the other part...” Oscar began, and then he told him. The secrets that he had kept closely guarded over the past fortnight just spilled out, what he had been wanting to say for so long. He told Ahmed about his first dream, about Silas, about Dare's younger brother Nico and how he could do it too. He told him what they knew about dreamwalkers and dreamscapes. That they suspected it was a form of magic, and how Riess turned up, and how Silas explained this. About Riess's split personality. And finally, he told Ahmed about Dare's dream, and what his brother had said. How he found out about Jackson.

When he had finished, Ahmed just continued to stare contemplatively into the flickering flames, the glow from the embers illuminating his features. He had his fingers tented in front of his face, and just stood, unmoving.

“I see,” he said simply, after a while. “I see,” he said again, softly. “And you have no idea of Silas's motives in pursuing you?”

“None at all. I haven't been able to find that out yet. I'm pretty sure that Riess is sincere when he says all he wants is to get to the next town. I do believe Silas when he says Riess does not know of his existence.”