Chapter 57: Eleos Has Been Silenced

…

A brick fist. That was the best Link could remember just before he was crushed into the wall. It explained why Link felt as if he had been flattened again; the fist had easily been five times his size, and he could only imagine the size of the creature behind it. He did not have the same breathing problems as before, but every nerve in his body screamed in pain. He had to wait for the pain to wear off before he could pull himself into a sitting position next to his bed. A glance at the window told him that dawn had barely started, coloring the glass purple. After what must have been an hour, Link finally climbed onto the bed and lay on his back as he let the lingering pain wear off. He was able to move again not too long after, the pain reduced to a dull soreness throughout most of his muscles. He slowly dressed himself with the clothes he had left on the foot of the bed, deigning to admit that he had failed this morning and would have to restart tonight. Now that he had an idea of what it would be like climbing the tower, he might be able to do it faster.

He stood up from the bed and made to step over to the door. His left foot slipped, and he quickly latched a hand on the edge of his desk to keep from falling over. He looked down to find what he had slipped on.

Instead, he saw his ankle had slipped out of a gash in the side of an old boot. He sat back down on the bed and pulled the boot off to examine it. The boot was beat up, frayed at the top and the leather cracking around the sole. Perhaps the most dramatic bit of damage was a vertical slit cut from just under the top of the boot down to the ankle, where it had been ripped from Link's heel breaking free. Link at first did not recognize these boots, never having worn a pair out like this before. He glanced down to see that his other boot was just as old with a white stain decorating the inner ankle. As he looked over the boot in his hands, it occurred to him that he had seen these boots before. It was two years ago, when he had first gotten them. From Captain Linebeck. He had thought they were just an old pair of boots until he had run nearly two trains' length across the tentacle of an incredibly large Bari. The slit on the side seemed to be the only difference between then and now. As he had still been using them until this point, something must have happened while he was in the dream.

He glanced at the gear sitting on his footlocker. He knew the sword had been responsible for the gash in his side; that had established how it affected reality. Next to it was the lift reel, its arrowhead blade gleaming in the flickering lantern of Link's cabin. If the sword could affect things both inside and outside the dream, why would the lift reel not? He remembered his fight with the multi-legged creature inside the tower, and he realized that he must have cut the boot open when the lift reel's blade struck it.

He dropped the boot on the floor and rested his elbows on his knees. The realization that he had lost a serious advantage left him pressing his face into his hands. The previous dream had shown him that he had a lot of ground to cover to reach the Dreamweaver. What was he supposed to do without the one thing that at least brought him to the bottom of the tower in the first place?

After a moment of lament, he heaved a sigh and stood up. Perhaps if he had a good look at the tower, he might find another way. He rose to his feet and prayed to all three Goddesses that something would develop as he walked to the door. Then, as he put a hand on the doorknob, he realized that he was still wearing the other bad boot and kicked it off before he stepped outside.

Once his eyes wandered across the main deck, he felt his heart punch him in the chest while his stomach fled in fear. He expected that his crew would either be waking each other up or be sprawled about the deck falling asleep.

Having almost his entire crew standing in the middle of the deck staring out at the island was a new and mind-numbingly frightening experience. As he slowly stepped toward Leynne, the closest person to his cabin, his mind ran back to the conversation he and Janni had had with the Facade. It had not been lying; the Dreamweaver had planted the seeds. What had happened?

Instead of talking to Leynne, Link turned to follow the stunned stare on his face. He could understand a mild amount of shock, feeling just that way upon realizing that the top of the tower was different. Where the tower once had no features, The Night had expanded its black body from the top and stretched out horizontally into the empty air. From there, Link thought he could see structures standing atop this new platform, but the distance made identifying anything difficult.

"Captain." Link flinched at the sound of Leynne's haunted voice and looked up at his second-in-command. His eyes never left the tower as he handed Link a duoscope and said, "We have a serious problem."

