Night Shade (17 page)

His Adam’s apple bobs nervously. ‘The Mayor is in charge.’

‘I know that.’ I slam my hand down on the armrest and he jumps. ‘And you’re working for him.’

‘Yes. No. It’s complicated.’ He fidgets. ‘He’s got a stranglehold over most all of the Dreamlands. He’s choking it to death because he wants more power and wealth. He created the Department ostensibly to investigate the Bubble. Instead they’re more like the Gestapo. They don’t just search the Bubble to map out the doors, they also make sure no one here gets in their way. I’ve been trying to gain the Mayor’s confidence for two years! He wants to control when people sleep so he can get into their dreams. I’ve been developing a serum for that. If you can control someone’s subconscious and see their dreams, you can change their actions and thoughts in the real world too.’

It makes a sick kind of sense. ‘This serum. Is that what you gave me?’

‘No! The serum doesn’t work. What I give him is just a placebo. What I gave you was to try to stop you from coming here. It’s too dangerous right now, you need to stay away. You were too strong for it though.’

‘Why should I stay away?’

‘Salib. He told me...’

I grab his shirt again, twisting the fabric in my fists. ‘Salib? You know him?’

Miller nods miserably. ‘I’ve not seen or heard from him in months though.’

‘Because he’s dead,’ I say flatly.

His face sags. ‘Then we’re lost,’ he whispers.

‘What did Salib tell you?’

‘To look after you. To make sure you didn’t come here before you were ready. That’s all I know,’ he stutters, ‘I promise.’

‘But you told me you’d not seen him in months,’ I say slowly. ‘When did he tell you this?’

‘A year and a half ago.’

I release my hold on him and step back. ‘That’s when my agoraphobia started.’

‘That was nothing to do with me!’ he protests.

I try to think. A lot of those initial weeks are hazy. I had such a concoction of pills and saw such a procession of doctors that, come to think of it, I can’t remember how Miller got involved in the first place.

‘I made up a referral,’ he mutters, reading my mind. ‘It was the only thing I could think of. When you withdrew from medical help, I kept tabs on you via your mother. She worries about you a lot, you know.’

I might have known. ‘How do I know I can trust any of this?’

‘I...’ His eyes dart around as if searching for something to offer me. Before he can come up with anything, there’s a sharp knock on the door. Both of us freeze.

‘Doctor Miller? Are you in there?’

I give him a nod.

‘Yes,’ he calls out shakily. ‘Just give me a minute.’ He looks at me. ‘You need to hide. When the coast is clear, get the hell out of here. I’ll get rid of them.’

‘Where is the mare? The Mayor captured one last night.’

‘Not here. They’re being held near the Bubble. Next to the daberhashery.’   I stiffen. So the Mayor has kidnapped more than one.

There’s another knock at the door, more insistent this time. ‘Doctor Miller, I’m going to need you to come out.’

‘Coming!’ He moves towards the door, gesturing to me to hide behind it.

‘Wait,’ I say, ‘why me? Why did Salib want to protect me and stop me from coming here?’

‘Because you’re a dreamweaver of course!’

Before I can ask what that means, he thrusts me to the side and unlocks the door.

‘What have you been doing, Doctor?’ asks a suspicious voice.

‘I just needed some peace and quiet,’ he answers. ‘All I get from you people are complaints about why the serum’s not working. I needed a break.’ He walks out, closing the door behind him.

I press my back flat against the wall and close my eyes, waiting for Miller to sound the alarm and guards to burst in. Nobody comes.

Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.

John Stark

––––––––

I
t’s a while before I leave the room. When I do, the corridor is quiet and empty. I glance up and down, wondering where Miller went. I can’t worry about him now though; I still have to find the mares.

I turn his words over in my head. Everyone keeps mentioning dreamweaver to me but I’m still no closer to understanding what it actually means. I force myself to ignore it for now so I can concentrate on getting out safely.

I tiptoe to the end of the corridor and peer down the stairs. When I’m sure I can neither see nor hear anyone, I make my way down. When I round the corner, I finally recognise where I am: the large doors at the front and the uniformed guard make it clear.

