Dreamhunter Duet: Dreamquake Part 27

"My family have had that dream. Contentment. They're all blissful and silly," she said. Her voice had a tremor too. "This is my fault. I was afraid to tell them all how bad it was at the Depot. I didn't want to upset Da. And I kept hoping that Gavin Pinkney was so hopeless because he'd had the dream over and over, and because he was so soggy to begin with."

Nown didn't respond to this. He wound the scarf to mask his lower face. He was overdressed for the weather, which was still warm. He looked a little sinister-or as sinister as anyone in slippers could. Yet no one would imagine his bundled figure was anything but human.

Laura walked out of the yard. Nown followed her. He didn't ask where they were going, or what they'd do.

As Laura walked, she saw all the things she hadn't noticed before, like how quiet the streets were-a Monday like Sunday. And that none of the people who were out and about were in a hurry, and all looked friendly and happy.

The motorists on Market Bridge were the same as ever, jostling and impatient. Most were from outlying suburbs.They were going about their business and perhaps felt just as baffled as Laura by a choice of only three pastries in their favorite pastry shop, and the Founderston Herald printed, packaged, but not on sale.

Laura and Nown crossed the river to the Isle of the Temple. They made their way to Temple Square. Laura told Nown to wait for her in St. Anthony's Chapel, which was in the northwest corner of the nave and always full of shadows in the morning.

Laura went to the Grand Patriarch's palace and told one of the caped guards at the gate that she wanted to see His Eminence.

After a long time, over an hour, Laura rejoined her gla.s.s man in St. Anthony's Chapel. It was gloomy and uninviting, but Nown wasn't the only one there. There were two women at the altar, silhouetted, heads bowed, in the light of the candles they'd lit.

It turned out that Nown could no longer whisper. His voice had been a deep, dry rasp. It was deep still, but now clear and melodious, and even when he spoke quietly it was like listening to water falling into a stone basin in a still garden. "St. Anthony is the patron saint of the lost," he said, informatively.

"We should say a prayer then," said Laura. "I couldn't get anywhere near the Grand Patriarch or Father Roy. Apparently they are either out or terribly busy. The people I spoke to wouldn't disturb them just to say a little dreamhunter had come to see them. I'm a person of no consequence, and I've been snubbed by pompous functionaries. I did get to leave a note for Father Roy. I hope he jumps out of his skin when he reads it."

"It's because you're a girl," Nown said, matter-of-fact.

"Yes," said Laura. She put a coin in the donation box, took a candle, lit it, and said a short and not terribly coherent prayer. Then she took her gla.s.s man by his gloved hand and left the Temple.

5.

INUTES AFTER LAURA HAD LEFT HER HOUSE, A CAR PULLED UP IN front of it. Three men got out. Two WERE IN PINSTRIPES AND BOWLER HATS, AND HAD HEAVY, SWINGING BULGES IN THEIR JACKET POCKETS. THE THIRD WAS THE RED-HAIRED, WAXY-SKINNED MAZE PLASIR.

Plasir tugged on the bell chain for several minutes before Chorley opened the door. "h.e.l.lo!" Chorley said, cheery. "Visitors! Isn't it a lovely day, visitors?"

Plasir took Chorley's arm and propelled him back indoors. The other men crowded in after them.

"Shall we sit down?" Chorley said. "My papers are all over the place in the library. Let's go in here." He threw open the parlor doors and swept into the room ahead of them. He flopped into a chair, draped his legs over one of its arms, and let his slippers drop off his feet to the floor.

The Regulatory Body officials perched together on the edge of a sofa, ramrod straight and ready for action.

"I must go out and buy some more music," Chorley said. "I've listened to everything I have here."

Plasir nodded sympathetically. "This afternoon, perhaps," he suggested.

"Isn't it afternoon yet? I'm looking forward to a nice nap later," Chorley said.

"An excellent idea," said Plasir.

One of the burly officials sn.i.g.g.e.red.

"I've come to ask about one of your films, Mr. Tiebold," Plasir said.

Chorley's face lit up. "That's something else I could do later. Watch my films. That would be fun. Those films are certainly one thing I've done that was worthwhile. I've been thinking a lot about that lately-what was worthwhile."

"Yes. Taking stock. Very healthy," said Plasir.

"That's right, humor him," said an official.

Plasir gave the man a cold, quelling look. "There's one film in particular that interests me," Plasir said to Chorley. "A film of the Place."

"I have two of those," Chorley said. "No one in the world but me has a film of the Place." He looked thoughtful. "Except Cousin Erasmus, I suppose."

"Cousin Erasmus has a film of the Place?"

