Aspen and the Dream Walkers

  Chapter 14

  Witches and Lions

  "Hey, Princess." Ginny flashed a smile as Aspen appeared next to her and Sandy.

  She'd fallen asleep minutes earlier and had woken up in Lanta. A week had passed since she'd last seen Dylan, and no matter where she'd searched, she couldn't find him.

  Even though she was burning to ask about his whereabouts, she didn't want to raise Ginny or Sandy's suspicions, but she was at her wit's end. If only she could call his phone. The sound of his voice would make her feel better. She'd need a valid excuse to call him, though, and she couldn't think of one. Texting wouldn't help as she didn't own a cell phone for fear of breaking it. The leather strap had stopped all that, but she would need to work during Spring Break in order to afford one now.

  "Hey, Gin, how are you doing?"

  The sisters were dressed in khaki pants and black T-shirts. Sandy's fair hair was braided in cornrows, and both girls looked ready for battle. A group of five boys loitered around them in a circle. She recognized most of them; they were all Power clan members. The lake glistened invitingly next to them, and the trees swayed in the hot, dry air as butterflies danced on white daisies nearby. It was a perfect day.

  She waved at the clan members.

  "Hey, Aspen," they said in a chorus.

  "What are you guys doing?" she asked.

  "We were just about to go hunting," Sandy replied. "Wanna join us?"

  "Yeah." She laughed and rubbed her dream catcher. "I think that's just what I need right now."

  "That's great. Dylan couldn't make it, so we're a team member short." Sandy didn't elaborate, and Aspen refused to ask why he couldn't be there.

  He hadn't called her the entire week, and she hadn't seen him in Lanta at all. Ray still spent time with her at school and she'd seen Ruby once, although she wanted to avoid her as much as possible.

  If Aspen could find out where Dylan was without asking directly, she would, but she kept quiet as the boys walked along the water's edge. She tagged along with the girls behind them.

  Sandy gave Aspen a band for her hair, and she swept it up in a ponytail high on her head as they walked. For once, she'd been transported in a pair of jeans and soft boots instead of the usual long skirt, and she felt ready for action.

  The lake was fed from a river uphill, spilling into another smaller stream farther down the incline. They followed the water until it became choppy as it was forced by gravity through a narrow passage.

  Aspen recognized the place she'd seen when she first arrived in Lanta. Willow trees draped over the gurgling water, and the pebbles looked like gemstones beneath the surface of the stream.

  "I remember this place," she said. A small rock on the ground caught her attention, and she bent to pick it up. The sky changed to lavender moments later, and her skin prickled from a fresh blast of cool air.

  "That's odd, this is a favorite Chancellor casting place. What were you doing here?" Ginny asked. Her blond braid whipped against her back as she walked up to her friend.

  "I don't know. I woke up near this place and had the worst experience ever." Aspen sighed.

  "I think something bad is going to happen again," Sandy shouted from behind them. "Take cover, it's a witch!"

  Aspen ducked as a bolt blasted into the ground next to her feet. Soil shot up and gritted in her eyes, and she was blinded for a second. With a cry, she rubbed the sand from her face and spat out tiny particles of mud that had formed in her mouth. Turning around, she found an ugly old woman with pitted skin and a pointy black hat standing behind her. Matted hair hung limply on a cloak draped over her shoulders, and Aspen gasped to realize the woman was the embodiment of the witches she'd read about in fairy tales. Before she could move, the crone raised a bony arm to fire another blast at Aspen.

  The bolt hit Aspen's dream catcher with pinpoint accuracy, causing the string to snap and the necklace to fall to the ground next to her. A roar sounded above her as she bent to pick up the charm, and a rush of air streamed along her bare skin as something large flew over her.