Link had to force himself to stop staring at Leynne and put the duoscope to his face. Even with the duoscope, Link had to stare for a while before he knew what he was looking at. The standing structures were the arm pieces of a number of gallows, each one adorned with a noose.

And a body.

One, two, four, eight… Link counted twenty-six in total, the same number of people on his crew.

…

"The dream stahts off ratheh dahk. Stohm-like, I would say."

Link nodded, not particularly surprised by the description. Leynne's words also drew nods from the crew around them, all seated at the same table in the galley.

"I'm looking out oveh the edge of an island," Leynne continued. "And… I want to say that theh ah moh islands neahby, but I doubt the reality."

"No, that's what I saw, too," Brandon spoke up. "Maybe two? I-I think they were connected together."

"Some soht of… bridge," Cale said.

"Do you know what island it was?" Link asked.

Leynne shook his head. "Those details weh not as apparent. Suffice it to say it is a sight which none of us may eveh see."

Link glanced around at the sombre faces at the table. "Whuh-uh, why?" he asked.

"Because those gallows ya saw was behind us," Harley said.

"Huh?" Link asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"I—we… tuhn around to find the gallows behind us," Leynne explained. He glanced around the table. "I assume the rest of you see… cehtain membehs of the crew."

Line, sitting next to Link at the head of the table, stood up. Link leaned away from him, surprised by the motion. Without a word, Line stepped to the end of the bench and marched toward the stairs at the front of the galley. Link's was the only puzzled look that followed him up the stairs; the rest of the present crew that had joined Link in the galley did not even look up.

Leynne gave his shoulder a twitch and commented under his breath, "Should've known…"

Link was not sure if he had fully understood Leynne, but he at least took it to mean that the sight was a little more personal than Leynne was letting on. "Okay," Link said, more to calm his own nerves than the crew's. "Go on."

"Well, yeh look long 'nough, yeh find yerself on the next rope," Gold spoke up. "B'fore yeh know it, ye'r tryin' tae keep yerself from chokin' tae death 'angin' with everyone else."

Link glanced around at the grim faces before him. "And… and everyone's had this dream?" he asked.

"Never though' I'd envy Chief Din'-Don' bein' drunk," Harley commented, "bu' 'ere we are."

"Sello's intoxicated natuh might save little besides himself," Leynne said. He gave Link a hard stare as he continued, "Captain. Unfohtunately, theh is only one intehpretation foh such events as we have experienced."

"What?" Link asked.

"No quahteh."

The words hung in the air for a moment.

"No mercy," Brandon said, as if to clarify Leynne's statement. Although Link understood the phrase, it felt as if it hit harder when Brandon spoke up. "The Night's had it with us. It doesn't want us around anymore, and it's not gonna let us turn into those things outside."

Link sighed and placed a hand on his face. "He was right…" he uttered.

"Captain?" Leynne asked.

"Last night," Link explained. "When I was in the dream, we encountered a monster Janni called a 'Facade'. We talked to it, and it knew what was happening. The Dreamweaver is done with us, just like Brandon said. It said that the crew is already dead, it just isn't gonna happen right away."

"When will it happen?" Brandon asked.

"He-he didn't say," Link replied.

"We should suspect that the execution will begin this evening," Leynne said. "We will have to watch one anotheh foh anything unusual. I don't believe that the Dreamweaveh will use the same tactics as we have seen thus fah."

"I don't undahstand," Cale spoke up. "Until now, we have been at the Dreamweavah's mehcy. Why is it that it has chosen now to revoke its leniency?"

"Feah?" Dholit replied from further down the table.

"Fear?" Brandon repeated.

"Yes, such tactics seem to be a constant in the Dreamweaveh's activities," Leynne said.

"Wouldn't tellin' us just spoil the s'prise?" Gold asked.

