Geth didn’t move.
“She brought food.”
Geth continued his impression of a nice-looking corpse.
“She brought food and board games.”
Geth’s eyes slowly opened. He looked at Clover and whispered, “Board games?”
“I don’t really know what goes on in your relationship,” Clover admitted, patting Geth on the forehead.
“How long was I out?” Geth asked.
“I don’t know,” Clover answered. “Maybe ten minutes.”
“Ohhhh,” Geth moaned. “Kevin?”
“No,” Clover said, looking around. “There’d be way more clouds and probably some sunshine coming from that direction if this was heaven.”
Geth looked appropriately confused.
“We were blown off of that dirty bubble,” Clover continued slowly. “Now we’re in some sort of field. I don’t know where Tie Boy is.”
Clover helped Geth sit up. Geth put his head in his hands and exhaled. His shoulders shook as he tried to shake off the fog of being knocked out. He tested his arms, and everything seemed to still work.
“I guess I was relaxed,” Geth said. He pushed back his long brown hair and turned to get a better look at Clover. “So, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Clover said. “I landed on you.”
“I can’t really remember what happened,” Geth reported. “Was it fun?”
“I don’t think you were bored,” Clover replied.
“Good,” Geth said, smiling.
Geth stood like a baby horse testing out its legs for the first time. He wobbled and held onto two of the thick purple stalks growing around him. After getting steady he stood still for a few moments.
“Maybe we should rest,” Clover suggested.
“I’m fine,” Geth insisted. “We don’t have time to rest; we have to get to Eve.”
“Again,” Clover sighed. “I think we should just find a way out of here so that I can tell Phoebe about how you’re always talking about Eve.”
“Phoebe knows how I feel about her,” Geth said, unruffled. “We owe it to Eve.”
Clover shrugged and disappeared.
Geth dusted himself off. He peered down the long rows of purple stalks, looking for any sign of Kevin.
“So you didn’t see what direction he dropped?” Geth asked.
“Nope,” Clover replied.
“Kevin!” Geth called.
There was silence, and then from far away the sound of something rumbling began to grow.
“Do you hear what I hear?” Clover whispered.
Geth began to move down a row of crops. He kept his body crouched and walked as quickly as he could away from the noise.
“Is it those boors again?” Clover asked, holding to Geth’s right arm.
Geth picked up his speed.
“Tie Kid!” Clover warned.
Geth didn’t have time to respond before tripping over Kevin, who was huddled on the ground in the fetal position. Geth rolled and then jumped to his feet as if he had meant to trip.
“Are you okay?” Geth asked, helping Kevin up.
“What do you think?” Kevin sobbed. “I’m still here.”
“Come on,” Geth insisted. “There’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to move.”
“What’s happening?” the young man cried. “I thought I would wake up at home. This is the worst.”
“Well, it could get worse if you don’t run!” Geth said.
Geth and Kevin ran while Clover stayed up on Geth’s head looking backwards. Only Clover’s eyes and ears were showing above the crop level.
“Stop,” Clover whispered as loudly as he could. “Stop right now!”
Geth stopped instantly and Kevin slammed into the back of him.
“Don’t move,” Clover hissed.
The sound of rumbling footsteps grew louder and louder.
“What is that?” Kevin asked breathlessly.
“Boors,” Geth replied.
“I hate those things,” Kevin whimpered. “Shouldn’t we be running?”
“Shhhhh,” Clover ordered, still standing on Geth’s head and looking out over the purple stalks.
Like a freight train carrying boxcars full of loose marbles, the noise chattered closer and closer. Kevin fidgeted nervously as Geth kept perfectly still.
“I—” Kevin started to whisper.
Geth held his hand up to silence him as the sound completely engulfed them.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t run?” Geth hollered at Clover.
“No,” Clover yelled back, ducking down to curl up on the top of Geth’s head. “But keep still.”
Just before all of their eardrums ruptured, the sound began to subside. Geth and Kevin kept perfectly still as the noise disappeared and once again silence took over. After a couple of minutes Clover spoke.
“I could see they weren’t after us,” he explained. “The road’s only a couple of hundred feet over there and they were moving straight down the middle of it.”
“How many were there?”
“I don’t know,” Clover replied. “I could just see a bunch of bark.”
“Well, let’s go,” Geth said.
“Wait, I can’t do this,” Kevin admitted. “I can’t do this and I can’t understand what I need to do to wake myself up.”
“You’re not sleeping,” Clover said impatiently.
“Maybe I should just stay here until I wake up,” Kevin suggested in a frazzled voice.
“Okay,” Clover agreed.
“Stay if you wish,” Geth added. “But don’t travel until dark.”
“Travel where?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t know,” Geth said, his blue eyes finally clear of any foggy residue the fall from the bubble had caused. “Are you going to just stay in this spot forever?”
“My mother is going to be so angry,” Kevin worried. “She threw a fit when I showed up to my application interview one minute late.”
