Aspen and the Dream Walkers (9 page)

The smaller man nodded at her and held out a
tiny copper hoop attached to a suede cord. Magically, he drew
thread from the air and wound it around the loop. Colorful sparks
burst from the thread and bounced into the fire as he wove the
strings through and around the circle.

The crowd oohed and aahed with each dazzling
spark of red, gold, green, and blue that shot out from the yarn.
Aspen was awestruck.

The bright, colorful yarn seemed to solidify
and faded into a coppery metal that hissed as it cooled down. Once
the charm was completely solid, he handed the necklace to her
uncle, who raised it in the air for all to see. The copper gleamed
as though it had a life of its own. Slowly, he placed the cord over
his niece’s head and lifted her hair to allow it to fall around her
neck.

She was too scared to touch it.

“Aspen Walker, we welcome you as a Dream
Walker. You are covered by the dream catcher and it will protect
you wherever you may fight the enemy.”

She stared earnestly at her uncle’s face. The
heat from the fire pit warmed her, and she felt her cheeks flush.
Dylan stepped forward and handed her bracelet to the leader.

Leeman placed it around her wrist and tied
the thongs. “This is a symbol of your status in the clan. My little
princess, I have waited for you to join us for too long. We welcome
you as the daughter of my beloved brother, Roman. Princess Aspen,
take your rightful place as royalty in our clan.”

The crowd erupted into cheers again, and
Leeman hugged his niece tightly.

Aspen buried her face against his shirt. What
had he said? She was a princess!

The sounds of flute music and drums filled
the air and the crowd dispersed, but the noise level escalated.
People laughed and squealed with joy, dogs barked, and Goldilocks
quacked above the racket.

“Come. Let us eat,” Leeman’s voice
boomed.

Dylan had been standing behind Aspen during
the ceremony, but now he walked around and bowed deeply in front of
her. When he stood back up and held out his hand, she laughed
nervously and took it.

“Don’t bow to me. That’s not necessary.”

“I’m showing you respect and my eternal
allegiance, my princess. Of course that’s necessary,” he said
solemnly.

Aspen swatted his arm. “Don’t be silly. It’s
still me, you know.”

Dylan smiled and rubbed the soft skin on her
hand with his thumb, causing a zing of current to trail up her arm.
His gaze didn’t drop from hers. “I know it’s you.”

Her stomach flip-flopped again.

After leading her to the food tables, he
lined up behind a row of people and she breathed deeply. They
stepped aside for her to join the line, and her plate was heaped
within a few minutes. Leeman motioned for her to join him at one of
the tables.

Aspen sat down next to her uncle and placed
her plate on the cloth. There wasn’t an empty seat for Dylan, and
he seemed reluctant to join them, so she picked at the juicy pork
with a knife and fork and watched him leave.

“What did your mother tell you about us?”
Leeman asked, and licked pork grease from his huge fingers.

“She didn’t tell me a thing,” she
replied.

Leeman slammed his fist down on the table.
The utensils and plates rattled loudly. “Didn’t she tell you
anything?”

Aspen dropped her head. “No, I’m sorry. I
didn’t know that you—this—existed until a few nights ago.” She
pointed around her as she spoke.

Music drifted sweetly through the air as
Leeman took in a deep breath, obviously trying to control his
temper. “I’m sorry, little princess. I didn’t know. I thought that
she’d realize that Roman wasn’t joking.”

“What do you mean?”

Leeman sighed and adjusted the belt on his
robe. A young girl placed a wooden pitcher full of juice on their
table and turned to tend to the other guests. Leeman lifted the
pitcher and filled his glass and Aspen’s before continuing.

“Your father was the king of this clan for
many years. He earned that right when he was sixteen years old,
after our father had been killed by the Lord Chancellor.” His huge
hand clutched at the glass.

“When he was younger, he ventured to the
other side—your side. He met a beautiful woman and fell in love
with her. Humans cannot enter our world, and he couldn’t bring her
to live here.” Leeman sat back while he spoke.

Aspen stopped chewing, mesmerized by his
tale.

“He struggled with the thought of leaving
this world, but then he found out that his beloved was pregnant and
that he would be a father. He came to me and offered up his crown
to be with his sweetheart and child.”