"In ouh wohld, quite so," Leynne said. "Howeveh, the Dreamweaveh is very much the oppohtunist. What little we know of it has come from Link and Janni, and we have used that as well as ouh experience to suhvive. Now that we know this much, the Dreamweaveh is using that knowledge against us. We know what it is capable of, and now we know that it intends to kill us all. 'Feah', indeed, Misteh Brandon. Sometimes a motivatoh, otheh times a discouragement."

"Why pick on us?" Brandon asked. "The only one who's been able to even hurt him is the captain." He then started and glanced at Link. "Uh… no-no offense, Captain."

"We have been the captain's suppoht from the very beginning," Leynne pointed out. "And we have weaponized cehtain…" He gave Cale a side glance. "… individuals against the Dreamweaveh. As little impact as we may have had, we have still sehved as much as an obstruction as the captain. At least, as fah as the Dreamweaveh is concehned."

"Cap'n," Gold said. "'Ow'd it go last night?"

Link shook his head. "Not good," he admitted. "I only made it up… what, four floors? Then I got flattened by a… a fist made out of bricks."

"Only fouh floohs?" Cale asked.

"Is theh anything to do to accelerate the process?" Leynne asked.

Link hesitated, letting a grim look cross his face. "Actually… it's gotten worse. You know those boots I have? The ones that let me run fast?"

"Yes?" Leynne replied.

"Well, I found out that the blade on that lift reel works like the sword. I accidentally slashed the side of one boot. Now they're just an old pair of boots, the same way I found them."

"Oh, boy…" Gold grunted.

"Is theh any chance to make them wohk again?" Leynne asked.

"Well…" Cale spoke up. "Lilly has a set foh repairing leathah wohk. If it is a simple mattah of fixing them, she has the material."

Link nodded. "I'm also hoping that they'll still work in the dream whether they're repaired or not. But that's only half the problem."

"The otheh half being unable to progress with alacrity," Leynne reasoned. "What about the Conductoh?"

"No windows," Brandon pointed out. "I've been looking at that stupid tower on and off for two weeks; I haven't seen one at all."

"Besides," Link added. "The Dreamweaver booby-trapped the entrance last night. He could destroy the Conductor and potentially kill the technoworks inside. I'd never be able to use it again."

"Ah we cehtain you have to make it to the top of the toweh?" Leynne asked.

Link nodded. "Janni said that's where the Dreamweaver's body is. If I strike the body, I can kill the Dreamweaver." He twitched his neck and added, "I hope."

"Is Janni willing to help at all?" Leynne asked.

"Oh, yeah," Link answered. "I don't know what happened, but she is pissed. She helped me out with the fighting last night, we just weren't fast enough. We just n—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Leynne interrupted, one hand raised to stop Link. "She was pissed?" Link nodded. "Did she explain why?"

"I-I don't know," Link admitted. "I kinda had the impression she's just done living in the dream. I think it had something to do with the technoworks near the Sorians' area. She felt pain when the sword struck the Dreamweaver's shield."

Leynne gave him a frown. "Intriguing…" he mumbled as he drew himself into a thinking pose. "And somewhat unexpected. I suppose we should be thankful she's so willing, but you've indicated that she changes heh mind on occasion. Be caahful."

"I will."

"Cale, we shall requieh Lilly's leatheh-binding skills," Leynne addressed the table. "Everyone else, get some food and some sleep. Tonight will be a gauntlet if the Dreamweaveh truly intends to kill us."

Taking that as a cue, the table's occupants rose. As the crew began to file out, Link reached out to tug on Leynne's shirt sleeve. "Hey, one second," he said.

"Yes, Captain?" Leynne asked.

"How long do you think we need to stay after the Dreamweaver is gone?"

Leynne took a moment to think. "No moh than a minute, to tell you the truth," he replied. "The jouhney will be slow, but we can retuhn to the kingdom with just fouh sails if we need. It may be less stress on the rigging."