"Yes." Chorley swung his legs down, and when his bare feet touched the floor, he looked at them and laughed. "Why do people bother with shoes indoors?"

"He's full of opinions. True to his character," said one of the officials.

"Be quiet," Plasir said. "Mr. Tiebold, where do you keep that film?"

"It's in my darkroom."

"Would you get it for me?"

"Do you want the other one too?"

"Cousin Erasmus's copy?"

"No. He has that. I mean the one Tziga took, it's only two or three minutes long, but it's very beautiful in its way."

The officials were nodding, so Plasir said, "Yes, I think we'd better have both of them."

One of the officials got up. "I'll help you, Mr. Tiebold."

The other said, "Is Mr. Hame at home?"

"Yes, is he?" said Plasir. "And when do you expect your wife back?"

"Tziga was here at breakfast," Chorley said, vague. He left his slippers and wandered to the door. "I can't remember what Grace said about when she'd be back. Does it matter? We have the whole day ahead of us. This beautiful day."

Plasir frowned and shook himself. This dream of Cas's was horrible-incomparably horrible. Cas was making adjustments, moving his loaded dreamhunters around, and making sure that the capital kept on running, that its civil servants and politicians were soothed and full of generosity, but not as lost as this-or as desperately lost as the dosed dreamhunters themselves. The Hame-Tiebold house had been two nights at the intersection of overlapping penumbras, under the spell of no fewer than three vivid dreamhunters. And this was the result. Chorley Tiebold had always sneered at and snubbed Plasir, and yet here he was being good-natured and cooperative without giving his actions a moment's thought.

When Chorley disappeared into his darkroom, Plasir went looking for the house's other inhabitants. He found Tziga upstairs asleep, and smiling. He found Rose in the morning room, playing with one of those toys where a clown climbs a ladder and does flips. She had an empty cookie tin before her, and her robe was speckled with crumbs. She looked up at Plasir and gave a shriek of laughter. "I wasn't thinking about you," she said. "I was daydreaming. I thought my daydream might conjure someone. But not you. Yuck!"

"I'm wounded, Miss Tiebold," said Plasir. Then, "Your cousin didn't stay for breakfast at Fallow Hill. Where do you think she is?"

"Um," said Rose. She squeezed her toy so hard that the little clown flew right off it.

"On such a beautiful day, where might Laura have gotten to?" Plasir coaxed, since Rose was a little more feisty than he had expected.

"She was here shortly after breakfast," the girl said. Then she grinned. "Uncle Tziga and I bounced boiled eggs."

"That sounds like wonderful fun," said Plasir. "But where is Laura?"

"Laura is alone," Rose said, blankly. "Alone. All alone."

"Do you have any idea where she is alone?"

"Everywhere. She doesn't have to be, though. She could make herself another monster. She's being stubborn about it." Rose looked up at Plasir, and a little frown marred her smooth brow. "Doesn't she want to be happy?"

Maze Plasir shook his head in sympathy. He went out to check on the search for the film and found both of the men he'd come with in the library. One was pus.h.i.+ng together a pile of paper under the bottom of a long damask curtain. The other had a reel of film tucked under his arm and was holding a box of matches.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing?" Plasir demanded.

"What we were told to do, Mr. Plasir. We have the film. We are meant to take care of everyone who has seen the film."

"Doran told you to 'take care of them'?"

"Yes, Mr. Plasir."

Plasir was stunned. "No! Stop!"

The man who was standing put his hand up, in warning.

"At least let me take the girl. Doran can't possibly want Rose Tiebold killed. She's a friend of his daughter."

"Nothing was said about that."

Plasir pushed forward, and there was a scuffle. He was shoved from the room. He heard Chorley calling in a plaintive voice from the darkroom, "h.e.l.lo? I seem to be locked in."

Plasir hurried in to Rose, grabbed her, and pulled her to her feet. "Come with me," he said.

At that moment there was a knock on the front door. Plasir froze. Rose wriggled her shoulders and got out of his grasp. "Don't be so rough," she said.

The officials ran out into the hall. Both men were carrying revolvers.

The person on the front step called, "Rose! Why is this door locked?"

"It's Laura Hame," said Plasir.

"Good," said an official. He rushed at the door. But just before he yanked it open, the shadow of the girl left the gla.s.s. She had bolted. He chased her out into the street.

Plasir saw his chance. He made his choice. He'd leave Laura Hame to her fate-but he'd save Rose Tiebold. He hustled her out the front door. He was in time to see the Body official sprinting through the side gate and into the alley that led to the backyard of the house. It seemed the Hame girl had boxed herself into a dead end.