“That was me,” she said flatly.

“Yes, that was you. Roman gave up Lanta in
order to be with you and your mother.”

Aspen’s throat constricted and she took a sip
of juice. The sweetness burned and she choked for a second.

“How did my father die?” she asked after her
throat had calmed down.

“Roman was a powerful king,” Leeman
continued. “He was feared by Chancellors everywhere. Once he’d
moved to the human world, he took off his dream catcher to protect
you and your mother. The Chancellors would be drawn to its power,
but couldn’t kill him while he wore it. If your dream catcher is
around your neck, it protects you from physical harm. Your body may
be hurt, but it will recover. Unfortunately, it’s a magnet for
Chancellors when worn.”

He popped another piece of pork into his
mouth and chewed. After swallowing, he took a sip of juice and
spoke again. “He could only protect himself, not the two of you.
That’s why he kept it locked away where it wouldn’t be a beacon to
the Chancellors. They would kill the two of you if they found him
with you.”

“But they found him anyway?” she
whispered.

“Yes, they found him during a storm when he
was at work. They didn’t know about you at all.”

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She glanced
up and saw Dylan watching her intently from a tent nearby. He
tilted his head slightly, almost as if he wanted to know if she
were okay.

After nodding silently at him, she put her
knife and fork down. Her appetite had disappeared completely.

“Did my mother know what my father was?” she
asked.

“He told her in his own way, but he was
scared of losing her. When he came back at night, he would tell
stories of how beautiful you were and how he loved you both so
much.”

She smiled sadly.

“I think he wanted to explain everything once
you were older. He couldn’t risk your mother questioning his
sanity, and he definitely wouldn’t cope if you were taken away from
him.” Leeman looked at Aspen and placed his hand over hers. “But
you’re here now, and we’re here to help you and to teach you how to
be a strong warrior.”

“I want to learn,” she said forcefully. “Tell
me how to conquer the enemy. Show me how to destroy my father’s
murderers.”

Leeman chuckled and swallowed another
mouthful of food. “Soon, little princess, very soon,” he
promised.

Aspen glanced around but Dylan had
disappeared. She placed her cutlery together on her plate and
accepted a bowl of water with a slice of lemon in it to rinse her
hands. After she’d wiped her mouth on a small towel, she handed her
plate to a server and excused herself from Leeman.

Dylan wasn’t in the tents and she couldn’t
find him anywhere. As she walked past the last tent near the lake,
she saw him. He stood next to the most beautiful girl that she’d
ever seen.

Thick hair tumbled to the girl’s waist in
fiery locks of red, and she wore a tiny white miniskirt that showed
off her tanned legs to perfection. Her waist was small and she was
stunningly beautiful in all aspects. As Aspen watched, the girl
stepped closer to Dylan and slid her hands up his chest, then
settled them around his neck and pressed herself against his
body.

Aspen sucked in a breath.

Dylan didn’t push the girl away. Instead, his
hand rose up and circled her waist in a move that spoke of complete
familiarity.

Aspen didn’t wait to see what happened next.
She spun around and rushed back into the tent.

Roman

The Mickey Mouse alarm clock clanged wildly, and
Aspen reached out to bash the ears down. She lay back in her bed
for a second before the previous night’s dream sifted through to
her consciousness. Her eyes widened and she looked around the
gloomy room. Slowly, she sat up and felt something around her
neck.

In the darkness, she felt a warm, smooth
object. It was the threaded dream catcher from the previous night.
She lifted the pendant and could swear that sparks hummed around
it. Her jewelry throbbed with power; even the leather bracelet
seemed to glow around her wrist. She spread her arms above her head
and stretched like a cat. Immediately a flame surrounded her hands,
and she slammed her arms down to stop the flow.

Carefully, she lifted her hands again, and a
blue flame ignited once more. It licked over the surface of her
skin and switched off just like a light on command.

Aspen squealed in delight.
This is so
cool.

The quilt fell to the floor as she jumped up
and ran to the bathroom. She washed and changed into a pair of
jeans and an emerald-green top. The dream catcher looked good
against the material of her T-shirt, and the ring, watch, and
bracelet really made her feel like a princess.

