“You will?” I asked him, surprised.
“Of course. Although I’m sure you believe otherwise, I am not a bad person.” His smile caught me off guard. “Please do rescue him,” he added, looking with apprehension at the tower. “Soon.”
I nodded and then rushed toward a gap in the wall, praying it didn’t topple on top of me. Pebble-strewn snow crunched under my feet. The tower’s light pulsed briefly and then shone with full force once again. How long did I have?
I rushed past the massive heaps of stone. The thought struck that I might have made a huge mistake. With the tower no longer protected, the goblins now had the ability to summon Theht. I pushed the doubts from my head and instead ran for the Keep.
I paused as I spotted a doorway at the bottom of the tower. Mog’s Keep loomed over me. The iron-gray turret shot into the sky. Like a lighthouse, the beam of light shone from the tower’s highest point, piercing through clouds above.
I dashed through the open doorway and peered up at a spiraling set of stairs.
Pain no longer meant anything to me as I climbed. I focused on one thing.
Save Jeremiah.
I climbed until my lungs begged for air, and still I climbed. When I reached the topmost part of the tower, I stopped. A door blocked my path. I grabbed the handle. Cold metal chilled my fingertips as I pushed it open.
The scene I’d witnessed once before came crashing back like a nightmare brought to life, though experiencing it in person was more terrifying.
The Regaymor flitted from child to child. They didn’t stop as I entered. I’d expected a fight, but they seemed oblivious to me. Black tatty cloth hung from bony frames. I watched in horror as their half-translucent, skeletal fingers dug into the children’s brains.
With my heart pounding, I searched for Jeremiah. I scanned the room twice before finding him.
He lay opposite the door, piled in the corner like a discarded corpse. I rushed to him. The creatures ignored me as I sprinted through their tower. My heart pounded as I knelt by Jeremiah.
His face was so pale I feared he was dead. I touched his cheek. His clammy skin felt unnaturally cool under my fingertips.
“Please don’t let me be too late,” I whispered as I felt for his pulse. It took me three minutes, but I found it. His form flickered, similar to the light streaming overhead, and I reminded myself that I’d found his dreamsoul, not his physical body.
I turned to the tubes coming from his head and yanked them free. As soon as I did, he sat up. His eyes looked dull and almost devoid of life.
He focused on me. “O—Olive?” His voice sounded hoarse, yet it was him.
I hugged him. I was certain I’d never felt happier in my life. Tears streamed down my face. I didn’t care. I let them come. I hugged him so tightly I thought I would never let go.
Jeremiah cried, too. His was a soft sob, though it was a sound of joy. I remembered he asked me once why grown-ups cried when they were happy. I guess now he knew.
“You came for me. I knew you would,” he said. He pushed away. His eyes began to shine with that familiar brightness I remembered. His smile had always been contagious. It was no different now.
I brushed away my tears and smiled with him. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”
“You’ll make it up to me.”
“Don’t I always?”
“Bowling?”
We’d had this conversation dozens of times before. “Yes, and donuts.”
“Both?”
“Trust me. You deserve it. You’ve got to be the bravest boy I’ve ever met.”
He looked behind me. His smile faded. I turned.
The Regaymor no longer flitted around the room as I expected. Instead, I found them on the catwalk overhead. They surrounded the light. It no longer pulsed or flickered but shone with an intensity that made me shield my eyes.
“They’re summoning Theht,” Jeremiah said, his voice haunted.
I turned to him. “What can we do stop them?”
“Take the others away. I’ll help you.”
He stood on wobbly legs, but it didn’t take him long to regain his strength. We dashed around the room and freed the other children. I unhooked tubes with shaking hands, fearing that at any moment the Regaymor would swoop off their perch and attack. They never did. I feared I knew why.
I was too late.
As I unhooked the last tube, Jeremiah stumbled toward me.
“It’s time for me to go.”
I eyed him. “Go where?”
“I’m going back home. You removed the Regaymor’s enchantment. They have no power over me anymore. I’m sorry, Olive, but I can’t stay here. It’s time for me to return to my body.”
“I understand.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, I hope so.” I prayed he was right.
“It’s getting all fuzzy again…” His voice drifted. As it did, his form faded. He didn’t react with fear. He inhaled a long, deep breath. “Thank you for freeing me,” he whispered.
The other children crawled from their pallets on the floor. They looked at me with wide, fearful eyes. I realized that they were looking for some sort of reassurance.
“You’re going home,” I told them, hoping they had the ability to return the same way as Jeremiah.
One by one, their images faded. Their careworn smiles filled me with hope. I’d won this battle. Now I had to win another.
Bone-chilling wails came from overhead. Lightning crackled around the tower’s ceiling. Wind funneled through the room as electricity crackled around the Regaymor.
Somehow, I had to stop this.
I spotted a ladder leading up to the catwalk. As I raced to it, the wind rushed through my ears. Lightning bursts came at regular intervals. As I reached the ladder, Mr. Green walked into the room. The Dreamthief and several goblins followed him.
“What are you doing?” he called over the clamor.
“I have to stop them!” I called as I climbed.
“It’s too late!”
The Dreamthief pulled a basita gun from