Plasir gripped Rose's arm and dragged her along the embankment.

Laura skidded into the yard and pushed past Nown. She yelled, "Look out!" She didn't even look back, just rushed to her family's rescue. She banged through the back door, stumbled across the kitchen, skidding on mashed eggs, and fell through the kitchen doorway.

A man with a revolver jumped forward and seized her. He thrust the gun's muzzle into her ribs. She twisted, and then a gap appeared beside her-the darkroom door had opened. The gunman's grip loosened momentarily, and Laura flung herself through the door, cras.h.i.+ng into her uncle, who was saying, "I remembered where I put the spare key." Then, "Ouch" as she trampled him, though he didn't sound very perturbed.

Laura crashed into the worktable and turned to see what was coming. For an instant the doorway was full of the Body man, his gun raised and pointed right at her, then a shadow slammed into the man, snapping him in the middle so that his knees bashed his head. The doorway was empty.

Laura emerged to find Nown standing over the felled man. Nown was still, erect and calm, not like a combatant but like a ceremonial sentry. He said, "I have rendered them unconscious." He'd clearly dealt the same way with her pursuer.

From the street Laura heard an unmistakable noise-the squeal Rose used to make as a child when she was angry about not getting her own way. Laura looked for the revolver. She picked it up and went to the door. She peered out.

Plasir was struggling with Rose, who'd sat down like a stubborn toddler and was kicking her legs.

There was a barge out on the Sva. The man at its wheel was watching the struggle. Laura heard him shout, "Hey! You there!"

Laura ran down the front steps, hurried up to Plasir, and pointed the gun at him.

Rose stopped struggling and stared at Laura with big eyes. "He's a nasty little thing, but I don't think you should shoot him, Laura," she said.

"She won't," said Plasir. His eyes were darting about, between the gun, the barge, and the door to Laura's house. "What did you do with those Body men?"

"I shot them," Laura said, and eased the hammer back a little.

Plasir released Rose and backed away, his hands raised. "I didn't hear any shooting," he said, but looked uncertain.

"Don't go another step," Laura said. "You are to come with me."

"You won't shoot me." Plasir continued to edge away. "There are too few of you," he said. "You can't win. You'd better just leave the city."

Laura raised her voice, and called, "Nown!"

Rose said, "Oh-your monster! Do you have him again?" She cackled and shook her finger at Plasir, then gaily began to call too, "Nown!" Nown!"

Nown came along the embankment. He noticed the agitated barge man, gave him a wave with his gloved hand, then advanced on Rose, Laura, and Plasir. Laura kept her eye on Plasir, who saw that the reinforcement she'd summoned was a man bigger than he was. He turned to run.

Nown went by Laura, gently relieved her of the gun, then closed on Plasir, caught him in a few swift bounds, pinned him, picked him up, and carried him back to the house.

Laura put her arm around her cousin, helped her up, and followed.

Plasir had gone completely limp. Nown carried him to the darkroom, took the key from Chorley, and put Plasir inside. Laura saw that Plasir was shocked and pa.s.sive. He was staring at Nown, trying to penetrate all the wrappings to see why the body that had grappled him had been so unnaturally hard. He peered but seemed to wince away too, as though, much as he wanted to know what was under the wrappings, he was also afraid of knowing.

Nown picked up the unconscious official and put him in the darkroom too. He closed the door and locked it.

"Who is this?" Chorley said to Laura. "Why is he wearing all that? Is it snowing?" Then, distracted, "Rose, your robe is torn."

Laura took her uncle's arm. "Let's get something to eat and drink. My friend here will check on Da and bring Rose a clean robe."

"All right," said Chorley, and contentedly went with his daughter and niece into the kitchen.

A few minutes later Nown came through the room, handed Rose a robe, and said, "No, thank you, I'm a little busy," to Chorley's friendly offer of a cup of tea. Then he went out into the yard, returning with the other unconscious man. He disappeared with his bundle into the hallway, this time to stay out of range of Chorley's happiness-hampered but still too lively curiosity.

At three in the afternoon, Father Roy turned up with several cars as an escort. Laura let him in and showed him her father, Rose, and Chorley, who had opened every can and jar of preserves and were at the kitchen table enjoying a long, large, messy lunch. She told Roy about Plasir and the two unconscious officials locked in her uncle's darkroom. She handed over the revolvers. "I'm putting all this in your hands," she said. "I have a dream that will clear s.p.a.ce in Doran's grid of Contentment. I only want to get my family back. Please, can you tell someone to meet Aunt Grace when she comes out of the Place? Can you bring her to me so that she can be safe too? The dream she's gone to catch isn't a master dream."