  She screamed as a monstrous lion jumped over her head and landed with a thud before her. It opened huge jaws and roared. Rancid breath hit her nostrils, and its amber eyes locked on her. Behind her, she could hear the screams and shouts of her friends as Chancellors spilled out-much like the spiders had done in her dream previously-along the raging river. The water was no longer calm, forming waves that hissed as they slammed against the rocks next to her.

  The sky was really dark but she could only think of the angry beast that faced her. She had to ignore the witch to face the immediate threat. The lion's eyes focused on her, and she sensed it was about to pounce. The mane around its neck was thick and matted, and the muscles in its hind legs bunched together as it crouched, ready to jump on her and rip her to shreds.

  Aspen threw her hand up and hurled as much energy as she could at the growling beast. She couldn't use both hands for fear of losing the dream catcher, and she prayed that the power was enough to save her.

  The earth rocked as her bolt hit the lion. The huge beast disappeared in an instant, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. Smoke spiraled from the blast site.

  It took a second for her to realize that the beast was gone, before she grabbed at the strings of suede on her dream catcher. Her fingers shook as she tied the shortened string around her wrist so that she had both hands free. Without the charm she was vulnerable, but she needed to use both hands to be effective.

  Someone screamed and she spun around. The other Dream Walkers must have taken care of the witch because there was only a smoldering spot left where she'd been standing before.

  Ginny was far ahead of her, being dragged away by three strong Chancellors. They'd wrapped rope around her arms, and she couldn't lift her hands to fight them. One of them smacked her jaw and she collapsed into a limp heap. He picked her up as though she weighed nothing and swung her over his broad shoulders.

  Sandy was a few feet behind her, fighting Chancellors. Aspen turned to her and screamed, "They've got Ginny, help her!"

  Sandy risked a glance over her shoulder, but she was under attack by the Chancellors in front of her. They swarmed everywhere with their black eyes and scary pale faces.

  Aspen was the only one free so she ran after Ginny. Electric balls of energy shot from her hands as she darted along the riverbank and chased the Chancellors. Her power was new and she didn't have enough control to risk hurting Ginny with a direct blast, so she followed them and waited for the right opportunity to help.

  The Chancellors held on to Ginny and ran toward a small mound of earth near the last of the willow trees. As she watched, they disappeared behind the mound. She was astounded. It was impossible for them to vanish so quickly.

  "Ginny!" she cried out.

  As she wailed, the sky began to change. The deep lavender color lightened and a pale lemon light brought a warm breeze with it. The remaining Chancellors rushed toward the mound of earth and disappeared in a heartbeat.

  People lay on the ground moaning around her, and she stared at them in shock. Realization hit her after a few seconds, and she cried out, "They've got Ginny!"

  She ran to the pile of earth behind the willow trees. A glint of metal caught her eye, and she found Ginny's dream catcher and the chain it was suspended from wrapped on a bush nearby.

  Sandy rushed up to her. Her T-shirt was torn and dirt was smeared over one cheek. "Where is she? Did they take her?"

  Aspen nodded her head slowly and held Sandy as she sobbed and collapsed against her chest. "Shh, we'll find her, don't worry. Let's get everyone together and get help. My uncle will know what to do."

  The rest of the Power clan gathered around the two girls as their dream catchers glowed brightly. A yellow light traveled from the charms over their bodies, mending each scratch and cut before her eyes. After the glow had subsided, Aspen jerked forward and grabbed Sandy's hand.

  "Come on, we haven't got any time to lose, we've got to ge
t back to the village." Shouting loudly, she raced toward the cottages.

  Dogs barked and geese cackled in fright as they entered the village, and smoke from campfires trailed lazily in the air. Leeman walked onto the small veranda of his wooden house to see what had happened. At the sight of the bedraggled group, he ran down the steps and folded Aspen into his arms as she flung herself at him.

  "Uncle Leeman, help us please," she cried.

  "What is it, Princess, what happened?" He pulled her tiny frame away from his body.

  "They took Ginny!"

  "Who took her?"

  "Th-the Chancellors," she stuttered.