I reach the bottom step and sidle round a corner so I can observe everything without being seen. All I need to do is wait until the guard is distracted before making my exit. Either that or wake up. Unfortunately, as I don’t know how to make myself conscious, I’ll simply have to be patient and hope someone comes through the doors so I can sneak past. No problem for Ninja Zoe.

I’m so focused on the lobby and what’s happening there that I almost don’t notice when a door less than ten metres away opens up. Only when I hear the familiar tones of the Mayor do I realise how precarious my situation is. The damn guard is still alert and there’s no way I can get out without making a run for it – which would be a stupid thing to do. I’d barely get three feet from the Department headquarters before being bodyslammed to the ground.

The Mayor is already coming out. It’s only because his head is turned into the room as he talks to someone there that he doesn’t spot me. I spin away. When I was brought here before and Bron led me out, we’d come up the staircase at the other end of this corridor. It leads down to the basement, which is the last place I want to go back to. Right now, however, I don’t have a choice. Keeping one eye on the Mayor (thank goodness he seems to enjoy the sound of his own voice) and one eye on the steps leading down, I run for them. I reach them just as the Mayor finally nods and begins to turn.

I stay motionless on the second top step, listening in case he starts heading in this direction too. Thankfully, I hear him move up the staircase I just vacated rather than along the corridor. I start to relax – just as a firm hand clamps round my mouth and another grabs me by the waist, pulling me backwards.

‘Playing hide and seek?’ Dante’s voice murmurs in my ear.

I jerk, biting his palm. He moves his hand and releases me. ‘You’re like a rabid animal,’ he says.

‘Piss off.’

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I have a secret meeting with the Mayor,’ I spit, keeping my voice low. ‘We’re planning to take over the world together.’ Without looking back at him, I stick my head back out into the corridor. The coast seems clear. Before I can walk out, however, Dante reaches out a warning hand.

‘Where are you going now?’

‘To tell him you’re here of course.’ I point vaguely down the stairs. ‘There are some comfy cells down there that I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to put you in.’

He looks at me speculatively. ‘He doesn’t know you’re here, does he?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Either you’re playing both sides or...’

‘Or what?’

His eyes glint. ‘You really are a dreamweaver.’

I grimace. ‘So everyone keeps telling me. Look, Dante, I don’t have time for this. If you want to think I’m some sort of evil double agent, then go ahead. I have better things to do. I have to find the mares.’

He tilts his head to one side. ‘They’re not here.’

‘I know.’ I turn my back on him. I can’t see the lobby guard from this angle. I need to get closer.

‘You won’t escape that way.’ His voice is mild, which makes a pleasant change.

‘Watch me.’ A thought strikes me and I turn. ‘Anyway, what are
you
doing here?’

‘The same as you it seems’

I give him a sceptical look. ‘Right.’ I eye his all-black ensemble. ‘The grappling hook and the rope, that was you. Where did you get them from?’ If I was going to storm the building next to the Bubble, I’d need some equipment.

He’s surprisingly honest. ‘There’s a shop out by the Bubble that can be ... useful.’

‘Oh.’ I nod sagely, trying to make him think I already know it. ‘The haberdashery.’

‘Daberhashery.’

I roll my eyes. ‘That’s not even a word.’ Even if it’s the same word that Miller used.

Dante shrugs and grins and I want to poke out his eyes. There’s another noise down the corridor and suddenly I see the doctor motion in my direction. He raises his eyebrows and makes some complicated gesture. I have no idea what it means but when he calls for the guard and starts pointing at a spot in the wall and complaining loudly, I guess it has something to do with ‘I’ll make a cunning diversion so you can escape’.

I return Dante’s grin. Let him try and find his own way out of here.

‘Toodle pip.’ I dash off while the guard stares at Miller, puzzled. I sidle round the corner and escape out the front door.

***

T
hanks to my rooftop survey, I have a better idea of the Dreamlands’ layout. I head in the direction of the Bubble, looking for the so-called ‘daberhashery’. It’s not long before I find it. Like the majority of the other buildings in this place, it’s a low-lying thatched cottage with a small chimney stack on the roof. What sets it aside is the sign hanging outside, proclaiming its status as a shop. I dig into my pockets. It’s not like I have any money on me. I wonder how on earth people pay.

I can’t make out anything from peering through the windows so I take a deep breath and walk inside. A bell announces my presence and a woman with close-cropped hair looks up.