Within seconds, she’d run down the stairs and
into the kitchen.

Her mom looked up as she entered the room.
“Looks like you had a good night’s sleep.”

“I did. And I had the most fantastic dream,”
she said with a smile.

“What’s that around your neck?” her mom
asked.

“It’s a present.”

“Let me see. Oh, Aspen. Your father had one
just like that.” Her mother gasped. “Wait here. I’ll get it for
you.”

Norma left the kitchen and returned with a
wooden box a few moments later. She opened the box and lifted a
massive pendant, much larger than Aspen’s, from the red velvet bed
it rested in.

“Look, the pattern is almost the same.” She
touched the dream catcher. “Where did you get yours from?”

“Um, my friend Dylan gave it to me for my
birthday. It would be so cool if you could wear yours too. If I’ve
got one and you wear Dad’s, then it’ll remind me of him and I’ll be
so happy.”

Her mom beamed. “Well, if it means that much
to you, then of course I will.” She turned around while Aspen
placed the dream catcher around her neck.

“Yes, Mom, it will. Promise me you’ll wear it
all the time?” If she wore her pendant, the Chancellors would know
where she was, and she didn’t want them to find her mother. It
wouldn’t be so bad if they found her stepsister or stepfather,
though.

She pulled out a wooden chair and sat down at
the table. “Mom, what was Dad like?”

Norma’s eyes lit up and she sighed. “He was a
total heartbreaker, and he was so full of energy. There wasn’t a
thing he wouldn’t do for me. I swear, he almost didn’t seem human
at times.”

“Why was that?”

“Well, not literally, it’s just he was too
perfect to be true. I guess I should have known that it would end
too soon. It’s impossible to be happy for so long.” She pulled out
a chair and sat next to Aspen. “He had the same eyes as you.
Silvery blue. You were his little angel, and he used to call you
his sweetest dream walker.” She smiled.

The skin on her arms prickled as she listened
to her mom. “Did he ever talk about his dreams?”

“Yes, he loved talking about his dreams.” Her
mom smiled in remembrance. “He said he wished that he could take me
with him when he dreamed, and he wanted to take me to his special
house. He said he’d built the most beautiful veranda and a lake was
close by. He’d made a room especially for you, and he’d dreamed of
taking you there while you slept.”

Aspen gave her mom a wan smile as her chest
tightened with emotion.

“He said he was working with a spell master
in his dreams, and he’d be able to take me over someday. I just
laughed at his stories. He’d get sad when I wouldn’t believe him,
so I eventually played along and told him that I’d love to go
there. I miss him so.” Norma stared at the dream catcher, deep in
thought.

“How did Dad die?” Aspen asked quietly.

“Your father had a job as an electrician’s
assistant at Pilkington’s just outside of town. He worked with
heavy current. They were setting up electric pylons when a large
storm developed. His friends told him to go inside but he wouldn’t
listen. He said he knew what kind of storm it was and that he was
prepared.”

Aspen tilted her head toward her mom. “What
happened next?”

“The workers say that lightning hit the
ground constantly, louder than they’d ever heard before. They were
too scared to go outside until much later.” Norma shook her head
sadly. “They found his melted rubber shoes. That was all that was
left of him.”

Aspen swallowed with difficulty. Suddenly
Stephan’s footsteps thudded on the staircase.

“Hide the necklace under your sweater,
Mom!”

Jumping up, she grabbed the box while her
mother tucked the necklace out of sight. She tucked the box into
the back of a drawer and shouted, “’Bye, Mom,” then sprinted to the
bus stop before Stephan got to the kitchen.

Strength

“Hey there. You need to practice your aim today.”
Sandy met Aspen in the parking lot as soon as she’d left the bus.
She laughed and sent a small current of electricity through Aspen’s
arm.

“Ouch, you witch!” Aspen ran after her friend
and tried to return the favor.

“Wait, don’t do it.” Sandy held out her palm
and giggled. “You don’t know how strong you are.”

“You should’ve thought about that before you
started.” Aspen turned this way and that, trying to find an open
spot of skin around the top Sandy wore.