“Your mother is going to have a lot of adjusting to do, period,” Geth said compassionately, staring at Kevin. “Listen, maybe it would be best if you stuck with us.”
Clover groaned.
Geth patted Kevin on the shoulder and then walked down one of the rows of crops.
“I feel good,” Geth said happily.
“About what?” Clover asked in disbelief.
“We know where the road is,” Geth answered.
Geth walked faster, parting the tall stalks of purple with Kevin following right behind him. When they reached the path, Geth kept himself hidden in the crops while looking out. The road was empty and there were more tall purple stalks on the other side.
“The ground’s much more stable here,” Geth said to Clover, who was now hanging on his right elbow. “There’s no smoking or bubbling dirt.” Geth leaned down and touched the soil. It was still rubbery, but steady.
Geth stepped out from the purple stalks and walked down the road, sticking as close to the side as possible. Kevin filed right behind him, and Clover took his spot on Geth’s head as a lookout. The road bent to the right and then straightened out again. They all walked in silence, listening for any sound that might alert them to hide.
Half a mile later the road turned sharply to the left and they could see a tall stone wall about a mile down the path. Geth slipped back into the tall stalks and walked slowly through the growth, keeping his eyes on the distant wall.
“What is that?” Kevin whispered with awe from behind Geth.
“That must be the wall Galbraith was talking about,” Geth replied. “Behind it is Finis.”
“So, is that a bad place?” Kevin asked.
“We’ll find out
,” Geth said.
“That’s the kind of answers Geth always gives,” Clover complained. “If you ask him if he hates evil, he’ll say something like, ‘Today seems like a great day to discover if I do.’”
“So you’re emotionally evasive,” Kevin analyzed.
“I’ve been saying that forever,” Clover said. “Wait, does evasive mean ‘sticky’?”
“Shhhh,” Geth whispered. “Look.”
There, stretching across the road, was the wall. It was at least twenty feet high and made of perfectly square stones that were stacked like bricks. The top of the wall was a sawtooth pattern of stone that ran the entire length. There was a large gatehouse through which the dirt road ran directly. In the middle of the gatehouse was a raised iron gate.
“Wow,” Clover said. “That’s a wall.”
“It looks medieval,” Kevin said. “Maybe this dream is getting better.”
“What’s medieval?” Clover asked. “Like a medium evil?”
“No,” Kevin snapped. “It was a time period and style. Some of the most fearsome warriors and knights lived during the medieval period.”
“Like that woman who flew across the ocean by herself?” Clover asked.
“Amelia Earhart?” Kevin said, bothered. “Wrong century. She couldn’t even hold my robe. Back in Reality I was a thirteenth-level medieval warrior in the nonfairy division.”
Clover stifled a laugh.
Geth ignored both of them and stared at the stone wall and gatehouse. There was nobody guarding the entrance. In fact, there was nobody to be seen anywhere.
“It’s so quiet,” Geth whispered.
“Maybe they’re behind the wall waiting to pounce,” Clover suggested.
“Knights don’t pounce,” Kevin said defensively. “If anything, they’re holed up in their keep awaiting our attack.”
Clover rolled his eyes.
“Kevin’s right,” Geth said. “We have no idea who’s behind there. It seems foolish to just walk blindly in.”
“Send Kevin,” Clover suggested. “He’s a division thirteen fairy.”
“Thirteenth-level medieval warrior in the nonfairy division,” Kevin corrected.
“Neither one sounds very brave,” Clover pointed out.
“What would you know, dream creature?” Kevin mocked, visibly riled. “What does it matter, anyway? It’s not like any of this is real. I could walk out and not a single soul would notice. Heck, I fell off a dirt bubble and didn’t die. Maybe those are the good guys behind that wall.”
“They’re not,” Clover insisted.
“I can’t do this any longer,” Kevin argued. He blew his blond bangs back, shoved his shirtsleeves up, and stepped out of the stalks and onto the road.
“Wait,” Geth warned.
Kevin shuffled along the dirt path directly toward the gatehouse. He held his head high and kept his shoulders back. He had taken only twenty steps before dozens of boors burst from the gate like barky vomit. There wasn’t even time for him to scream. Kevin was swooped up, pulled into the stone entrance, and dragged completely out of sight. Geth sat in stunned silence with his mouth hanging open.
“I thought he was a twelve-step fairy,” Clover said, disappointed. “I bet that woman who flew that plane would have put up more of a fight.”
“I don’t think we’ll be going through the front entrance,” Geth whispered.
“I suggest we don’t go in at all,” Clover replied. “We need to find a way out and let fate take care of this place itself. This realm is frightening. It’s not like you can save the whole population. This isn’t our place.”
Geth looked around. “I think for the moment it is.”
Clover slapped his forehead and grumbled.
“You know what?” Geth asked. “I think it’s time we used our secret weapon.”
“We have a secret weapon?” Clover asked excitedly.
“Yeah,” Geth replied. “You.”
Clover blushed and sort of tittered.