  "How did that happen?"

  Sandy spoke urgently. "There was a witch who knew we'd be defenseless without our dream catchers, so she broke Ginny's. She couldn't defend herself without it."

  "Where did this take place and when?" Leeman's eyes glinted coldly. Demothi, the conjurer, stood behind the leader and chanted softly as he listened to their tale.

  "Just now .?.?. at the first turn in the river." Sandy was shaking and Aspen held on to her arm.

  "Gather the warriors! Wait here-I'll be back," Leeman commanded. He ran up the steps of his cottage and motioned to a young boy, who rang a bronze bell that hung from a rope in a wooden structure close by. It had a muffled clang, but the noise carried across the village. The smell of smoke was even more noticeable in the air around them, and dogs continued to bark in excitement.

  "What are they going to do?" Aspen asked Sandy.

  The girl's face was ashen. "We have to get to Ginny before they take her to the castle. We'll never see her again if they reach their home base."

  Demothi chanted softly in the background, but his intonation grew louder and soon he shouted in a strange language.

  Aspen gasped as a herd of snow-white horses charged into the village. Their hooves sounded like thunder, and she stepped back in case they got too close.

  The horses slowed to a trot and snorted. Throwing their heads back, they flicked their tails and one by one, came to a halt in front of Demothi.

  Leeman exited his cottage. He had a strange gadget strapped to his hip and clutched a leather whip tightly in his hand. The gadget looked like a huge G-clamp with a blue head and a short black handle.

  "He's taken the Gimler," Sandy whispered.

  "What's that?"

  "That blue object around his waist. It's the most powerful weapon we have."

  A flowing white cape covered his broad shoulders, and he wore black pants and a loose white shirt. The largest horse walked up to him and lowered its head. Aspen watched in awe as it stood still and allowed Leeman to mount it in one smooth move. Warriors slipped out of the cottages, dressed in similar garb. Each one mounted a white horse and joined Leeman, awaiting his orders.

  Aspen raced up to her uncle's horse. "Wait, we have to come with you. We can show you where it happened."

  Leeman stared impatiently at his niece. His eyes glowed, and for a moment she was sorry that she'd called him back.

  "I'll take the girls. I'll look after them. I promise!" Dylan shouted from behind them and ran up to the group. Aspen turned to stare at him in shock. He'd been nowhere to be found all week, and now he stood before them as though he'd never left.

  Leeman took a moment to decide. "Protect them with your life."

  Demothi started to chant again and nodded his head as three more horses galloped into the village. With a wave at the warriors in the circle around him, Leeman jerked his horse forward and they all thundered through the village in a cloud of dust.

  "Where've you been? I've been looking for you everywhere." Aspen stared accusingly at Dylan.

  "I've been busy. I heard the sound of the alarm and knew there was trouble somewhere. Quick, mount your horse and we'll leave."

  This was not what she wanted to hear, and she placed her hand against the horse's flank. "I've never ridden by myself before."

  "These are magical horses. Demothi made them for us and we'll know how to ride them. Trust me."

  Aspen hesitated for a second before hauling herself up into the saddle. Ginny was in trouble and she wasn't going to be much help if she couldn't reach her.

  Before she knew what had happened, she was seated on the large animal's back. Digging her knees gently into its side, she let the horse canter after the rest of the herd. It felt as though she'd been riding for years, and she relaxed and let the animal guide her. There were about twenty riders, all strong Power clan men, and her horse hurried to join them as they galloped up ahead.

  Sandy and Dylan rode up next to her, and she leaned into the wind as the horse's mane whipped in her face. Her ponytail slapped against her arm and her clothes fluttered in the warm wind.

  Within minutes they'd reached the spot where the fight had occurred. The willow tree branches waved gracefully over the stream, and she was surprised that the scene was so peaceful compared to a few moments before.

  Leeman crouched over his saddle and studied the area carefully. A small dagger tucked in his boot caught her eye as it glinted in the lemon light.

