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“We have bigger problems to deal with.”
“She is ours, brother.”
Nic shrugged. “She’s mine, she’s the knight’s, and if you can get your head out of your ass, she might well be yours, but it’s her choice.”
Dio growled, and I could practically envision the winged feline standing next to him, lashing his tail.
I glared right back at him. “The world is literally being erased around us. Nightmare is falling to ruin, two of my friends just became dreambound, and a whole shit ton of other bad things are happening. We still have to find the real Baz, and I can’t even think of what else right now. Maybe, just maybe, leave off the possessive BS until later. Okay?”
Dio spun away and stalked to the far end of the open space in the middle of the saucer. I glanced at Nic, who shook his head and swirled into shadow for a moment.
Geraint took my hand, and I tugged him into the cockpit with Casey, Robby, and Ash. It was crowded with all of us in there, but Geraint wrapped his arms around me, and we tucked into a corner, trying not to touch any of the mysterious buttons or flashing green lights.
“Well, it sure is pretty,” Ash said, voice neutral.
The view port showed a vibrant landscape full of verdant valleys, rocky mountains, literal rainbow-filled waterfalls, herds of animals running across grassy plains, sweeping rivers, and other beautiful landscapes all contained under a brilliant blue sky with puffy clouds.
I hoped the clouds in Dream weren’t as carnivorous as the ones in Nightmare. Otherwise, they might come after the saucer.
Robby brought us down in a large grassy field. “The saucer is going to want to return to the darker side of Dream as soon as I let go of the controls. Go ahead, get off here,” he said. “I’ll meet you outside.”
We coaxed Casey from Robby’s side. Nic had already figured out how to lower the ramp, and he and Dio waited at the base of the saucer. We hurried out. The ramp closed behind us, and the saucer lifted off.
“He’s leaving us?” Casey yelped.
“No, dearest. I’m not.”
She yelped again as Robby appeared from nothing, as he often did.
“I don’t understand. What is going on?” Tears streamed from Casey’s eyes, and Robby folded her against his side.
“We’ll explain shortly. While we should be safer in Dream than in Nightmare, I’d rather get indoors.” Robby pointed toward a path that wound into the deep woods.
Nic, dragging Dio by the arm, went down the path Robby indicated. Geraint hung back to watch behind us, and I stayed close to my knight.
“Well, that went well,” Geraint muttered.
“I didn’t have to tackle him,” I pointed out.
“I rather hope it doesn’t come to that, my spark.” He caressed my pet name with his voice, making me glow inside.
“I feel like I’m in a Disney movie.” The birdsong sounded a little too perfect. The grass and underbrush were too evenly spaced, and the trees were a bit too uniform. I wasn’t going to complain about the comfortable temperature, however.
“If we were in that sort of movie,” Geraint replied. “We’d have to worry about a monster to defeat around the bend.”
“Ahh, point. But, I suppose, in a way, we do have to worry about that.”
Geraint gave me a tight smile. “I think I need to find a weapon. Robby and Prince Nic have magic. I just have me.”
“You’re magic enough on your own, Knight.” I kissed him to make sure he knew I wasn’t really joking.
Geraint chuckled. “What would I do without you, Spark?”
“I’m rather hoping you don’t have to find out.”
On those grim words, we fell silent. The soft thud and crunch of our feet on the dirt path, and the sound of our breathing blended into the perfect symphony of birds and insects and rustling leaves that made up the background noise.
It didn’t take long for us to reach the cabin at the end of the path. I turned and looked back, but the trail we’d taken blended into the forest so well I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find it again.
