Chapter 17.
Lucas, still trapped within the dream, felt a sense of helplessness. The streets of Medun, usually bustling with life, now felt like a dark labyrinth closing in on his friends. The vivid colours of the dream turned ominous, mirroring the impending danger.
As Ricardo and Porky approached Marco's whereabouts, the tension in the dream reached a crescendo. Forced to watch, Lucas could almost taste the fear in the air, a bitter flavour that seemed to linger.
In an attempt to intervene, Lucas shouted, within the dream, his voice tainted with rage. "Ricardo, you're making a mistake! I will make you pay if you touch Marco"
Oblivious to Lucas's shouts, Ricardo and Porky kept getting closer and closer to Marco. Lucas tried to move, he tried to do anything to get out of this nightmare. But nothing worked. He was still too young to use magic to escape, because, as had been told to him in lessons by his tutor, awakenings only happened once you turned fifteen. He was too young to know how to cast spells, too young to know if even escaping this nightmare was a possibility.
Time moved on, oblivious to Lucas's struggles, each second a signal of danger. Each heartbeat marking a second closer Marco was to danger.
Just when Lucas thought the nightmare couldn't get any worse he saw a figure. Instantly recognizing the bright green hair that hinted at some orcish ancestry, his heart stopped.
Jasmine.
It was Jasmine.
"Leave, before he sees you," Lucas willed with all his heart.
Ignoring Lucas, because he didn't exist to the people in the dream world, Jasmine approached the two boys with a curtsy.
"Good day to you, Ricardo and to you too Anthony," her voice chiming with the beauty of a songbird.
Noticing the young woman in front of them, the two boys returned the curtsy with a bow.
"You seen Marco?" Ricardo said as, with a practised ease, his face shifted rapidly hiding his look of anger. "Lucas and him tipped paint on me last night and I need to find Marco. I want to try and find out how I got onto his bad side and see if we can be friends again."
Astounded at how easily Ricardo switched from angry to calm, Lucas knew that he was lying. The question was, did Jasmine?
"Lucas?" Puzzled Jasmine,
No… Stop…. Lucas froze, blood turning to ice in his veins as she continued. Ricardo doesn't know… He doesn't know about the two of us!
"Lucas wasn't with Marco last night, the two of us were together in the garden after the dancing."
Anger flashed across Ricardo's face, so fast that only those who knew him for years would have noticed.
"Lucas…" Ricardo paused, his fingers clenched betraying the lack of emotion on his face.
"We should go," Porky stammered, steering Ricardo away from Jasmine.
"Jasmine…" Ricardo called out as they walked away, breaking into a smile, that to Lucas, looked like the very depths of death itself. "We shall see each other very soon."
Lowering his voice so only Porky could hear, Ricardo whispered, "We need to find Marco."
He paused, letting out a breath that seemed to spark and thunder. "We will use him to lure out Lucas."
Time moved on, oblivious to Lucas's terror, each second bleeding of danger. Each heartbeat marking a second more of torture.
Why couldn't he escape? What sort of demon had created this nightmare? Lucas could only watch, with suspense and hope at their failure, as Ricardo and Porky turned a corner to head down an alleyway.
There, leaning on a bridge, standing over one of the many rifts and canyons that ran under Medun, was the very person Lucas did not want Ricardo to find.
Marco.
Oblivious to the pair of them, the young elf was leaning over the railing engaging in one of his favourite activities, watching the carts and people navigate along the bottom of the canyon.
Moving with a grace that betrayed his size Ricardo moved beside Marco and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Squealing in pain, Marco tried to turn, face turning as pale as a humans, he froze, realising who had caught him.
"R…R…R…Ric…" He stammered in fear.
"I've found you" said Ricardo, grinning like an alligator. "You and me need to have a little talk about Lucas."
"I don't know nothing" Marco said, actions betraying his sense of fear. His feet shook and his eyes fluttered from side to side looking for a way out.
Marco tried to escape and threw his shoulder to the ground. Not expecting Ricardo to let go of him, he stumbled, falling to his knees. Marco's eyes lit up with a fire as he put one foot in front of the other, trying to run past Ricardo and Porky.
Lucas could only watch in soundless horror, as Ricardo pushed Marco to the side, using the little elf's momentum against him.
Marco flew.
Marco flew over the railing.
Marco fell.
Marco fell into the canyon.
The moment Marco disappeared into the tear, Lucas felt a surge of pain clawing at his insides. His breath caught in his throat, and he tried to scream, to reach out and stop the inevitable, but his voice was trapped in the recesses of the dream.
The dream world twisted and contorted, mirroring Lucas's inner turmoil. Colours blurred into chaotic patterns, and the once familiar surroundings became a surreal nightmare. He clutched his head, feeling the echo of Marco's fear and the sharp pang of guilt intertwining with his own emotions.
"Marco!" Lucas mouthed the name, but no sound escaped. He was a spectator in a tragedy, unable to change the course of events unfolding before him.
A flash of remorse and guilt flickered across Ricardo's face as he realised what he had done. His eyes widened, and for a moment, the mask of frosty indifference slipped, revealing the horror of his actions.
Porky, observing Ricardo's sudden change, felt a knot tighten in his stomach. His hands trembled, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The realisation of being an accomplice to murder gripped him, and his lips quivered as he struggled to find words.
In the alleyway, Ricardo was stunned. Actions replaying what had just happened, he was frozen. His shock betrayed his uncertainty at what he had just done. Surprisingly, it was Lucas that broke Ricardo's shock. Not Lucas the dreamer, but Lucas in the dream world.
"What did you do?" the dream Lucas shouted running towards Ricardo in a rage. Lucas watched with hope tainted with revenge, as his dream version threw punch after punch at Ricardo. Lucas watched as he shouted, each word accented with a punch, "Marco... I won't let them win."
Rage, clouded dream Lucas's mind like a fog and Lucas watched as Porky stepped in to help Ricardo. Moving with a speed that didn't seem real, Porky managed to heave Lucas off Ricardo. Ricardo struck back at Lucas in desperation.
One punch landing on Lucas's nose, sending a blood fountain into the sky. One punch to Lucas's cheekbones, splitting the skin down to the bone. One punch to his jaw, bone breaking with a crunch. One punch to the temple, sending him to his knees.
Come on, Lucas. You've faced worse than this, Lucas thought, willing the dream to fight back.
Ricardo, caught up in emotional turmoil, grabbed Lucas by the throat. Rage, guiding his emotions, Ricardo squeezed. A cry, muffled by blood, escaped Lucas's throat.
The dream, no… the nightmare shook, colours exploding and sound screaming out of nowhere, yet everywhere, as the dream tried to rip itself apart.
Lucas could only watch as the dream version of him struggled, hands clawing desperately trying to find breath. Then silence. His body lay there, not moving. Not making a sound. He had died.