‘Well, well, well. I was wondering how long it would take you to find me. You must be Zoe.’

I frown. She could be one of the people from Somnolence. I decide to tread carefully. ‘Yes,’ I tell her. ‘Who are you?’

‘I’m Esme, of course.’ She steps from behind the counter and takes my hand. Her touch is feather light and there’s something about it that feels wrong. I draw back without meaning to. ‘Ah,’ she says knowingly, ‘you sense it then. I wasn’t sure if you would.’

‘Sense what?’ I try not to let my suspicion show on my face but I have a feeling I don’t do a very good job.

‘I’m not quite like the other Travellers.’ She knits her hands together.

‘In what way?’

‘Let’s just say I’m more of a permanent fixture in the Dreamlands than you are.’

I step backwards, almost landing in the fireplace behind me. Esme isn’t frightening and I’m not getting any bad vibes about her like I did with the Mayor but her presence is oddly jarring though. However, if she doesn’t want to talk about it, then I won’t press her. I know what it feels like to be different to others and how annoying it can be to always have to explain yourself.

I glance around the shelves. There are all manner of objects here: smart phones, jewellery, several baskets containing what appear to be odd socks, and even a few rather fetching hats. ‘Where does all the stuff come from? Do other Travellers bring it?’

Esme smiles. ‘No. You can only bring in the clothes on your back.’

I think about the sugar cubes and wonder whether to tell her about them. I decide against it.

‘Things get lost,’ Esme continues, pointing to the sock baskets. ‘Have you ever wondered why so many socks get swallowed up in washing machines?’

I’m confused. ‘You mean they end up here? But this isn’t real.’

‘You’re here. I’m here.’

‘Yes, but...’ I scratch my head. There’s so much about the Dreamlands that I really don’t understand. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m looking for something pointy. And sharp.’

Her eyebrows fly up. ‘Like a knife?’

‘That’d be perfect.’ I realise how eager I sound and backtrack. ‘I, er, need it to whittle.’ I force a smile. ‘I love whittling. Do you have anything that would work?’

Her expression doesn’t flicker. ‘Sorry, Zoe. The Mayor takes all potential weapons away as soon as they arrive.’

Of course he does. ‘How about something heavy then?’

She purses her lips. ‘There’s this,’ she says, nodding towards a gleaming statue of a Buddha.

I pick it up. It certainly is heavy; I could probably hit someone over the head with it. It’s not very practical though.

‘Will that help with your whittling?’ Esme asks politely.

I look at her sharply but she is still smiling at me. Hmm. My eyes alight on a bag of marbles. They could work.

‘How about those?’ I cough. ‘If I can’t whittle then I can play marbles.’

She takes them off the shelf and passes them over to me. ‘They’re a new acquisition. I didn’t think we’d get much interest in them.’

‘How much are they? I mean, how do I pay? I don’t have any money.’

Esme laughs. ‘No one ever does. Usually, you would exchange something.’ I stare at her blankly. ‘You find something, bring it in and I’ll let you exchange it for something else.’

I chew on a fingernail. ‘The thing is...’

‘You don’t have anything to exchange?’ I nod. ‘It’s your first visit so I’ll let you have those for free.’

It’s a kind gesture but it does put me in mind of a drug dealer drawing in a new client. ‘Um, thank you.’

‘No problem.’

I stuff the bag awkwardly into my back pocket. ‘What happens when I leave? I mean, when I wake up. Will I have the marbles when I...’ I pause ‘...unapparate?’

‘Disapparate,’ she provides. ‘Yes, if you leave them somewhere safe they will still be there when you return. If you keep them on your person, they’ll end up back on the streets. Of course, that’s assuming you don’t lose them to a group of marauding small boys before that point.’ She smiles.

I file away the information. ‘Well, thanks again.’ I stay where I am, just looking at her.

‘Is there something else?’

‘Have you heard some strange noises recently? Like neighing? Or, um, whinnying?’

Esme stiffens. For a moment she doesn’t say anything then something flickers in her eyes as she seems to make a decision. ‘Three doors down. But you didn’t hear it from me.’ She jabs a finger at me. ‘I have enough things to worry about without the Mayor knocking down my door because I’m blabbing. Got that?’

I blink. ‘Yes. Um, thanks.’