Link nodded. "Take the Conductor and some men and get us any more provisions that we need. As soon as we're sure the Dreamweaver is gone, we're leaving."

"And… should you not prevail tonight?" Link did not reply. Leynne gave a grim nod. "I shall make the preparations."

…

After breakfast, Link gave his boots to Lilly. She used a strip of leather to sew a tight, crisscross stitch to hold the boot closed. While she was working, Link had sat down at his desk to fill out his log.

~~10/9, Expedition Day 54.

~~I got hit with the mother of all sucker punches last night: a brick fist the size of a wall. Needless to say, the Dreamweaver is still alive and still putting up a fight. Though, I guess the fight's escalated now. The Dreamweaver left all the members of my crew with the same dream, and, this morning, it sent out its warning. There's really no other way to interpret it. The Dreamweaver fully intends to kill me and my crew.

~~I also found out that the blade of the lift reel affects the real world just like the sword. Unfortunately, I've lost my running boots to this, although I'm hoping the boots will still work in the dream even if Lilly repairing them doesn't work. But I still have the problem of not being able to climb the tower fast. If Janni and I can put our heads together on this one, we might be able to make it. But then, the Dreamweaver will know what we're doing. If it's done pulling punches, I guarantee that it won't let us simply fly to the top of the tower. We'll need something drastic. Maybe a giant that can knock down the tower.

~~I'm worried my crew is gonna take drastic actions, too. Up until now, it seemed fine when the crew was just dealing with bad dreams left and right. A crewmate falling over the side here, crewmen attacking each other there. Now, the air around the ship feels dark. It's clear that I can't fail tonight. I just don't know how I'm gonna succeed. Even the river technoworks feel like a cakewalk. I'm just filled with the sense that, unless we've got a good—the best plan in the world, the Dreamweaver will end everything tonight.

Link stopped when he found he did not have anything else to write. He considered leaving a note in the back of the log in case it was ever found, although he wondered how effective it would be since the Dreamweaver had found the last note he had made.

"Done," Lilly spoke up, breaking into Link's thoughts. She turned and showed him the X-shaped binding on the outside of the book. "I feel it'll work."

"Maybe for holding the boot together," Link said as he stood up. "Let's see if it'll let the boot do its thing." He sat down on the bed and accepted the boot from Lilly. As he put the pair on, Lilly stood up and opened the cabin door. Upon standing, Link found this his ankle still felt loose in the boot. A glance down revealed that they had not gone back to their polished appearance. He looked up at the opened door and sighed. "Here we go…"

Link did not even pass the door. The first few steps were all he needed, stopping just in front of Lilly. He looked down again as if to make sure, as if he could not possibly acknowledge that he had lost their help without seeing them one more time.

Lilly gave him a mournful look. "I'm sorry, Captain," she told him.

Link nodded. "It was worth a shot," he said. "Like I said, we might be able to make them work again in the dream."

"It's too bad," Lilly said. "I know those things gotta saved us plenty."

Link moved back to the bed and sat down on the edge. "I suppose I'd eventually have to retire them anyway," he said as he removed them. "They probably wouldn't've fit my feet for too much longer."

Lilly nodded as she closed the door. "So, what're you gonna do?" she asked. "Everyone feels the same way, we all feel we're gonna die."

"Trust me, I've been asking myself that same question all morning. I've even put a mention in my log." He pointed at his logbook, still sitting open on his desk. He hunched over and looked down at the boots. "I don't know. Tonight hinges on how fast I can make it to the top of that tower. I'm not sure if I can do that even if the boots work in the dream again." He looked up at Lilly. "I mean, how high do you think that tower is?"

Lilly shrugged. "Maybe about fifty… sixty stories?"

Link stood up and moved back to his desk as he said, "And, if I go in there, I can't even guarantee that I'll even move up from the ground floor."

"Huh?"

