While You Were Dreaming

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

I collapsed onto my bed, physically and mentally drained after my day at the hospital. My mind flickered back to the conversation I had partially participated in with Miss Clark. The truth is that I struggled to pay attention to what she was saying, it all seemed so far off and outlandish that it could only exist in a fairy tale or some form of mythology – not in real life. Morpheus couldn’t be the guy without a name, he couldn’t be trapped between the dream realm and reality and there is no way on earth I could have any ability to magically free him. Miss Clark, on the other hand, appeared to believe differently.

“Callista, you have to help him.” she had begged me as we made our way back to the ward.

Her voice now echoed in my mind, raw with emotion. I had merely replied that I would have to have time to gather my thoughts before. Strangely, no matter how much I tried to deny all she said to me a part of me actually believed that there could be some truth in it. After all, there were too many strange things without explanation.

“I’ll just have to speak with him. Get him to show me some proof somehow.” I decided aloud as I pulled back the covers and climbed into my comfortable bed.

Within moments I felt myself slipping into oblivion as sleep overcame me.

I was walking down an empty beach dressed in a summer dress which whipped about in the wind, irritating me slightly. I looked back to see how far I had been walking but could only count a few footprints in the sand, the waves had washed all trace of my path away as they hit the shore with vengeance. I sighed and continued walking without knowing where I was going or why. A wave crashed on the sand and rushed up the shoreline to touch my feet as I turned to face the sea, marvelling in the calming effect it had on me. I sighed and spread out my arms as the wind flung my hair back from my face and tugged at my dress once more.

A shadow fell on the sand beside me but I didn’t bother turning to face its owner. If Morpheus wanted to talk to me then he should be the one to breach the silence first. Silence. The shadow remained still, barely moving as its owner watched me. Still I didn’t acknowledge its presence.

“Morpheus shouldn’t have left you alone, my sweet.”

The voice was rough and chilled me to my bones, causing a tingle to rush up my spine. Slowly, I turned to face the owner of the shadow, a bit more unsure of myself than I had been moments before. The man was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a hoodie, a perfectly normal sight to see however unsettling his presence was. He pushed back the hood of his jacket and stepped closer to me, revealing the unsettling side of his appearance. A scar crossed over his right eye which was as so dark that I couldn’t distinguish his iris from his pupil, more scars littered his face and his hair was dyed an unnaturally dark black which reflected none of the sunlight which shone on it. He ran his left hand through his hair, pushing it back from his left temple and revealing a small tattoo of a curved sword. He grinned at me as he edged his way closer.

“My poor sweet, how could Morpheus have been so cruel, bringing his lover into your dreams without even a warning? My poor, sweet, darling.” he crooned, grating on my composure. “It would be better if you had never met him. Wouldn’t it?”

His fingers caressed my cheek and filled me with terror at the familiarity of his touch. I heard metal scrape against metal and jumped back as he withdrew a curved blade – a replica of the tattoo on his temple. He swung it casually, switching it from hand to hand as he toyed with it, its sharp edge glinting in the pale sunlight.

“He should have looked after you more.” the guy’s eyes lit up as a s******c smile spread across his face.

I felt terror rising up inside of me, constricting my throat and preventing me from screaming for help – not that anyone would hear me. I tried to wake myself up, pinching my arm – a poor attempt which failed miserably. I turned to run away from him but he grabbed my arm and flung me onto the ground with incredible ease, making me feel like a doll in the hands of a merciless toddler. He stood over me, running the blade of his sword over my chest. A sudden burst of courage caused to me lash out at him, kicking the sword from his grasp as I made a desperate attempt at escape. I felt a sharp, searing pain slice through my left thigh as I started to run away, causing me to fall to the ground as my leg protested the jolting escape. My attacker’s laugh vibrated as he pushed me over and pinned me to the ground without even touching me.

“Goodnight, my sweet.” he whispered in my ear as he leant over me, his cold blade against my neck, pricking my skin.

He lifted the blade for a full swing, aiming for my neck. The air rushed out of my lungs as I heard myself scream, one last protest of my impending fate as my eyes closed against my will. A metallic crash sounded above me, jolting me out of my terror and forcing me to open my eyes. Morpheus stood by my head, a sword in his hand pointed at my assailant.

“Go Dareios, you do not belong here.” Morpheus’s voice shook with fury, his face as unchanging as that of a stone statue.

My attacker, Dareios, laughed as he sheathed his sword and walked away, the sound reverberating through the air. I sat up, finding myself shaking slightly in shock. Morpheus dropped to his knees beside me and wrapped his arms around me in an attempt to comfort me, reducing me to tears.

“Who is he? Why did he want to kill me?” I managed to ask through the sobs.