  "They've used a waypoint!" he shouted. "Ted, take five of your men and race to waypoint ten. Paul, take five men and head for waypoint nine. The rest of you follow me to waypoint eleven." As he spoke, six riders split away from the group and headed in one direction while another six peeled away to the south.

  "Why are we splitting up? Where are they going?" Aspen asked Dylan as she caught up to his horse.

  "Chancellors use waypoints to travel. I told you about them before. They're like tunnels in the ground. They can't come out during Lemona, so they walk underground and pop out whenever it's Lavendula. This is waypoint twelve. We're going to head them off at the next waypoint if we can reach it in time."

  Aspen nodded her head in understanding and urged the horse along as the team raced toward the next waypoint.

  The sky darkened and Leeman lifted his hand to bring the steeds to a halt. A cloud of earth rose around the excited horses and riders, and he jumped from the saddle with a thud.

  "Look after the horses!" he shouted at Dylan, Sandy, and Aspen.

  The rest of the warriors dismounted and followed him stealthily through a large copse of trees. Dylan and Sandy clutched at the reins and tried to tie the horses to branches as quickly as possible. Aspen rushed to help them.

  The sky changed to lavender as they worked, and she'd just tied the last reins to a branch when a sweet odor filled her nostrils. Dylan grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a boulder.

  "Duck!" He positioned her in front of him on the ground.

  His shirt brushed against her back, and her skin tingled from his touch. His breath puffed against her neck as she crouched behind the huge stone. Sandy joined them silently and knelt down next to her. Soon after, a stream of Chancellors poured out from an opening in the ground a few feet away from them. They looked straight ahead, not moving their pale heads at all. Within seconds, they'd disappeared into the trees surrounding the opening.

  "Can't they see the horses?" Aspen said in a low voice.

  "Demothi made a spell so they're only visible to us. We have to hide, though-I don't want the Chancellors to catch us." His deep voice whispered against her ear, "Look out for Ginny. She might be at this waypoint."

  Her heart thudded nervously. Countless Chancellors continued to swarm out of the opening, but she couldn't see Ginny anywhere. After ten anxious minutes, she breathed a sigh of relief as the sky lightened. A new group of Chancellors slipped into the tunnel and the noxious smell faded away.

  "They can only travel aboveground during Lavendula, so they have to come out of the tunnels at some time," Dylan said as he rose to his feet. He reached for Aspen's hand and dragged her up next to him. Her fingers crackled with electricity from his touch.

  Leeman and the remaining six Dream Walkers raced toward them. His face was flushed and his blue eyes sparkled with power. "Hurry, they'll be at waypoint ten for certain."

  The w
arriors untied their mounts and galloped as fast as they could. Dylan helped Aspen back into the saddle and together with Sandy, followed the men as quickly as they could. After a while, the team met up with the first six men who'd left them earlier. The horses whinnied with excitement and breathed heavily after the hard ride. Leeman held his hand in the air and motioned the riders to stop in front of a small hill.

  "The tunnel is in front of us. We'll take this one. Go to waypoint eight in case they get away," he ordered Ted.

  The big warrior didn't move. Instead he murmured sullenly, "That's too close to the castle."

  Leeman twisted in his saddle and trained furious blue eyes at the man. "We've got no time to waste, Ted. If we don't find her, she'll be killed. Go now!"

  Ted slunk back to his horse while the other men looked sheepishly at the ground. Dylan shook his head in disgust as he watched them mount their horses and head out for the next waypoint.

  "I can't believe he just said that," Dylan said to Leeman.

  Leeman's expression was bleak. "When you've seen what goes on at the castle, you'll know why they're so scared. We have to find Ginny before they take her there."