Link leaned both hands on the desk. "The Dreamweaver can control the size of rooms inside the dream." He indicated his cabin as he said, "In here could either be as small as a closet or as big as a warehouse, whatever he wants."

"But you still beat it," Lilly pointed out. "There must be somethin' ya missed."

Link looked down and sighed at the desktop. "There's probably a lot I've missed. But about the best thing I can do is go back and try again." When Lilly did not respond, he looked up at her. He only found her staring at him, so he said, "Thanks for your help, Lilly, but I think that'll be it."

"Sure, Captain," Lilly replied as she turned to the door.

"Hey," he quickly spoke up, causing her to halt as she reached for the doorknob. "If anyone has any ideas… any ideas… feel free to send them my way. You know… pass the word along."

"Got it, Captain."

…

The day almost went by in a blur for Link. The clearest things he could remember doing were going to the galley for a quiet lunch and dinner with his crew and then going back to his cabin to brood on the situation. He might have seen the Conductor fly overhead at some point as Leynne handled the provisions they would need for a return journey. Somewhere in the middle of that was the sight of the Dreamweaver's tower, a dark, imposing stab into an otherwise brilliant sky. Such was the focus of his thoughts, relieving him of memories of the day so that he could ponder a solution. Unfortunately, nothing he felt he could work with ever materialized. Many of his thoughts went toward simply bursting through the lower floor and climbing to the top in seconds. He also thought that he might actually make use of the Conductor as Leynne had said; all he would need is a window, and Janni could easily make that. However, his "solutions" encountered the same problem: they had to out-think the Dreamweaver. Given that they could not do anything drastic without alerting the Dreamweaver to the changes, these ideas only managed some small variations before Link dismissed them as pointless. He hoped that his progress the night before would have yielded some ease with which to proceed, but then, he remembered how easily Janni had been able to manipulate the dream back when he had been trying to clear the river's technoworks.

In the end, Janni was the only answer he could come up with. He had to hope that she was still willing to assist him in the attack on the Dreamweaver. Janni knew the dream better than him. He had to wonder, though, how she would respond to the revelation that the Dreamweaver was finished with them; to doubt that she had seen the signal ignored the fact that she still seemed to be aware of events during the daytime. Would she still help them? Or would she delight in the prospect of Link's crew being killed off? The latter thought disgusted him, but he was not sure he could simply dismiss it. He had no hope without her, so he had to believe that she would continue to help him.

Before Link realized it, the day was gone. None of his crew had brought him ideas; he was amazed that even Leynne could not offer him any further options. He sat down to add to his logbook, but he could not recall anything important enough to jot down. He could only stare at the last sentence he had written that morning.

With the daylight nearly gone, he closed his logbook and lit the lantern hanging next to the dying electric light. However, instead of going to sleep, he leaned his posterior on the edge of his desk and stared at the Dreamweaver's shield set next to the head of the bed. Before he knew it, he was talking to it. Or, rather, he was hoping he was talking to Janni.

"So, here it is, then," he said. "The Dreamweaver's gotten sick of us, just like that Facade thing told us. Now we have to do something in a single night that we probably couldn't do without an entire week. Everything I've thought up, it just comes back to the Dreamweaver denying us. We could shoot up through the middle, but it'd stop us before we got far. We could make a window to fly into, but, like you said, I couldn't just forget about gravity.

"So what do we do? My crew doesn't know what the dreams are like, and I know I probably forgot the details you've given me already. I'm out of options. I'm out of time, Janni. I… I don't know what you think about all this. I just… I hope you'll help me out this one last time. I can't let my crew die, and, if I have to, I'll take the Dreamweaver with me if it'll save them. I am not gonna let him take them without a fight."

Link paused when he realized that he had stepped up to the shield as if to intimidate it. He took a step back and lowered a hand that was emphasizing his position with a finger pointed at the deck. He took in a deep breath, aware of how excited he had become just talking aloud.

"Just… just wake me as soon as I'm in the dream. We've got work to do."