“We’ll have you go inside,” Geth explained. “Then you map out as many details and points of reference as possible. Find out if Eve’s there and where they took Kevin.”
“I am good at being invisible,” Clover said proudly.
“Right,” Geth agreed. “I’ll wait here for you to return.”
“What if I get caught?” Clover asked.
“You won’t,” Geth assured him. “Stay invisible. If you’re not back by dark, I’ll rescue you.”
“How will you do that?”
“I have no idea,” Geth replied honestly. “So make sure you come back. And hurry.”
“I know, I know,” Clover waved. “That girl is in danger.”
“Right,” Geth said, patting Clover on the head. “Besides, I’m not too fond of just sitting around and waiting these days.”
Clover looked out from the purple stalks toward the entrance.
“So I’m our secret weapon, huh?” he said, enjoying the way it sounded.
“Just go,” Geth insisted.
“Right.” Clover smiled and disappeared.
Geth waited a moment and then spoke. “Are you still here?”
“Maybe,” the invisible Clover replied.
“What are you waiting for?”
“I was just thinking,” Clover whispered. “When you tell Lilly about this, don’t forget to mention the secret weapon thing.”
“Go,” Geth urged.
Geth waited another minute before speaking.
“Actually, I’m going to tell Lilly that you were too scared and that I had to do it.”
There was no reply.
Confident that he was alone, Geth sat back on the soil and reluctantly started his wait.
Chapter Twelve
Have a Seat
Clover walked right through the gatehouse entrance with no problem. Being invisible made some things very easy.
Inside the wall, there were trees all over with boors just standing behind them holding on and staring blankly into space. Clover stopped and looked closely at one of the boors. In the light of day he could see clearly that the barky being was really just an ordinary person covered with woody growth and filthy skin.
“Some army,” Clover said to himself. “Where are the nice uniforms?”
After a few hundred feet of trees and bushes there were a couple of wooden houses and two wells. Beyond that there were rows and rows of tall wooden buildings and narrow cobblestone streets.
Besides the boors clinging to trees, there was nobody in sight.
“Not a very lively town,” Clover observed.
The tall wooden buildings that made up Finis were two and three stories high. Most of them leaned slightly forward, looking as if they might tumble into the street at any moment.
A stone statue with a fountain stood where two cobblestone roads crossed. The statue was of a lion, or possibly a bear, but its head was missing and the back end was cracked and crumbling so it was difficult to tell.
Water ran from the broken neck and drizzled down into a stone basin below it. The basin was half full of water and half full of algae.
The entire town appeared worn, uncared for, and eerie. Not a single business was operating or occupied. Some of the stores had broken windows and unhinged doors; others were missing windows and doors altogether.
Clover looked at a crooked tree growing near the broken statue. Two boors stood next to the tree, holding on. One of them was looking east and the other one was staring west.
Clover shivered and both the boors blinked.
Clover ran farther down the cobblestone road, taking everything in with his eyes. He glanced into the vacant shop windows and counted how often he saw a tree or a new road. There might have been nothing t
o be impressed by if it weren’t for the large grey castle placed directly in the middle of the town. At the top of the castle were tall, dark turrets with thatched roofs that stood up against the orange sky like giant stalks of asparagus.
“I think I’ll start there,” Clover whispered to himself.
The castle grew taller as Clover ran. It looked impressive in both size and detail. There was a small wall circling it, and an open drawbridge ran between two drum towers. The drawbridge was stretched out over a moat filled with red-tinted water.
There was nobody manning the drawbridge, so Clover casually walked in, taking mental pictures of everything he passed. The yards inside the wall were bursting with white flowers and black ivy that clung to the castle wall. There were plenty of trees in the gardens and, as expected, each tree had at least one boor clinging to it.
The castle itself was nine levels tall and as wide as a football field. The gray stone it was built from sparkled in the sunlight, and its balconies and windows were ornately carved with animal heads and battle scenes. All the castle’s roofs and overhangs were covered with tight, thick thatch.
Clover looked down at the ground. He followed a mess of footprints to some wide granite stairs that led into the castle. The ornate front doors were propped open by small gold lions that stood as door weights.
“Booby traps,” he whispered, reminding himself.
The flooring in the castle was green granite and polished so perfectly that Clover couldn’t resist materializing to look at himself.
“Not my best angle,” Clover said, staring down at himself. He fluttered his ears and brushed back the hairs on the top of his head. “My nostrils really are big.”
Clover turned away from his image and disappeared. He continued walking down the polished floor and into a large, round chamber. The ceiling of the chamber was painted with stars and planets and the walls were covered with brightly colored tiles that flickered and shone. Nowhere was there any sign of something dangerous or traplike.
Clip, clip, clip.
The sound of footsteps caused Clover to push himself up against the wall. He looked down the hall toward the oncoming noise and held his breath. Two boors appeared, walking like slack-jawed Neanderthals and holding long metal bars. They came straight for Clover but turned a few steps before they reached him, heading off in a different direction.