  After the horses were secured behind the small hill, Aspen peeked her head over the top of the knoll to watch the tunnel below. They waited for another two minutes before the sky darkened and once again, Chancellors spilled out of the opening in the ground. It was a sight to behold. So many creatures appeared with pale faces and pitch-black eyes-completely devoid of emotion-and her nose wrinkled at the sickly sweet smell in the air.

  Suddenly, a group of Chancellors pulled a limp body with long blond hair from the tunnel.

  Leeman ran toward them and the rest of the team followed. They aimed blue balls of energy at the three Chancellors closest to Ginny. Aspen winced as Ginny opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her face was filthy and her arms were covered in cuts and bruises, but her jaw was gritted with determination. A long rope was wrapped around her arms and waist, and the Chancellors used it to drag her back into the hole. She struggled and wedged her feet apart so they couldn't pull her into the tunnel.

  "Shoot them!" Leeman shouted. "Don't let them take her."

  That was exactly what Aspen had been waiting for, and she stood up to fire power balls at the Chancellors surrounding the hole. She didn't want to harm Ginny, so she aimed for the creatures a few feet away from her. A tingling rose from her toes and burned through her veins, all the way up into the rest of her body.

  Once the feeling had completely swamped her limbs, she rose up and within seconds, hovered about two feet from the ground. With a cry, she raised her hands and hurled blast after blast at the Chancellors. Huge holes exploded in the earth around her and about thirty Chancellors disappeared in a haze of smoke. The remaining Chancellors stood around Ginny and enveloped themselves in a force field. A bubble of energy surrounded them and none of the power balls could touch them.

  She was about to aim for the shimmering globe when Dylan shouted at her.

  "No, Aspen. Your blasts are too strong. You'll destroy Ginny."

  His words sank into her brain. Without thinking, she'd been about to deliver a killer shot, but he was right. She had to stop.

  Leeman was the leader of their clan and his power was stronger than hers. Luckily he was experienced and knew what he was doing. He raised the Gimler from his waist and a stream of current zinged between each end of the weapon as he aimed it at Ginny and her captors. A line of power arced from the middle of the Gimler and blasted toward the bubble with an ear-splitting crack. The bubble disintegrated and Ginny stumbled forward. The three Chancellors behind her dropped down into the tunnel as soon as she was freed.

  A Power Walker grabbed her just before she collapsed and pulled her against his chest. Leeman stepped forward and split the rope around her arms in half with a tiny current from his hands.

  Sandy rushed to her sister's side. "Ginny! Ginny, are you all right?"

  The sky was already yellow, but Aspen was too hyped up to realize that the Chancellors had left.

  Dylan's voice penetrated her brain distantly. "Princess, it's all right, you can come back down now. They've gone."

  When she looked down, she was shocked to see that the ground was still a good five inches from her feet. With a sigh, she fell down to the earth.

  Once she was able to walk again, she rushed toward Ginny. Her friend had red rope marks around the tender skin of her lower arms, and her face was tearstained and dirty.

  "Ginny, I'm so glad we found you!" she cried, and hugged her friend. The small Dream Walker held on to Aspen for a while until Leeman separated them.

  "We need to leave, it's not safe here."

  Ginny drew back and nodded at him. "Thank you for saving my life." Her voice was scratchy as though she'd screamed it away.

  "I found your dream catcher," Aspen said, and extracted the threaded disk from her shirt pocket.

  Ginny grasped at the charm and held it close to her chest. The raw wounds around her arms faded as soon as her fingers touched the dream catcher, and a glow of light encircled her until she'd healed completely.

  Dylan swung onto his horse and reached down with an outstretched hand. "Come on, Ginny. Let's get you home." With both hands clasped firmly, he pulled her up onto the white steed's broad back.

  The members of the Power clan mounted their horses in a hurry, and a lone horseman cantered away in the opposite direction to tell the others that Ginny had been found.

  Aspen's heart swelled with pride. She smiled, happy to have been able to help save her friend's life, and turned her horse to trot behind the rest of the riders toward the village.