X Marks the Faerie

I awoke from his slumber and shook his head. My ears were ringing and his mouth was parched. I glanced around, and noticed that there was hardly any light. Then I remembered. “This is like a nightmare,” I muttered, standing only to crumble to my knees. I shut my eyes and exhaled deeply.

“Why Kysha.... This isn't the way...” I heard a groan and turned to look at who it was.

Saerien rubbed her head and yawned.

“Saerien. You're here also...” I said weakly as she opened her eyes to look around.

She blinked a few times to get her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. “Yes, I'm here too. What happened? I remember trying to discourage Kysha from her insensible plot , and then I fell asleep suddenly.”

I nodded. “We drank the water from the lake, and therefore the siren's water threw us into a deep sleep.”

Saerien whined. “I should have remembered that,” She moved around to see who else was with them. “It looks like Sindri and Giral are here also. They are still asleep though.”

I sighed. “Where are we? And where's Kysha?”

Saerien shook her head. “I do not know,” She looked up. “Kysha! Where are you?” Saerien began walking and then she ran into an invisible wall. “What the?!” She examined it with her hand, and gasped. “This is dreadful.”

I shuffled over to her. “What are you talking about?”

Saerien sat down on the ground. “Kysha has captured us with a Goblin's bottle.”

“What? Why would she do-” I stopped myself short and furrowed his brows. “Kysha...why did you do this to us?”

Saerien covered her face with her hands; Sindri began to stir and she meandered over to him. “Sindri, we're entrapped in a Goblin's bottle, you know how to get us out so hurry and do so.”

Sindri tried to shake off the grogginess. “Ughhh...”

I rolled my eyes. “We're doomed. Why didn't I bring my cellphone...”

Saerien frowned at him. “No we are not. I do not know what a cell phone is, but Sindri will get us out of this. He worked for the Goblins so he knows how their magic works. Right Sindri?”

Sindri shrugged off Saerien's touch. “Yes. I know how to get out. We are not awake, only dreaming. The concept behind the Goblin's bottle is that we are kept in a dream-like state.”

I arched a brow. “Really? So why are we all having the same dream?”

Sindri snorted. “Well, on the psyche level, we are all able to bridge our minds because we believe we are awake. Kysha, does not know how the Goblin's bottle works, because if she did know the basic elements, she would not have placed us in the same bottle.”

Saerien started to understand a little more. “Alright. So how do we get out?”

Sindri tilted his head and hmmed. “With magic....always with magic.”

I stood and put my hands on my hips. “How are we supposed to use magic if we're sleeping? You're just not making any sense.”

Sindri smirked. “Magic does not have to make sense human. The mind holds a power that you humans will never fathom. Anyhow, this is our dream. Creation is in your own hands, and that is what dreams are all about.”

“So you're telling me that all I have to do is think about getting out of this bottle and then poof, I'm out?” I asked.

Sindri nodded. “That's what I have been telling you. But-”

I cut him off. “There's always a but.”

“But, this is the delicate part. The only way for it to work, is for Kysha to be in a slumber herself. Because the only way you can truly escape the bottle is if you enter the holder's dreams. Once in their dreams, release yourself from her mind.”

I kicked at the bottle wall. “This is ludicrous. How would I know when she's asleep?”

“How would we know it is her dreams and not our very own?” Saerien asked.

I nodded. “That's true. We could be entering each others dreams without even knowing it, thus we'll remain in this bottle until Kysha lets us out.”

Sindri smiled. “You simply think about entering her dreams. It is like astral projection. You are projecting yourself into her dreams. You have to relax, and steady your heartbeat. Slow it to a crawl and take deep breaths. Then empty your mind and think up her image and voila! If they are sleeping you will enter their dreams with no problem.”

“You make it seem so easy,” I muttered.

“Oh it is,” Sindri said earnestly.

“Then why can't you do it?” I inquired.

“Well...” Sindri started.

“Well, what?” I was beginning to get impatient.

“Certain unseen dangers could unfold,” Giral piped in. He had been quiet the entire time, just listening with a washed out look on the creature's face.

Dangers? I wasn't quite sure I wanted to open that can of worms. After all, I am just a powerless mortal in this crazy fantasy world full of deceit. I suddenly felt very selfish. Isn't Kysha risking the losing of her friends' trust and her wings to save their love? I would do it. I didn't care about the dangers. The whole situation had just gone too far.

“Fine. I'll do it,” I said looking fiercely at Sindri, which he almost seemed to have a look of guilt rise to his face.

I sat down and began my train of focus on Kysha. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but that didn't matter. I was determined. My mind was clear up until the thoughts of my science fiction novels creeped into my mind. It's crazy to think I was living the life I had only read and dreamt about. Only I hadn't read too much into the fantasy genre. I quickly put it out of my mind, and tried to clear myself once more but in that instant, something truly bizarre happened. Everything got really bright and I felt myself begin to feel lighter than air.

It all happened so fast. As soon as the light had come, it had gone and everyone cried out in surprise with the sight of their surroundings. They were no longer in the bottle. They were no longer captives of Kysha. Kysha in fact was a captive now, along with everyone else. We were all pinned up against a silver, metallic wall by some invisible force and standing before us... a slimy, green figure of a man with tentacles for hair. His bright, white eyes fixed on me and I gulped.

“It has been quite a while since I have been summoned in this fashion, and the first time by a mortal,” He spoke in a high pitched, raspy voice.

“I'm...I”m sorry, I didn't mean to. My friends and I were in danger....are we on a spaceship?” I stammered.

He chuckled slightly. “Oh no, we don't use spaceships silly mortal. That's just your world's take on us. We travel by speed of thought. We're actually underground in this fantasy realm of Earth. We've had our eyes on this place for quite awhile, just waiting for the right moment to take it over and you...you have helped us. For your meditative thought enhanced our travels here. For it takes awhile for us all to travel here you see. We must all focus for weeks at a time just to send one of us here, but you have brought us all the the underbelly of this world, and now we shall torture each of you to find the weaknesses of our enemies.”

Everyone looked at me. “What? You seriously think I purposely brought aliens....” I stopped myself short to realize that I had been thinking of them earlier during the astral projection.

“This isn't what I wanted! I'm sorry Gaylen. I'm sorry everyone. I was a fool, I should've just stayed on course for the quest,” Kysha started crying.

“She doesn't seem fit to torture, Erezzik. We shall dump her into the chamber of Fawols,” Another alien that had been sitting in the corner of the ceiling spoke.

“Yes, I concur. We shall start with this little one here. He seems to have some spirit to him,” Erezzik said has he approached Giral.

Giral squirmed but the invisible force held him fast. There was no getting out of this. I really was in one of my books now and I usually enjoyed moments like these, but now that I was on the other side of the page, I wasn't sure I liked science fiction all that much anymore.