Morpheus sighed and sat beside me, still holding me in his arms. He was visibly shaken by my near-fate. I wondered what would have happened if I had been killed in my dream – would I be able to come back to the dream realm or would I never dream again as the dream part of me would be dead.

“His name is Dareios, he’s a nightmare although that specific nightmare works as an assassin for Icelus, my brother.” his voice was calm yet sombre.

“Nightmare as in a bad dream?”

“Bad dreams were named after nightmares, Callista. They are spirits who torment dreamers, feeding off of the terror they create.”

“And he works for your brother?” I turned to face him and looked into his eyes, making my mind up to confront him about everything that had been on my mind over the past few weeks. “Morpheus, you need to explain everything to me. You can’t leave me in the dark anymore, not when nightmares are attacking me and women wake up from a coma to tell me you’re in danger and need my help.”

He visibly paled and looked away, as if he was unsure or ashamed of what he was about to tell me. I placed my hand on his shoulder, turning his gaze back to me.

“I’m different from you, Callie. I’m Morpheus, prince of the Dreamlands and god of all dreams which are not scary or delusional; those are my brothers’ departments.”

He waited a moment, expecting me to lash out at him in anger. Instead I nodded and urged him to carry on.

“My brothers and I grew up close, being triplets we were always together even though we were so very different. I was the firstborn, so I was always placed in charge of the other two and my father brought me up to take over ruling the Dreamlands at some stage. Then there is Icelus, the middle brother and god of all things terrifying in the Dreamlands. The youngest of us is Phantasus. He always has his head in the clouds, fantasising and inventing his days away in innocence. There were always competitions between us three brothers. I remember racing across the poppy fields as a child, Icelus hot on my heels and Phantasus stopping to pick flowers miles behind us. I guess our competitive nature is what destroyed the relationship between Icelus and me.”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in the gesture I had become so accustomed to.

“My father, King Hypnos – the god of sleep – let it slip that he was thinking of retiring from ruling and leave the title to me. Icelus heard about this and was so furious that our father hadn’t even considered him that he thought to show our father why he would be a good candidate for the throne. Our father didn’t listen though. He didn’t even notice how my brother broke under his disinterest. Icelus blamed me for our father’s mistakes, claiming that I had turned our father’s heart against him. In anger he went to Phantasus and convinced him that I needed to be punished. Phantasus, being as impressionable as he is, agreed with Icelus and they trapped me within the dreams of mortals.”

He looked so defeated that my heart cried out to him, but I still had so many unanswered questions.

“How did they do that? The nurse in the hospital said that your body was found in a farmer’s field, if that even is your body.” I heard myself ask.

“Oh, that is my body. You see, I can cross into the mortal realm where my brothers cannot. They used that to their disadvantage, stealing the pendant that hung around my neck and signified me as being a god. While the blood of my heritage still flows through my veins, without the pendant I am powerless in the mortal realm. I tried to summon some power to get myself back into the realm of the Dreamlands, but I failed and ended up merely pushing my body into the mortal realm while my spirit remained in the Dreamscape of mortals. So while my body lies in the hospital bed, my spirit and mind are here and cannot open the door which exists between the Dreamscape of mortals and the rest of the Dreamlands.”

We sat in silence for a few moments, just staring at each other. Things started to click into place within my mind, however it didn’t explain why he appeared in my dreams.

“Miss Clark mentioned that I have to help you. Why me?” I managed to whisper.

A frustrated look flashed across his face and he mumbled something under his breath.

“It’s a long story, my Callista. And it is nearly dawn. Can I not spend a few moments with you without thinking about this cursed situation? You’re the only sunshine I’ve been able to enjoy over the months of darkness and I missed you when you ran away from me.” He ran his fingertips through my hair and pulled my gently into his arms.

I relaxed against him, sinking into the warmth which radiated from his skin. I felt more at home than I had done since I had started taking the sleeping tablets. One thing still played upon my mind though.

“Morpheus?”

“Yes my love?”

“What would have happened if I had been killed by Dareios?”

I looked up at him as his eyes became hard with smouldering anger. I felt his body stiffen as his anger rushed through every muscle in his body and he pulled me a little closer.

“If he had killed you in this realm, you would be dead in the mortal realm too. That is why dreamers wake up before a nightmare results in their death. When dreamers don’t wake up they class it as a case of SUNDS, Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome.”

“Oh.” was all I could reply as I felt myself being pulled from his arms by my internal alarm-clock.

I gave him a quick kiss on the lips as I was yanked into reality, sighing as my eyes fluttered open. I began to climb out of bed when a piercing pain went through my left thigh. I lifted the covers and looked down, although I didn’t expect the sight which greeted me. My leg was smeared with blood and a thin, yet long gash the width of my thigh was to blame – proof of my fight with Dareios.